Jamie put on a pot of coffee and sat at the table with her father and Jesse waiting for it to perc. The whole ride back Jesse had been tense and silent. Even her father had been rather terse, and now sat at his table with hands folded.
“You know what that was,” Jesse asked his eyes on his own hands.
Her father nodded. “Seen it before. A long time ago but I remember well.”
“This one has a problem with you, you can tell by the way it’s behaving. Showing off like that. It’s messy, a way to get caught,” Jesse said.
“I’ve heard the younger ones can be cocky,” Ander said looking grave.
Jamie looked from Jesse to her father thoroughly lost.
“What are you saying? We have a cocky wolf problem?” Jamie asked laughing. “That’s absurd.” Then seeing the looks on their faces she said, “Well it is!”
“Not really,” Jesse said with not a trace of his usual humor.
Jamie looked at her father, hoping for some clarity but he just sighed, looking more exhausted than she’d ever seen him.
“Sometimes I wonder,” he said. “I just don’t know any more.”
“We can beat this,” Jesse said with such conviction Jamie was impressed. “It won’t be the first time or the last. With your permission Mr. Campbell I’d like to call some friends. They are real good at dealing with this sort of situation.”
“Hell, call me Ander. Since I seem to have drawn you into this mess we might as well be on first name terms,” Ander said. “Yeah, call them. We have to keep the cattle and what’s left of my family safe.”
Jamie felt horribly left out of this conversation. She stood up with force, making her chair grate on the floor, scraping it loudly.
“Jamie!” her father scolded, “The floor!”
“Oh, how nice of you to remember I’m here,” she said sarcastically. “So are you two going to let me into this little club or what?”
She glared at them both. Her father looked ready to explode at her and Jesse looked uncertain. Then he stood up, lifting his chair carefully.
“I’ll make that call,” he said and left the room. He headed out of the back door into the yard where the sun was peeking over the trees.
Jamie rounded on her father. “What the hell, dad? I need to know what’s going on as much as anyone. This farm is my home too you know and I work very hard…”
“You do,” he said. “I know I’ve been stupid. You’re not a little girl anymore, and you deserve to know the truth.”
“What truth?” Jamie was just about jumping out of her skin.
“There aren’t only humans in this world. There are other creatures too, ones that look human, right up until they don’t. You saw one just an hour ago.”
Jamie considered this and then folded her arms pursing her lips, “Really? Dad how gullible do you think I am? Werewolves? Please!”
“They are real Jamie. And that thing that killed the cow tonight, it was a werewolf!”
“How do you know?”
“By the way it acted. You can’t tell me that you think that was normal for a wolf? You know how wolves behave, never that sure, that openly aggressive and not afraid.” Ander pushed his chair back and stood up. “You want me to take your opinions seriously around here, then start believing me. I don’t lie to you Jamie. Werewolves are real and if we’re being targeted then we have a very serious problem.” He left the room.
Jamie stood for a moment stunned and then sagged into a chair.
She looked up a moment later when the backdoor opened. Oliver strode into the room.
“Thought you’d be up at the cattle,” he said.
“Why would you think that?” Jamie said.
He looked flustered for a moment and then said, “Aren’t you always up at the cows?”
Jamie nodded. “We lost one last night. Killed by a wolf.”
“That’s unfortunate, but it’s the circle of life I guess.” Oliver said and walked over to the coffee pot. He grabbed a mug from the cupboard and poured himself a coffee. Then he sighed, “Well I’m going up to change.”
“Where were you all night?” Jamie asked. She was in no mood and something about her cousin was annoying her more than ever.
He sipped the hot liquid and met her stare. “I was out on a date.”
“Who with?”
“You don’t know her, she’s from Pritchard. We watched the sunrise together. What’s it to you?”
“Nothing,” Jamie said and turned away. She needed a holiday from her life.
Just then Jesse came back in smiling. “My guys will be here in about an hour. Then we’ll get busy. Oh hi Oliver,” he said extending a hand to him. “I’m Jesse.”
“I’m Operations Manager of this place. I know who you are,” Oliver said not shaking his hand.
Jesse smiled and took his hand back. Then he leaned a little towards Oliver and nodded once so slightly Jamie almost missed it.
Suddenly the kitchen was the last place on earth that Jamie wanted to be so, taking Jesse’s arm she led him outside.
In the yard she stopped walking when they were halfway to the barn.
“He annoys the living shit out of me!” she swore.
“That I can see,” Jesse said smiling. “Hey it’s okay. He seems like a douche bag.”
“He is. But do you think my father sees it? Oh no! Oliver got his degree in business management and now my father thinks the sun shines out of his ass.”
Jesse chuckled. “You are so cute when you’re angry.”
Jamie slapped him on the arm, but it was half-hearted. “I’m serious!”
“So am I,” Jesse said smiling at her.
Something came over Jamie then. She was never sure if it was the morning sunlight on Jesse’s blonde hair making him shine like an angel, or the smile that really would be the undoing of saints, but she stood on her tip toes and gently planted a kiss on his lips.
At first Jesse was clearly surprised. Jamie sank back down and was about to turn when Jesse pulled her to him. “You call that a kiss?” he said and he leant down to her. Then he kissed her. Jamie felt her knees go weak. He tasted as fresh as he smelled and it didn’t help that she could feel his tight, muscular body pressed up against hers.
After an age, they separated and Jamie looked around. “Sorry,” she said feeling the blush start. “I don’t know what came over me.”
“Oh, it’s not your fault,” Jesse said, “It’s my animal magnetism, you were powerless to resist it.”