Chapter Thirteen – Teagan

Cal’s text meant a lot to Teagan. Knowing someone was thinking about her made a huge difference. After sending her reply, Teagan put her phone back in her purse, which she placed in a drawer in her desk. The same drawer that had her personal photographs in it. Including one of her foster parents.

She pulled the photo out and looked at it, pushing aside the feeling that she was betraying them. There was room in her heart to love everyone. Teagan closed the drawer, making a mental note to give her foster parents a call today or tomorrow. She didn’t call them enough; maybe that was because they had a new foster child now. Was she jealous? That would be selfish. She should wish any shifter child alone in the world the chances she had, the chances her parents had given her.

“You want to go out onto the mountain and take photographs?” Theo’s voice drifted in through the door, followed by Nev’s voice in reply.

“Yes.” Nev sounded tired. “I need some alone time.”

“Alone time? What is that supposed to mean?” Theo asked.

“It means my father is giving me a hard time and if I go to the top of a mountain, he can’t reach me.”

“You could always switch your phone off and just tell him you’ve gone to the top of a mountain,” Theo suggested. “Hi, Teagan. I thought you would have left already.”

“Fiona is running late. And for what it’s worth, I think Nev’s idea is a good one. There are plenty of people who have never been to the top of the mountain. As bears we forget that.”

“See,” Nev said, slapping Theo across the chest with the back of his hand.

Theo pressed his lips together and looked at Nev for several seconds before he spoke. “Is it that bad?”

“My dad wants to groom me to take over his company. It’s not what I want. But it’s my duty.” Nev shook his head. “It’s not me. I don’t want to spend my life indoors, bossing other people around.”

“What you need is a wife who could do it for you,” Teagan said, thinking back to Cal’s parents, and how his mom had been the strong personality, molding Joe into shape.

“I would settle for just a mate,” Nev replied. “It’s tough when you all have a significant other.”

“We need to get you on a dating website. There’s one in Bear Creek, isn’t there?” Theo asked.

“There is, they’ve booked an ad with us,” Teagan replied.

A look of horror spread across Nev’s face. “No, no way. If anyone I know saw me, I’d never live it down.”

“Who cares if you find a mate that way?” Theo asked.

“Let’s drop it,” Nev said.

“Sure,” Theo said, grabbing a coffee for himself. “Anyone else?” He held up the coffee pot.

“No thanks.” Teagan retrieved her purse from her desk. “I’m heading out.”

“Yes, please,” Nev replied. “I have to get these photos off my camera, and send them to you. Then I have some to upload to my site. I’m hoping to get some commissions.”

The two men settled down to work, while Teagan waited nervously for Fiona to arrive.

“Sorry to keep you waiting, Teagan,” Fiona’s voice came from the doorway.

“Don’t worry. I know how busy you are Fiona. All those kids depending on you.” Teagan added, “See you two later.”

“Good luck,” Theo called as they left.

“You look nervous.” Fiona carefully assessed Teagan. “You can stay here. You don’t have to come.”

“Yes, I do. If I stay here, I’m not going to get any work done. All I can think about is meeting her.”

“And if she says no?”

“Cal reminded me of something you taught me a long time ago, about looking on the positive side. Glass half full.” Teagan slipped into the passenger seat of Fiona’s car, and buckled up her seatbelt.

“He’s a good man. He deserves you, and I do not say that about every man who finds his mate. Or every woman, for that matter.” Fiona looked at her GPS and drove out through Bear Creek, taking the back roads toward Bear Bluff.

“I can’t believe she’s living so close to Bear Creek.” Teagan had not explored this part of the mountain; the roads wound along the fringes of the mountains, before Fiona took a sharp turn toward Cougar Ridge.

“I hope this means she is getting her life together. Moving on, moving away from where she was. I suspect she dwelled in darkness, waiting for your father to return.”

“And he never did.” Teagan looked out of the window. “If he left, knowing my mom was pregnant, what kind of man does that make him?”

“A bastard in my book,” Fiona said, always forthright with her assessment of people. “But there is nothing unique in that. A lot of men father children and then walk away. One night of fun and then they leave the woman to hold the baby for years.”

Teagan sighed. Did she want to meet her father if that were the case? “What about fate? As shifters, we expect fate to get things right. My parents should have met and then lived happily ever after.”

Fiona snorted. “Happy ever afters don’t always work out as you expect.”

“One day, you are going to have to tell me more about your life.” Teagan watched Fiona’s face as she answered.

