The tussock ground was soft underfoot, the soft breeze ruffling his fur as Saber loped across the open ground, heading for the stand of trees their great grandparents had planted.
The faint bleat of a sheep snagged his attention. Saber slowed his pace, careful of each footfall. Cats and sheep weren’t a natural fit, but despite this, their flock had come to accept their presence. Saber crept through the long tussock on his belly until he was above them. He stood to reveal his presence, letting out a short bark. The sheep’s heads jerked up. He gave another barking growl and the sheep bunched together. Saber advanced on them. The closest sheep stamped its front feet uneasily before starting down the hill. The rest of the sheep hesitated for an instant then trotted after the leader. Saber growled again for good measure, sending the sheep speeding on their way to the yards. Satisfied he’d find them later, Saber loped off, heading up the hill. How the hell did he convince the woman to live with him? How did he tell her they were destined mates? Just being apart brought an uneasy panic to his gut. There were all the other single men in Middlemarch for a start. Saber imagined she’d present a temptation, and when the single men found she wasn’t staying with him, it would be like an open invitation. They’d converge like a group of starving children wanting afterschool snacks. Saber’s whiskers twitched in irritation as he converted the analogy to adult terms. Yep, like single, sex-starved men who hadn’t seen a woman for months. A rumbling growl started low in his throat. His mate. He must take action to make sure everyone else knew and accepted it as truth. But the how eluded him. 86
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Saber spied half a dozen sheep on a ridge. He leapt across a bubbling stream and bounded up the hill to drive the sheep down to the yards. Two hours later, sides heaving with fatigue, and dust and mud coating his fur, he herded the last of the stragglers into the yard. Felix who had shifted to human form, slammed the gate closed behind the last of the sheep. Saber shifted, his bones popping as they shrank back to human form. “Must be getting old.”
“Huh. Leo, he said he’s getting old. That’s a new excuse for tiredness from spending the night with a woman. I’d say it was at least four times they did it last—”
“Enough.” Saber grabbed his jeans from the clothing safe and yanked them on. He tugged the zipper up. “I can’t wait for the day when you meet your mates. I’m going to get a cold beer, pull up a seat and sit back to watch the show. And you can bet I’ll be laughing long and loud when you’re blundering around trying to get your mate to do what you want her to.”
“I think he’s a little testy,” Felix said.
“Damn right I’m testy. Jo, I mean Emily—her name is Emily—wants to find a place of her own. She’s moving out.”
Felix and Leo gaped at him.
Leo frowned. “But that will be like open house in Middlemarch. Every single male in the area will try to move in on her.”
“Tell me something I don’t know.” Saber headed to the shed for the drenching gun.
“You could always get in first and ask her out on a date,” Felix called after him. Saber halted abruptly and spun to face his brothers. “A date?”
“Yeah. Radical idea, huh?” Felix smirked, a wide toothy grin that made Saber’s bad mood deepen.
Leo jumped the fence to grab the drench from the SUV. “Yeah, good idea. Play your cards right and she might even sleep with you on the first date.”
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Saber growled deep in his chest and his lips curled back to reveal sharp teeth. His brother was damned lucky there was a fence between them.
* * * * *
Children spilled from the school seconds after the bell went. A school bus pulled up and several parents arrived to collect children. Loud screeches and laughter filled the air, drifting through his open window. Saber parked as close to the café as he could, given the number of parents’ cars clogging up the available parking, and climbed from his vehicle to wait for Emily Scarlet. Charlotte had said she would cope since Emily had prepared everything for the evening meal. The food only required reheating, and she and her waitress could cope with that this early in the week. He had a plan of sorts. Talk. Date. Bed. The plan was full of holes, which didn’t help his temper any. Saber scanned the faces of the parents and did a second take when the reporter exited the main entrance of the school with a small girl. She had a kid? Well, this was a surprise his brothers hadn’t mentioned. The presence of a kid explained the regular hours she spent trying to question the locals. She saw him, and Saber took pleasure in the way her dark eyes narrowed in frustration. It seemed she drew the line when it came to mixing business with her duties as a parent. Saber waved, feeling his mood lighten as she walked away with her child.
