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Cassidy watched the drive for Yuri. When she saw his big truck pulling into the driveway of the house, she went out on the front porch to greet him. Really, she was going to give him one more chance to get away, but almost as soon as he touched her, he took her hand to his mouth and bit down on it. The connection was instantaneous.

“Well, hello there. But I don’t like the truck. Next time, you come for me in a nice car.” Cynthia came out on the front porch as well. “See? Didn’t I tell you that I was prettier than Cass? She has such a manly body.”

“I think she’s just perfect. And while you are pretty, Cass has a natural beauty that makes her shine. I even love her freckles.” Cynthia told him he wasn’t getting on her good side. “As I told you several times when we were talking, I’m here to see Cass. She and I had plans for tonight.”

“You’re going to piss her off. It’s not a pretty site when she doesn’t get her way. I love it.” Yuri smiled at her and took her hand into his. She let him, too. This was just too much fun not to have a little at the expense of her sister. “I still don’t know why we’re here, but I’ll let you know when I find out.”

“Good. Does she really tell everyone that she’s prettier than you are?” She only told him yes and led him into the stately home. “This isn’t going to be fun, is it?”

“It’s never fun when I get summoned home.” She smiled at him, and he could almost taste the pain on her face. “Yuri, I’d like for you to meet my father, Howard Warmer, and my mother, Elizabeth. You’ve already spoken to Cynthia. My older brother Howie is running late, and he’ll be here by the time dinner is ready to be served.” Yuri shook hands with both her parents and said hello to Cynthia.

“Daddy, Yuri was supposed to be my date tonight. Not Cass’. What am I going to do without a man on my arm, and she has one? It’s not fair.” Her father ignored Cynthia in favor of talking to Yuri. Then she turned to her. “You think you’re so smart. I could get him if I wanted him.”

“Okay.” She and her sister used to be really close when they were children. Then Cynthia found boys, and she’d been in competition with her since. Not that Cassidy ever played the games that her sister did with boys and now men. She didn’t live here, so she could go out with whomever she wanted, and her sister never knew. “He’s a friend of mine, and that’s all. We might go out some more if he asks, but there really isn’t anything between us.”

“Well, I’m putting my foot down. You’re not allowed to date anyone until I approve them.” Cassidy asked her if she was serious. “Yes. When it comes to men, I’m always serious. Once you see someone, you’ll tell me their name so I can look them up and see if they’re worthy of dating me. If he is, you’ll back off and try again. I won’t be fooled by this little sister. Or I’ll tell daddy on you.”

“Tell him what? That you’re laying down the law to keep me from finding someone to go out with? What’s this really about?” She told her. “Sloppy seconds? But isn’t that what you’re doing to me? I can’t date until you don’t want them anymore? I’ll date whoever I want whenever I want, and there isn’t shit you can do about it.”

“Cassidy Warmer. Watch your language in my home.” She looked at her dad, and she could see a hint of humor on his face. “Cynthia, you’ll behave yourself, or I’ll turn what you just said around so that Cassidy gets what she wants.”

“That’s not fair. She always gets what she wants, Daddy.” She started for the stairs to no doubt slam her bedroom door. But father told her she was going to have dinner with them all even if he had to beat her ass—double standard there on cursing, she thought—to get her back down here on time. “Mommy, make them do what I want.”

“I have a headache, Cynthia. I don’t know what is going on, but I want nothing to do with it. Howard, our son is here. Let’s go into the dining room where I can have a seat.” Mother usually gave in to her sister and made her do whatever she wanted. But today, with this argument, she had won. But it wouldn’t last long, she knew, and she was going to take what joy she got out of Cynthia being upset with both parents. “Come along now. Bring your young man through, too, Cassidy. We’ll have a lovely meal, then your father can have a word with all of you.”

Yuri was seated next to her. As he pulled her chair out, she watched as Cynthia struggled to get someone to do the same for her. Finally, she got Howie to do it.

“I can tell you why you’re all here if you want to know.” She asked Yuri if it was bad. “Yes. Your father has a tumor on his brain that isn’t operatable. He’s known about it for a week now, and he needs to start on chemotherapy.” Yuri took her hand under the table and squeezed it. “I’m so very sorry, Cass. He’s going to talk to you all about getting settled before he leaves this world.”

