Chapter Seven – Sian

Sian stared at the boiler as if she could use her mental powers to make it work.

“It’s fine, we can light the fire in the sitting room and the kitchen will warm up once the oven is on.” Ella’s words were met by a look of horror from her mom.

“Matthew is coming for dinner, he’ll be here at six.” She closed the door on the boiler and pulled her coat back on. At least bear shifters had warm blood, from what she’d learned from Ronni. Hopefully, Matthew wouldn’t even notice the chilled air.

“I’ll help.” Ella went to the kitchen and glanced at the items on the counter. “You’re making your special pasta sauce.”

Sian picked up the tomatoes and inhaled their fresh tangy aroma. “So?”

“So nothing. I’m just saying.” Ella smiled secretly to herself and filled a pan of water and set it to boil.

“I just want it to be nice. Matthew donated a large amount of money to the animal shelter and this is my way of saying thank you.” Sian looked up as Rachel entered the kitchen.

“Inviting someone to dinner in a freezing cold house, that’s some way to say thank you.” She pulled her sweater tighter around her neck and stood in front of the old stove to get warm.

“Ronni said she’d try to get hold of some portable heaters for us.” Guilt swept over Sian. “I’m sorry about the heat.”

Rachel snorted. “It’s not your fault, is it? If Dad wasn’t being such an asshole, we’d have a decent place to live.”

Sian and Ella exchanged glances. It had been an unspoken rule that none of them spoke ill of Peter. But it was proving next to impossible as their circumstances deteriorated.

“Tomorrow, I’ll go and find a better-paying job.” Sian put the tomatoes in the pan. “I can still volunteer a few hours a week at the shelter. The pet grooming business can wait until we’re settled.”

“No, Mom, that isn’t what I meant.” Rachel hugged Sian and Ella joined her mother and sister, too.

“I know it wasn’t. But the business is going to take a while to build up and I don’t think I can rely on the money from the sale of the house.” She kissed both her daughters on the head.

“Why not?” Ella asked as she went back to the stove and placed the pasta in the boiling water. “I thought everything was settled.”

“No.” Sian shook her head and exchanged a quick glance with Rachel.

“What have I missed?” Ella asked.

“Dad was at the museum last night,” Rachel blurted out.

“He couldn’t have been, he would have come and said hello.” The hurt in Ella’s voice pierced Sian’s heart. As much as Rachel was resigned to being let down by her father, Ella was determined to see the best in him, even when there was nothing good to see.

“He’s the jerk who made the low bid before Matthew stepped in.” Rachel ignored the glare from her mom and turned to face Ella. “He did it to embarrass Mom. But I doubt he came all this way just to do that, so he’s going to try to make Mom accept less money in the divorce settlement.”

“We don’t know that,” Sian stated firmly. “Maybe he was just passing through.” She didn’t need this conversation right now. Not when Matthew would be here in fifteen minutes.

“But if he was passing through, why didn’t he come by and say hello?” Rachel persisted.

“I don’t know,” Sian admitted.

“He wouldn’t go back on the settlement, the courts told him he had to give you half the money from the house. And money to support us.” Ella looked from her mom to her sister, imploring them to help her see sense in all this.

“I honestly don’t know,” Sian said gently. “I haven’t seen him since the museum. I haven’t heard from him.” Which didn’t mean he’d walked away. Peter was a control freak who enjoyed making people suffer. This was one of his games, he’d made his presence known and now he was leaving her to stew.

What she found unforgivable was that he was also playing with Ella and Rachel’s emotions, too.

“Maybe he came to town to give us Christmas gifts,” Ella suggested.

Sian nodded. “Maybe he did.” She stirred the tomatoes and added herbs. “I’m sure he’ll be in touch when he’s ready.”

“When he’s ready...” Rachel left the sentence hanging. They all knew Peter worked on his own agenda and no one else’s.

How had she not seen what kind of a man he was? Sian beat herself up about that every single day. But she couldn’t regret marrying him, not when she had two beautiful children standing in her kitchen that wouldn’t be here if her life had been different.

“Can we not talk about Dad anymore?” Ella asked, the emotion in her voice silencing Rachel.

“Sure, we could talk about the weather.” Rachel raised her eyebrows. “What? I’m not joking, someone in the grocery store reckoned we were going to get a good helping of snow and it was going to be one of the coldest winters for years.”

“Great.” Sian shook her head and wiped her hands on her apron. “I’m going to give Mr. Wendell a call. I don’t usually like to disturb someone in the evening, but the boiler needs fixing.”

She went to her purse and pulled out her cell phone. Scrolling through her contacts list, she found Mr. Wendell’s number. Tapping the screen, she waited for him to answer. He didn’t.

“Maybe he’s screening his calls,” Rachel suggested.

Sian sighed and dialed again. And again, no answer.

