Jed wasn’t stupid enough to go anywhere alone, so despite all the patrolling that Max and his bears did, they never had the chance to corner Jed or even part of his pack. The wolves were wilier than Max had planned on, and they scaled back their efforts to claim territory when it became clear the bears and every other shifter in the area wasn’t going to just roll over and give in.
Instead, McComber and his pals solidified their hold on the area around the oil company the closest to Crystal Springs. And since that was on the other end of the oil field from where Max and his guys lived, it was enough distance that he felt comfortable just letting them be for a while.
The weather grew colder and work slowed down, and Max started to think he could take a breath and a break. He didn’t return to the ranch, but he at least started to relax. He still had Caroline’s contact information on that little paper—an index card, which was such a teacher thing to use—at the bottom of the drawer in his bedside table. He took it out less and less, but it was still in the back of his head every damn day. He’d nearly rubbed the ink away from holding it so much.
He couldn’t say why he didn’t call her. Fear of what she might have said, maybe, even though he knew he wasn’t a coward. He’d faced far scarier things than a pretty girl with auburn hair and a warm smile. Except none of the dangers he’d faced down on the rigs or in fights with other shifters compared to the pain she’d caused when she left.
When he was falling asleep, inevitably he wondered where she was and what she was doing. Why she wanted to talk to him. He didn’t wonder enough to pick up the phone and ask, but he still wanted to know. He hadn’t found her on any social media so he could observe from afar, which was probably just as well. Maybe she’d realized she made a mistake and wanted to try the long-distance relationship thing.
He tossed and turned but it never helped. Caroline was always there, the gentle music of her laugh taunting him. By the time November rolled around and Thanksgiving was just a few days away, he went back to the ranch in the hopes that the family could distract him where work couldn’t.
They had the fire roaring in the greatroom when he and Augie drove up, since the drive took twice as long with a fresh snow, and Hannah had even made dinner with three enormous pans of lasagna. Max pretended not to notice that her stomach was looking a little bigger, since Wade hadn’t said anything about the next generation of Sanders appearing in the near future, and Max at least had learned at a young age never to ask a woman if she was pregnant. He’d never make that mistake again.
It wasn’t long until talk around the table turned to other business, though. Delilah wasn’t there, which was just as well, since nothing good was said about her new husband’s pack and little brother. Wade eyed Max and Augie both. “So what’s the story with this kid? Still making trouble?”
“They’ve been quieter,” Augie said, tearing apart a piece of garlic bread and wiping up the sauce from one of the empty lasagna pans. “Not as much activity, although we don’t go out alone when we do patrol. Haven’t seen hide nor hair of the wolves for at least a week.”
“That’s because they’re here,” Henry said under his breath. “Someone spotted Jed in Crook’s Hollow a few days ago, trying to drum up business for some new venture.”
Max leaned back in his chair. “And what does Jack have to say about that? Isn’t this his business to handle?”
“It is,” Wade said. “He tried to track the kid down but Jed has been good about covering his tracks. He pops up to make a splash, then disappears again. No one can figure out what he’s trying to set up. It seems like he’s got some other goal than just causing trouble, but no one knows what it is.”
“Great,” Max said. “Are the wolves searching for him?”
“Every day.” Henry rubbed the back of his neck and squeezed his wife’s shoulder to reassure her when Jen started rolling her eyes. “And we’re keeping an eye out at night. Lilah is running interference and coordinating everything. The moment he pops up, we’ll get him.”
“And do what with him?” Hannah asked. “Other than being a total tool, what has he done? Are you going to turn him over to the sheriff?”
“Other than trying to kill you and me?” Wade frowned a little as he looked at her, and it wasn’t Max’s imagination that his brother’s attention drifted lower to her stomach. Then the alpha bear made a gusty bear sigh. “He’s intimidated a bunch of shifters who were going north to work in the oil fields and swear fealty to Max, and sabotaged some vehicles owned by other people. Destruction of property, assault, attempted murder...”
