have no idea what he meant."
"An alpha?" Charlie stood and pulled a chair
close to Roman, sitting down beside him so they could whisper. "An
alpha wolf?"
"No. An alpha-bet!" Roman nearly grew enraged
but Charlie could see him biting back his anger. "Yes. I assume
so."
The cup shook in Roman's hand. Charlie
touched it to steady it. "Callin' you one or tellin' you he was
one?"
"I don't know. I just wanted him out." Roman
finished the tepid coffee and set the cup down beside him at the
table.
"Jesus, Roman. I am at a loss on how to deal
with this again."
"I need to get to the computer. I can access
the one at work from home. Nick said the file from our case is in
the archives." Roman went to stand.
Charlie did and reached for him to make sure
he was not going to stumble.
Roman jerked his arm away indignantly, then
said, "Sorry."
"Yer a proud man, Roman Burk. But ya gotta
stop lettin' this get to ya or we'll be puttin' you into a dog
carrier."
Roman didn't take the bait, and left the
room.
Charlie picked up his empty cup and rinsed
it, then cleaned the coffee pot and dumped the old grounds into the
trash. He dried his hands and stared outside, trying to figure out
a way to rid this thing, once and for all.
~
"Butch! So nice to hear from you!"
"Hi, Sherlane." Butch was always shy when it
came to Vernon's two daughters, Suzie and Sherlane. "You back from
college?"
"Yes, both Suz and I are out for our winter
break. Are you boys coming for Christmas? Dad said we should expect
you."
"Yeah. We want to spend it with you. Yer our
family." Butch looked up when Roman moved by him down the hall,
headed to the den.
"I'm so thrilled. Suzie has a new boyfriend,
but I don't. I'm too busy. Are you seeing someone, Butch?"
"Naw. Not yet." He relocated so he could see
Roman, who sat down at his desk and booted up his computer.
"I don't know why a handsome eligible
bachelor like you is still single. You'd be a catch for any
gal."
Roman caught Butch's gaze and then began
typing on the computer.
"Anyway," Butch wasn't about to tell Sherlane
he was gay. Yes, the family seemed to accept Charlie loving Roman,
but…he didn't want anyone to know about him. "So, does it matter
when we arrive?"
"Nope. Hal and JP know you're coming. They're
excited to have you back staying with them, and I've already put
clean sheets on the bed for Roman and Charlie in Charlie's old
cabin."
Butch didn't know how to tell her he'd prefer
staying with Charlie and Roman, so he didn't. "Good. Great. I do
miss y'all."
"We miss you too. It's so nice you are all
coming. I thought for sure we'd see you sooner than two years. But
time goes quick, doesn't it, Butch?"
"It does. Feels like only yesterday I was
workin' as a wrangler on yer daddy's ranch." Butch stared at
Roman's profile as he read the computer screen, tapping keys,
moving the mouse.
"We were just discussing that crazy time. You
know. When Roman and Charlie…changed."
"I know. Hard to believe. But, well, we all
saw it."
"Have they been good since they got
fixed?"
"Fixed?" Butch thought about neutering a dog
for some reason.
"You know. When they were made right. The
curse was lifted."
"Oh. Yeah. They're fine." He wasn't about to
be the one to tell them. Not with Roman hearing every word he
said.
"Phew!" She laughed. "Daddy will be happy to
hear that."
"Ha. Yeah." Butch didn't smile. "So we'll see
ya, probably either Friday night or real early on Saturday."
"Oh, come in earlier than that. That will
only give us a few days."
Butch cupped the phone to speak to Roman.
"Sherlane wants us there for a few extra days. When did you wanna
go?"
Roman, not looking at Butch, said, "You go
now. We'll be there at the end of next week."
Butch spoke to Sherlane, "I'll see if we can
get up there Thursday. Okay?"
"Okay, Butch. Everyone is really excited to
see you all again."
"Us too. Oh, Charlie wants to know what y'all
need. Can we bring anything? Booze? Food?"