“You’re joking? He wants us to get married and have a home life before he—how long does he have?” Yuri told her that he’d been given a year, but he didn’t think he was going to make it that long.

“It’s a good-sized tumor. They did a biopsy on it a week ago.” She didn’t want anything to happen to her dad. Or her mom, for that matter. It wasn’t until Yuri squeezed her hand again that she started paying attention at the table.

The meal was a blur. When someone would ask her something, Yuri would squeeze her hand, and she’d pay attention enough to speak, but then she’d go right back to being upset. It wasn’t until her dad stood up that she put all her focus on him.

“I have an inoperable tumor on my brain. I have less than a year to live.” And just like that, he left them to go to the living room. As soon as Cynthia started wailing that her poor daddy was going to die, she got up and went to the living room with her father. The only other person that came into the room with her was Yuri. She asked him why he’d told them like he had. “I needed to let you know all at one time, and this seemed to be the best possible way. Having your young man here, it gave me strength. I don’t know why, but he did. So, I guess thank you for that.”

“So that’s it? You told us you were going to die in a year and think that what? We’d be all right with that? I have news for you, Buster, I’m not all right with that. We might not have seen eye to eye on a great many things, but you’re still my father, and I’m not going to allow you to die without getting some answers.” He looked at her with tears in his eyes. “Dad, don’t do that. I’m not going to wail at you like Cynthia did, but I’m going to get all slobby with my heart breaking if you cry, too.”

“I’m going to miss you most of all, I think.” She looked in the doorway when he did and was glad that it was empty. “You’ve been…well, Cassidy, you’ve been the one that keeps me laughing and going for all these years. I don’t want to leave you.”

“Oh, Dad, don’t say that. I’m here if you need me.” He told her that he did need her here with him in his final year. “You want me to move back in? Dad, that’s not a good thing. You remember why I was asked to leave.”

“I was a fool for giving into her demands. I want you here with me. I need someone to distract me when I’m having a pity party for myself. Play some chess with me when I’m in need of a little competition.” He reached out for her hand, and she gave it to him. “Please say that you’ll move back in here and keep me company. Please, my child.”

“All right. I’ll do it.” She turned and looked at Yuri. “I’m sorry about all this. I’m glad that you’re here. Would you take me for a ride someplace? Anyplace?”

After telling her dad that she’d be back later, he hugged and kissed her on the cheek. Then, when her mother joined them in the living room, she told her that she was going out and would return later. Nodding once, she asked if Dad had asked her yet. With a nod, she was out the door and in the big truck that all the Valley men had when they were out and about.

She didn’t know how long they’d been driving when she realized they were in front of the Dari Q. Still upset, she wasn’t sure she could eat anything when Yuri said he was getting her a shake. She told him she needed a chocolate malt with chocolate ice cream. He kissed her on the cheek and got out of his truck. She was really hungry all of a sudden and couldn’t wait for him to return.

When he brought her the malt, she sat in his warm truck and drank it. He was waiting on more food and wondered why he’d not gotten enough to eat at her house. Then she remembered that he was a wolf, and it more than likely wasn’t enough for him, whatever it had been. For the life of her, she couldn’t remember one thing about the meal she’d had with her family.

Getting into the truck, he handed her a foil-wrapped something. Opening it up, she was thrilled that he’d got her a burger, too. The four that he had on his lap made her laugh. It felt good to be around him when he could make her laugh with what she’d gone through at home.

“I’m sorry about tonight. And it would serve me right if you never wanted to see me again.” He finished one of the burgers and looked at her. She told him again how sorry she was. “I should have known it wasn’t going to be good because it never is at our family dinners.”

“I’ve been talking to my mom.” She nodded and shoved the last bite of burger in her mouth, reaching for another one. She didn’t feel bad when he said they were for himself. Then he gave her one of them. “You seem to know a great deal about shifters. So I’m assuming that you know what a mate is?”

“Yes. I used to work with a couple of wolves. I believe they were a part of your pack. Anyway, I also worked with other shifters, and they all have mates or hope they do. Why did you contact your mother?” He ate another burger while she was just getting the foil off her second one. “You’d better go and order some more now so they’ll be ready when you are.”

