AllFreeNovel
Share Us
It was a slow morning at the clinic, so when Rory came in, they were all eager to help out. Probably much to the annoyance of Josephine, but she never tried to pretend that her clinic in Greenacre was like what she was used to in the city.
“I’ll do my best not to. I’d like to keep both of them attached, and all other parts of me.”
“Keeping the blood inside your body would be a good idea too,” Tavish said. “Then again, the place always looks bloody.”
“I’d expect nothing less from a butcher shop,” Rory responded with equal dryness. He grinned at Josephine. “Thank you kindly yet again.”
“No problem, Rory. It’s the least I can do given how many times the twins took your house apart. And because I’m a doctor, here to take care of anyone who needs me.”
Rory and his son used to watch Josephine and Trace’s twins during the day, before they were old enough to start going to the Greenacre school, which the kids started attending a heck of a lot younger than five.
“Goodness, no. They’re good boys.”
The twins were unholy terrors, and everyone knew it. But children were the most precious and amazing gift, and even the oldest, most crusty, or surliest of them loved all the young in the community.
“How are things going for you?”
It took Kier a minute to realize that Rory was talking to him, and everyone had turned and was looking at him expectantly. Kind of like that bomb about to go off, eggshell stepping kind of expectant.
He thought about last night, how both Misty and Taylee had come out of their shells. Misty loved painting. She enjoyed playing around with colors, trying different brush strokes. And Taylee, she was incredible. She created a masterpiece without any effort, like her body remembered even if she couldn’t. She’d shocked herself, but Grace wasn’t so surprised. He’d just enjoyed seeing her transform. She was radiantlast night.
“They’re improving, I think. I rearranged my time off so that I can be there when Misty gets off school and Taylee can be with us too for a few hours. One of her brothers or her dad will bring her over to my place every day. It’s good for Misty and Onyx.”
“I’m sorry, man, that’s tough.” Trace clapped him on the shoulder. “Although we’re all so glad that Taylee is doing better.”
“Is she, though?” It was only because they’d known each other forever that Tavish was asking.
“I think so.” After last night, something had changed in Tay. Something she’d realized when Misty asked her that awful question. “I think it’s going to keep getting better and better.”
“It’s early days,” Josephine cut in. “Are you sure she won’t see my friend?”
“Maybe.” Kier didn’t want to come right out and say no. If he asked Taylee again, would she be more open to the idea? “She’s worried about controlling her bear. She hasn’t shifted since the accident.”
The room went dead silent.
“Does she want some help?” Rory offered.
Something ugly and primitive reared its head in Kier. He barely stopped himself from going at Rory and taking him by the throat.
“Whoa,” Tavish set a restraining hand on his other shoulder. “Sit down, man. You look like you’re going to fall over.”
“You looked very much the same way when you thought January was going to stay in Phoenix,” Trace reminded him. “You moped around this clinic every single day until she came back.”
“And you were once an asshole who lived out in the woods who thought cutting logs was entertainment,” Tavish clapped back.
“You once thought being a bachelor was a great thing.”
“Boys,” Josephine warned. “We’re trying to help Kier and Taylee. I don’t think she needs any help with her shifting from any of us here in Greenacre. She has her own clan. Family. Friends. And her mate, who looks like he wants to strangle all of you because you all go into alpha comatose rage states when it comes to anyone getting in the way of your mates, but you have human mates. They don’t and will never shift. It’s different with Taylee. Kier doesn’t want you helping her with that because it’s sacred. You’re men. You can shift together and wrestle and playfight together, but it’s different with women. You don’t understand because right now, we have no females who are old enough to shift here at Greenacre.”
“You’re right,” Kier said, he was pretty impressed with how much Josephine had figured out about shifter dynamics, especially since she was a human woman, and it was true—they’d never had much experience with shifter women until the Pinefall clan arrived. “I just lost my head for a minute. I’m sorry.”
“Don’t apologize.” Rory got up from the table and nodded. “I didn’t mean anything by it, but I can kind of see how that was offensive. I just wanted to help.”
“Us too. We see how lost you are since the accident. Or not lost, but how hard you’re working. You have a new baby and a new daughter just getting used to life here. You’re working the same number of hours you always have. It can’t be easy—and then there’s what happened to your mate on top of all that,” Tavish said. He finally took his hand away and Trace did the same. They both stepped back, and Kier stood up out of the chair they’d crowded him into.
“I want to do something for Misty,” he confessed. “Something that will make her feel special and more a part of this clan. But what does an eight-year-old girl like?”
“A party?” Josephine suggested with a raised brow.
