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Chapter Six
Luther had been in a daze ever since his mining crew had gone to the park, and he was certain of the cause. That girl he’d scented there seemed to have permanently entrenched herself in his thoughts. And it was no wonder, since he immediately had recognized her as his life partner.
Of course, none of the boys knew who she was, and for the past couple of days, he’d been feeling as though some piece of him had been abruptly chopped off. Fated mates often said that they felt like part of them was missing whenever they were apart, and if nothing else would have convinced him that he’d found his one, just the longing to be in her presence would have been enough.
At the time, he hadn’t even found out her name. But when he was grocery shopping, he ran across one of the girls who had been at the park with her, and he decided it would be rude not to say hello to her. “I saw you at the park with your painting group, right?”
“Yes,” she said, smiling as she shook Luther’s hand. “I’m Maria – the shifter matchmaker around here. Yes, I know you’re one of us, so don’t look so alarmed. And it’s okay: there are a whole lot of us shifters here in Angel Fire, as I’m sure you must have figured out unless your nose is somehow broken. If you’re ever interested in making a connection, I’m the one to call. Here, take one of my cards,” Maria offered, as she continued to chat with Luther,
“You know, actually, there was somebody I’m curious about,” he admitted, and he proceeded to describe the dark beauty to her.
“Oh, that’s Espie,” she’d commented dryly. “If you ever want to meet her, your best chance is to head over to A Cup of Beans. That’s where you’re sure to find her most of the time. There, or at the resort. The place is owned by her family, the Ruiz clan.”
“Great, thanks,” Luther had nodded. “Maybe you’ll get a call from me sometime.”
After he’d finished grocery shopping, Luther was with Paul and a couple of their other buddies outside A Cup of Beans, each of them carrying an empty water jug. At the time, he had thought his excuse to enter the coffee shop to find Espie was sound, but now that they were there, he wasn’t so sure.
“Are you sure this will work?” he asked Paul with a frown. “You don’t think it’s going to look way too obvious, do you?”
“Just do it, Luther,” Paul admonished. “You’re the one who talked us into coming here, now just go in there and get your girl.”
“Yeah, you’re right,” he said slowly as he turned to head for the building, trying not to blush. Luther popped through the front door and heard the ringing of a little bell from somewhere above.
Across the room, Espie’s friend gasped, her eyes taking him in, while the object of Luther’s interest appeared to have her nose firmly buried in her laptop.
Luther stepped further into the store, feeling a bit awkward. His eyes were drawn to Espie, but he tried not to stare at her outright. Just to be near his fated mate made all of his fear and anxiety melt away. Her scent wafted across the café, overpowering the smells of the baked goods and coffee. It made Luther imagine a sunny afternoon, with the two of them laid out on a blanket together, enjoying each other’s company.
Espie’s eyes looked up momentarily from her screen, and she appeared to be somewhat annoyed at first, until she realized what the cause of the distraction was all about; then her expression warmed for a moment before she fixed her gaze firmly on her screen again. Luther couldn’t help wondering what was so interesting on the little computer.
“His name is Luther,” her friend whispered with a little giggle, then patted Espie on the shoulder. “Maria Facebook-stalked him last night and texted me the information.”
“Okay, Maida,” Espie deadpanned, her face turning a deep red as Luther moved closer and approached them.
“Don’t mean to interrupt you ladies,” said Luther as he stuffed his hand into the pockets of his dusty jeans, his plain, slightly dirty button-down sleeves rolled up to his elbows. “But do you happen to have a spigot? We’ve been having the toughest time trying to fill our water bottles using our old well pump, so we thought maybe we could grab some water here in town.”
“Oh, sure thing,” said Maida as she straightened up, beckoning him toward the back. “Why don’t you go grab your bottles and bring ‘em in? Our kitchen sink is deep enough to hold just about anything.”
Luther’s head bobbed up and down briefly before he jogged back outside, returning shortly with his friends in tow. His inner bear groaned, long and low, as he stepped out, but he instantly brightened up again when he returned to the store. As he and the other men lugged their mammoth jugs into the kitchen for Maida to fill, it was difficult for him to fight the urge to go to Espie and simply claim her as his own.
Meanwhile, Espie had continued to work on the laptop, and Luther couldn’t help but be curious enough to read whatever it was that had Espie so enthralled with the screen. He decided to move a little closer to her so that he could read what was on the laptop.
In a search box, she’d typed in the name, “Willard Vesper”. The headline of the article she was currently reading said, “Local Environmental Activists Jailed for Vandalizing Displays at New Car Show.”
He moved away as Maida and his friends stepped out of the kitchen again, wondering why this woman would be so interested in such an odd topic. Obviously, he couldn’t just ask.
“Did you find anything out?” Maida asked for him.
“Look at this,” Espie scoffed, sparing a glance for her audience but only briefly.
Maida’s fiery red brows knitted together as she scrolled down the page, and as she finished the article, she stepped back with a gasp, her hand covering her mouth.
“Oh my God, the guy’s some kind of a nutcase.”
“I’ll tell Miguel about it,” Espie said with a worried frown. “Maybe not my parents, though. I don’t want to scare them before we can figure something out.”
Maida glanced up at the miners. “Do you guys need me to help you bring the water out?”
“Oh no, of course not,” Luther told her. “Thanks for helping us out.”
As they exited, and before Luther had fully closed the door to the store, his superior shifter ears heard something that made him smile.
Maida said to Espie, “Girl, he was SO checking you out!”
A chorus of girlish squeals buoyed Luther’s spirits as they loaded their jugs into the car.
Even Paul’s frown couldn’t bring him down as he shook his head and groaned. “Dude, why’d we even go in there if you and your Espie didn’t even talk?”
Luther grinned back at him. “Don’t worry, Paul. Sometimes words are not the best form of communication.”
