Page 60 of Broken

Chapter 25

Cole was amused and a little bit enchanted at how excited Ireland was about going to town. Even about grocery shopping, which they also needed to do.

“I know this is boring,” he said, as they got a cart, “but at least you can get what you want, to have in the cabin. Food. Makeup and shit. Snacks.”

“Really? Anything?” She looked around the small market that served Rockhaven, the little town at the foot of Outlaw Ridge. It was safer than going out to the highway, and everyone here knew they were shifters.

“Sure,” he said. “Haven’t you ever gone grocery shopping before?”

He was kidding, but she shook her head. “Not really. I always lived with a Protector, and usually a housekeeper. They got all the food. I just ate what they said. And Riker and I mostly ate at diners, or got takeout.”

He stared at her. “You seriously never got to pick out your own snacks before?”

“Snacks weren’t really a thing at all.” Bright Fae Protectors believed in healthy living.

“Well, that’s just wrong. Here.” He set her loose in the snack aisle. She got cheese crackers and Fig Newtons and put them tentatively in the cart.

“Damn. I need to teach you how to spend money,” he said. “And snack. Although, Boomer is the champion snacker in our family. I might have to call him in as a consultant.”

She whipped her head around. “I get a snack consultant? Awesome!”

“You’re a desperate case. But I’ll do the best I can.” He put two bags of dark chocolate sea-salt caramels in the cart, along with one of those big plastic jars of cheese balls, and one of peanut-butter-filled pretzels.

He also bought some steaks and everything to go with them, plus bacon, ham, and eggs, and then filled the cart with anything else Ireland expressed an interest in, even the vegetables. He supposed it wouldn’t hurt him to eat some. He hoped she knew how to cook them, because he sure as hell didn’t. Maybe Madison did. She was a rabbit, after all.

When they got to the front, he picked up two packs of cigarettes. Ireland frowned. “Those are terrible for you.”

He shrugged. “Old habit.” He found it calming, especially after a mission. “And I have shifter healing, remember? It repairs any damage to my lungs.”

“No reason to make it work overtime.”

He grinned at her, but he put the cigarettes on the belt anyway. “You’re not the boss of me, Tinkerbell.”

“Humph.”

He wondered how long it would be before the cigarettes mysteriously disappeared.

Boomer had come into town with everyone else, and they stowed the groceries in his truck, because he was headed back right away.

“Don’t let any Retrievers take a bite out of my girl,” he said to Cole as he climbed inside.

“Don’t make me kick your ass to prove I can take care of myself,” Karisma muttered. Boomer just grinned, took her face between his hands, and gave her a big smacking kiss. “Love you too, babe.”

They had lunch at the café, the girls at a table in the middle, and Cole and Sanchez, as promised, eating steak and eggs in the corner and leaving them to their girl talk of clothes, nail colors, and the best handgun to carry in your purse.

Afterwards, Cole was planning to take Ireland to the boutique and drop a pile of money on her. The other girls had gone on ahead. But on the way, they passed the window of the thrift shop, and she stopped, mesmerized. “Look at that!”

All Cole could see was junk—old clothes, battered furniture and toys, sports equipment.

“I can afford to buy you new clothes,” he said, amused.

“But… the fringed leather jacket. And the red cowboy hat!” She turned those magical blue eyes on him, begging him to go inside. Sheeyit. She’d never even gotten to shop where she wanted before. “Knock yourself out,” he said, and held the door open for her.

She immediately made a beeline for the jacket, and the hat. Within minutes she’d added three shirts, a fuzzy sweater, two pairs of jeans, and some leather boots. And she had a bright green bowler hat perched rakishly on her head. “You look like a leprechaun,” he said. “A sexy one.”

She grinned. “I need to try this stuff on.”

“You really can have new stuff.”