well as he hid her clothes. Mistress
Bailey quickly realized the jewelry was
missing.”
“I am grateful to him for saving what
he could, and I thank you for helping me
look halfway presentable. I’d better
hurry.”
Rikka helped her slip into a pair of
satin slippers that matched the gown
perfectly. Maralee left the room to venture
to the dining room.
She found her aunt was into the third
course of her meal and her two guests,
while seated at the table, weren’t eating
anything. Maralee pretended not to take
much interest in the two rough-looking
men who were listening intently to
Bailey’s low instructions.
“I’m sorry I’m late,” Maralee said
quietly, taking the chair pulled out for her
by Trayburn.
“You look stunning, Miss Decatur,”
the old butler told her with a smile.
“Thanks to you,” she whispered.
His smile widened. “I shall bring your
first course, mistress,” he announced so
that the others at the table could hear.
“I thought you might need some sleep,
so I didn’t send anyone to wake you for
dinner,” Aunt Bailey explained, looking
nervously from one of her guests to the
other.
The two men, one with jet-black hair
and other with dark brown, were watching
Maralee with interest in their amber eyes.
Both men were ruggedly handsome and
had danger written all over them. Both
Wolves, no question.
“I appreciate your concern, Aunt
Bailey,” Maralee said, unfolding her
napkin and laying it in her lap. “Please,
introduce me to your guests.”
“They were just leaving,” Bailey said,
trying to catch the eye of either one of the
men, but they were too busy staring at
Maralee to pay her any attention.
“In the middle of dinner?” Maralee
asked,
hoping
she
looked
mildly
perplexed.
“Very well,” Bailey said coldly. “This
is Marc.”
The black haired man nodded at her,
and Maralee offered him a welcoming
smile.
“This is Jack,” Bailey introduced the
other man.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Marc,”
Maralee said, “and Jack. I am Maralee
Decatur.”
Both men stared as if she’d sprouted
horns and a forked tail and then turned
accusatory gazes on Bailey. Maralee
pretended not to notice their reaction and
instead turned her attention to Jean who
had personally brought the first course of
her meal into the dining room. He set it
before her and lifted a silver cover from
her plate. Maralee’s nose was blessed
with the heavenly fragrance of Jean’s
famous crab quiche.
“Oh, Jean. This looks amazing,” she
exclaimed,
and
Jean
flushed
with
pleasure.
“I made it especially for you. It used to
be one of your favorites,” he said. “And
just wait until you see what’s for dessert.”
“You’ll have me as fat as a cow if you
keep feeding me like this.” She had
already noticed her pants becoming
snugger over the past week. This didn’t
stop her from digging into the perfectly
formed quiche with her fork. It melted on
her tongue and she closed her eyes in
bliss. “Even better than I remembered,”
she told the chef.
He smiled at her and left the room,
returning to the kitchen to complete his
next masterpiece. While she ate, she
attempted
to
carry
on
conversation. The two Wolves grunted
occasionally, but refused to speak.
“So how did you meet these two
handsome young men, Aunt Bailey?” she
asked in a teasing tone.
“Uh…well…”
Aunt
Bailey
stammered. “They helped me out of a tight
situation several years ago.”
“What kind of tight situation?”
Aunt Bailey laughed nervously. “Don’t
worry about things like that, Maralee,” she
said, her voice squeaky. “You should rest
so you can return to your adventures as
soon as possible. You’ve been home for a
week already. Shouldn’t you be planning
to leave again?”
Maralee chuckled as if amused.
“Whatever are you talking about, Aunt
Bailey? I’m here to stay. I think I should
get to know your friends if they’re going to
be visiting you in my home.”
Bailey glanced nervously at Jack and
then stood up abruptly. “Before you go,
Jack. I have to give you that thing,” she
said, grabbing Jack by the sleeve and
pulling him to his feet. Marc climbed to
his feet as well, but Bailey shook her head
slightly and he sat back down. “We’ll be
right back,” she promised in a falsely
cheerful voice.
Maralee watched the two leave the
room and then turned her attention to the
shifty, black-haired man.
“You should have some quiche,”
Maralee told him. “It’s very good.”
He stared at her for a moment. She
could practically feel the animosity in his
eyes. “No, thank you,” he said gruffly.
