Page 14

Benji

The week passed slowly, although everything we had to do should have made the time fly.

Ordinarily, it seemed as if I woke up, raced through the day, and before I knew it, I’d be crawling back into bed, exhausted and ready to rest. Not that I minded.

Our “pack” was a labor of love, and we were building it slowly.

Seeing the DarkShadow Pack’s lands was an eye-opener, according to Harlan.

They were also trying to make a life, but their alpha female, Rumor, was the glue that held them together.

They were also growing, and I looked forward to going to the farmer’s market again and seeing Lily, who lived with them.

I would have preferred to go right away and see her, but we agreed that pushing her too hard wouldn’t get us anywhere and might have the opposite effect. Harlan’s visit was enough for this week, no matter how hard it was to accept that.

But I did have a project to work on. My wolf demanded that I bring a gift to our mate to show our good intentions.

He was a big believer in showing that we would provide, but the images he placed in my mind were not likely to be ones she would appreciate.

At least not in human form. A fresh kill, still dripping blood, heart warm and just stopped pulsing… A perfect gift in his eyes.

I thought more along the lines of jewelry, designer bags, or other over-the-top items to show my esteem, but I’d learned in the past that such a display of wealth put people off.

Why? I had no idea, but I could observe reactions.

And that meant, if I didn’t want to misstep, I needed to come up with something that showed our preparedness to provide but did not have our mate gagging over the presentation.

I wandered the house for a while, trying to decide, coming up with ideas and discarding them. It would make life so much easier if I could just use my money without causing resentment.

Standing in the kitchen, wondering just how bad a cake would taste if I made it, I was startled by Roan’s arrival. He marched to the pantry and opened the door. “We out of jerky?”

“I don’t know. Are we?”

“Someone’s going to have to go to the store and get some.” He grabbed a box of crackers and a jar of peanut butter and a knife and left, grumbling under his breath. “No jerky.”

We didn’t have jerky, but I had an idea.

Grabbing my phone, I searched and found what I sought.

Self-reliance demanded we find a better way to do things, and making beef jerky didn’t look hard at all.

My wolf appreciated the idea of giving our mate food, and I hoped that a handmade offering would soften her toward us.

It wasn’t as easy as I’d hoped for, though.

Cutting the meat thinly enough, applying just the right amounts of salt and other seasonings and cooking until it was done enough for shelf stability but still tender enough to chew.

Somehow I’d always thought it was a simple process that could be done by anyone with a campfire, and maybe it could.

But it probably wouldn’t taste very good.

On the day of the farmer’s market, we set off together, but I had my gift for Lily in my pocket. A half pound or so of freshly made beef jerky in which I took more pride than I would have if I’d bought her a diamond tennis bracelet.

The Darkshadows’ booth was set up when we got there, Rumor with her baby in a wrap on her back, and our mate, wearing the hat Harlan gave her, helping her arrange some jars. The two females were laughing over something together, and I hesitated to approach them, afraid of interrupting.

But something must have caught Lily’s attention because she looked in my direction, her cheeks blooming with color. I took courage from her reaction and headed over to greet her. “Hello. You have so many things on your display today. I’m Benji by the way.”

She smiled, straightening a jar of jam so the label faced forward. “We’re trying our best.”

“I wonder, that is, I brought you something.” I reached into my pocket and pulled out the foil package only now wondering if in avoiding being showy, I’d gone too far the other way. But she’d seen it, and there was no going back. “Here.”

She accepted the package from my outthrust hand. “What is it?”

“It’s—”

“Open it and see,” Rumor urged, saving me from having to explain. “I’m curious!”

“All right.” She set the packet on the table behind her beautifully labeled brownie mix and unfolded the sides. “Oh, jerky!”

“I made it myself,” I said, wanting her to know that it wasn’t just something I’d taken out of a packet from a rack at a gas station. “It’s teriyaki flavor.”

“Thank you.” She closed it again and set it behind her. “I appreciate all the effort, but it doesn’t change anything.”

“It’s okay. I wanted to give you a present.”

Customers showed up then, and she moved away from me to serve them.

I needed to buy her another gift. What would she like?

Something that said I noticed what she did and appreciated it.

My gaze landed on a booth a few yards away, and I was over there like a shot.

They had handmade baskets in the most beautiful colors.

She could carry her jellies in it or maybe even use it for a display on the table.

Boosted by the fact she’d accepted my first gift, jerky—what was I thinking?

—I hustled back over to the booth with my prize.

It was something a female could appreciate.

Useful and pretty. But when I got there, I caught her sharing a strip of my homemade teriyaki jerky with Rumor and overheard some very complimentary words about my seasoning and the fact that it was a good texture.

Not that it had me strutting up to the table. Not too much. “Lily?”

She jerked her hand behind her back as if caught doing something naughty. Which put naughty thoughts into my head. “Oh hi.”

“Is the jerky okay?”

She brought her hand forward, blushing again. That did things to me. “It’s…it’s very good. Thank you.”

“I wanted to give you one more thing before I go.” I set the basket on the table. “I thought it would be nice to show off your jars in maybe?”

“It would.” She picked it up and turned it this way and that. “Such bright colors will really show off the jellies and jams.”

“Would you go on a date with us?” I blurted, surprising even myself. But there was no taking it back.

“I’ll think about it.” She replaced the basket on the table and began to stack jars of strawberry and apricot preserves. “I really will.”