Page 24 of Stolen Mate

Internally, Derek breathed a sigh of relief. He hadn’t wanted to ask, but he knew he’d feel a lot better about things if he knew he had backup close by. “Thanks, Zak. I’ll try to bring her around in the next few days.”

“If it’ll help, we can come there first.”

“It might. I’d like to play it by ear.”

“Like I said, your mate, your call. I’ll let you know when I have people in place.”

“Sorry to interrupt.”

“I’ll live.”

“You’ll also get laid, which is more than I can say for me.”

His older brother laughed. “And I suppose that’s what makes it seem fair to me. I’d say something rude, but my mate frowns on that kind of behavior.”

Derek laughed as he could hear Sienna smacking his brother. “Well, you two have a good time. I’ve got fish to catch.”

He ended the call and easily caught three trout. He wanted to invite Betty, but if she wasn’t interested, they’d have it in the morning. He cleaned the fish, letting what he was discarding go into the river to nourish it and its inhabitants.

Derek headed back to the house, just reaching the porch as Betty walked out.

“She’s fine. A little achy, but that’s to be expected with a first shift at her age. Try to stay close; it’ll help her body acclimate if her mate is close by. You do know she knows nothing about any of this—us, her mother, fated mates—”

“I know,” Derek said with a sigh. “I talked to Zak. He should have people here in no time, but I need to talk to her about all of this.”

“Good luck. Call if you need anything. Do you want me to call Jax?”

“I’d be surprised if Doc hasn’t already, and I’m sure Zak will let him know, but thanks.”

“Okay. Be safe and take care of her.”

“I will.” He watched Betty get in her vehicle and head back up the driveway.

As he entered the cabin, Tess was standing in the kitchen, still dressed in only his sweater. No one had ever looked more at home than she did standing there. It made every muscle in his body tighten in anticipation and arousal, especially his cock. Well, his cock was just going to have to wait.

She looked over her shoulder and smiled. “I hope you don’t mind. The sweater is comfy, and I don’t know about you, but I was getting hungry. I saw you had the ingredients of green bean almondine, which is one of my favorites.”

“Mine, too,” he said, joining her in the kitchen.

“Good; I got the beans started. They’re almost ready to come out of the water. I also sliced the almonds and have them ready to go. I also got the sweet potatoes started. I don’t know what you were going to do, but I really love them pan-roasted.”

“Again, me too,” he said laughing. “If you’re sure you’re feeling up to it, how about you finish the side dishes, while I get these trout filleted and grilled.”

“Sounds delicious. I love your kitchen by the way. I don’t know that I would have expected a chef’s kitchen in a rustic cabin, but it’s really nice.”

“I like to cook, as in I thought about becoming a chef.”

“What happened?”

“My father didn’t approve and then I made some stupid mistakes young men often make. Jax—that’s Sheriff Miller—gave me a shot at becoming his deputy. I capitalized on it and think I found my true calling.”

There was an easy camaraderie between them as they cooked. It didn’t take long before they had dinner ready to serve. Given the size of the cabin, he’d opted not to have a traditional dining table. His island counter was large enough to comfortably sit four, but most times he either ate sitting on the couch watching hockey or over on his desk, which was a converted library table set in front of his front window with a killer view of the river.

“I’m telling you, the woman whose journals my mother gave me was a little nuts…”

“Because she believed in shifters?”

Tess nodded. “You sound like my sister. She reads a lot of paranormal romances that have shifters in them and she was like ‘cool,’ but you can’t tell me that you believe in anything that far-fetched, can you?”

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