Kaylie dropped her head to focus on her task, but not before Willow saw her lips twitch. It made her narrow her own eyes, even as muffled voices came over the line.
“Looks like we’re gassed up and ready to go, Will. And I wouldn’t go out looking for your wolf tonight. If he’s got any sense he’ll be home with his mate.”
Willow’s frown deepened. She’d never told Ben she’d gone outside to see the wolf, only that she saw one. Rome was the only person who knew, unless Ben had seen her while on guard duty.
Her face cleared. That must be it. “Be safe.”
“Dream of me,” Ben rumbled in her ear just before he clicked off.
Honestly, after everything he’d said, how could she not?
“They find those riders?” Kaylie asked as she covered plates with plastic wrap.
Willow repeated what Ben had told her, stopping and starting several times as women came into and left the kitchen, some with plates, some simply saying goodbye and one grandmotherly woman giving Willow a warm hug before departing.
When her phone rang again, it was Rome. He was outside, having come down to pick her up since it was past “curfew.” Willow rushed to get her coat on and found a plate of food thrust into her gloved hands before she knew it.
“Thanks for coming to get me,” Willow told Kaylie after she said quick goodbyes to Ruth and Tess. “I had a lot of fun. Though I feel bad I didn’t bring Tess anything.”
Kaylie shook her head. “Don’t even let the thought cross your mind, Willow. It certainly wasn’t expected.”
Feeling a bit awkward, Willow whispered, “Well, please let your sister know that if she needs any help with wedding stuff, or whatever, I’m free. I might not have any money, but I’ve got plenty of time.”
Deep in conversation with two other women, Tess suddenly looked up and zeroed in on Willow, as if she’d heard her offer.
Kaylie groaned. “Now you’re in for it.”
Willow glanced from the almost hawk-like interest on Tess’s face to Kaylie’s distorted one. “In for what?”
“Shopping.”
Chapter Ten
Much to Willow’s amazement, Rome was more than willing to see her off on a shopping expedition with Tess the next morning. As long as her bodyguards went.
The closest city, Togan, was more than forty-five minutes away and by ten, with a weak sun doing little to melt the new snow that had fallen in the night, they were on the road. Kaylie begged off the trip, too exhausted from having been awake most of the night with an unhappy baby, and Ruth was working at Dolen’s Cafe. Not only was the Gentry mother the morning cook, she was married to Dolen. Willow had yet to meet Ruth’s current husband since he’d made himself scarce last night. As Tess talked about her family, Willow found herself curious about the man who’d slowly worked his way under Ruth’s guard—Tess’s words—and finally convinced the woman he’d loved for years to marry him.
Willow ignored the awkwardness she felt as she climbed into Tess’s SUV. She was excited to get out and go shopping with another female, but she’d woken up feeling, well, just weird.
First, last night, when Rome took his customary nightly shower, Willow had wandered outside, but as Ben had predicted, saw neither head nor tail of the tan wolf.
Second, she had dreamed of Ben, strange yet tantalizingly erotic dreams that had her waking hot and so aroused that two minutes of self manipulation and she’d orgasmed, lips pinched tight to hold back the scream of pleasure that arched her hips into her hand.
And now, sitting next to Tess, watching the city come into view, she was alternately hot and cold, and her skin tingled like she had an itch just under the surface that she couldn’t scratch. She might think she was aroused if she hadn’t taken care of that particular need several hours ago, and since then she certainly hadn’t done or seen anything to pique her interest.
She didn’t feel like she was getting sick, but people didn’t stay in a state of arousal for days on end, did they? From the passenger mirror, she watched for Scott and Joe, who’d opted to follow along in their vehicle, as they turned onto a mall parking lot.
Tess’s idea of shopping, Willow soon found out, was a mix of methodical contemplation and impulsive buys. In a craft store she found some chocolate brown ribbon and construction paper that was “the exact color of Caleb’s eyes,” providing Willow the reason behind the other woman’s wedding color choices. Willow didn’t know if she wanted to sigh or puke.
Later, at a woman’s clothing store, Tess alternately mumbled, groused, and exclaimed with glee as she went through stack after stack of pants, blouses, skirts, and dresses. Though amused at the antics, Willow drifted off, her eye caught by a long-sleeved blue dress hanging on a back wall. When she touched the material it felt like sin, soft and supple. It flowed over her hand, the color glinting as the lights of the store caught the fine silver threads interwoven into the light blue. Dreaming of wearing the luxurious garment, she glanced at the price tag and winced.