Chapter Two

 

Winnie nervously paced the small motel room the next morning. She didn’t know what Sawyer had planned, but she had put on a cotton sundress and had cleaned Benjamin up as best she could. His clothes were getting too small, and she didn’t have the money to buy more. But he looked presentable, or so she thought. The clock on the bedside table slowly rolled over another minute. 7:56 AM. He’d said eight, but she doubted he’d knock on the door exactly at eight o’clock. The anticipation was about to kill her though.

She’d never met a wolf before, that she knew of. He seemed nice, and she’d be lying if she tried to deny her attraction to him. Those kind, hazel eyes made all kinds of promises to her, promises that she was scared to believe in. Too many times life had dumped her on her ass and left her to claw her way back up. And it usually involved a man. She’d told herself after Johnny that she was finished with men, but the wolf made her want things better left alone. She’d thought all her girlish dreams had been ground to dust, but the wolf was proving otherwise.

A knock on the door startled her, and she smoothed her dress before reaching for the handle. “Who is it?” she asked, just to be safe.

“It’s Sawyer,” he called through the door.

She removed the chain and opened it, recognizing his voice this time. “When you said eight, I didn’t expect you to be so prompt.”

“If you aren’t ready, I can give you more time.”

“No,” she hastened to assure him. “We’re ready. Just let me get my purse.”

Not that she had more than a dollar in her wallet. She slung the strap over her shoulder and grasped Benjamin’s hand. When they stepped outside, she paused by her car, indecision weighing heavy on her. Should she take her own vehicle, so she could have a quick getaway, if it was needed? Or did she dare trust the wolf to keep his word?

He waited patiently, not pressing her to hurry. He watched her calmly, as if he could see the inner battle being waged, and he gave her the space she needed to figure things out. It was more than anyone had ever done for her before, and she felt another piece of the wall crumble from around her heart.

“I need to get Benjamin’s booster seat,” she said.

Sawyer nodded and unlocked his truck, swinging the back door open for her.

She retrieved the seat from her car and put it in Sawyer’s truck. Benjamin scrambled into the vehicle, and she buckled him before getting into the front seat. Sawyer had promised they could have breakfast anywhere they wanted, but she didn’t want to take advantage of his generosity. She’d be content with a sausage biscuit from the nearest fast food place.

Sawyer drove across town to a nicer area and pulled up in front of a chain restaurant that served breakfast twenty-four hours a day. It hadn’t been what she’d had in mind at all, but Benjamin squealed with excitement from the back seat. She knew she couldn’t disappoint her little boy, even if she did think Sawyer was spending too much on them.

Benjamin’s eyes were wide when he saw a man stopping at each table to make balloon animals. He bounced on his toes. “Can I have one, Mama?”

“Sweetheart, I don’t…”

“One balloon animal coming up,” Sawyer said, taking her son’s hand and leading him over to the man.

Winnie’s jaw dropped a little, and she hurried to catch up. Benjamin asked for a dog, which wasn’t surprising since he’d asked for a puppy every year since he was two. The man twisted the blue balloon until it looked like a canine, then handed it to her son. Sawyer pulled out his wallet and handed the man a few dollars. Tears pricked her eyes that something so simple could make her son happy, and she hadn’t been able to do it for him. But his kind man, this amazing guy, had done something for her small boy without even being asked.

“Thank you,” she said softly. “He’ll probably try to sleep with it.”

“Come on. Let’s get a table by the window so he can watch the butterflies. They love the bushes out there. And before you argue, let him order anything he wants off the menu. Same for you. Don’t look at the prices, just get whatever sounds good.”

She nodded reluctantly. It was hard for her to accept help, but she would do it for her son. Nothing was more important to her than Benjamin. His eyes were wide as he looked at the menu. Even though he couldn’t read most of the words, he could look at the pictures. He pointed to a platter with bacon, eggs, and pancakes.

“Can I have that, Mama?”

“That’s a lot of food, baby. I don’t think you can eat all that.”

“Let him try,” Sawyer said. “If he doesn’t finish it, you can have it boxed up for later.”

The thought of her son having something to eat later was appealing so she relented. If Sawyer really didn’t care what they ordered, it would be a good idea for her to get something big too, so she’d have leftovers. Without money, she didn’t know where their next meal would come from. Had Sawyer not brought them dinner last night, they wouldn’t have been able to eat, unless she went dumpster diving.

They placed their order, and Winnie watched as Benjamin colored on his placemat. He seemed so happy; even when things were dire, he had a smile for her. She could hear his stomach rumble some days, and yet he never offered a word of complaint. Sometimes a kind stranger would offer her a few dollars and she’d use it for a jar of peanut butter and a loaf of bread. Even then, she ate sparingly, wanting her son to have as much as he needed.

“I saw you applying for a job last night,” Sawyer said. “Where else did you apply?”

“A few gas stations, another bar across town, the diner, and the fast food places.”

His eyebrows lifted. “So, you’ve been busy. Is that the only kind of work you’re interested in?”

“I thought I could get the night shift at those places, and Benjamin could sleep in the car, maybe where I could watch over him through a window.”

Sawyer shook his head. “That’s not safe, Winnie.”

“It’s the best I can do until I can save to get a place. If I spend my earnings on motel rooms, I’ll never be able to put money aside for an apartment.”

“Maybe you won’t have to worry about that much longer.”

She didn’t know what he meant by that, but she wondered if it had anything to do with where they were going after breakfast. Their food arrived, and she smiled as Benjamin dug in, syrup dripping down his chin. Sawyer laughed and handed the boy a napkin.

