Chapter 2

Shivey felt a great deal more relaxed about going to work next day. She liked Owen, he felt like an uncle or something similar, so lunch would be nice. When she arrived home it was to find Coral waiting for her, a mug of coffee in her hand and one on the coffee table in front of her.

Shivey looked from Coral to the coffee and back again. Coral rolled her eyes. “What? I knew when to pour; I could hear your monster of a truck coming from a mile away.”

Shivey took a seat and picked up her coffee, enjoying the aroma before taking a sip. “I knew I hired you for a reason.” She smiled, sitting back on the couch fully intending to enjoy the coffee and hoping Coral wasn’t up to something. She was never one to sit and idly chat, especially at the end of the day.

Shivey sighed and opened her eyes, “Okay, what’s up?”

Coral blinked at her friend, doing her best to keep a straight face. “What makes you think something’s up?”

Shivey gave her ‘the look’. The look that said ‘I know you’re either up to something or have something to say, so spit it out!’ Coral remained silent, her eyes on her own coffee until she couldn’t stand the knowledge that her friend and boss, was still giving her the look.

She sighed, “You got a call from your mother today.” She took a sip. “You also got a call from a Mr Wentworth.” Coral lifted her mug and watched the expression on Shivey’s face over its rim. She put her mug down and smiled sweetly, “What message would you like to hear first?”

Shivey almost choked on a mouthful of coffee. How the hell Coral managed to look so sweet and innocent when she wasn’t was beyond her. She glared at the woman, “Give me the good news first.”

“Umm, it’s all good or bad depending on how you look at it.” She smiled sweetly and Shivey wanted to throw something at her.

She didn’t. She finished off her coffee, placing the mug on the table before responding with, “The bane of my existence!”

Coral smiled and sat forward, “Your mother called to let you know your brother is due home in a couple of days. She’s planning a family dinner to welcome him home, so you have to go.”

“Rhys is coming home?” Coral nodded excitedly in reply.

“That’s great news! I guess I can deal with my mother for one night.” Shivey couldn’t help the smile on her face. Her brother had been away for some time, working and studying. They’d kept in touch, but it wasn’t the same. She missed hanging out with him. He loved her for who she was and never tried to make her be something she wasn’t.

“Okay, what did Mr Wentworth want?”

“Lunch!”

“Huh?”

Coral laughed, “He wants you to meet him for lunch. He said he had something he wishes to discuss with you.”

Shivey was surprised, “When?”

“When what? Oh, lunch. He was hoping for tomorrow I think.”

“I’m busy tomorrow,” she smiled in relief. “I have a kind of lunch date and don‘t ask who with, because I’m not saying.”

Coral’s eyes glittered wickedly. “That can only mean one of two things. You’re having lunch with some hunk of a man and you don’t want to jinx it, or he’s age ugly and you’re too embarrassed to tell me who it is?”

Shivey burst out laughing. “You’ve got one hell of an imagination Coral. You ever considered writing mystery novels, or better yet romance?”

Coral tossed a couch cushion at Shivey. “I have a hot date, so I need to go. You on the other hand need to contact both your mother and Mr Wentworth.” That said Coral got to her feet, grabbed her jacket and bag off the end of the couch she’d been sitting on and headed for the front door.

She tried not to laugh when she heard Shivey muttering and called out over her shoulder, “I got you off the hook with your mother, I told her you’d be there. You only have to deal with Mr Wentworth. You can thank me later!”

Shivey was relieved that she’d didn’t have to deal with her mother. She heard the front door close and her hopes were dashed that Coral would call and speak with the new Alpha. She sighed and got to her feet, a smile on her face. Her brother was coming home. She’d try and focus on that after she called tall dark and scary.

Shivey found the message with the contact number by the phone and dialled. If she hesitated she’d come up with an excuse to call later and putting off a call to an Alpha, was not a good idea.

Her call was picked up on the third ring. “Hello,” there was silence on the other end of the line. He tried again, “Hello, this is Taren Wentworth to whom am I speaking?”

“Mr Wentworth, its Shivey Anderson. My office manager said you wanted me to give you a call?”

“Siobhan. Yes, I was hoping to have lunch with you tomorrow, I have something I’d like to discuss with you?”

Shivey could feel her hands shaking. “I’ve already made lunch plans for tomorrow. I’ll be working at your place a good part of tomorrow finalising things though. Maybe we can talk before I leave?” she waited hoping he’d buy it.

Taren was confused. Siobhan had said she’d be working on his land, but had plans for lunch with someone else. He was an Alpha, new to the area perhaps, but still, he’d thought she’d want to make a good impression.