“I’ll go over there tomorrow and knock on his door until he answers,” Sian said, her temper rising. Mr. Wendell had promised to get someone in to look at the boiler today. There was no way they could stay in the house with only one fireplace to heat the whole house. Not if the temperature was going to plummet further.

“Maybe we could all camp out in the living room around the fire,” Ella suggested.

“Like when we were kids. We could make a tent out of blankets.” Rachel grinned at the idea.

And no Peter to tell them to put it all away, Sian thought, remembering only too well how he hated messes in the house when he got home from work.

“I like that idea, we can sit and watch old movies all huddled together.” Sian went back to her sauce. The tomatoes were simmering nicely, and the smell of herbs filled the room, reminding her of summer. She had plans to plant an herb garden next year, she wanted to experiment with adding them to creams and lotions for her pet salon.

But maybe she should postpone her plans and get a job with a good wage. She loved the animal shelter and the experience she’d gained working with all the different animals was priceless. But it didn’t pay the bills.

Damn it. She gave the sauce an extra hard stir, sending droplets of red spraying over her hand and staining her apron. Why couldn’t Peter stick to their financial arrangement? Why did he think he knew better than the courts?

A wave of guilt swept over her. Perhaps she had it wrong and he really had come here to see his family.

“Someone’s at the door,” Ella said excitedly as she swung around and headed out of the kitchen.

“Are you okay, Mom?” Rachel asked as Sian dropped the spoon into the pan and caused a tomato eruption.

“Yes. Just a little nervous.” Sian’s hands fluttered to her hair. Why did her insides feel as if they were on the outside? She was too old and jaded to feel like this.

“Oh my god, you like him!” Rachel exclaimed in a hushed whisper.

Sian looked down guiltily. “No.”

“Mom.” Rachel put her hand on her mom’s arm. “It’s okay.”

Sian shook her head, feeling like a schoolgirl on a first date, confused by the new feelings that rushed through her. “I don’t know him. He has a reputation for playing hardball.”

“All hearsay.” Rachel arched an eyebrow. “Give him a chance. I know you swore to be a nun when you left Dad, but you don’t have to worry about me and Ella. We understand. And you deserve happiness and love in your life.”

“I have love. And happiness,” Sian insisted.

“Not the weak at the knees, melt your heart kind of love.” Rachel sounded older than her years, but for once she also sounded hopeful. Could it be that if Sian found love and a good man to spend her life with, her daughter might lose a little of her cynical nature?

“I thought true love was only in the movies.” Sian hugged her daughter tightly as Ella’s voice carried through to the kitchen.

“The movies and my mom.” Rachel hugged Sian so tightly she could hardly breathe.

“And my daughters,” Sian told her firmly. “You two deserve the best.”

“We’ve got the best. The best mom.” Rachel pulled away and went to the pasta, giving it a stir while she wiped her eyes and composed herself.

“Mom.” Ella stood at the door alone. There was no sign of Matthew. Sian was shocked at her disappointment.

“What’s wrong?” Sian asked as Ella came into the room and gave her mom a hug.

“Mr. Wendell’s daughter. She wanted to let us know her dad is in hospital. He got taken to the ER with a suspected heart attack.” Ella pulled back from Sian. “I feel so bad since we were complaining about him not fixing the boiler.”

“We didn’t know he was ill.” Sian smoothed her daughter’s hair and kissed the top of her head. “Perhaps when he’s feeling better, we can go visit him in the hospital and take him a gift and a card.”

Ella nodded, her face pale. “So, it looks as if the campout in the living room is back on.”

“I guess it is.” Sian shuddered at the thought of not having heat for days, if not weeks.

“We could go to the thrift shop and buy all their thermal clothes and layer them on until we have to walk around like this.” Rachel stomped around the kitchen with her arms outstretched and her legs straight. Sian and Ella collapsed into a fit of laughter. Which was just what they needed.

“Is it bad to laugh when Mr. Wendell is ill?” Ella asked a few minutes later as she set the plates down on the table.

“No, it’s not. We’re not laughing at him. We’re laughing because your sister is a goofball.” Sian picked up a small spoon and tasted the fresh pasta sauce. “There’s a difference, but you already knew that.”

“The pasta is done; the garlic bread is in the oven. All we need now is your mysterious Matthew Lewis and we can eat.” Rachel looked at the watch on her wrist. “I hope he’s coming.”

Sian glanced at her phone. “There are still a couple of minutes to go.” She went to the front door and opened it to look down the street. The sight of Matthew standing in the doorway with a bunch of flowers and a bottle of wine in one hand and a gooey chocolate dessert in the other nearly gave her a heart attack.

“Sorry. I didn’t mean to make you jump.” He looked concerned as she placed her hand over her heart which was racing wildly.

“I didn’t expect you to be standing there,” Sian accused as she inhaled deeply and calmed herself.

“I was early.” He gave her a sheepish grin.

“Come in.” She stepped back and held the door wide open for him.

