My Heart's Passion (12 page)

After a moment, Chloe wriggled and he turned onto his side. Gently, he stroked her sweat-slicked skin, enjoying the soft, satiny feel of her.

“That was fantastic. Thank you, Chloe-girl.”

She smiled.

“You gotta stop stroking me,” she mumbled, her eyes still closed. “I’m tired, I don’t have your stamina. Let me nap a bit and wake me later.”

Still stroking her, he kept his touch light to let her ease into sleep. He certainly would wake her later, but being a true gentleman, he let her sleep for now. After two rocketing orgasms, he could afford to let her sleep.

For half an hour or so.

Chapter Nineteen

Early Sunday Morning

Chloe sat in the tiny café and sipped her cup of English Breakfast tea. Eyeing the full pot in front of her, she hoped she wouldn’t burst if she drank the lot. Tea had a tendency to soothe her and help her think, something she needed a lot of right now. The only problem with drinking tea and thinking was as soon as one stopped drinking, one had to rush to the nearest restroom.

She looked outside the café windows at the weak sun trying to shine through the morning fog. She had a feeling the fog would burn off as the day wore on, and the thought of sitting out in the newly weeded garden in the sun made her feel a little lighter, but really her mind was on other things.

Last night had been so full-on, so intense she had felt the need to be alone for an hour or two this morning. It had seemed every time one or both of them had turned around they were caressing each other, Samuel would be suckling her nipples or she would be stroking his shaft.

She had no problem with their intense lovemaking—it was more she needed a breather, needed to clear her head. With Samuel thrusting inside her, or even laying calmly beside her in his huge bed, everything was jumbled. She couldn’t possibly think straight.

And so she had pleaded exhaustion—which was truth—and decided to take a drive. She hadn’t gone with any direction or intention, she just needed some air. She had ended up back in the small village she recalled passing on her way to Mary and Dominic’s cabin.

A few small shops and a scattered bunch of houses made up the small village. She remembered wishing she could stop at the café for a bite to eat on first passing through, but it had been closed at the late hour she passed.

Now seemed the perfect time to pop in and drink a cup of tea and contemplate the world.

Sighing, she took another sip, wondering where the waitress had gone off to. It was admittedly quite early in the morning, but looking around the shop, Chloe realized it was just she and a very old looking woman sitting over in the other corner of the shop. No one else could be seen.

As her eyes fell on the old woman she lifted a hand and waved Chloe over to her. Mentally shrugging, she picked up her cup and the pot of tea and headed over. Even though she really wanted to think her situation through, conversely she didn’t really feel like being alone.

Chloe grinned. Sometimes she just couldn’t be pleased.

Setting the pot down in the middle of the old lady’s table, Chloe gently put her cup down and sat opposite the lady. Noticing the other diner’s empty cup, she offered, “Would you like a nice hot cup of English Breakfast, ma’am? I have a pot here.”

The old crone smiled happily. Her eyes were the very palest blue Chloe had ever seen, and very slightly cloudy. The sparkle inside them, however, was sharp.

“I would love a cup, dear. That silly young chit has gone out back to
talk
to her lover, so it will be a while before she gets back.”

Chloe happily poured the other woman a cup of tea, grateful to be sharing the huge pot.

“I’m so glad, I was wondering how I would drink the lot of it. I’m Chloe by the way—Mary Rutledge’s cousin.”

“I know who you are, dear. I’m Old Mona. Been around these parts forever. You’re that rascal Samuel’s mate, aren’t you?”

Chloe blinked, not knowing what to say and still be polite. Taking a sip of tea instead, she pondered her responses. Old Mona seemed like such a nice old woman, she didn’t want to upset her by trying to explain the more modern concept of taking a lover.

“Umm…I’m more of a casual acquaintance actually.”

Mona waved her hand as if to cast the lie from the air.

“Oh posh! You’re not merely lovers. Women have been taking on lovers for centuries, my dear. There’s nothing new in that. But finding a mate, now
that
is a rarer occasion. Particularly finding one’s True Mate, one’s heart’s passion. That takes a mixture of patience, determination, and pure luck.”

Chloe felt a niggling worry at the term “True Mate” and “Heart’s Passion”. It was well and good to realize she finally had found a heartfelt passion for teaching, and wanted to truly make her career out of it. But to associate such strong terms to a man who had easily had over a hundred lovers in his life, and had never felt the need to commit to any of them, that was a lot scarier.

Almost as if she had read her mind, Mona put down her cup of tea and leaned forward. Chloe had the distinct impression the old woman wished to shake her like a silly five-year-old.

“Don’t be crazy, my dear. Men have always played the field, or ‘sowed their wild oats’ as we called it in my day. Once they find The One, they settle down and become respectable men, or a whole lot more respectable than the rogues they were. All those Rutledge boys have turned out beautifully, even if they were hellions as children and teenagers. Everyone despaired of them when they caroused well into their late twenties and in Dom and Samuel’s case—early thirties.”

The old lady shook her head, but Chloe noticed a twinkle in her eye.

“Only their Grandpa Zach and I didn’t worry about them. Those boys had been through enough—they deserved their time. And both he and I remembered well how one’s True Mate merely pops up when one least expects it. You can’t force something like that. We knew that sooner or later those boys would meet their match, and who were we to try and force them down a path they didn’t want?”

Chloe frowned, only understanding a bit of the conversation, and not having a clue where it was leading.

“And so, young lady, you have some decisions to make.”

“Me?” she queried.

Mona rolled her eyes, not unlike how Mary often did when she was being most dense.

“No, the ghostly spirit over there in the corner. Of course you, girl!” With the way this conversation was going, Chloe turned around to look behind her, half expecting some ghostly specter to be fluttering in the corner. Thankfully for her sanity, nothing was there.