He told her that was a good idea and got out of the truck, leaving just one of the burgers left behind. When he returned, saying they were going to bring them out to him, he turned and looked at her while he polished off the last of his stash.

“I told my mom how I felt about you.” She asked if she was his mate. “No. I wish you were, but you’re not. However, I do have feelings for you. I have this overwhelming need to protect you like my sister or something along those lines. Mom seems to think that these feelings are here because you are my sister and mate to one of my brothers. I’ll be back. I forgot to order myself a drink.”

She was glad that she’d eaten before he dropped that bombshell on her. Putting the last bite back in the foil, she thought about what he was saying. His brother’s mate. While he didn’t say who, she didn’t know any of them like she did Yuri, and that wasn’t saying a great deal. She barely knew him. When he got back in the truck, she asked him how many brothers he had.

“Five and a sister. But she’s found her mate a long time ago and rarely comes around anymore.” She waited until he finished eating before asking him about his brothers. Honestly, she didn’t know what to ask him. But she did want to know if any of them were pricks like her brother could be. “Nah. Conri is the alpha to our back of about four hundred wolves. Since he’s the alpha, if you’re his mate, you’d be his alpha bitch. Not in a bad way. It’s just what they call her. Then there is Kendrick. He’s a doctor right now. Nice guy if you ask me. Yanick is funny like you are. I’m hoping that you’re mated to him. You’ll enjoy his sense of humor. He’s a cook at one of the restaurants in Columbus. But he doesn’t like it anymore, so he will change to something else soon. Rette and Lamar are twins, but they look nothing alike. Rette is more of Mom’s coloring, and Lamar is darker like Dad was. They’re both artists. Then there is me. I keep us all in money by investing what we have because we’ve been around a long time.”

“How long have you been around? I’m assuming here that you’re a good deal older than you look.” He nodded and asked her if she freaked out. “Not normally, no. You might say I’m sort of jaded about life in general. How old?”

“Conri is the oldest and has been around about four hundred years. I’m the youngest, and I’m still nearly three hundred and fifty years old.” She nodded and felt her belly churn up a bit. “Are you going to be sick?”

“No. I don’t believe so. But that is a lot to take in.” He told her he was sorry. “I’ll be all right. I’m just calculating how much older you guys are than me. I’m only twenty-four.”

~*~

Conri was the last of his brothers to go and see Cassidy. She was working today at the grocery store and seemed to be really busy. She’d looked up at him several times since he came into the store on the ruse to buy bread. Finally, when she was finished with the customer in front of him, she spoke.

“You here to sniff around? As you can see, I’m busy and don’t have time for your crap. Get it over with so that I can go home and be assured that I’m not going to have to bow down before some jerk that only comes in the store for—do you even need that loaf of bread?” He shook his head, too stunned by her anger toward him. “Well, you’d better put it back where you got it from before you leave here. I don’t have time to front and face the store after you’re gone. Get it over with.”

He hadn’t any idea what front and face the store meant, but he turned to take the bread back like she’d told him. Before he was even halfway there, she called him back to get his ‘sniffing’ over with for her. Inhaling deeply, he knew in that moment what he’d been fearing for the last couple of weeks. She was his mate.

“I’ll put the bread back. You’re my mate.” He took the bread back to the aisle and hoped that he put it where it belonged. He was so blinded by uncertainty. Instead of talking to the woman again, she was busy with the next customer, he left the store and headed to his truck. Sitting in it, he sat there thinking about what all this meant and what it would mean for his future.

Leaving the lot, he was nearly home when his mom contacted him. She asked if he was still in town and, if so, if would he pick up a gallon of ice cream for her. She wanted a banana split. Telling her that he was nearly home, a fat lie, he said to send one of the others to get it for her. She asked him what was wrong. Before he could think about what it might mean to tell her what he’d just discovered, he blurted it out to her that he’d found his mate.

“You’re joking. If you are, I don’t think this is the least bit funny, Conri. I don’t want to have my hopes dashed when you tell me it’s not true.” He told her it was true that the little human at the grocery store was his mate. “Then Yuri was right in thinking that he needed to protect her.”