When Emily didn’t come, he went looking for her. The café was busier than he’d thought it would be. Several small tables had been dragged together to form one long one. It was covered with a decorative cloth bearing an assortment of cartoon characters. The tabletop groaned with food—plates of sandwiches, bread faces decorated with the colorful candy sprinkles called hundreds and thousands, sausage rolls, small cheerio sausages and lots of other things that looked and smelled delicious even though he wasn’t completely sure of their identity. The door from the café garden opened and at least ten small children trotted inside followed by their parents and Charlotte. They slipped onto the empty chairs at the table, chattering loudly with much excitement. A children’s birthday party.
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Smiling, Saber went searching for Emily. He found her in the kitchen, putting the finishing touches to a huge birthday cake decorated like a medieval castle complete with toy figurines and animals. “That looks great.”
“Ohh!” Her hand flew up to cover her heart. “You scared me.”
She wore a pair of glasses with brown and gold rims. Sexy. He liked them. A smear of chocolate icing decorated her chin. Her hair was confined in a ponytail, but tendrils had escaped, softening her face. Saber’s gaze drifted to her lips.
“What? Do I have icing on my face?”
“Yeah. I’ll get it.” Saber closed the distance between them. Grasping her upper arms, he pulled her against his chest and lowered his head to claim those tempting lips. He’d get the icing later. It was like coming home. Familiar yet exciting, too.
His mate.
He nibbled her lips and urged her to open for him. Her scent washed over him, the light floral scent reminding him of the outdoors and relaxing the spiral of tight need inside. One good bite would allow their enzymes to mingle. She’d accept him fully. Without reservation. Saber took the kiss deeper, thrusting his tongue into her warm mouth, enticing a reaction from Emily. While a part of his mind demanded he bite, the other, more human side fought for free choice. Saber shuddered, fighting his feline as Emily started to participate in the kiss. Her mouth moved against his, and she wound her arms around his neck, pressing her soft breasts against his chest. His senses intensified as the feline pushed. She tasted of coffee and icing and mystery. Acute arousal simmered beneath the surface, and Emily felt it. She sighed against his mouth then pulled free.
“I’ll lose my job,” she chided, her brown eyes sparkling behind the glasses lenses.
“Just when Charlotte’s asked me to stay on until the end of the year. Go away, I need to finish off the cake.” She picked up a packet of candles and started to push them into the top of the castle.
Saber’s chest rose and fell. “So you’re staying?”
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“I said I would. She wants to take a holiday and cut back on her hours when she gets back. We’d split the shifts between us.”
Charlotte had asked her to stay.
Excellent.
“I missed you.”
A blush crept to her cheeks. “I…I missed you, too.”
Satisfaction eased through Saber on hearing the soft confession. Yes, hope! The need to push was a drug in his system, but he fought, instinctively knowing she’d baulk at high-handed behavior. “Need a hand?”
Emily gulped. Why had she told him she missed him? It wasn’t what she’d meant to say at all, even if it was the truth. “Thanks, but I’m almost done.” She pushed the last candle into the chocolate icing and stood back to study the end result.
“Ready to go home?” he asked.
Home. Emily froze at the thought. It was funny how much at home she felt in Middlemarch even though the thought of a more permanent relationship with Saber scared her half to death. “I need to go to see the real estate agent about renting somewhere. I presume there is a real estate agent in Middlemarch?”
“The farming supplies store doubles as an agent for the area,” Saber said. “You might have trouble finding a property.”
“I know. That’s what Charlotte said. The only house she knew of is already rented out to someone else. That reporter.”
Saber glared at her. “So the reporter really is staying in Middlemarch for a while?”
“It sounds like it. She has a daughter who’s attending the school. Sounds like a permanent thing to me.”
“Brilliant. Absolutely brilliant. Let’s go. You know you’re welcome to stay with us.”
