was alpha and married, so the females weren't
fighting for the coveted position, not wary of every female that
walked by.
When their collective voices were trashed,
Chris put his guitar away and stood up and held his hand out to
her, pulling her gently up. Renee gave her a hug on their way out
the door and said, "We should go to lunch this week, honey."
"I'd like that."
"Good, I'll get some of the girls together,
how about tomorrow at Lonestar's at 1?"
Cadence agreed, looking forward to it. It
would be nice to have a girls day. Chris was telling her how
amazing she sounded, and how much he enjoyed singing with her, when
the rush of footsteps sounded suddenly and Chris moved her behind
him protectively. It was an instinctual response on his part, but
it warmed her just the same. Callie, with Michael hot on her heels,
had come storming around the house and Cadence could see Jason on
the front porch, arms folded and an angry expression slashed across
his features.
"Cadence, please, don't leave. Please talk to
me." Callie breathed, fresh tears on her cheeks. Callie was not
acting like herself; Cadence had never seen her cry so much
publicly. She was like Cadence, more a suffer silently in public
and go berserk in private.
Cadence would have hugged her, called her an
idiot and told her that she loved her. But she couldn't get the
image of Callie and Jason out of her head even though her brain was
the one that put it there in the first place. She thought it might
haunt her forever. Shaking her head at Callie, Cadence pulled Chris
backwards towards the truck. He shut her in the passenger seat
while Michael put his arm around Callie and she sobbed into his
shoulder. Cadence shut her eyes against the ache of tears that
pressed as they pulled away.
"Are you okay?" He picked up her hand and
kissed the top of it.
"I don't know. Have you ever felt like
everyone was keeping something from you, but they expected you to
figure it out without any help whatsoever?"
"No. Sorry." He laughed and it made her laugh
and she had to brush away the tears that fell when her guard was
let down. He pulled her against him in a hug with one arm and
kissed the top of her head. "Sweetheart, there's not some enormous
conspiracy about you. If you think about it, the single males are
treating you the way that they're supposed to, and the females are,
too, because they see you as a romantic rival."
"But I'm not pack, you said so yourself."
"No, but you're as close as possible. Didn't
you have fun tonight?"
"Of course."
"Doesn't the Garra pack treat you better than
the Tressel pack?"
"Yeah." Why was that, anyhow?
As if he could read her mind he said, "It's
because the alpha is married, honey. I mean the females in my pack
aren't crazy about you, they're not crazy about any single females,
but the coveted position isn't available so they aren't fighting.
Couldn't you feel the difference between the two packs?"
"I just thought it was because your dad has
always watched out for me."
"Well, so has the other pack, but it's not
quite the same. Watching your back for trouble is not the same as
dealing with the females when they want to shag the single
alpha."
"He's not single anymore, though, he's got
Callie."
"Nothing is official until its official, so
until things are final the pack will be at each other's throats.
You don't have to worry about that with my pack, though."
"Oh , your pack?"
He laughed. He had a great laugh. Why hadn't
she noticed that before? "Yeah, it will be eventually."
He followed her up the front porch and waited
while she unlocked the door. He towered over her, he always had,
but now he seemed even more imposing, and perhaps it was because he
was slowly closing the distance between them. His hand tilted her
face up to meet his, and she closed her eyes and their lips met,
just the barest brush of his skin against hers while her heart
pounded in her ears.
Pulling back suddenly she let out a small
gasp and he brushed the back of
fighting for the coveted position, not wary of every female that
walked by.
When their collective voices were trashed,
Chris put his guitar away and stood up and held his hand out to
her, pulling her gently up. Renee gave her a hug on their way out
the door and said, "We should go to lunch this week, honey."
"I'd like that."
"Good, I'll get some of the girls together,
how about tomorrow at Lonestar's at 1?"
Cadence agreed, looking forward to it. It
would be nice to have a girls day. Chris was telling her how
amazing she sounded, and how much he enjoyed singing with her, when
the rush of footsteps sounded suddenly and Chris moved her behind
him protectively. It was an instinctual response on his part, but
it warmed her just the same. Callie, with Michael hot on her heels,
had come storming around the house and Cadence could see Jason on
the front porch, arms folded and an angry expression slashed across
his features.
"Cadence, please, don't leave. Please talk to
me." Callie breathed, fresh tears on her cheeks. Callie was not
acting like herself; Cadence had never seen her cry so much
publicly. She was like Cadence, more a suffer silently in public
and go berserk in private.
Cadence would have hugged her, called her an
idiot and told her that she loved her. But she couldn't get the
image of Callie and Jason out of her head even though her brain was
the one that put it there in the first place. She thought it might
haunt her forever. Shaking her head at Callie, Cadence pulled Chris
backwards towards the truck. He shut her in the passenger seat
while Michael put his arm around Callie and she sobbed into his
shoulder. Cadence shut her eyes against the ache of tears that
pressed as they pulled away.
"Are you okay?" He picked up her hand and
kissed the top of it.
"I don't know. Have you ever felt like
everyone was keeping something from you, but they expected you to
figure it out without any help whatsoever?"
"No. Sorry." He laughed and it made her laugh
and she had to brush away the tears that fell when her guard was
let down. He pulled her against him in a hug with one arm and
kissed the top of her head. "Sweetheart, there's not some enormous
conspiracy about you. If you think about it, the single males are
treating you the way that they're supposed to, and the females are,
too, because they see you as a romantic rival."
"But I'm not pack, you said so yourself."
"No, but you're as close as possible. Didn't
you have fun tonight?"
"Of course."
"Doesn't the Garra pack treat you better than
the Tressel pack?"
"Yeah." Why was that, anyhow?
As if he could read her mind he said, "It's
because the alpha is married, honey. I mean the females in my pack
aren't crazy about you, they're not crazy about any single females,
but the coveted position isn't available so they aren't fighting.
Couldn't you feel the difference between the two packs?"
"I just thought it was because your dad has
always watched out for me."
"Well, so has the other pack, but it's not
quite the same. Watching your back for trouble is not the same as
dealing with the females when they want to shag the single
alpha."
"He's not single anymore, though, he's got
Callie."
"Nothing is official until its official, so
until things are final the pack will be at each other's throats.
You don't have to worry about that with my pack, though."
"Oh , your pack?"
He laughed. He had a great laugh. Why hadn't
she noticed that before? "Yeah, it will be eventually."
He followed her up the front porch and waited
while she unlocked the door. He towered over her, he always had,
but now he seemed even more imposing, and perhaps it was because he
was slowly closing the distance between them. His hand tilted her
face up to meet his, and she closed her eyes and their lips met,
just the barest brush of his skin against hers while her heart
pounded in her ears.
Pulling back suddenly she let out a small
gasp and he brushed the back of
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