“From me?” Mom didn’t answer him, but he could almost taste her anger. “I meant nothing by that, Mom. I’m still reeling from the fact that she’s there and a human. I only just found out. Cut me some slack for a few moments.”

“What did you say to her? I’m sure that it was a coming together like none other .” He told her what had happened and what he’d said to her. “You didn’t just tell her that and walk away, Conri. Please tell me that you were more polite than that. I’d like to think I raised you better than that.”

“She asked me if I was there sniffing around. Sniffing around like she was a piece of prime meat, and I was there to check her out.” Mom asked him why he’d gone there in the first place if it wasn’t to sniff her out. “Like you said, I was raised better than that. But now that I think about it, I suppose she was correct. All of us have been there under one ruse or another to see if she was our mate. I should have gone first, then she might not have been so upset with me. I’ll make it up to her. I’ll try and be nice when I go get her to talk to her.”

“Talk to her or at her? You know that there is a difference.” His mom sighed heavily, and again, he could taste her emotion. This time, it was disappointment. “Just be nice to her, Conri. This is all new to her as well. You have to realize that, don’t you?”

He found himself in the store parking lot again. This time, he was parked far enough away from the glass front so she wouldn’t be able to see him. Sniffing around, indeed. He’d come there with high hopes that his brother was wrong. He didn’t want another mate. Carol had been more than enough for him.

Conri thought about his first mate. It had been so long ago now that he could barely remember her face. And if not for the tintypes that he had of the two of them together, he might well have forgotten her long ago. But he’d never forget her betrayal, the way that she’d got with his father and robbed him of everything he could have hoped for in having a mate. Not to mention the pack that they’d taken money from. Thousands of dollars had been stolen from the pack and his family for them to get together after robbing them of everything they could put their hands on. And two hundred years hadn’t lessened the pain that he felt from thinking about all of it.

The pounding at his window had him jumping a little bit. It was Cassidy, and she looked fiery mad. He rolled down the window, and she shoved a paper bag at him. He was barely able to catch it before it fell in his lap.

“Your mother called. She said that you forgot to get her ice cream. You owe me five bucks. I’m charging you that much because that’s what it cost me to bring it out here to you.” She started away, and he was still holding the ice cream; the cold treat was freezing his hands. Before he could get his wits about him, she was already across the lot and into the store again. That’s when it occurred to him that she was beautiful. Not that he wanted her in his life any more than he did before, but the way she walked, really stomped across the lot, made him smile. Conri was losing his mind.

Going home, he handed the ice cream to his mom and asked her to give him some time. When she tsked at him, she left him in the front hall. Instead of following her to find out what he’d done now, he went to his office and started to work on the projects that he’d left too long without any closure. He really needed to get his head in the game.

When he was brought a cup of tea, his mother sat down across from him. She eyed him hard, and when he realized that both screens had gone dark and that he was no closer to getting anything done than he’d been when he came in here, he asked her what he was supposed to do.

“What do you mean? What are you supposed to do? You have a mate, son. You’re supposed to woo her or whatever they call it nowadays when a man finds the woman of his dreams.” He said he didn’t think she was going to be anything like his dreams had pictured. “This is because of Carol, isn’t it? You do know that she’s not her, don’t you? That she’s been dead longer than she’d been alive. Every woman that you meet isn’t her, Conri. You have to let the past go.”

“I don’t know that I can. To be honest with you, I never thought that I’d have to deal with a mate again. They’re demanding and—” She told him again that not all women were Carol. “I know that in my head, but my heart doesn’t have room for another person to hurt me.”

He’d never said that aloud before. He’d known it in his head that was the reason that he didn’t pursue women. It was hard for him to not judge other women by the way he’d been treated. Not only did she leave him for his father, but she had done it in such a public way that he’d been humiliated by it as well. And he still kept some of that in his head after all this time.

“I don’t know how to help you, son, if you’re not going to be willing to try. Yuri said that she’s nice and pretty. Said she’s also dealing with a looney family and that her dad just found out that he has a brain tumor that only gives him about a year to live.” He said that Yuri said that she’s strong-willed, too. “Oh, what does he know? I doubt any woman has ever said no to him. He’s too cute and charming to be out on his own. All I can say about any of you is that I’m glad that you’re wolves, or I’d have fifty or more grandchildren by who knows how many women.”