Matthew squeezed past her, his arm rubbing against hers and a thrill of excitement coursed through her. With trembling hands, she closed the door behind him and then turned around. He was blocking the small hallway, his broad shoulders nearly as wide as the gap between the walls, that really needed a new coat of paint.

Was she really thinking of decorating when Matthew was standing so close to her, she could feel the heat from his body emanating toward her? Sian’s fingers itched to slide under his thick woolen coat and absorb some of his body heat.

“Are you all right?” Matthew asked.

“Me?” Her eyes flicked up to his. She’d been staring at his broad chest. “Oh, yes.” She shook her head as if she were trying to recover from a hard blow. If she squinted, she could actually see stars.

“I brought these for you.” He thrust the bouquet of flowers toward her.

“Thank you.” She reached out to accept the flowers. “Why don’t you come through to the kitchen?”

Matthew nodded but didn’t move. “This way.”

She pointed behind him and he said, “Oh. Yes.”

Sian hid a smile as she slipped past him, but the smile soon melted away. A frisson of electricity sparked between them and she had to put her hand out and press it against the wall to stop her knees from giving out on her. If she had ever doubted the mating bond could exist between a shifter and non-shifter, she was now sure it could. She might not have the same genes as Matthew, she might not have his unique gift, but she sure as hell knew he was the one for her. She knew it with such intense conviction that it physically hurt.

“Easy there.” His gruff voice filled with the same emotions that threatened to rob her of her senses made her insides turn to liquid fire. His hand reached for her and he cupped her elbow in his strong hand. As his fingers curled around her flesh, she conjured up images of him touching her body, stroking her skin from head to foot.

“Thanks. I’m okay now,” she told him. However, she paused and composed herself before she led him into the relative warmth of the kitchen.

“Something smells good.” Matthew’s voice was smooth and charming.

“Mom cooked her special pasta sauce,” Rachel told Matthew.

“I’m honored,” Matthew bowed his head at her. Goodness, she had no idea how she was going to get through this dinner seeing as how each time she looked at him he took her breath away.

“It’s nothing special, just a few tomatoes and garlic and herbs.” She clamped her mouth shut. Even to her own ears, she sounded like a babbling fool.

“Shall I take the wine?” Rachel offered.

“Shall I take the chocolate cake?” Ella added brightly.

“Shall I take your coat?” Sian asked.

Matthew gave a deep chuckle. “Thank you.”

Sian went back out into the hallway, conscious of his eyes following her, while Rachel opened the bottle of wine and Ella put the cake on the counter and then fetched a vase for the flowers. “Sit down, please.”

“Thanks.” Matthew lowered himself into one of the chairs, looking too big for the small kitchen.

Rachel fetched four wine glasses and poured wine into two, which she placed on the table and then filled two with soda. “Is there anything else I can do?”

“No, you sit down.” Sian dished the pasta up and Ella retrieved the garlic bread from the oven. She lingered a little longer than necessary, warming herself on the hot air that enveloped her. “Come on, let’s eat and then we can go into the sitting room.”

Sian shivered as she sat down across the table from Matthew.

“The lack of heating is a choice?” he asked as he waited for Ella to place the plate of garlic bread on the table and then sit down. She inched her chair backward to make the most of the heat escaping from the oven.

“No, the boiler broke and our landlord has been rushed to the hospital,” Rachel replied.

Concern covered Matthew’s face. “You have a backup heating source?”

“We have a fire,” Sian said as she took a sip of her wine. “This is good.”

“Thanks. I rarely drink wine, but I have learned to appreciate it.” He took a sip and placed the glass down carefully on the table. “Have you heard the forecast?”

Sian picked up her fork and began to eat, the cold already gripping her fingers. If they didn’t have a guest, they would have taken their plates and eaten in front of the TV with the fire spitting and crackling in the grate. “We were just discussing it.”

“And?” Matthew asked.

“And we’ll manage.” This was not how she expected the evening to begin.

“You could come to my house.”

Sian nearly dropped her fork and the two girls stared at Matthew in shock. “I don’t think that’s appropriate.”

“No. I mean we could house swap. You could move to my house and I could stay here. At least that way if the snow gets really bad, you would be close to the animal shelter.” Matthew stared at the stunned faces before him.

“You’re offering us Kevin Jones’s house?” Sian asked incredulously.

“Yes. It needs work, but it’s warm and watertight.” He looked a little nervous as they continued to stare.

“I don’t know what to say.” Sian placed her fork down on her plate. “It’s such a kind gesture. But...”

Matthew held his hands up. “No strings.”

Sian shook her head. “We can’t.”

“Why not?” Matthew asked.

“Yeah, Mom, why not?” Ella echoed.

Sian had no idea why not. It was such a generous offer. They would be warm and dry, and close to the shelter. It was a perfect solution.

But she simply wasn’t ready to be indebted to Matthew Lewis any more than she already was.