“Mrs. Samsa,” the maid said, “I’m glad he chose to marry you instead of that woman.” She sat a breakfast tray down on the table.
Emily sprang from the bed, “I don’t want you to serve me and especially in my bedroom.”
“But it’s expected of us. Please let us do our job.” She sat at the table and looked at the meal. She had never had something that large in her life. The eggs and a large portion of meat and toast. She didn’t know you could cook eggs in that many ways.
“I don’t think I need all of this.”
“You just choose the one you want and I’ll take the rest away. And here is your paper.” The maid laid the paper on the round table next to the tray. Emily casually glanced at it. The headlines were glaring.
Four Men Found with Their Throats Torn Apart: Wolves Thought to Be the Culprit
For some reason Emily found this story to be interesting. The maid stood next to her and read the headlines too. “I’m glad I live in a city. I don’t know what I would do if my old man wanted to go to the country. We have enough human wolves running around, can you imagined if we were set upon by the animal kind. Not that those humans can’t act like animals.”
Emily didn’t hear when she left because she was busy reading the remainder of the story.
Mr. Harper Samsa vowed to cut down some of the woods where the wolves could be hiding. He had planned on using it as a preserve when he moved to the area. Mr. Samsa recently married had planned on bringing his wife here but said that he couldn’t bring her until he had made it safe for her. Mr. Samsa bought the two hundred acres and had plans to purchasing more to build a town with a hospital and schools for his family.
Sitting back in her chair Emily stared at the wall. Is this for me? She wondered. But why didn’t he tell me? Why hadn’t he said something? She had all kinds of questions and the only way she could answer them was to go and see him. Meet him half way and then maybe he would tell her why he didn’t want her to be a virgin.
Jumping to her feet she knew what she had to do. How could she not want a man like him? He had been everything that she wanted and now she risk throwing him away. Elisabeth would take him in a minute and never look back.
“But she would make you miserable,” Emily said dressing into her jeans and shirt and leather jacket.
She hurried downstairs and into the kitchen were the staff was eating. It was nine in the morning. “Can I take one of the cars?”
“Mrs. Samsa you don’t have to ask us. But of course you can. I’m taking the Range Rover and if Mr. Samsa calls tell him I’m going to meet him.” She turned. “I forgot I don’t have any money.” The staff glanced at her as if she was an alien.
“Here take an advance on your salary.”
“How much do you need?”
“I think five hundred should be enough. I need some clothes and gas.”
“The SUV is full with gas. Make sure you get a credit card from Mr. Samsa,” the maid said trying to be helpful. She smiled.
“I’m sure you’re good for the five hundred,” the butler said as he reached into the emergency box and handed her five hundred dollars. She tucked the money in an old leather purse which belonged to her mother, but when her mother left her father she left that too.
It was one of the many things that belonged to her mother that she cherished.
Emily rushed out of the house after taking the car keys. When she reached the small town, she had been driving five hours with only a few stops in between.
She veered off the main highway by mistake and it took her down a dirt road and then a blacktop. She kept driving and then she stopped when she saw a large truck with lumber pass her. She tried to catch up to it to ask a question but it led her around a bend and then it stopped.
Stopping behind it she turned off the engine and stepped out. A large man with wide shoulders began to unload a gate. On the gate it said SAMSA RANCH.
“This is the Samsa ranch?”
“That’s what it says. Do you Mr. Samsa and where can I find him?”
“I don’t know him Miss but I know where you can find him and some of the workmen. They took a lunch break and rode over to the Rusty Nail.”
“What kind of place is it? Can I get something to eat?”
“It’s a bar for men. I wouldn’t suggest you go there.”
“You mean there are no women in there?”
“There are but...”
“Then I can go. Where can I find it?” The driver told her and explained how to get there.
Emily hopped into the SUV and headed in the direction where the Rusty Nail sat off the road into a clump of trees near the highway. She had passed it but didn’t see it because of all the tall pines and underbrush hiding it.
When she drove up there were only a few trucks out front. Most beat up with rust on the side. The bar matched the cars. Yet there had been a few minor improvements. When Emily stepped inside it looked like a bar. The ring had been torn down and some men from the construction crew were sitting and looked up when Emily walked inside.
She looked like a deer caught in headlights or a deer caught in the scope of a hunter’s gun and the place was full of predators. Some men and some werewolves. Although there were six trucks the place was full.
Mostly beer were being served. There were two waitress and Nero and Angela. Coming from the back dressed in black tights and black shirt a fake black tail and a pair of ears she smiled at Emily.
“What are you having? We don’t see too many humans in here.”
“Humans. Aren’t we all humans,” Emily said.
Angela glanced at her and smiled, “Why yes but some are more human than others. Can I get you something to drink or eat? But I warn we only serve steaks rare. Like one step from getting up and walking off your plate.” She chuckled but Emily didn’t get it.
“I came looking for my husband.”
“You are the third woman this week looking for her husband. He may have gone off with the night waitress. She’s a little tigress.”
“My husband wouldn’t go off with anyone. We just got married. He’s building a home for us.”
“You mean Harper Samsa?”
“Yes that’s him.”
“He left about an hour ago. You may have passed him along the road.”
“I don’t think so.”
“He said that he had to go back to San Francisco. He said he was bringing you back.” Emily stood watching around the bar.
“What do you think I should do?”
“You could stay with me and my mate. He’s off at night and you won’t get in the way. We have an extra room. No children. Tried having them but a panther and a wolf don’t mix well.” Emily didn’t get that either. “I get off from work in a few minutes and then you can come with me.”
“Do you have a phone?”
“No. We don’t use phones around here.”
“How do you call if you have an emergency?”
“We never have emergency because there aren’t any doctors and now we have no sheriff.”
“What about crimes?”
“We have plenty of that but no one reports it. We take care of that ourselves. Harper said he would build a town and bring in people to police the area. That is when the town has grown. He a great guy.”
“I think so too.”
When Emily and Angela were riding to Angela’s home, Harper was driving up into his garage.