Her Guardian Shifter

He felt the power of that grin like a punch in his stomach. Slightly disoriented, he finally smiled back. He definitely hadn’t expected this. Expected her.

“I take it you like my coffee?”

“I do.” His third sip made him widen his smile into a grin. “It’s delicious. I can’t tell you how badly I needed this.”

“I can imagine.” She gestured at the table, a round wooden one that she’d painted turquoise. Around it were four wooden chairs, all painted different colors. “Sit. I’ll have your breakfast ready in a minute.”

Slightly less uncomfortable, he pulled out a chair. After bustling around for a second, she put a bowl in the microwave. When it chimed, she used pot holders to remove it, dropped in a handful of raisins and carried it over to him, along with a spoon and a paper napkin. “Here you go.”

After one bite, he had to fight not to inhale the entire bowl. “This doesn’t taste like instant oatmeal,” he commented, before shoveling another spoonful into his mouth.

“Oh yeah?” She took a seat across from him, cradling her own mug of coffee. “It is, but I mashed a banana in with it before I micro-zapped it. It’s one of my favorite breakfasts in the world. Then I added raisins and cinnamon. Do you like it?”

Since he’d nearly finished his bowl, he nodded. Two more bites and he was done. “Thank you,” he said, meaning it. “I was really hungry.” So hungry that everything tasted better around her.

“I could tell. I made two packets, since one is never enough.”

He could have eaten two more, but he’d already imposed enough. Sipping his coffee, he nodded before glancing out her kitchen window at the snow still piled up outside. “Judging from your porch railings, I’d say we must have gotten at least ten inches.”

“Yep. They said on the news it was more like a foot.”

“I believe it.” One more swallow and he’d emptied his cup. He wondered if she’d mind if he had another. “Do you really think it will be tomorrow until the plows come through? I need to get to a grocery store at least.”

She seemed remarkably unconcerned. “It’ll probably be today. That all depends where they decide to go first. But if you don’t make it to the store, I’ll make sure you don’t starve. Oh, and if you do get out, I’ll be happy to watch the baby while you shop. No need to have to deal with taking him out into weather like this.”

Watch the baby? He glanced at Garth, still sleeping peacefully. After his initial frisson of alarm, he considered her. He really needed to stop being so suspicious. No way could every woman he met turn out to be as psychotic and unbalanced as Yolanda. He had to admit, if only to himself, maybe he’d gotten paranoid. But then, who would blame him?

The truth was eventually he would have to find someone who could babysit Garth from time to time. More, once he started scouting for locations to open up his custom car shop. He’d definitely need to get day care during regular business hours so he could work. The thought tied his stomach in knots. He didn’t like being away from his son, not for more than a few minutes at a time. He didn’t know how people did it, returning to work out of necessity when their child was only a few months old. Like them, he’d have no choice but to do the same. Not yet, though. Not yet.

One thing at a time, he reminded himself.

“I might take you up on that,” he replied. Surely he could let her watch Garth for an hour while he stocked his fridge and pantry.

“Just let me know when.”

Again he glanced out her window at the pristine white snow. “As soon as the plows clear the streets.”

“Do you have personal items arriving?” she asked. “Baby furniture, your television, that sort of thing?”

“My moving truck is supposed to arrive in a few days,” he said, eyeing his empty mug longingly. “Assuming the roads are good enough for them to get through.”

“Good.” She grabbed the coffeepot and brought it over. “More coffee? Don’t worry, I can always make more.”

Relieved, he nodded. After she’d refilled his cup, he took another deep drink and sighed. Just as good the second time. “I promise I’ll repay you as soon as I can.”

The snorting sound she made surprised him. Humor danced in her eyes, inviting him to share it with her. “Don’t worry about it. It’s coffee, not Patrón Silver.”

And then she laughed, the low sound pleasing and harmonious. “Occasionally there’s nothing better than a shot of really good tequila, you know?”

He actually did. After a second of hesitation, he nodded in agreement. “Thanks again for everything. I’m just not used to mooching off anyone.”