After their meal, Sawyer paid the ticket and escorted them out to his truck. A short while later, he pulled up in front of The Towers, new apartments that were in a building taller than anything else in town. The mirrored glass reflected the parking lot and street behind them.

“Sawyer, what are we doing here?” she asked.

“Just wait and see.”

He led them into the building, smiled at the doorman, and stopped at the desk in the lobby. Winnie couldn’t remember ever being in such a fancy building before. She felt inadequate and couldn’t for the life of her figure out why they were there. Did Sawyer live in this place? He didn’t seem like the type, but then she didn’t know him very well.

“Matt Spencer was supposed to have a set of keys for me,” Sawyer said. “My name is Sawyer Braxton.”

Keys?

“Of course, Mr. Braxton.” The lady behind the desk handed him a keyring. “Mr. Spencer said to give him a call if the apartment is sufficient.”

“I appreciate it.”

Sawyer took Winnie by the hand and led her over to the elevators. She still didn’t understand why they were here. There was no way she could ever afford a place like this. The elevator let them off on the fifth floor and they followed the apartment numbers until they found the one that matched the keyring. Sawyer unlocked the door and motioned for them to enter.

It was really just one large room and a bathroom, but it was the most beautiful thing Winnie had ever seen. The furniture looked comfortable and clean, and there were two twin beds in a curtained off area that served as the bedroom. Sawyer saw the beds and frowned a little, apparently expecting something different, but Winnie didn’t care. Just not sleeping in the car, or having to sleep with one eye open at the shelter, would be a godsend.

Benjamin tugged on her hand. “Are we going to live here, Mama?”

“I don’t know,” she said. “I haven’t talked to Mr. Braxton yet to find out what’s going on.”

Sawyer pointed to a box near the couch. “I believe there are some toys in there if you’d like to go play while your mother checks things out.”

Benjamin smiled so wide his cheeks turned pink, and he hurried off to see what was inside the box. All he owned were two cars. He’d had a stuffed bear, but someone had stolen it one night at the shelter. She’d had a hard time getting him to sleep without Mr. Brown.

Winnie walked around the space and peered into the bathroom. A tub/shower combo took up most of the space, but there was a sink with a cabinet underneath, a mirrored cabinet hung over it, and a toilet. As far as she was concerned, it was the best bathroom she’d ever seen. There was a blue shower curtain hanging from the rod and a brand-new matching bath mat folded on top of the toilet. An unopened package of toilet paper sat on the floor. She opened the door under the sink and saw a handful of towels and washcloths, with the tags still on them, along with a bottle of shampoo and two bars of soap.

“Do all of the apartments come stocked like this?” she asked.

“Um, that was probably Matt’s doing. He owns the building, and I explained about your situation. If you like the place, he said you could have the first month free. He’s only charging you four hundred a month after that, and he said the utilities and trash are included.”

“There’s no way this apartment costs so little.”

He shrugged. “It’s a pack discount.”

“But I’m not part of the pack.”

“Well, I’d like to think that we could be friends, and that makes you a friend of the pack. Same difference.” He grinned. “You like this place, don’t you?”

She nodded and went to the kitchen. The appliances were stainless steel and the counters a pretty chocolate granite. The flooring throughout was wood laminate, except for the white tile in the bathroom. The walls were a neutral taupe color, except for the outer wall that was one large window.

“There aren’t any coverings over the window,” she said.

“You can see out of the glass, but no one can see in. Even if you had the lights on at night, no one would be able to see you.”

That eased her mind a bit.

“What happens if I can’t pay the rent next month? Will he throw us out on the first?”

“No. Matt said, if you have trouble finding a job, and can’t afford the rent, he would work with you. Maybe he’ll even know of a job. He’s kind of a big deal around here.”

“And he’s a friend of the pack?” she asked.

Sawyer grinned. “There’s a story behind that, but it’s not mine to tell. Matt and Cassie have known the alpha and his brothers since before the pack even formed. Years ago, the brothers were the only wolves in town. But there have been a few points along the way when they’ve needed help, or wanted to expand their numbers, so they put out a call for people like me to join their ranks.”

“So, you haven’t lived here long then?”

“Only a few years.” He looked around the space. “So, what do you think? Are you going to take it?”

She looked over to where her son sat playing with the toys he’d found. “Do the toys come with the apartment too?”

“Matt said, if Benjamin wanted to keep them, he could. They aren’t new, but he wanted him to have something to play with while you checked out the place.”

“Tell him thank you, and we accept. Is there a lease I need to sign?”

“No. I just have a verbal agreement with Matt. I’ll make sure you have his contact information in case you have any questions. Do you have a phone?”

Winnie nodded. “I used the last of my cash to get one of those pay-as-you-go phones. I thought I needed it for job hunting. I only have five hundred minutes though. It was cheaper than the unlimited plan.”

“I’ll leave my number with you too, in case you need anything.”

“I can’t thank you enough for everything you’ve done for us.”

Sawyer smiled. “I’m just glad I was in the right place at the right time. Why don’t I take you back to the motel so you can gather your things and check out, and then I’ll meet you back here. I have one stop I want to make, and I’ll return to make sure you’ve gotten settled in.”

Winnie knew telling him that he’d done enough wouldn’t sway him from coming back. For whatever reason, he’d decided that they needed to be protected, and he seemed to think he was just the wolf to do it. Better to let him help than to make a fuss. Besides, she really did need him. Winnie had prided herself on not needing anyone, and look where that had gotten her. Maybe it was time to let someone in, to give someone a chance to prove themselves, and Sawyer was on the fast track to doing just that.