Bran growled from across the room and eyed Kate. She smiled wickedly and yelled across the diner for everyone to hear.
“He’s ordering me more of that lingerie you tore off me last night. I need your credit card.”
Bran immediately went for his wallet and walked over. He kissed her and looked at Rian, who sat back down beside Kate looking like the cat that ate the canary.
“Don’t be afraid to spice it up a little,” he said, winking before walking back to the counter.
“Kate, you are going to hell,” Rian said.
“I know, but at least I’ll look good going.” She laughed and tucked Bran’s credit card into her top pocket.
The door swung open and Aleks Arkadion walked in, alone and looking panicked. Uh oh, this couldn’t be good. Kate and Rian stood and hurried over to where Aleks was talking to his ma.
“This can’t be normal! Rebecca’s thrown up twice since this morning. She’s lost weight too. Ma, please come back to the ranch and check on her,” Aleks pleaded. “She’s miserable.”
“Let me grab my purse and we can leave. Connor, you have the diner. You could have called, Aleks,” she said, untying her apron.
“I left Pa with her. It was a good idea for me to get out of the house for a while,” Aleks said, looking down at his shoes. Ma’s eyes widened and she hurried to the back.
“If she needs anything, let me know,” Connor said and Aleks nodded.
Kate looked at Rian and he nodded.
“Tell her we’ll be swinging by later to keep her company,” Kate said. Aleks looked relieved.
“Thank you! I’m going crazy worrying about her. I think I may have said a thing or two to upset her,” he mumbled.
Kate and Rian winced. Aleks was apparently driving Rebecca out of her hormone-driven mind.
“Yup, we’ll definitely be by later,” Rian confirmed, nodding his head.
“Come on, baby boy,” Ma said, heading toward the door.
“Bye, guys,” Aleks said, ushering his ma out the door.
Kate looked at Bran. “Rebecca will kill him before they get to number seven,” she said thoughtfully.
“You’re probably right.” Bran walked over chuckling and wrapped an arm around her waist.
“You ready to go?” he asked.
“Yup. Rian, I’ll meet you at Rebecca’s later. She can help us order.” She winked.
“Roger, mon capitaine!” he said, giving a horrible salute. Kate laughed as Bran led her out the door and to their car.
“I hope that the twins are ok.” Bran opened the door and Kate got in. She was buckling her seatbelt when he got in.
“I followed your advice and I recommended he hire Gina. You were right about her being capable since she has been helping to raise her brothers and sisters since her mother’s death. I hate the fact that her father checked out mentally and emotionally when his mate died. Everyone in the pack has been watching out for her. I’m not sure it’s enough help for Caleb, it has to be hard being a single parent to twins,” Bran said, pulling away from the diner and heading toward Caleb’s.
“Why didn’t he want to live with the pack?” she asked.
“I think it has something to do with the boys,” Bran said.
Kate just shrugged as Bran drove to the outskirts of town to an old plantation home. Kate could see that the structure of this architectural relic was as sound as the day it had been built. Dating to before the Civil War, it was a monument to southern gentility. The colossal, sprawling mansion was nestled in the middle of the mountains, built for a homesick southern belle from Charleston, South Carolina. The original owner wanted a home within the boundaries of Arkadia’s protective perimeter for his beautiful young wife.
The house had stood empty for the last fifty years before Caleb bought it for his small family. Though the house had been closed, it still retained an aristocratic air that lured a visitor in and made them imagine the smell of fresh flowers and hear the faint music of cotillions from long ago. It was easy to look past the aging paint and overgrown flowerbeds and see that this gentle giant was only sleeping, waiting for the right owner to awaken it from its long slumber and return it to its former glory.
She eyed the expansive estate and looked to Bran.
“It’s only him and the two boys here?” she asked and Bran eyed the place, frowning.
“Just the three of them. Since it’s been empty for so long, he got a great deal.”
Kate got out of the car. She and Bran made their way to the front porch and climbed the stairs before knocking on the door. They waited. They were about to knock again when the door swung open. Kate’s breath caught in her chest. His scent hit her in the solar plexus. She had only felt drawn to a scent like this once before and that was the night she met Bran. She took a deep breath. Caleb’s scent drew her in like Bran but where Bran smelled like pine and spice, Caleb’s scent tantalized her with cedar and musk. She shook her head at the impossible. She already had a mate. Everything about Caleb was different than Bran. He was the opposite of her mate in every way.