Although the fact that Shivey had beaten the crap out of Seth, had impressed him, she might believe he didn’t approve of her defending herself in that way. He tried not to think about it. “That would be fine, just come to my office when you’re done.”

“Okay Mr Wentworth, I’ll see you then.”

“Taren… call me Ta…” the line went dead. He didn’t like that she seemed so eager to get off the phone.

The woman had a pleasant voice and he was discovering that Siobhan Anderson wasn’t like the women he usually met. Most women, single women that is, did their best to attract his attention, flirting with him and making themselves available whenever he was around. He’d hoped it would be different here, but was finding himself inundated with invitations to lunch or dinner from Pack members.

Taren knew this wasn’t just a means of getting to know him; it was a way to introduce him to any single females in the hopes that he’d be interested. After all, having an Alpha, for an in-law would improve anyone’s status.

Siobhan seemed genuine and that was rare. Taren smiled as he placed the phone back in its cradle. She may not want to have lunch with him, but they would soon be sharing a meal.

Shivey was still shaking when she sat on the couch. Why the hell does he make me feel so damned nervous! She puffed out a breath and covered her face. He’s an Alpha, that’s why! She did not want to think about having to meet with the hunky Alpha the next day, so headed for the kitchen. “Food! I need food and something to take my mind of things.

Shivey settled for toasted sandwiches, another coffee and Predator. Arnie was way buff and she got to see him strut his stuff. By the time she hit the sack she was ready for sleep, but woke just on dawn feeling cold and alone. She pulled the covers closer trying to go back to sleep, but it wasn’t happening.

Thirty minutes later Shivey was showered, dressed and organised for the day. She made coffee, the real stuff and even had time to make breakfast. There wasn’t a great deal left to do, so there was no rush getting to her job. She was looking forward to having lunch with Owen, he seemed like a nice man and having him as a friend just might come in handy, especially if she had to deal with the Alpha at some stage in the future.

She spent a good part of the morning tidying up and making sure everything was in order. Seth even gave her a hand, offering to help her pack up some of her equipment. When they were done he kind of hung around and she knew he had something to say.

“I, umm,” he sighed. “I wanted to apologise for the way I treated you. I shouldn’t have picked a fight with you.”

“Why? Because it was wrong or because I’m female?”

He could feel his face flush, but looked her in the eye, “Both I guess. My mother hit the roof when she found out I was in the ring with a girl and Thomas, my brother,” He shook his head, “he wanted to beat the crap out of me for what I did.” The corner of his mouth quirked up into a half smile, “I’d sure like to know who taught you how to fight?”

She couldn’t help herself, she grinned. “My brother, I used to hang out with him and his friends all the time. They could be a bit rough and sometimes forgot I was ‘a girl’,” she rolled her eyes. “I also accidentally on purpose found myself having to fight other kids and he eventually realised I needed to be able to defend myself.”

Seth laughed, “Does he know he got played?”

“He didn’t at the time and so far he hasn’t called me on it. How about we keep it between the two of us?”

“No problem.” He replied, “What you do, it’s kind of cool you know. I mean what you create is beautiful.” He lowered his eyes not wanting Shivey to see that he was embarrassed at what he’d said.

“You know I could probably use a bit of help now and then. Are you still in school, because if you’re up for it, you could maybe help on weekends and holidays? I’ll even pay you.” She smiled half hoping he’d take her up on her offer.

Seth’s entire face lit up. “I’ve finished high school and,” he shrugged, “I’ve just been hanging out you know... not really sure what I want to do now.”

“Talk to your family, see what they say. I’ll need you to get them on side first.” She pulled a business card out of her back pocket and handed it to him. “Give me a call.”

Seth gave her a nod and took the card. “Thanks.”

Shivey watched as he walked away and couldn’t help feeling that maybe this would be a good thing. She wanted to expand her business, but needed more man-power to do so. Seth, if he worked out would be a start and in time, she might eventually be able to leave him to do some of the smaller jobs.

She shook it off and headed for the kitchen, Owen and lunch. The smell of roasted meat greeted her and her mouth began to salivate. “Owen?”

“Ah, you’re here, come in and take a seat. Do you have much more to do?”

“I should have everything tied up in an hour or so, but that can wait until after lunch. How’s your day been so far and please tell me what I’m smelling is our lunch?”

He laughed, “Yes, I promised Taren roast lamb and figured now’s as good a time as any. Would you mind getting yourself a drink while I dish up? There’s juice and soft drink in the refrigerator, or I can make coffee or tea if you’d prefer?”

