Page 33 of The Thief

Lakota stood and clapped him on the shoulder. “Don’t worry, my stepfather smells like cherries too. Mother likes him bathing in all that scented stuff, especially after a shift. Where do you think my sister got the idea?”

Tak grumbled and headed toward the door. “I’ll bring Montana up to speed.” He glanced over his shoulder at Bear and said, “Maybe you and Mercy should ride to work together for a while until we get a handle on this.”

Catcher flew by again. This time, he skidded to a stop and glanced at them, his tongue hanging out the side of his mouth and a mischievous look in his eyes.

Bear descended the steps. “I’ll keep him company. My wolf wants out anyhow.”

Lakota switched off the porch light. “We’ll leave the door unlocked for you, brother.”

Chapter 7

“You don’t remember anything?” Robyn’s frown deepened after hearing about my memory wipe.

“Only what happened before.” I sipped my sweet tea. “Sometimes I wonder if my dreams are actually memories. It’s been a roller coaster.”

One thing that didn’t come easy was expressing just how deeply it hurt to have almost a hundred years of my life carved out. Time I could never get back. Memories lost, and there must have been many good ones. Parties, vacations, first time on an airplane, friends, lovers…

“Good gracious. That’s a lot of time to lose.” Joy squeezed my hand. “You’ll have new memories.”

The jukebox switched over to Linda Ronstadt.

“Oh, I love this one.” Joy swayed in her seat, lost in the melody.

I grinned at her enthusiasm. “You’re gonna love coming here. We’ve got nothing but the oldies. Calvin didn’t think anyone would care about listening to music, but people keep pumping quarters into it.” I tapped Joy’s glass with my fingernail. “This is a girls’ day out. Are you sure all you want is tea? I can make it a Long Island.”

She squeezed a lemon wedge into her drink. “This is perfect.”

“I’m not a big drinker either,” Robyn admitted, lowering her gaze to her glass. “Montana says I can’t hold my liquor. Full disclosure: I can only tolerate two gin and tonics, so don’t bring me more even if I beg. I don’t want to embarrass myself and have Montana walk in.”

“You should have ordered the margarita.” I glanced at Calvin, who was behind the bar, serving customers. He didn’t seem to need my help yet.

Robyn fluffed her shaggy brown hair. “Calvin made me a margarita once, and I still feel drunk.”

I snorted. “Sometimes I think Calvin puts moonshine in everything. He hates mixing drinks and does a piss-poor job of it, so that’s one thing I’m trying to change. So, how’s mated life with that sexy cowboy of yours?”

She smiled coyly. “Better than I could have imagined. Usually we’re both exhausted at night, but sometimes we lie in bed, talking for hours. It’s nice to have that. Someone you can share anything with who loves you unconditionally. I’m sure Joy knows all about that.”

Joy smiled quietly.

“Anyhow, Montana wants to vacation on an island, but that’s ridiculous.”

“Why would you say that?” Joy asked. “You deserve a honeymoon.”

“Seriously?” Robyn folded her arms on the table. “I’ve never flown before. If I got on a plane, I’d shift as soon as it took off. My wolf is a newborn, and I don’t feel like being an internet sensation who single-handedly exposes the Breed world. When I told Montana the reason, he suggested I travel in cargo with the pets. I’m still not sure if he was kidding or not.” She chuckled softly. Her face always lit up when she spoke his name. “I’m just glad Catcher approves of our marriage.”

It tickled me to think how much she cared about her former watchdog’s opinion. “I should have seen that mating coming a mile away,” I said. “Montana was always looking at you when we sat around the fire.”

She made an incredulous noise. “You are worse than a gossiping hen.” She turned her head to hide her growing smile.

“I remember exactly how he looked at you,” I went on, teasing her with exaggerations. “He’d shade his eyes under the brim of his hat, stealing glances whenever you got up and shook your tail at him.” We all giggled. “But seriously, I knew he was sweet on you. I just didn’t know if it was superficial admiration or something more. Men look at women all the time, so it’s hard to take them seriously.”

Joy finished her tea. “It’s serendipitous. If our bus had never pulled over to pick them up in the rain, they would have never met.”

Robyn stroked the scar on her left hand. “We actually met in the hotel restaurant the night before, but you’re right. I think about it a lot. Naomi changed my fate. I’m probably alive because of her. It’s funny when you think how one small moment can change your life.”

“Some things are meant to be,” I said. “Montana’s a good man. Levelheaded, smart, easy on the eyes, and he adores you. Plus he’s got a stable wolf.”

“Who loves belly rubs,” Robyn said, amusement dancing in her eyes.

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