“One day I might tell you. But today is about you.” Fiona parked the car outside a small timber house, set back from the others. Teagan got out of the car and looked around. The town was old; some of the buildings looked in need of repair. As she turned full circle, a cougar walked up the main street, and no one paid any attention.

“Cougar Ridge is not what I expected,” Teagan stated.

“No, it’s not. That’s because the shifters here are open about what they are. So they don’t encourage tourists. At all. Which makes money tight.” Fiona turned to survey the town. “I do like it here.”

“Wait, is this where you live?” Teagan asked. There was some speculation as to whether Fiona had moved to be near Bear Creek, but she was a private person. Not even Teagan, who had known her longer than anyone in Bear Creek, knew her address.

“No, not here. But I do admire them. It’s been a long time since shifters have been open about who they are. Or what we are.” Fiona sighed, a sigh filled with nostalgia. Then she straightened up, becoming brusque and businesslike again. “You could go and wait in the café. It’s down the street, you can’t miss it.”

“Sure. Text me if you need me.” Translated, that meant text me if my mom wants to meet me, they both knew it, but neither of them put it into words.

“I will,” Fiona’s voice softened. “I will do what I can, Teagan. I promise you that.”

“I know,” Teagan nodded.

“I wouldn’t have brought you all this way if I wasn’t going to do my best to encourage your mom to see you.”

Teagan frowned. “I know you will always do the right thing by me, Fiona. You always have.”

Fiona fixed a smile on her face. “It’s my job.”

“It’s OK to let people see you have a heart.” That was Teagan’s parting shot as she turned and walked away. Fiona had a granite-hard exterior, but once in a while, she let it slip, and then you got to see her softer, maternal side. “Coffee.” Teagan looked in the window of the café. “And cake.”

Opening the door, she went inside, to be met by stares. “Hi,” Teagan said, a smile on her face. “Could I have a cappuccino and one of those amazing cream donuts?”

The woman behind the counter hesitated, before she said, “Sure. Take a seat and I’ll bring it over.”

“Thanks.” Teagan sat down facing the door. If she had to make a quick getaway, she wanted to make sure the way was clear.

Talk about overreacting, her bear told her curtly. These people live free to be who they want to be, human or animal. And they want to protect that.

And I’m a stranger.

Yes.

“Here we go.” Her cappuccino and donut was placed before her.

“Thanks. I’m Teagan, by the way.” She smiled, holding the woman’s gaze.

“Hello, Teagan, we don’t get many new people in town. It’s an out of the way place.”

“I know. I understand.” Teagan emphasized the word, but the woman stared back at her, same expression on her face, making Teagan feel foolish. “I’ve come with a friend. Fiona, she has a meeting with someone.” Now she was plain babbling, her usual default mode.

“Fiona. Social services Fiona?” one of the other patrons asked from across the room.

“Yes.” Teagan couldn’t tell if this was a good or bad thing. Had Fiona come here and removed a child from its parents, or had she placed a child here for fostering? “She’s a dragon.” Damn, she needed to keep her mouth shut or they might be run out of town and she would never get to meet her mom.

“Why didn’t you say?” The woman in front of her broke into a smile. “She’s been coming up here for years.”

“She’s been going everywhere for years, it seems,” Teagan said, glad the mood of the room had lifted.

“We often get fosters here. A few of the families take in shifter children. Especially troubled ones. We don’t live in the closet like other towns.” The woman stuck out her hand. “I’m Charlene. I own the café. And this is on the house.”

“No, I can pay,” Teagan said, grabbing her purse.

“I know you can. But you won’t.” Charlene sat down quickly in front of Teagan and leaned across the table to look at her. “If you are in town with Fiona, and she sent you here, my guess is you are waiting.” Charlene reached out and took her hand. “I hope the wait is worth it.”

“Thank you.” Teagan swallowed the lump in her throat as Charlene got up and walked back to the counter. Forcing herself, she picked up her coffee cup and took a gulp, before turning her attention to the donut, which tasted as good as it looked.

She had just finished when her phone burst into song. Everyone turned to look as “Puff the Magic Dragon” erupted into the room. “Fiona.” Teagan answered it quickly.

“Do you remember which house it was?” Fiona asked.

“Yes.”

“Then come on over.”

“She wants to meet me?” Teagan asked, wishing she had not eaten the donut when her stomach began to gurgle with nerves.

“She does. She would like to meet you very much.” Fiona’s voice was hushed. “She’s fragile.”

“I understand.”

“Don’t ask about your dad. Not unless she mentions him first. Not this time.”

