Page 12 of Ewing

She took her up on her offer. After explaining how she didn’t need an overnight bag from any of the girls, Sunny did take the stuffed animals that were on each of their beds. Billy didn’t need anything either, as Sunny was going to have fun giving him whatever he needed. Trinity was sure that all the kids would come back with much more than the things that they left with. And she found that she didn’t care one bit either. If anyone needed to be spoiled a little, it was her children.

Picking up the girls, they were vocally excited to be going to Aunt Sunny and Uncle Dexter’s home for the night. They asked if they could watch a movie, and Sunny told them that she had the best ideas for them and that she wanted to surprise them with it. Whatever it was, she was sure that the girls would not just tell her all about it but that they’d both her and Ewing hear about it for weeks on end. And again, she didn’t care.

After dropping off the kids with the other couple, she made her way home. She’d been told several times that the house was safe now and that no one could harm her or anyone inside the property. Just as she was getting out of the car, she saw the man standing at her front door. There was a bright white and brown pony near his side.

She’d heard that there were tribes all over the place in the mountains. For the most part they didn’t interact with the tourists nor with the people that lived in the area. To have one so finely dressed and standing tall, she wondered how anyone could ever think that they were a bad sort of people for living like they did. So it surprised her even more that he was at their home.

“My name is Shaking Tree.” She told him her name. “Yes, I have been told about you. No disrespect, but I was looking for your mate, Ewing Cross.” She told him where he was and what he was doing. “Ah, yes. I should have looked there first, but then I’d not met you.”

“Thank you. Is there anything that I can help you with?” He smiled at her, and she smiled back. “I’m sure that there are a great many things that you could help me with, isn’t there?”

“Yes, Red Fall. But you are learning quickly. And you are being a great mother to those lost souls in your household.” She didn’t know why he called her that, but she loved it. She asked him what it meant. “It means that your hair is the color of the red in the forests in the fall. It is a very true color that all trees strive to have. A true redhead that many will envy. The reason that I look for your husband is because I am the one that has found the place where the deaths of so many have occurred.”

It took her a moment to figure that out, and when she did, she asked him if he was all right withbeing the one. His nod and stance told her that not only was he happy to be doing it, but he was very proud of the fact that he’d been asked.

“The Rangers, they know me and will be glad that the finding the place of so much death is finished. Once they come to the site where the others were murdered needlessly, many families will have closure, and that’s a good thing. Also a great many families will have their family back with them.” He bowed to her and then continued. “There will be great sorrow and celebration when this is a closed chapter in the Park.”

“I agree.” She reached out to Ewing to tell him who was here and what he wanted.“He wants you to be with him as it’s your land.”

“Our land, but I agree. It will keep me from finding out from someone else.”Ewing said that he was on his way back now. “Good. The kids aren’t here. They’re all spending the night with Sunny and Dexter.”

“Does that mean what I think it means?”She asked him if he thought he was getting laid, then yes, that is what it meant.“Hot damn. It’s going to be a good time tonight. But damn it, I have this thing with Shaking Tree now.”

“Well then, you had better hurry it along or ask one of your brothers to run point for you. It’s not like they don’t know as much as you do about what has been going on out there. Not that I guess you’re to tell anyone what you actually know.”He told her that he was going to get with his brothers and tell them to do what is needed.“I like that idea. I doubt very much you’ll be missed with the others there.”

She was still out on the porch when Ewing got home. Shaking Tree didn’t wish to enter their home without the man of the house there. It was very hurtful until he explained to her that it was the way of his people. He was a good person and had a great sense of humor that she had enjoyed. She did not envy the task that he was going to be a part of. When Ewing was explaining that his brothers were going to go with him, Trinity went into the house. She wanted to get ready as quickly as she could for Ewing.

~*~

Ewing found Trinity in the dining room. She looked a little winded, and he asked her what was going on and if she was all right. At her heavy sigh, she explained to him why she was breathless and looked a fright.