“Well,” she started, feeling strangely safe talking to this woman, “I had expected to take some time out up here. I needed to find a passion for something in my work. I’ve been casting about for years now, just flitting from one job to the other. None of them really touched me, deep in here,” she rested one hand over her chest, near her heart.

Feeling a bit silly, she picked up her cup and sipped her tea again. Realizing the cup was empty, she poured another, refilling Mona’s at the same time.

Carefully replacing the half-empty pot, she lifted the thin china to her lips and took a sip.

“While weeding yesterday, I finally hit upon teaching. I subbed for a friend last semester, and really liked it, but I think I’d prefer the younger kids. Get them to love learning and teach them how to deal with life and all it throws at you. I really think it could be a passion, but at the same time I’m not sure if I should go back to college to get the diploma.”

Mona nodded as she drank her tea, patiently waiting for her to work through her thoughts.

Chloe squirmed, instinctively knowing what Mona was waiting for.

“I feel very deeply for Samuel… Umm…he’s a great guy…but…umm…”

Mona put her cup down and rolled her eyes.

“Oh for goodness sake, girl! The youth of today! He won’t bite you, not unless you ask nicely. He’s an upstanding, decent man. He’s certainly half in love with you, and quite possibly pacing his floor as we speak trying to convince himself to take a risk on you. It’s a bit different for us wolves. We feel the mateship bond a lot more intensely than you humans do. We can’t just put it off or talk ourselves out of it.”

Obviously picking up on how rattled Chloe was becoming, the old lady sat back and picked up her tea again. Sipping it thoughtfully, she started again.

“How about we make a deal? You think about whether you can take a chance on the boy, and give him a chance when he talks to you?”

Chloe chuckled and drank the last of her tea. “Are you considered the town’s matchmaker?”

Mona chuckled, obviously picking up the teasing quality in her voice.

“Not at all child, I’m considered the Pack’s interfering old lady. I don’t limit myself merely to matchmaking. I interfere in every aspect of their lives. I grouch when they don’t eat properly, when they carouse and make fools of themselves, and when the young ones don’t treat their passing fancies right.”

Chloe laughed outright. Pouring the remaining tea into their now empty cups, she replaced the pot and sat back.

“I bet the Rutledge men just
loved you
!”

The old lady chuckled, the gleam in her eye more pronounced.

“Those young lads
still
cringe and stand taller when they see me coming. They fix their jeans when they’re with their mates and inevitably hold their babies so I can’t demand a hello kiss. They’re a big bunch of babies. Their wives are good girls though, your Mary included. They spoil me rotten, and the babies are gorgeous.”

Chloe smiled and was going to ask a few questions, when Mona put her cup down.

“Well, I’d best be off back home. Tom and Zach will be dropping by soon to make sure my cupboards aren’t bare. Silly things, as if I’d ever starve!”

Chloe helped the old lady stand, anxiously fluttering around her.

“Are you sure you don’t want a lift home, or I could do some shopping for you, if you’d prefer?”

“Posh, don’t be silly girl. You go back and think over what I’ve said. There’s a lot there you need to go over, and a lot you need to organize before your cousin comes back tomorrow, hmm?”

Chloe smiled and wondered where Mona had heard when Mary was coming home. Mona turned around after a few steps.

“Oh, I nearly forgot. The reason I asked you over was to tell you the local town, back down that track a ways, is looking for an elementary teacher. Nothing full-time. The local school closed down years ago—so all the kids head off into the city to learn. As there’s so many from around these woodland parts, they try to keep the teachers of the babies local. It was just a thought, but I think you’d have made it on your own. Just wanted to let you know.”

With that the old woman exited the café and hobbled across the street. Chloe sat back down and stared at the empty cups. The local school was looking for a new teacher?

She hadn’t thought to inquire around the local area; she hadn’t thought she would be staying. Now she had a head full of questions and no idea where to start.

The waitress chose that moment to come back into the café, rather rumpled and her bun askew. Looking faintly flushed and very satisfied, she headed over.

“Oh, I’m glad you shared your tea with Old Mona, she doesn’t get out much and really enjoys talking people’s ears off. I hope she didn’t freak you out, she’s a little weird.”

Chloe smiled a bit frostily, feeling very protective of the old woman.

“Not at all, she’s the sanest person I’ve spoken to in months.”

Handing over a few bills and some change, she stood up. The waitress looked a bit embarrassed.

“I just meant she sometimes weirds out the outsiders.”

“Ah, but I’m not exactly an outsider. I’m a cousin of the Rutledges.”

Suddenly the waitress was looking her over carefully.

“You’re house-sitting for Mary and Dom, aren’t you?” she nodded as if confirming something in her own mind. “That explains it.”

Losing the thread of the conversation, once again, Chloe smiled and figured it was way beyond time to finish her shopping and head back. She had a special dinner to prepare and a seduction to plan.

Saying goodbye to the waitress, she headed over to the small grocery store, hoping to score a few deals for the dinner she had planned.

Chapter Twenty

Chloe lifted the Dutch oven’s lid and gave one last stir to her beef goulash. She was expecting Samuel to arrive any minute now and she wanted everything to be ready before they started tonight. As she dipped her knife into the large pot, she felt that womanly pride as the beef fell apart at the slight touch. It was cooked to perfection. The potatoes were soft and just fine. She turned the heat down to a low simmer and placed the knife in the sink to be washed.

Pleased with herself and the way her meal turned out, Chloe turned around to open the fridge door. There was a knock at the front door just as she was lifting the large bowl of tossed salad out of the fridge.

“I’ll be there in a second!” she called out. Placing the bowl on the counter, she wiped her hands on a towel and crossed over to the door. As she swung it open she saw Samuel on her front porch, sniffing the air appreciatively.