Shivey opened the refrigerator door and pulled out a jug of ice-water. She held it up to Owen, when he nodded; she grabbed two tall glasses pouring for them both. She put the jug back in the refrigerator and carried the glasses to the table taking a seat.

“Mm this smells wonderful!” Shivey said then dug in. after a few mouthfuls she stopped and smiled at Owen. “Like I said yesterday, if I was the marrying kind, I’d be asking you to…”

The door leading from the kitchen to the rest of the house opened and the Taren came in. He was surprised to see Shivey sitting at the table with Owen, then realised who her lunch date was with. He smiled at her then focused on Owen. “I was about to ask if we had any mint sauce. I didn’t realise you had company for lunch.”

Shivey realised that the mint sauce was sitting in front of her plate and automatically picked it up to hand to him. She saw humour in his eyes and put the sauce back down again with a sigh. She glanced at Owen and wanted to throw something at him…. the bread rolls looked very toss worthy, though she figured any sense of camaraderie she had with him would go out the window if she did .

She sighed again. Damn it, the man was doing his best not to laugh at either her or the situation and the Alpha was no better. “You’re welcome to join us.”

“Thank you Siobhan, I’d like that.” He turned to go get his meal, but Owen stopped him telling him to take a seat.

A few minutes later they were all seated around the kitchen table. Taren had a smile on his face and Shivey… well Shivey did her best to concentrate on her meal.

Owen noticed the change in Shivey, so did what he could to get her talking again. “What are your plans for the rest of the week? Do you have other jobs lined up, or will you be able to take a break between jobs?”

She answered, but without the enthusiasm she had earlier. “I, umm, I’ve got a couple of small things lined up for next week. After that I was thinking of taking a few days off.” She shrugged not knowing what else to add.

Taren didn’t like that she’d become so shy. He’d heard the interaction between her and Owen before he came in. He wanted her to be as calm and relaxed with him too. “The garden looks wonderful. You have a great eye for colour and also for the type of garden that should go in any particular area.” He smiled hoping to put her at ease. “I’d have never thought of having a cactus garden, but it not only looks good, it suits where you placed it.”

Shivey could feel her face heat and nodded her head, “Thank you.”

Taren could see her hands shake slightly and wondered where the brave stubborn woman he’d met at the gym had gone. Sadly, he realised it was him that was making her nervous and he resolved to do what he could to change that fact.

“The other day I called you a gardener, what you do is a great deal more than that. How do you know how to work an area, what to plant or even where to put each plant so it looks natural?”

Shivey looked up surprised at his question. “I umm,” she took a calming breath and tried again. “It doesn’t happen all at once. I take some time to check out the area, get a feel for it. At that stage I treat what I see as if it’s a canvas. I do sketches, take photographs and jot down ideas before I try and fit it together, like a jigsaw puzzle.

“I have to take into account what’s in the area, like the house and any other buildings. The colours have to fit as well as the plants.” She shrugged again. “It takes time, planning and a bit of research regarding which plants would suit and also what’s available at the time, but I love it.”

Taren smiled, “I think that’s the biggest hurdled we have job wise. Finding what we love and being able to do it. You’re lucky Siobhan, not everyone gets that.”

Shivey nodded in answer and concentrated on her meal once more. She felt out of her depth sitting with the new Alpha and knowing she had a habit of speaking her mind, decided it might be best to finish eating and get back to work.

Unfortunately Taren had other ideas. “The other night at the gym, you did really well. Who was it that taught you to fight?”

Shivey almost choked on a piece of meat. She swallowed and sipped some of her water, while gathering her thoughts. “My brother Rhys taught me. He didn’t want to, but it’s my life and I kind of made him realise I needed to defend myself.”

Taren was intrigued, “And how exactly did you manage that?”

Shivey sighed, she wasn’t sure how the Alpha felt about her fighting, but as she’d said, it was her life. “My mother,” she shook her head. “Okay, my mother has to be experienced, but in a lot of ways she’s no different to other maternal female shifters. She believed she had to do her part to keep our race going. She had a son, which gave my father an heir. She was happy with that but she wanted more.”

Taren wasn’t sure he should have asked, but she was opening up and he wanted to get to know her. He remained silent, listening intently and hoped he hadn’t inadvertently opened up old wounds.

“My mother wanted a daughter she could dress up and teach how to be a lady and the mother of her future grandchildren. For the first seven years she didn’t push it. I got to hang out with my brother and his friends. I climbed trees, went fishing and even did some hunting with them. My father wasn’t worried about me, they all knew if they didn’t look out for me they’d have to answer to him. Life was pretty near perfect.”

