Chapter Five – Teagan

Teagan stood in the hallway and watched him run upstairs, the whole situation surreal. Her body itched to follow him, not wanting to let him out of her sight. But that would lead where she didn’t want to go. Although her bear tried to tell her it was a place she would like to go.

Not yet, she told her bear firmly.

To distract herself Teagan wandered into his sitting room, to find unpacked boxes stacked in a corner, a new sofa, and two chairs looking as if they were still in the position they had been placed on delivery. There was no TV, and no personal items anywhere, except a couple of books. It had the air of temporary, as if Cal didn’t know whether he was here to stay.

She walked into the room, across to the window, her eyes on his books. You could tell a lot about a man from the books he read. Teagan took two steps toward them, but the creak of the stairs told her he was coming back, and the sense of his presence confirmed it.

“There you are,” Cal said, standing in the doorway wearing clean jeans and a dark blue T-shirt.

“Here I am,” Teagan confirmed. “I was wondering what you were reading.”

“Oh, a mystery thriller and a book on gardening.”

“Eclectic.”

“Not really. I have the biggest weed patch in the world outside, so I figured I should do something with it. The mystery is what. I’m not your rose garden kind of a guy.” Teagan eased her attention away from him, and looked outside. He was right, the grass was overgrown to the point that there were no flower borders.

“I’ll help.”

“You’re a gardener?” Cal asked. “Is there no end to your talents?”

“The people who raised me, Dave and Hatty, they liked to garden, and I’d help. Mainly with the heavy lifting, they were well into their sixties when I was a teen.”

“You love them.”

“I do. They gave me the best childhood a kid could hope for. And I don’t just mean a foster kid. They never made me feel as if I didn’t belong.” Teagan sighed. “It makes me feel bad that I want to track down my real mom.”

“Hey,” Cal said, coming over and wrapping her in his bear hug. “There is room in a heart for all kinds of love. Finding your mom doesn’t mean you are being disloyal.”

“Feels like it.” She took a deep, shuddering breath and fixed a smile on her face. “Shall we go? I can’t wait to meet your family.” Teagan paused. “They know I’m coming, right?”

“No.” His answer was short and to the point, while his eyes danced with a humor she liked.

“I’m like a surprise birthday party—you never know how the birthday girl is going to take it.”

“They’ll love you, and love that I’ve found you.” He kissed her quickly, and then guided her from the room. “Tomorrow we garden, if it stops looking like a pond out there.”

They left the house. The rain seemed to have eased a little, it was no longer a deluge, but it was steady, unrelenting, the skies still leaden. Was this an omen of how Cal’s family would feel when they met his mate?

Teagan brushed those thoughts aside; there was no reason for them not to like her. She was the one who would make Cal happy, she was the one who would one day bear his children. What was there not to like?

Cal drove carefully through town, turning down a side street that narrowed; terrace houses side by side lined the street, before it widened. The houses here were bigger, older, built when the town began to expand. It was one of these houses that Cal parked in front of. Turning off the engine and getting out, he came around to open her door, and offer her his hand.

“It’s stopped raining. The sun is going to break through soon,” Cal said, looking up.

“Funny how quickly the weather can change,” Teagan mused, as she followed his gaze. He was right, the rain had stopped, and there was a dull glow in the sky where the sun fought to burn through and reveal itself and cast warmth on the Earth.

“Like life. Only an hour ago I was single, then I stopped to pull a crazy woman out of the creek.” He grinned, not looking too displeased at having found his crazy woman.

“Maybe we should skip that story,” Teagan said.

“Oh no, this one is going to be told to our grandchildren.”

Teagan slipped down into his arms, her feet landing with a splash in the surface water that covered everything. “One day I’ll be a crazy grandma.”

“Yes, you will.” He took her hand, and led her up the path that ran alongside the driveway, where three cars were parked, reminding Teagan she was about to walk into a family home, bursting with people who knew each other inside and out, who had spent years growing up together, nurturing each other.

“This is more nerve-wracking than I thought.”

Cal put his hand on the door. “You can always change your mind.”

“No.” Teagan shook her head, just as the door before them was pulled open and a young woman with the same dark hair and facial features as Cal stood looking at them, a wide smile on her face.

“You found your mate!” she exclaimed.

“I did,” Cal agreed.

“I thought you said you hadn’t told anyone,” Teagan half accused.

“Oh, he didn’t, but since Cal has never brought a girl home for dinner, it’s not hard to guess.” The woman pulled Teagan into a hug, which she was beginning to guess was a family trait. “This is the best news ever. Damn, you broke the curse, Cal.”

“Curse?” Teagan asked breathlessly when she was finally released.

“Since none of us have mates, it’s become a joke. That the family must be cursed.”

“And now you’ve met my sister Ronni.” Cal smiled, but his lips were pressed together and his eyebrows raised, a silent warning.