“So what exactly does my aunt do for
you?” she asked. “I know you do her
killing for her.”
Marc’s eyes widened and then he
shook his head. “You are mistaken.”
“Then I apologize,” she said. “I
suppose you think I’m a threat to your
people.”
“Why would I think that?”
She smiled. “Because I know your
secret,” she said. “I know what you really
are and your weakness to silver.”
Jack was suddenly in the doorway.
“Marc,” he beckoned. “Let’s go.”
Marc glanced at Maralee and then
climbed to his feet.
“Are you leaving already?” Maralee
asked.
“We have a prior engagement,” Jack
said. “Excuse us.”
“Have a good evening,” she said, and
they disappeared into the hallway.
Aunt Bailey rejoined her a few
moments later. Maralee puzzled over her
brief encounter with the Wolves. They
seemed to be afraid of her or at the very
least wary of her. She wondered what
Aunt Bailey had told them.
“Have you really decided to give up
on your adventures?” Bailey asked her
with a false smile. “You’ve always loved
your freedom.”
“Well, we all hav
e to grow up
sometime,” she said. “When will you be
moving out?”
Bailey’s mouth fell open. “You’re
going to make me leave?”
“Well, you’re welcome to stay in one
of the other properties on the estate,”
Maralee said in a civil tone. “I’m not
about to toss you out on your fanny after
all you’ve done for me.”
“But—”
“Oh, you don’t have to thank me. You
were married to my uncle for almost two
years before he was killed. Surely such
devotion to my family deserves its
rewards.” Though her words were laced
with sarcasm, her demeanor was that of a
young lady having a pleasant conversation
as she dined upon the delicious fare
presented by attentive servants.
“I—”
“Well, think about it. I’ll understand if
you’d rather move to town. You do have
some money of your own, don’t you?”
Bailey’s eyes seemed to flicker with a
fiery hatred. “Why would I have any
money of my own? Your father controlled
all of the Decatur money when he died.
Jason left me with nothing.”
Maralee shrugged. “The Decatur’s
always take care of their own, however, it
seems only reasonable that you would be
a very wealthy woman, seeing as you
cleaned out my bank account months ago.”
All of the blood drained out of
Bailey’s thin face. “I didn’t.”
Maralee looked up from her plate.
“Don’t lie to me,” Maralee demanded. “If
there’s one thing I inherited from my
father, it’s a fighting spirit. Don’t think I’m
going to sit back while you take what’s
mine.” For some inexplicable reason, an
image of Nash flashed through her mind.
She dropped her fork, overcome by a
sudden wave of dizziness.
“Miss Decatur?” Trayburn questioned,
leaning over her shoulder. “Are you
feeling ill?”
She glanced up at the butler who had
taken care of her family since her father
had been a boy. His face swam out of
focus and then back again.
“Miss Decatur?” he said, his voice
sounded far away. “Miss Decatur.”
“I think…I need to…lie down…” she
whispered, before she slumped sideways
out of her chair.
CHAPTER 47
“Is it serious, Doctor?” a distant voice
filtered through the fog in Maralee’s brain.
“Serious?” another voice entered.
“Well, she’s an unmarried young lady, so I
suppose it is serious, but she’s not ill.
She’s pregnant.”
Pregnant. The word seemed foreign.
She couldn’t wrap her mind around it.
They weren’t talking about her, obviously.
Her one and only lover had been sterile.
She couldn’t be pregnant. Nevertheless,
her hand moved to cover her abdomen
protectively. Nash, why didn’t I fight for
you? she wondered. Why did I give up so
easily? I had everything when you were
with me. I don’t need anything but you.
Why aren’t you here when I have
something important to tell you? You
would have been so happy to find out
that you were going to be a father.
She sat up on the bed she was laying
upon, startling the two men who were
discussing her condition with worried
looks on their faces. She recognized
Trayburn obviously, but the other man was
a stranger to her. “Is what you said true?”
she asked the unknown man. “Am I
pregnant?”
He avoided her eyes and nodded
slightly. Perhaps they expected her to be
upset or at the very least concerned. Not
elated. But she was.
“I can’t believe it,” she murmured,
climbing from her bed and grabbing
Trayburn in an enthusiastic embrace. “I’m
going to have a baby. I have to find Nash.
