Chapter Eight – Kit

Sleeping was going to be difficult when the woman of his dreams was lying next to him in his bed. The same bed in which he had spent so many lonely nights, wondering if he would ever find his mate. So many years had passed, so many dreams.

And now, here she was. Her scent on the air, her warmth within reach.

“Goodnight, Kit,” Suzie said sleepily. “And thank you.”

“For what?” he asked, his lips burning to kiss her soft flesh, his fingers itching to undo the buttons of her borrowed shirt.

“Everything.” Suzie turned around and faced him. Lifting her hand she stroked his brow, her fingers running down his cheek, and across his lips. His self-control was slipping. “I was lost. I didn’t realize it before today. But I was.”

“I’ll always be here for you, Suzie. No matter what.” He leaned forward and kissed her forehead, stifling the groan that rose in his throat.

“I know.” She kissed his lips and then turned away from him, puffing her pillow up and then settling down to sleep.

Kit lay still for some time watching the rise and fall of her body, while in the crib, Storm wriggled around. Then he let his senses roam further. Was the cat out there, waiting, watching? For what?

As he searched, he slowly slipped under the spell of sleep, only to wake up in the morning with the sun a pale ghost at the window, and the alarm from the camera beeping.

He pulled himself fully awake and glanced at the screen of the laptop, just as Suzie was stirring.

“Someone’s in the barn,” Kit hissed, and slipped out of bed, pulling on his pants as he directed his eyes to the screen. Sure enough, in the faint morning light, the shadow of a cat could be seen in the barn. It was sniffing around, ignoring the sandwich and the Thermos, but intent on the blanket.

Kit was out of the bedroom, racing for the front door and nearly pulling it off its hinges before he had a chance to think through what he planned to do.

The only thought in his head was that this was the best chance of finding out who Storm was.

He opened the front door quietly, and closed it behind him, shifting through the air and leaping off the porch on silent paws. The barn was close, and as he ran, he picked up the scent of the cat. It was the same one from last night, his bear was certain.

As he rounded the corner of the barn, he heard the sound of claws on concrete; the cat had heard him. With no time to lose, Kit skidded to a halt in the doorway of the barn, his big bulky body blocking the exit route of the cat.

Or so he thought.

With the blanket in his mouth, the cat ran at Kit and leaped into the air. Kit’s bear reared up on his back legs, bringing himself up to his full height. With his short stubby bear forelegs waving in the air, the cat had no chance of escape. But he wasn’t ready to be defeated.

Unsheathing his claws, the cat curled his paws, ready to fight. Maybe he might have stood a chance if he wasn’t facing a bear who had brawled with his two brothers for years. And not just when they were kids. Whenever they got together the Malvern boys liked to challenge each other to a fight. Loser bought the beers, that was the rule.

One swipe of his big bear paw sent the cat sprawling to the floor. It lay there, winded, giving Kit a moment to work out how he was going to end this with no bloodshed.

Taking a chance, Kit shifted into his human form. “Hey, I don’t want to fight you.” He stood with his hands out, trying to calm the situation down while the cat, a large male cougar, lifted his head and stared back at him, his tail twitching menacingly.

Kit stood, ready to shift back into his bear form. He was fast, he’d had lots of practice growing up. Fighting wasn’t the only thing his brothers were competitive about. They used to have shifting competitions too. He had some great childhood memories. It was another reason he was spurred on to help children who came into his care.

Every child deserved a safe and happy upbringing. And this was maybe his only chance to ensure Storm had such an upbringing with her real mom.

“I just want to talk.” The cat looked at him, unblinking, and Kit lowered his hands and let his body language soften. “I think we both want what is best for the baby. Right?”

The cat sat up, tail still twitching, but at least he didn’t look as if he wanted to tear Kit’s face off. Small mercies.

“I want to help you. I’m not the cops, I’m not here to judge anyone. I want what’s best for the baby, and her mom.” The cat showed no response, but Kit continued regardless. “Baby is fine and healthy, I checked her over myself. I only want to make sure Mom is too. Births can be complicated. I’m worried. I don’t need to know names, and if you don’t want the baby, that’s OK…”

The cougar stood up, and went to the blanket, which had fallen on the ground. He sniffed it, and then looked up at Kit. He didn’t make a sound, nor did he shift back into his human form. What was he supposed to do? Let the cougar go, and hope he saw sense, or grab hold of him by his tail and swing him around until he did the right thing?

The cougar paced back and forth, and Kit prepared to shift once more and use the full strength of his bear body to tame the kitty. However, the cougar stopped in front of the blanket and bent his head to sniff it, his body language softer. When the cougar looked up at Kit, his eyes looked mournful.

“If you shift, we can go and see her,” Kit offered by way of a bribe. This would all go so much smoother if they didn’t have to fight.

The cougar sighed and then the air shimmered around him. The hair on Kit’s arms and neck stood on end as static electricity filled the cold air. As the cougar disappeared from this world, the image of a young man replaced it.

“Good choice,” Kit said, smiling easily. “I never like to fight before my first cup of coffee of the day.”

Cougar boy shrugged and looked away. “Is the baby OK?”

Kit was relieved this was his first concern. “She is. Want to come see her?”

“Sure.” Cougar boy took a step forward as Kit backed away.