“Good to meet you, Ronni,” Teagan said, a smile breaking out across her face. Cal might be worried their interaction might upset Teagan, but the opposite had happened. It set her at her ease. With at least one goofy sibling, Cal became normal, his family became normal. If his family had been perfect, then she would have felt out of place. “I’m Teagan.”

Ronni cocked her head. “I’ve seen you somewhere before.”

“Really?” Teagan asked, her cheeks flushing red. “I’m not sure where.”

“I do.” Ronni waggled her finger at Teagan. “Theo’s wedding reception.”

“You were there?” Teagan asked.

“Yes, we all went. It was so good to see him married. I went to school with his sister, Cathy.”

“Wow, small world,” Teagan said.

“Small town, more like it,” Cal offered.

“Which is why my baby brother wanted to leave.” Ronni put her hand on his shoulder. “And to think your mate was here in Bear Creek, after all.”

“I’ve only just moved here.” Teagan wanted to stick up for Cal. Wanted to protect him. From what, she wasn’t sure. This was his sister, she held no threat, but still her bear wanted to rear up and bat Ronni away with her paws.

“It’s OK,” Cal said. Did he sense her mood? “Ronni hated the idea of me leaving. She begged me to stay. On her hands and knees, weeping like a child. Please stay, Cal. Don’t go to the big, bad city.”

Ronni erupted into giggles. “I did not. But I am glad you are back, and that you have broken the family curse.”

Cal shook his head. “Now you have met the eccentric member of the family, why don’t we go and find the sane members?”

Ronni frowned. “If you ever find them, let me know. On the other hand, everyone else is already in the dining room. Waiting for you. Because you are late.”

“That would be my fault,” Teagan offered.

Ronni winked, put her hand to the side of her mouth, and in a theatrical whisper said, “House rule, never take the blame when you can put it on one of the boys.”

Cal rolled his eyes. “It would be funny if she were lying.”

Teagan giggled. “Wow, you must have had fun growing up.”

“We did,” Ronni said, turning around and leading the way to the dining room, where the sound of chatter came to an abrupt halt as Teagan entered.

“Hi, everyone. This is Teagan.” Cal stood next to her, and reached for her hand to give her some moral support, which Teagan welcomed. With so many eyes on her, she felt like the time when she was Cinderella in the school play, and the pumpkin stayed a pumpkin instead of turning into a coach because Toby Frust was too busy playing with the mice. A minute is a long time on a stage when nothing is happening and all eyes are on you.

“Hello, Teagan. I’m Cal’s mom. And mom to the rest of the brood too.” A middle-aged woman, with gray hair pulled back into a tight knot, stood up and came toward her. They both stood awkwardly looking at each other before Cal’s mom pulled her into a tight hug. Yep, a family trait, for sure. “You can call me Tansy, or Mom. I don’t mind which.”

“Thanks, Tansy,” Teagan wanted to call her Mom, but the word was stuck in her throat. She’d never even called her foster parents Mom and Dad.

“Let me introduce you to the rest of the family,” Tansy said, smiling broadly at Cal, her expression conveying more than words ever could.

“Ladies first, this is Fleur. The eldest.”

“Hi, Fleur.”

“Good to meet you, Teagan.” Fleur got up, came around the table, and, unsurprisingly, gave Teagan a hug.

“And these two are my other sons, Jax and Davy.”

“Hi,” Teagan gave a wave, and the two men, cast in the same image as Cal, left the table to say hello, and hug. Always with the hugs. Then everyone hugged Cal, and patted him on the back, and smiled, so many smiles, which made Teagan smile, until she thought the north wind had blown and made her stick like it.

“Right. Set another place, Cal. Sit down here, Teagan. I want to know all about you,” Tansy said.

“Where’s Dad?” Cal asked when he came back with the silverware and a place mat.

“He’s just gone to check on his shed. He’s worried the roof is going to leak. Oh, here he is.” Tansy knew her husband was approaching before Teagan heard a door open and footsteps approaching. “Joe. Come here. Cal has some news.”

“Does he?” Joe asked, poking his head around the door.

“I’ve met my mate, Dad,” Cal said simply.

“Have you?” Joe came into the room. “Excuse my dirty hands.”

“Of course,” Teagan said. “I’m used to it.” They hugged quickly, before Tansy clucked at Joe and he obediently went to wash his hands.

Tansy gave Teagan a quick wink. “Knows his place.”

“Dad’s been henpecked for the last thirty years,” Jax said.

“Don’t worry, the boys all know their place too,” Tansy stated, throwing a dish towel at Jax. “I’ll go and start bringing everything through. We hung on for you, Cal. I hope dinner’s not too dried up.”

“I’ll help,” Ronni offered, and got up from the table to join her mom in the kitchen.

“Can I help?” Teagan offered.

“No, you stay there. You’re our guest,” Davy said and got up to join his mom and sister.

“OK,” Teagan said, but secretly, she did not want to be seen as a guest, she wanted to be a part of this family. And one day she would call Tansy, Mom, and Joe, Dad.

One day soon.