When she pulled out the chair across from him, he saw she’d refilled her mug, too. Like him, she drank her coffee black. “Tell me about yourself, Eric Mikkelson. Why are you moving to the Catskills from sunny and hip California? Is it for a new job or do you have family here?”

Personal questions. Though instead of immediately putting him on the defensive once again, the friendly, casual way she phrased her questions actually relaxed him. She sounded interested rather than inquisitive. “No family. I moved here to go into a new line of work. I’m planning on opening my own business in town, once I find the perfect space.”

“Awesome.” To his surprise, she didn’t ask him what kind of business. “But still. Why Forestwood? We’re not exactly a metropolis. We’re barely even on the map.”

Since he knew from her aura that she, too, was a shifter, he felt comfortable enough to tell her the truth. “Because I read the article about the Drakkor. Any town that will lovingly shelter an individual without knowing or understanding what kind of being she might be is the kind of place where I feel I’ll fit in.”

At first, she didn’t move. Didn’t comment or respond, just watched him, her big green eyes contemplative. “The Drakkor. After that article was published, we got a lot of tourists. Mostly, they just wanted to see a real, live dragon. But no one actually wanted to move here.”

“For me, it isn’t about seeing a Drakkor.” The earnestness in his voice surprised him. “It’s about finding friendly people. Neighbors who don’t judge you because you’re different. The sort of kindhearted community where I can raise my son.” He stopped, slightly embarrassed to have revealed so much to a stranger.

Tilting her head, she considered him. Then a slow smile bloomed, transforming her from really attractive to stunningly beautiful. His heart actually skipped a beat.

“That’s really pretty damn amazing,” she said finally, her warm voice imbibing the compliment with more.

What was it about this woman? Though they’d just met the day before, he felt as if he’d known her for a long time. He wasn’t sure what to think about that.

Instead of allowing himself to bask in the glow of her praise, he turned the discussion to her. “How about you?” he asked. “Were you born and raised here or did you make your way from somewhere else, too?”

Her smile faded. “I’d never been here before until a month ago. A great-aunt whom I didn’t even know existed died. She left me this house and all the furniture, so I moved here.”

“What about your job? Did you leave that, too, or are you able to work from home?”

Ducking her head, she shrugged. “I worked at a few different things. Dog walking, which is really in demand in the city, some waitressing and even some temporary secretarial work. None of it was difficult to leave.”

“In the city?” He couldn’t help but notice she didn’t say where precisely she’d lived before. Since he’d been open with her, he figured he’d ask. “What city?”

“New York. Manhattan to be exact.” Again a shadow crossed her face. “Only a couple of hours’ drive from here, but it might as well be across the country.”

He knew what she meant. The difference between some areas of California was also like that.

When he finished his second cup of coffee, she poured him more without asking. Then she emptied the last of the pot into her own cup before she sat back down. “So far, I like it here a lot,” she said. “Though I haven’t been here very long. I guess we can learn the town together.”

Together. What the... No, he was overreacting. No doubt she didn’t mean anything by that. Again, he couldn’t let what had happened with his ex-wife destroy his future. He would be vigilant and careful. And cautious. Yes, cautious. But his new landlord appeared kind and genuine. He would believe her to be so unless she proved otherwise.

“About watching Garth,” he began. “What’s your experience with infants?”

“Experience?” Shaking her head, she chuckled. “I just love babies. Always have. I’m not a professional nanny or anything, though I did once have a job working in a day care. Not in the baby room, though. But I’m reasonably sure I can manage taking care of him for an hour while you get groceries.”

She was right. It wasn’t as if he was asking her to be a full-time nanny. “Sorry.” Glancing at his son, still peacefully sleeping, he sighed. “I’ve never left him with anyone before. I don’t—”

“Really know me all that well,” she finished for him. “I get it. Believe me, I was only trying to help. If you’d rather take him with you, I completely understand.”

Her statement brought him a measure of relief. “I’ll think about it,” he said. “Out of curiosity, have you found work here yet or are you still looking?”

She glanced down, which made his stomach twist, though he wasn’t sure why.