She lowered her face and Taren could hear an almost silent sigh. “On my seventh birthday that all changed.” Shivey picked up her glass of water with a shaky hand.

Taren didn’t want to hear anymore, he didn’t like that she was becoming upset, but wasn’t quite sure how to get her to stop. He needn’t have bothered, she continued before he could say anything.

“My mother decided I’d had enough time to ‘rough-house’ as she put it. It was her turn and she was going to teach me to be a lady. We went shopping, spent time with her friends and their daughters. She did her best to teach me to be whatever it was my ‘future mate’ would expect me to be. She…”

Shivey caught her breath. “Needless to say I wasn’t allowed to hang out with my brother and his friends after that, so I got creative.” She smiled softly, remembering how she’d finally gotten Rhys to teach her how to fight.

“You’re killing us both here,” said Taren.

“Yes Shivey, please tell us about your creativity?” Owen grinned, knowing he was sure to like what she had to say.

Shivey looked at them one at a time, an expression of pure innocence on her face. “Well, I was something of a tom-boy and didn’t quite fit in with the other girls. So I kind of got a few of their brothers riled up… accidentally of course. They were young and not completely in control of their reactions. When I pushed hard enough they pushed back.”

“You picked fights with their brothers?” Owen was stunned.

Shivey tried not to smile, nodding her head slightly in response. “It only took two… no three instances of me coming home crying about being hurt and not being able to defend myself. Rhys worked with me every chance he got after that.” Now she did smile and it grew when she saw the expressions on Taren and Owen’s faces.

Taren shook his head, this woman was resourceful. “I take it your parents didn’t know?”

Once again she held an expression of complete innocence, “Didn’t know what?”

Taren burst out laughing, Owen joining him. It took several minutes before they were both able to control themselves, Owen having to wipe at wet eyes he’d laughed so much.

Shivey grinned, “I’m fairly sure my father knows. I think he liked the idea of me knowing how to protect myself if it was ever necessary. My mother…” she shook her head, “She would have had me shipped off to some finishing school.”

“Finishing school? That’s not who you are Shivey.” Owen grinned doing his best not to laugh again.

“I’m with Owen. There’s nothing wrong with who you are Siobhan. In fact, it’s actually refreshing to meet someone who doesn’t play games, or pretend to be something they aren’t.” Taren looked out the window for a moment trying to gather his thoughts. “Your brother is coming home. I met him several months ago and was impressed with his abilities. I’ve asked him to take control of security for the Pack.”

“Does that mean he’ll be staying?” Taren nodded and her entire face lit up with excitement.

“There’s more. Your parents know he’ll be working for me. They’ve invited me to his welcome home dinner.” He saw the colour drain from her face and waited.

“Have you been invited to dinner by anyone else yet?” he nodded, “Then you know that you weren’t invited just so they can welcome you to the area.” She groaned. “My mother’s invited quite a few men over for dinner and not for their riveting conversation.”

Taren noticed how pale she’d turned and had to physically stop himself from reaching out to comfort her. He waited for her to continue, having a fair idea of what she was about to say.

“She’s been trying to find a husband for me… a mate. In fact I’m fairly certain she’s invited ever single, male shifter within a hundred mile radius.” She lifted her eyes to him a pained expression in her eyes.

“I like you Siobhan Anderson. To be honest, it would be nice to go to one of these dinners knowing I had a friend there. That way I could relax, enjoy the meal and the company without having to fend off unwanted advances. So what say I show up for dinner and we show a united front, as friends?”

Shivey blinked and blinked again, “Umm... that actually sounds like a great idea. Be warned though, you’re a great catch.” She noticed he’d suddenly sat up a little straighter and a smile edged the corner of his mouth.

She rolled her eyes. “Okay here’s the thing and this is the thing that most parents will be concentrating on. You’re young, your good looking, hell you’re an Alpha, which speaks for itself in regards to status and most importantly of all. You’re single!”

Owen coughed and got to his feet to clear the table. Shivey did the same but he shook his head, “Sit and discuss strategy with Taren. While you two are at it, you might also discuss you doing the maintenance of the gardens?” and that’s exactly what they did.

By the time she left they had a game plan and though she didn’t commit to the maintenance job, she did promise she’d consider it. All in all by the time Shivey left for home, she’d finalised the job, gotten over her fear of talking with the Alpha, and was ready in theory to face her mother when she welcomed her brother home