Page 4 of Ewing

“Pauline told me that she told her the same thing. That she didn’t want to die, but that didn’t stop her from helping out you fine agents. I’m going to miss her so much.” She cried softly, and it hurt him deep into his soul. “She wasn’t a good girl. Lippy when she had a mind to. Smart, but she never let herself shine. But she was my lippy brat, and I’m going to have a tough time going on without her there with me.”

He held onto her hand while they sat there. Neither of them spoke but he did hand her tissues when she needed them. Looking around the large area, he was glad that Mark had suggested that they come here after finding the bodies and the men. There was no more they could do out in the field as they were all retired from the park, but it didn’t bother them when the park’s personnel asked them for assistance.

By midnight, he was about as exhausted as he’d ever been. Ewing still had to go home with the kids, get them into their beds, and then be up when they were up for the day. He knew that he’d have help in the way of the faeries, but right now, all he wanted to do was to sleep for about a thousand years, pushing out all the memories of the last twenty-four hours. He kept telling himself that his grannie would be proud of him and grandda would be patting him on the back like he’d invented children and their troubles.

“Mr. Cross?” He felt himself still looking around for his grandda when someone called him that. Mr. Ewing usually worked for most people, especially when they were pretty close in age, as he thought he and the woman standing in front of him was. “Are you all right?”

“I’d like to say yes, I have this, but I don’t, so no, I’m not all right. Are you?” She told him that she’d had better. “What can I do for you? Hopefully, it won’t be too much, I’m dead on my feet.”

“I’m with the office of the president, and he asked me to see you.” Nodding, telling her that he would do anything for the man. “He just needs you to sign off on the paperwork for the upcoming election campaign. I guess you’re donating all the wine for the event.”

“Yes, I am. He told me about a thousand bottles.” He nearly fell into the woman. “I’m suddenly not feeling very well. Could you help me?”

He didn’t know where she was leading him, but he was glad when the two of them finally stopped. Just as he was ready to beg her for a pillow and a blanket, he was lying on one of the hospital beds and being covered up. Telling the woman that he had only a few minutes that he needed to get to his children before he closed his eyes.

~*~

Trinity watched the man sleep. He didn’t smell like he was drunk. Nor did he smell like any drugs. And she’d know that smell since her brothers were doing it all the time. Moving the curl of hair that fell over his forehead, she thought that he had a handsome face, one that she could wake up to—

Stepping back from the man, she told herself that she didn’t know what she’d been thinking. There was no way that he could be her mate, not for her. Leaning into his throat, she nearly came with the scent that hit her. Not only did it hit her nose but all of her senses seemed to have woken up as well. She’d found her mate.

Leaving the little room that he’d sort of fallen into, she found his brother, Mark. He’d been the one who had told her where to find Ewing. Now, all she wanted to do was to get on the next flight out and never return again.

“You look like you’ve had a fright. What’s happened? Did you find Ewing?” She nodded, then shook her head. She’d found him all right but didn’t want to. “Are you all right, Trinity? You’re looking a little tense.”

“He’s asleep. He told me that he couldn’t—he has kids?” She didn’t know how that was possible if she was his mate. “How many?”

“Six at last count.” Trinity felt her head swimming and had to hold onto something. Reaching out to the door jamb, she looked up at Mark. He had six children? “They call him now when they have a stray child, and he takes them in.”

“They’re not his then?” Mark told her that he’d already adopted four of the children but was waiting on information for the other two. “He’s married then?”

“No. He’s not married. Just a wealthy single guy who takes in children when they need him. You didn’t answer my question. Are you all right? You seem a little, I don’t know, scary. Did he say something to you? I hope not. He’s been on the go for the last…gosh, about two weeks now. What with the kids and the bodies tonight. He has a vineyard, too.” She didn’t want to be here but didn’t know what to do either. “You’re his mate. Aren’t you? I mean, that’s the only reason that I can figure out why you are worried about him having kids and not being married. Am I right?”

“Yes. He’s a wealthy man, you said. I have…I have my own money. I can’t be mated right now. You’ve no idea…well, you might have an idea what is going on, but I don’t…I’m flustered.” He told her that he could tell. “Don’t make fun of me. I’m trying my best here to not freak out. I have a job that I love, and he’s going to expect me to drop everything and—I don’t know if that’s what he’s doing to do, mind you, but my father did that to my mom. As soon as I was born, she had to stop her career, a good one too, and stay at home to be a mom. She never wanted that, and I don’t either.”

“Are you finished?” They both turned to the voice that was behind her. It was Ewing, her mate, and he looked about as pissed off as she’d ever seen anyone before. “I was tired and only needed a power nap. I’m going home.” He looked at her. “You can go to hell.”

As soon as he left, she felt the weight of what she’d said to him weighing on her heart. She’d been out of line and rude. She no more knew what he was going to do than she knew what she would do. Looking at Mark, she decided that he wasn’t going to be too much help as he was looking at her with a cocked brow and a tight face.

She had to find him again and have him sign off on the paperwork that she’d been sent here to do. Now he was pissed off—with good reason, and she was going to lose her job because she’d pissed off the only man in the world that would have had her back if she needed it. Or she hoped that he would.

Finding him in the hallway near the elevators, she watched him with the little boy he had in his arms. He was a cutie, with chubby little cheeks and pink poised lips. When he smiled at her, just like that, she was in love with the little man. When he got into the elevator, she did as well.

“I need you to sign off on this, please?” He couldn’t do it with the child in his arms, so he told her that she’d have to wait. “I can hold him for you.”

“I don’t want to get in the way of your career, Ms. Adamson.” He handed her the baby and signed his name in the right places. When he started to take the baby back, she turned her back on him and glared. “Will you give me my child?”

“You’re angry, and I’m sure he’ll be able to feel it. I know that I can.” As he shook himself of his anger, literally shaking his body, she took the opportunity to look at him. Christ, he was a great-looking man. “I’m sorry for my words. My assumptions. I’ve been working on my career for a long time and I don’t want to have to give it up because of children. I never wanted any.”

“Well, goody for you.” He took the little boy, but not before she was able to give him a quick kiss on the cheek. “I’m going home. To my home. I didn’t ask you, nor will I ever ask anyone to give up their lives simply because I thought that adopting the little people in my household was much more manageable than falling in love with a—what are you anyway?”

“Bear.” Ewing told her that he got that part, but what did she do for a living. “Oh, I’m anattorney. I work for the president.”

“So do I.” When the doors opened on their own, he stepped out into the empty hallway and turned to her. If he were to slash her throat right now, it would be no more than she deserved. “Next time you want to make an assumption about someone, you should really take the time to watch them first. There is no telling what sort of information you might find out.”

“Dad?” When he turned to the voices in the room behind him, Trinity could see that he had smiled. The little girl holding the door open was smiling up at Ewing. “Are we finally going home? I miss my bed.”

The door clicked shut, and when she heard the lock engage, she wanted to shift into her bear and tear it from its hinges and toss the man out on his ass. Like that would do her a bit of good, she thought. Pulling out her cell phone, she called her boss.

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