“But none of it can be proved in court, can it?” Hannah folded her arms over her chest and raised her eyebrows at her mate. “Since ‘he attacked me when I was in bear form’ isn’t exactly admissible.”
Augie grinned, though he hid it behind his hand when Wade’s scowl deepened. “It’s a losing battle, Hannah. It’s pack law—doesn’t have to make sense. It’s just how things are done. We’ll catch Jed and hand him over to his brother to deal with.”
“Unless he threatens our family,” Henry said quietly. “Then we’ll kill him.”
Max agreed a hundred percent. He wouldn’t tolerate that little shit putting any of his family in danger, particularly Delilah and his sisters-in-law. Hannah and Jen were still completely human and couldn’t protect themselves the same way the bears could. They wouldn’t be able to survive even a casual blow from a shifter, and they definitely wouldn’t survive long enough to heal from a direct hit.
He leaned his chair back and played with his knife, setting the edge against the smooth wood table. “Jed’s been doing this kind of shit for a long, long time. He’s caused a lot of injuries and damage, and it keeps escalating. I wouldn’t be surprised if he comes after you all to get to us. He’s the kind of coward who won’t face us head-on, but he’ll threaten non-shifters and women without batting an eye.”
Which got him growls from Wade and Henry and a pair of dark looks from Hannah and Jen, so Max just held his hands up in surrender and laughed. “Fine. It’s not like I haven’t been dealing with the kid for the last six months. I wouldn’t know anything about how he acts. You guys go ahead and figure it out, then. I’ll just sleep on the couch for the next month until I can go back to work.”
“You’ve got your own bedroom and you know it,” Jen muttered. “And keep your cat with you, okay? He’s becoming a pest.”
Little Max, the long-haired big-ass cat he’d adopted as a kitten after finding him huddled on the warm engine in his truck, hopped onto Max’s lap at the table and started surveying the dishes to see if anything appealed to him. Max rubbed the cat’s head and roughhoused with him before dropping the cat on the floor. “It’s not my fault Hannah feeds him every time he meows.”
“He just sounds so sad,” Hannah said.
And then she burst into tears.
Max and Augie stared at her, frozen in fear; what the hell had he said? Did she get freaked out about how rough Max played with the cat? Maximus was used to it and didn’t mind using his claws to send the signal when he was done being messed with. But instead of panicking, Wade just chuckled and put his arm around Hannah’s shoulders, pulling her tight to his side so he could kiss her forehead. “Oh, honey. Deep breaths.”
“He’s just hungry!” Hannah wailed. “And he’s got those big eyes and I know he misses Max and he’s here all alone most of the day. He doesn’t have any cat friends, so how could I possibly...”
She trailed off into more hiccups and sobs, and Max traded a look with Augie. Definitely something going on. Wade murmured something to her, and she nodded, wiping at her cheeks. Their oldest brother rubbed her back gently and glanced over at them. “Well, we were going to wait to announce this at Christmas, but since Hannah is having a moment, we thought you all should know that she’s pregnant.”
Jen grinned but didn’t look a bit surprised, though Henry sure as hell blinked like a startled owl. “Congratulations!”
Max nodded and half-rose to shake Wade’s hand, as did Augie. “Congrats, man. And you as well, Hannah. You can feed Maximus as much food as you want, and you can get him a cat friend, too, if it makes you feel better.”
She laughed, though it was pretty watery, and Wade gave him a dirty look. “We don’t need more cats around here. No kittens.”
“But kittens are so sweet,” Hannah whispered, and Max had to swallow back a grin when he saw his brother immediately soften and change his tune.
In the space of a few heartbeats, it sounded like they’d make a trip to the local shelter the next day to pick up some kittens to keep Maximus company. Max shook his head and traded looks with Augie, glad for once that he didn’t have to worry about the craziness that went along with a pregnant wife. Or any wife, really.
Even though he knew in his heart that he would have given almost anything to have that kind of exchange with Caroline.