“Have you got a name?” Kit asked, giving the young man, who couldn’t be more than about eighteen years old, an appraising look. His hair was fashionably long, tied up in a man bun. His blond looks gave him a kind of a surfer-dude vibe, but Bear Creek was some way away from any surf.

“Ollie,” came the reply.

“Well, Ollie, it’s good to meet you.” Kit held out his hand, which was looked at with a great deal of suspicion. “I’ve never met a cat that wasn’t suspicious.”

“Comes with the territory,” Ollie replied.

“Are you from Cougar Ridge?” Kit asked.

“No.” Ollie looked past Kit and out into the early morning light, leaving the doctor with a sense he wasn’t being strictly honest. Kit let it slide.

“I’m Dr. Kit Malvern, I work at the hospital in Bear Bluff.”

“I know,” Ollie said.

“So you followed my car all the way up here?” Kit asked, trying to get some sense of who this young man was.

“I had to see that the baby was OK.” Ollie didn’t make eye contact.

“You must care about her a lot,” Kit replied, turning around and walking toward the house. It was a gamble; there were no assurances that Ollie wouldn’t shift into his cat form and run.

“I do,” Ollie confirmed.

“Are you the one who left her at the hospital?” Kit asked, and was met with a stony silence. “It’s OK, I’m a doctor, not the sheriff. What you say stays between us.”

“No, I’m not,” Ollie replied, and Kit believed him.

“You did go to the hospital though. To check that she was OK.” Kit glanced over his shoulder as he took the steps of the porch one at a time. The snow was thick, but it hadn’t reached the door.

“Yes.”

“That was a good thing.” Kit hesitated, one hand on the door, but before he opened it, there was one question he wanted to know the answer to. “If she hadn’t been found, would you have taken her with you?”

Ollie cocked his head. “Yes…I guess. She belongs with her mom.”

“There, we agree on something,” Kit said with a genuine smile. “Only difference is, you know who her mommy is.”

“I do.”

“And you are not ready to tell me. I get that,” Kit said. “You want to protect her.”

“I do,” Ollie replied.

“Of course you do,” Kit gave him a gentle smile. “I want you to remember, making sure everyone is happy is all any of us wants. I don’t know why the baby was left, but it would be better for everyone if you could help us with that.”

“I promised I wouldn’t.” Ollie looked up at Kit, a helpless expression on his face. “I can’t betray her. It would kill her.”

“I’m not asking you to betray anyone.” Kit opened the door and ushered Ollie into the warmth of his house, trying to figure out what Ollie meant by it would kill her. Was Storm’s mom a shifter too? Were they mates? But surely Ollie wouldn’t have allowed her to give up their baby. It wasn’t the way shifters behaved. “I need coffee.”

Inside he found Suzie in the kitchen, making a fresh pot of coffee. The stove and fire had been stoked and fresh wood added, making the sitting room and kitchen an inviting place. There was no sign of Storm.

“Hi there,” Suzie said in her most inoffensive voice. “I have coffee on, and I see there is some bacon in the fridge. How about we all eat?”

“Sounds good, you must be hungry, Ollie.” Kit fetched a pan and set it on the stovetop.

“Have you been out there all night?” Suzie asked.

“No.” Ollie shook his head, his eyes darting around the room. “Where is she?”

“I was just warming a bottle for Storm. Would you like to feed her?” Suzie asked, looking to Kit for acknowledgment he thought it was a good idea.

“Storm?” Ollie asked. “You named her?”

“Temporarily,” Kit interjected. “We couldn’t keep calling her baby.”

“Do you know what her mommy named her?” Suzie asked. He liked the way she kept her voice conversational, with no pressure.

“I don’t know.”

“Have you seen Storm’s mom since she left her baby at the hospital? Is she somewhere safe?” Kit asked. He was trying to piece it all together, but he needed more details.

Ollie didn’t answer, but his eyes flicked to the door. Suzie stepped closer to Ollie and said, “We are concerned about her. That’s all. Sometimes when women give birth, everything can seem OK, but there can be complications.”

“Internal bleeding,” Kit suggested. “If the placenta doesn’t all come away.”

Ollie nodded nervously. “She’s scared. I told her I’d take her to the hospital, but she’s scared she’s going to be in big trouble. She wasn’t thinking straight when she left the baby…”

“That’s understandable. When we are scared, we do the wrong thing for the right reasons,” Kit said. “Do you think I could see her? Check her over.”

“She’ll freak.” Ollie put his head in his hands and shook it, a sob escaping him. “She’s been crying for hours.”

“So you have seen her recently?” Kit asked.

Ollie nodded. “I swear I didn’t know anything. I told her I would help her, but she didn’t tell me, not until it was too late.”

“About leaving Storm?” Suzie asked.

Ollie nodded. “I met her on my way home from work. She was walking on the side of the road, no jacket… She was rambling, so I said I’d take her to the hospital, get her checked out, but she pulled away from me. So I took her home, got her warm. She said about the baby. About how it was better off without her.” He gulped down some air.

“Here, have some coffee.” Kit thrust a cup of hot, sweet, coffee into Ollie’s hand. “This will make you feel better.”

“Thanks,” Ollie accepted the cup, and sipped it slowly. As he did, Suzie caught Kit’s eye, and he knew she was asking herself the same questions.

Was Ollie going to cooperate, and if not, what were they going to do about it?

Kit’s other question was simple—was Storm Ollie’s child, and if so, was the mother his mate?