"You know Mom, she cooks for an army. So
"An alpha?" Charlie stood and pulled a chair
close to Roman, sitting down beside him so they could whisper. "An
alpha wolf?"
"No. An alpha-bet!" Roman nearly grew enraged
but Charlie could see him biting back his anger. "Yes. I assume
so."
The cup shook in Roman's hand. Charlie
touched it to steady it. "Callin' you one or tellin' you he was
one?"
"I don't know. I just wanted him out." Roman
finished the tepid coffee and set the cup down beside him at the
table.
"Jesus, Roman. I am at a loss on how to deal
with this again."
"I need to get to the computer. I can access
the one at work from home. Nick said the file from our case is in
the archives." Roman went to stand.
Charlie did and reached for him to make sure
he was not going to stumble.
Roman jerked his arm away indignantly, then
said, "Sorry."
"Yer a proud man, Roman Burk. But ya gotta
stop lettin' this get to ya or we'll be puttin' you into a dog
carrier."
Roman didn't take the bait, and left the
room.
Charlie picked up his empty cup and rinsed
it, then cleaned the coffee pot and dumped the old grounds into the
trash. He dried his hands and stared outside, trying to figure out
a way to rid this thing, once and for all.
~
"Butch! So nice to hear from you!"
"Hi, Sherlane." Butch was always shy when it
came to Vernon's two daughters, Suzie and Sherlane. "You back from
college?"
"Yes, both Suz and I are out for our winter
break. Are you boys coming for Christmas? Dad said we should expect
you."
"Yeah. We want to spend it with you. Yer our
family." Butch looked up when Roman moved by him down the hall,
headed to the den.
"I'm so thrilled. Suzie has a new boyfriend,
but I don't. I'm too busy. Are you seeing someone, Butch?"
"Naw. Not yet." He relocated so he could see
Roman, who sat down at his desk and booted up his computer.
"I don't know why a handsome eligible
bachelor like you is still single. You'd be a catch for any
gal."
Roman caught Butch's gaze and then began
typing on the computer.
"Anyway," Butch wasn't about to tell Sherlane
he was gay. Yes, the family seemed to accept Charlie loving Roman,
but…he didn't want anyone to know about him. "So, does it matter
when we arrive?"
"Nope. Hal and JP know you're coming. They're
excited to have you back staying with them, and I've already put
clean sheets on the bed for Roman and Charlie in Charlie's old
cabin."
Butch didn't know how to tell her he'd prefer
staying with Charlie and Roman, so he didn't. "Good. Great. I do
miss y'all."
"We miss you too. It's so nice you are all
coming. I thought for sure we'd see you sooner than two years. But
time goes quick, doesn't it, Butch?"
"It does. Feels like only yesterday I was
workin' as a wrangler on yer daddy's ranch." Butch stared at
Roman's profile as he read the computer screen, tapping keys,
moving the mouse.
"We were just discussing that crazy time. You
know. When Roman and Charlie…changed."
"I know. Hard to believe. But, well, we all
saw it."
"Have they been good since they got
fixed?"
"Fixed?" Butch thought about neutering a dog
for some reason.
"You know. When they were made right. The
curse was lifted."
"Oh. Yeah. They're fine." He wasn't about to
be the one to tell them. Not with Roman hearing every word he
said.
"Phew!" She laughed. "Daddy will be happy to
hear that."
"Ha. Yeah." Butch didn't smile. "So we'll see
ya, probably either Friday night or real early on Saturday."
"Oh, come in earlier than that. That will
only give us a few days."
Butch cupped the phone to speak to Roman.
"Sherlane wants us there for a few extra days. When did you wanna
go?"
Roman, not looking at Butch, said, "You go
now. We'll be there at the end of next week."
Butch spoke to Sherlane, "I'll see if we can
get up there Thursday. Okay?"
"Okay, Butch. Everyone is really excited to
see you all again."
"Us too. Oh, Charlie wants to know what y'all
need. Can we bring anything? Booze? Food?"
"You know Mom, she cooks for an army. So
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