“OK.” A wave of disappointment swept over Teagan. But she let it go. One step at a time. Her father could wait. Getting up on her feet, her legs stiff as she forced herself to walk from the café, Teagan called, “Goodbye, Charlene.”

“Bye, honey. I hope you have a great day.”

“Me too,” Teagan said as she left the café and turned right, walking to where her mom was waiting. Putting one foot in front of the other, she reached the door, which swung open before she had a chance to knock.

There stood a woman. A thin, frail woman, with large gray eyes that might once have been blue. Her skin was pale, almost translucent. She looked like a ghost, an apparition that was not wholly corporeal. Teagan itched to reach out and touch her, to make sure she was real.

“Teagan?” The woman asked. Teagan’s mouth went dry, how was she supposed to answer? Should she ask—Mom?

“Yes.” Her voice came out as a croak. “Are you?”

“Your mother.” She nodded, the movement almost too much for the frail body. “But I understand you won’t want to call me mom. We could start with Sarah.”

“Sarah.” Teagan nodded, standing on the porch like an idiot, just staring at the woman before her. Their features were so similar, from their high cheekbones, full lips and almond-shaped eyes. The only features that didn’t match were their chins, Sarah lacked the chin dimple Teagan had always disliked, along with the way her nose tipped up right at the end. Their coloring was similar, blonde hair and blue eyes, although Sarah reminded Teagan of a faded photograph.

“Oh, come in.” She shook her head. “You have to excuse me, I’m in shock since Fiona knocked on the door.”

Teagan entered the house, and Sarah shut the door behind her then led her to a small sitting room, where Fiona was seated on the sofa, drinking tea. “There you are, Fiona.”

“Here I am.” Fiona searched Teagan’s face.

“I’m OK.” Teagan sat down next to Fiona, needing to feel her reassuring closeness.

“I’ll get you some tea.” Sarah left the room, a little too quickly, as if she were trying to outrun a predator.

“Thank you,” Teagan called, then dropped her voice to talk to Fiona. “Is she OK about me being here?”

“Very. But she’s in shock. She tried to find you, but failed. She waited until you were eighteen, because she wanted you to have the choice of meeting her, not have it decided for you.” Fiona sipped her tea. “She’s pretty shook up still.”

The door opened and Sarah slipped into the room, silent, and ethereal. “Here. The sugar bowl is on the table.”

Sarah handed Teagan her tea with a faint smile and then slid away to sit in a chair by the hearth. “Thank you.”

“You are beautiful.” The words slipped from Sarah’s mouth. “I’m sorry. I’ve always wondered what you looked like.”

“I wondered what you looked like too,” Teagan admitted. This was awkward. They were related by blood, but they were strangers. “Cougar Ridge seems like a great place.”

Sarah breathed in and closed her eyes. “It gave me the chance to live as my bear for a while. People shift here at will. They are freer than any other shifters I’ve ever known and are fiercely protective of the town and their way of life.”

“And living in your bear form helped you?” Teagan asked.

“It did. My bear appears to be able to cope with things better than me.” She sighed again. “If only I had discovered this place when you were younger. I would have found you and taken you back. But I couldn’t cope before…”

“It’s OK,” Teagan decided now was the time to set the record straight. “I had a good childhood. A stable childhood.”

“A better childhood than I could have given you. That is what you mean.” Sarah smiled sadly.

“I don’t know that. Neither of us do, and it doesn’t matter since it is in the past. Way in the past.” Teagan placed her tea cup on the small coffee table, and went to kneel before her mom. “I haven’t come here to lay blame on you. I don’t hold a grudge. I simply wanted to know who you were, so I could understand who I am now that I have a mate.”

“A mate. You do?” Sarah asked. Yet her words were not filled with happiness. They were filled with a weariness, a deep-seated weariness that took her energy and made her droop in her chair. “I had a mate once. His name was Alder Sampson. He had the bluest eyes and the blondest hair; he looked like an angel. He disappeared, you know. Do you think he was an angel?”

“I don’t know, Mom. I don’t know.” Teagan placed her head in her mom’s lap.

Tentatively, Sarah lifted her hand and placed it on her daughter’s head. Stroking Teagan’s hair, Sarah began to sing a lullaby. Teagan closed her eyes, squeezing back the tears that threatened. She couldn’t change the past, but she hoped she could change the future, that she could somehow pull her mom out of the melancholy mood she had dwelled in for nearly twenty years. And that together, they could forge a relationship. It didn’t have to be a mother-daughter relationship. Teagan would settle for friendship.