Page 69 of Kidnapping Their Third

When the platter was empty and their hands were sticky, everyone sat back with full bellies. No one seemed interested in moving any time soon, so Cora leaned against Kimble and debated about trying to undo the top button of her jeans because it was digging into her painfully full stomach.

Tina focused her gaze on Cora. “I can’t tell you how wonderful it is to see Kimble doing better. I’m sure it’s thanks to you.”

Cora was quick to deny her assertion. “It’s entirely Kimble, I swear. I’m only human, no magic here.”

Tina chuckled as Mark spoke up. “I think she means that your influence is pushing Kimble to work on himself. Pike was too easy on him. My son is many wonderful things, but a hard taskmaster isn’t one of them.”

“Hey, Kimble needed love and kindness, not bullying,” Pike protested.

“You’re a pushover, David,” Tina said with a loving smile. “If you ever have children, you’re the parent they’ll always go to when they’ve done something naughty.”

Standing up, Pike grabbed the empty platter. “We will not talk about babies.”

As Pike put the platter next to the sink and started doing dishes, Tina leaned over to whisper to Cora. “It’s so easy to get a rise out of him.”

Cora laughed, and Pike spoke up without turning around. “Mom, you should show Cora the backyard. Us manly-men will clean up the kitchen.”

Tina gave Pike’s back a fond look then nodded her head to Cora. “Pike helped me design and build the backyard. He’s a genius when it comes to backyard or small space horticulture!”

Her enthusiasm was infectious and soon Cora was following Tina from plant to plant and nodding along as she explained all the intricacies of the garden. Cora didn’t know much about gardening, but she knew enough to be impressed.

There were lantern style lights hung throughout the long and narrow backyard, allowing Cora to see everything despite the late hour. The first two thirds of the area was full of fruit trees, mostly citrus, with raised planters scattered among them. The last third was bare without even a weed growing. All around the perimeter of the yard were blackberries and raspberries growing up trellises.

“Is that fence ten feet tall?” Cora asked, eyeing the very sturdy cinderblock wall that enclosed the backyard. There was an equally tall and heavy wood garden door at the very back.

Tina straightened up from where she’d been checking an herb bed. “It sure is.”

“It seems, um, tall,” Cora commented.

Tina chuckled. “When we first moved in, there were humans on either side of us. We like to shift and forage in the backyard but couldn’t risk anyone seeing us. We might have overdone it with the cinderblock but when David was little, he liked to rub his back on everything while he was shifted. We worried he’d knock down a regular wooden fence and go spilling into someone else’s backyard!”

Cora could appreciate her concern. Even when he was young, Pike must’ve been a big kid.

“Then the high fence makes a lot more sense,” Cora agreed.

“We have wolf shifters on one side and an adorable fox shifter family on the other, so it’s not an issue anymore. Most of the neighborhood is made up of shifters now. It’s nice.”

That made Cora wonder how many of her own neighbors weren’t what they appeared to be. She’d have to ask Pike to use his nose to sniff around and give her the tea on the people in her neighborhood.

Tina led her to the bare dirt area and explained all the things they planned to do there. Cora’s mouth watered at some of the fruit producing trees and shrubs Tina named.

“You can really grow cherimoya here?” Cora asked.

“I’m part of a gardening group that focuses on all kinds of fruits that grow well here,” Tina said. “In a few years, we’ll have cherimoya, bananas, kiwi, and persimmons.”

“I’m willing to help if I get to eat my fill later!” Cora offered.

“You’re so tiny, could you even finish an entire kiwi by yourself?” Tina teased.

Cora almost answered withI’ve managed to get your son’s giant banana dick down my throatbut remembered just in time that this wasn’t her family. The Pike’s probably didn’t make crude jokes like that.

Still, she’d have to remember to tell Pike later, he’d laugh!

Assuming the tour was over, Cora turned to head back inside when Tina put a hand on her arm to stop her. The woman’s expression was pained, and Cora tensed. Was this when the real Tina showed herself and warned Cora away from her precious son?

“David is the most generous and kindhearted person I know,” Tina began. “I’m not saying that because he’s my son, I’m saying it because it’s true. It’s his best and worst quality. He’ll refuse to see the bad in anyone unless they actually attempt to murder someone in front of him.”

Cora pulled her arm away from Tina’s light hold and braced herself for cruel words. “What are you trying to tell me?”

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