He laughed as she did. Yes, the way his younger brothers dated and slept around, it was a good thing that they couldn’t have kids with any women but with their mates. He himself usually found himself a shifter to…relax with. They understood that there was going to be nothing between them, and that was all it was, just sex. Of course, he didn’t tell his mom that. She’d embarrass him in some way.

After having his tea, he set to work. He really did have a lot to do, and he’d been putting things off thinking about having a mate in the woman at the store. It had been two weeks since Yuri had told them all about her, and they had each gone to see her that first few days. He’d been a fool to put it off and was feeling terrible about the way that he’d treated her this morning.

By dinner time, he was just finishing up the last file. He had five neat stacks of files that would be given to each of his brothers to follow up on. There were also two files that he had to turn back over to Yuri so that he could see what he could do about some investments that he’d been looking into. Yuri was fantastic at keeping them in money and investing in their future. All his brothers had good jobs, too.

He decided to see if he could get in touch with Cassidy and have dinner with her. He’d been thinking about how rude he’d been this morning and wanted to make it up to her. She should be off work by now, and he was going to see if Yuri had a phone number that he could use. He thought that she was living at the ranch where her parents lived but wasn’t sure. He’d been told she’d been asked to come back home.

That was something that he needed to be made aware of, too. Why was she living outside of the family home? He had heard about the sister demanding that Cassidy not date anyone until she gave her permission. Conri wondered what she’d say when he wanted nothing to do with her nor her term, “sloppy seconds.” Yuri had been slightly pissed about that and how the sister, Cynthia, had tried to get a date with him. That’s all he needed was a strange family to deal with.

Yuri not only gave him her cell phone number but also her address where she was living. Yes, she was at the big house, which they called the family home because her father had asked her to move back home.

“There’s something really odd going on there, Con. Like, I think the sister is extremely entitled, and the brother strikes me as a lazy fuck.” He asked him why he thought that when he came by the office to get the paperwork that he had for him. “Mr. Warmer, Howard said that Cassidy was the only one that he really cared for. And then, when we were leaving, he told her that she was going to be all right living at home again. I have a feeling that the sister and brother aren’t all that nice to their sister. And then last night, when she called me, she was upset but tried her best not to show it. Like something was said to her, and it hurt her heart.”

“You talk to her a lot?” He told him that she was his friend before she’d become his mate. “I didn’t mean anything like that. I’m just wondering how much you know about her that I don’t.”

“Not much, I’m betting. She’s very…I was going to say reserved, but that’s not it either. She’s very outspoken when she feels she needs to be. Last night, while we were talking—you do know that I have a connection with her, right? Anyway, while we were talking, her sister came to her door and was pounding on it. She told me she was demanding entrance so that she could see what she was doing. Since she wasn’t on her phone, she told her that she’d better not be setting anything up with anyone, or she’d find out. I have no idea why, but I have a feeling that she’s going to make it really difficult for the two of you to get to know each other.” Conri said it would be none of her business. “Maybe not, but that won’t stop her. And Cynthia has a one-set mind. She won’t take no for an answer either.”

When his brother left him, he decided to call her now in order to set up a time for them to get together. He didn’t know the family, so he didn’t feel the need to clear anything with them. Especially the sister. He’d deal with her, too, if it came to that. Picking up his cell phone, he dialed the number that he had. When she answered, he could tell that something had happened and asked her about it.

“Can I meet you in town? I’m assuming that you’re Conri Valley, right?” He said that he was and wanted to take her to dinner. “That would be fantastic. I’ll meet you in the parking lot at the store. I’m not dressed for anything fancy, so burgers would be great. I’ll see you in ten minutes.”

Then she hung up. It would take him that long to get there if he hurried and was out the door before telling anyone where he was headed. If his mom wanted him home, she’d contact him, and he’d tell her what he was doing. Whatever happened to Cassidy, he could tell that she was upset by the way she was tense with her words. He pulled into the lot just as she did. Before he could put his truck in park, she was coming toward him and got in with him. Whatever was going on, she burst into tears as soon as she was buckled into the seat.