“I was going to bring us up a fruit and veggie tray that I got on the way home and I completely forgot it in the car. And since I didn’t want to interrupt your conversation with Shaking Tree, I decided to make one up on my own.” He smiled and leaned against the door jamb while she continued. “When I got to the kitchen, running from our bedroom to here, I realized that I didn’t know where any platters were. So started rummaging through the cabinets in the kitchen when I realized they’d be in here. Finding them still was difficult as the faeries, bless their little hearts, decided to use magic to store things and made the platters small so they could get more things into the cabinets. While a great idea, it didn’t help me any that I have no idea how to make them normal sized.” She stomped her foot. “And now the mood is ruined because I look like a mad woman racing around the house for some platter food that I doubt very much we even eat.”

“Let me show you something.” He kissed the back of her hand and removed the dozen or so tiny platters from her hand. “You have to admit, they really are kind of cute.” The low growl had him laughing. “All right. Here we go.”

They were standing in front of the refrigerator when he opened it up. Just as she said, there were no platter food fixings. Really, there was nothing in the ice box, he called it, but a gallon jug of some brown liquid. He assumed it was tea but didn’t want to take the chance of drinking something that he didn’t know.

“All you need to do is close the door.” He did that. “Then you just say what it is that you’re looking for. Like cheese and fruit platter and meat and crackers platter.”

When he opened the door, there were two platters of food in the space that had been empty before. One of them was filled with a beautiful arrangement of cheese and fruit. The other was filled with different types of crackers with an assortment of meats and sausages. She glared at him.

“You could have told me that before, you know. Also, it would have made me feel a good deal better today knowing that we’re all immortal.” He said, ‘oops’. “Oops? That’s all you have to say is, oops? I’ve been sick with worry all day, and it was all for nothing. I was afraid for you. Not to mention Billy when that crazy woman showed up here.”

“Mae told me that we’d had a visitor. She said that Sunny got her all straightened out.” Trinity growled again, and he laughed. “You have no idea how sexy that sounds to me. Like you’re calling to my bear so that the two of them could mate as well.”

“Maybe later. We can run through the woods and have a good time as our bears. But right now, all I can think about it having you inside of me and touching me. Any way that I can get you.” He told her that she could too. “Ewing, everyone is going to know that Sunny is watching the kids so that we can get into each other…well into each other. Does that bother you just a little bit?”

“No. Because I know that my family will tease me, they never would you. Do they know that we’re going to have copious amounts of sex—we are, right?” She nodded at him with a huge smile. “Good, while they know that, they also know that it’s important that we bond and claim one another before anything happens. And while we are immortals, true immortals, we can still be hurt, and I don’t want that for either of us. Hurting still has pain, and it would take some time to heal, so having you able to survive someone hurting you, they know that in order for us both to be stronger and live a better life, we simply need to bond.”

He moved closer to her, putting the platters back in the fridge. Putting his hands on either side of her cheeks, he gently tugged her next to him as he made love to her mouth with his own. And what an incredible mouth she had, too.

Ewing wanted her badly, but not here in the kitchen. He wanted her in a bed were he could touch her. Inhale her scent and claim her. There was plenty of room in this one, the counter, the butcher block in the middle of the room. Also, there were any number of places that he could take her on the floor or against the walls. Even the fridge, a large one for a household this size, could have held them both in a pinch. However, he didn’t want their first time to be anywhere or on anything but the nice bed in their bedroom.

Pulling away from her, stepping back when she reached for him, he smiled at her and told her to go to their room. Trinity stared at him with her swollen, pouty lips. Her hair was a mussy mess. Slapping her once on her ass, the firmness of her muscles had him wanting to do more, but she got the idea and backed away from him. Everything in him wanted to give chase, to bring her to heel. To make her his.

Hearing her running up the stairs was another hurdle that he had to make himself ignore. The thought of chasing her down again was forefront in his mind. Turning on his heel, thinking about anything else but his mate, he sent the lock home and checked on the other doors in the room.

No one could enter his home with ill will in their heart. But to him, there was no reason for him to be inviting trouble into his home. Locking the door, something that he didn’t think anyone in his family did to this day, seemed like a no-brainer to her. Why have them on the doors if you weren’t going to use them for what they were intended for? He made his way to the patio doors and locked them as well.

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