I have to tell him.” She released Trayburn
and kissed the astounded doctor on the
cheek before shaking his hand vigorously.
“Thank you, Doctor. There’s no way
you’re mistaken about this, is there?”
“The blood test was definitely
positive,” he told her anxiously, “though
by physical exam I determined you are not
very far along.”
She hugged him again. “Trayburn,
have a horse saddled. I’m leaving right
away.”
“But it’s the middle of the night.”
“I can’t get to him fast enough,” she
said, feeling as if she were weightless
from the happiness bubbling inside of her.
“Miss
Decatur,”
Trayburn
said,
grabbing her by the arms and giving her a
shake. “What are you thinking?”
“I’m thinking about what’s important
to me,” she said, “and about what will
make me happy without any consideration
for anyone else.”
He gave her an odd look. “But Miss
Decatur…”
“Have my horse brought around front.
I’ll be down in ten minutes.” She retrieved
her empty backpack and began to stuff
things inside.
Trayburn and a very confused doctor
left her to her packing. In less than five
minutes, she stood in front of the stables
waiting anxiously to return to her love.
She would do whatever necessary to be
beside him. She could give him what he
wanted. What he needed. She could give
him a family. When William shuffled out
of the stables, yawning widely with a half
asleep horse in tow, she smiled brightly.
“I think that’s the first time I’ve ever
seen you smile like that,” William said.
“I don’t think I’ve ever been this
happy.”
“Where are you going at this time of
night?” he asked. “If you wait a few
minutes I’ll get my horse and come along
with you.”
“I can’t wait, William,” she said,
putting her foot in the stirrup and hoisting
herself up onto the horse.
“When will you be back?”
“I don’t know,” she said. “Maybe
never. Thanks for everything.”
She spun her horse around and kicked
him into a reluctant canter. Just outside the
gates of the Decatur estates, her horse
neighed with fright and stopped short,
tossing his head agitatedly. Maralee clung
to the saddle.
“Whoa, boy,” she called, trying to
calm her spooked horse. “Easy there.
Easy!”
She heard what had spooked her horse
then. It was the threatening growl of an
enormous brown Wolf. The horse was
fighting its bit, rearing as it attempted to
dislodge its passenger.
Maralee refused to
fall. She could only think of Nash’s baby,
and how her recklessness might bring him
or her harm. She loosened her hold on the
reins, hoping the horse would calm with a
gentler hand. Unfortunately, the Wolf
charged at that moment and sank its teeth
into the horse’s hind leg. The horse
shrieked in pain, its front legs flailing
madly and Maralee could only hope for a
soft landing as she tumbled from the
saddle to the ground. The horse took off as
fast as his bleeding leg could carry him.
The Wolf turned his attention to Maralee.
Maralee struggled to her feet, her hand
automatically going to her belt for her
absent sword. Finding no familiar hilt to
wrap around, her hand closed into a fist
instead.
“So are you going to kill me, just
because my aunt commands you to?” she
sputtered angrily at the Wolf. He had
lowered the front half of his body to the
ground, his hackles raised and teeth bared
as he prepared to attack. “I know you can
understand me and I know there is as much
human in you as there is Wolf. I don’t hunt
your kind any more. I just want to be left
in peace as you want to be left in peace.”
She might as well been talking to a
wild wolf, as effectual as her words were.
The Wolf sprang towards her and just
before his front paws struck her shoulders
a blur of black fur careened into the
brown Wolf, tossing him several yards. At
first, Maralee thought the other Wolf,
Marc, had come to her aid, but she
glimpsed the shape of a white crescent
moon over his left eye and she knew it
was Nash.
She was torn between the elation of
seeing him and concern for his safety as
the brown Wolf climbed to his feet and a
second black Wolf tore from between the
trees that lined the lane. Before she could
call a warning to Nash, he spun around
and ran straight for her. He stopped, their
eyes meeting for scant seconds in the
moonlight and then he turned around and
presented his back to her. Something was
strapped across his back. A small bundle
of clothes and her father’s sword.
He barked at her and she could only
assume that he wanted her to take them
from him. She removed both the bundle
and the sword and he surged forward
again, landing both paws forcefully on the
other black Wolf and knocking him to the
ground. The brown Wolf joined in the
foray. Maralee watched, horrorstruck, as
the Wolf fight ensued. She couldn’t tell if