Saber strode to the door, and she couldn’t help but admire his butt. A tremor slid downward from her breasts to settle in her lower belly. Edginess assailed her without warning, and it was all sexual. Her tongue darted out to lick her lips. Throughout the day, she’d found herself daydreaming about this man, and that scared the hell out of 90
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her. Emily hadn’t thought she could trust a man again, but she wanted to trust Saber Mitchell. Deep down she knew he was worthy. Honorable. She was trying hard, but it wasn’t easy to forget and give her heart so easily again. Emily hurried to catch up with him. “I know I can. But I want my independence, to come and go without worrying.” Why couldn’t she tell him she was just plain scared?
He whirled around, his green eyes flashing with a hint of temper. “What about other men?”
A gasp of surprise escaped before she could censor her reaction. “Men? What do you think I’m going to do?”
“I’m not the only single male in Middlemarch.” Saber’s voice was tightly controlled, but she knew temper lurked below the surface.
“I’m not worried about you so much. It’s the men. They’re going to beat a path to your door.”
That was jealousy she heard in his words, saw in the flash of his eyes. “I’m not interested in racing into a relationship.” And she wasn’t. Michael had soured everything for her. But she wasn’t about to turn down a little recreational sex with Saber. As long as they were circumspect, everything would go swimmingly. Okay, so maybe that wasn’t the entire truth. She needed more time to decide what she really wanted.
“What about going out with a friend?” Saber glared at her so hard, she stopped walking. Even cranky, he was sexy and jumpable.
Emily’s mouth twitched with the need to laugh. “If that friend was you, I think we could come to an arrangement. A date now and then.”
“Humph.” Saber’s glare darkened, and after holding open the door for her, he strode to his vehicle.
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feeling she hadn’t come out with the correct answer to his questions. Too bad. Her amusement faded. She refused to give up her independence just on his say-so, not when her fear of committing again was so close to the surface. No need to tempt another big mistake when time would put things in better prospective. There was no hurry to come to a decision. Emily sighed as she followed Saber. She needed time to heal. 92
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Chapter Eight
“A place to rent.” The elderly man stroked his bristled chin, his forehead creased in a frown. His brown eyes narrowed. “You’re the second person to want to rent somewhere this week. Found the other woman a place. Ain’t much else available.”
“Nothing at all?” Emily asked.
“Nope.”
“What about a waiting list?”
“Suppose I could put the word out,” the man said, but his whole expression spoke of doubt.
“Thanks,” Emily said. “I’ll ring you in a few days to see if anything has turned up.”
“Greg,” Saber said from behind her. They’d separated outside. Saber had gone to check on an order of farm equipment after pointing her in the direction of the real estate agent. “Any luck with finding somewhere for Emily?”
“Wish I could help. Not much available at the moment.”
Saber placed his hand on her shoulder. “You know you can stay with us until something turns up.”
Emily’s heart did a traitorous pitter-patter. That was the problem. The more time she spent with Saber Mitchell, the more tempted she was to go with the flow and drift into a relationship. The man pulled her, throwing out temptation with every touch, every smile. She could see it happening all too easily. “Thanks. I’ll be in touch.”
Emily walked down the street at Saber’s side. They stopped several times to greet locals, and Saber introduced her to both men and women. Strange the number of people with green eyes. Hardly a common eye color, although Saber had said their ancestors 93
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had sailed to Dunedin from Scotland before settling in Middlemarch. Green was obviously a dominant gene.
“How was your first full day at the café?” Saber asked once they had started back to the farm.
“I loved it.” And she had. Her customers were appreciative, and Charlotte was a joy to work for. Ideas of ways she could become more efficient crammed her mind, making her eager for the next day. Almost giddy, she wanted to dance with exuberance in time to the silent music pulsing through her body. Emily hadn’t felt like this for a long, long time.
“It’s my turn to cook dinner,” Saber said when they pulled up outside the house.
“Wanna help?”
“Sure.”
Saber switched off the ignition and glanced across at her. “Do you still want to sleep in another bedroom? You can take the one we put all your bags in last night, if you want.”