Taming The Lion: BBW Paranormal Lion Shifter Romance (Gray Bears Book 5) (4 page)

“I...yes. Y-yes, I
heard.” Winston wondered briefly why he was stammering. His
lion seemed to sit up and take notice at the mere mention of Kaylee's
name.

“None of my brothers
are free to drive Ne-ma and Gramma to the hospital. And I'm on
duty,” Aidan carried on. His innocent tone told Winston that
his intentions weren't so innocent. Aidan and his family were up to
something.

“Can you picture two
impatient elderly witches who enjoy muttering spells under their
breath, stuck in midday traffic?” Aidan went on ominously.
“Someone might get turned into a toad.”

Winston gave a crooked smile
as he rubbed his chin. “I think I remember calls being made to
the Station because a large pumpkin was obstructing traffic some time
back.”

“That large pumpkin was
Peter's car. He was road-hogging and Ne-ma was in a hurry,”
Aidan deadpanned and glanced at his watch. “Your shift ended
half an hour ago, right? You've been here all night.”

Winston pushed back from his
desk and logged off his computer. “All right. I'll give
Gramma and Ne-ma a lift to the hospital.”

As he left his office,
Winston said over his shoulder, “Don't think I don't know what
you're doing.”

Aidan took a big slurp of his
coffee and answered smugly, “I'm just doing my duty, Sheriff.
I'm being a helpful police officer!”

CHAPTER
NINE

Kaylee looked up as the
hospital room door opened and Gramma and Ne-ma rushed in.

“Oh, I thought we're
late,” Ne-ma said breathlessly.

“Winston had his siren
on, so everyone moved out of the way for us,” Gramma chuckled.

“Winston?” Kaylee
stuttered and unconsciously smoothed her hand over her hair. She
should have combed her hair and slicked on a coat of lipstick. She
looked pale and ungroomed. But she didn't know the Sheriff would be
coming to fetch her from the hospital. Why did she feel so pleased
and nervous about seeing Winston?

“Yeah. Winston gave us
a lift. He'll drive us all back to the inn. He's waiting
downstairs,” Ne-ma said, and linked her arm through Kaylee's.
“Let's go home!”

Kaylee thanked the doctors
and nurses who had taken such good care of her during her stay. Some
of the doctors were witch doctors, and they had given her a potent
healing brew. The potion had kicked her body's healing abilities
into high gear and her cells had repaired themselves in double quick
time.

It was pretty amazing and
awesome, and Kaylee had a newfound respect for witches and the
magical work they did.

She could walk steadily and
her fractures had healed perfectly. Only a few scars and bruises
remained, but they didn't bother her. She had even gone over to the
other ward to see Lorni Jones. Lorni was badly shaken and her
injuries were more serious than Kaylee's. She would be staying with
her sister and brother-in-law after she was discharged from the
hospital. “I'm afraid he might come back for me,” she'd
told Kaylee. “But I don't want to be afraid!”

“Do you know who he
is?”

Lorni shook her head. “No.
I described him to the Sheriff, but I've never seen him before. I
think...he was watching me, stalking me. He knew the opening and
closing hours of my shop, he knew my habits and whereabouts, he knew
that I was alone...oh God! If you hadn't gone after me that night,
who knows what...” She couldn't continue, and Kaylee had
hugged her for a long while and comforted her. Kaylee didn't want to
think about what might have happened to Lorni if she hadn't been
driving by at that exact moment.

Every place, every city and
town had its monsters. It was that much scarier if you had to fight
them alone.

But if you had people to
fight with you, for you, it made a huge difference. It made all the
difference.

Ne-ma and Gramma had come to
see her almost every day at the hospital. They brought homemade
soups and stews, and sat and talked to her for hours. They told her
all about their grandsons and the tricks the Gray boys played on
them. The four Gray brothers were Gramma's grandsons, but Ne-ma had
helped her best friend raise the four rambunctious bear cubs after
their parents passed away. They were like her grandsons as well, and
it was clear that the Gray brothers loved both Gramma and Ne-ma
dearly.

Kaylee liked the Gray family
a lot. Tristan and his younger brothers were boisterous and
outspoken, and they had asked her point-blank if she had a boyfriend.
They were like nosy, busybody big brothers, and when she shook her
head, they had all exchanged knowing looks and started singing
Winston's praises non-stop. Kaylee had blushed and clamped up. Was
her subtle crush on the Sheriff not so subtle?

She took the lift down with
Gramma and Ne-ma, and when the lift door opened, she saw Winston
standing there, looking so smart and handsome. She'd never dated a
man in uniform before. She had only been with jerks and cheaters.
Did she dare hope and dream that her luck would change? Kaylee
sighed quietly.

“I was about to come up
and get you,” Winston said, smiling.

“Oh, we got her.”
Gramma grinned.

“Do we get to ride in
your swanky Sheriff's cruiser again?” Ne-ma asked.

“Of course. But my
cruiser is far from swanky.” Winston winked at them.

Kaylee smiled shyly at
Winston as he led them to his car. Gramma wanted to ride shotgun so
Ne-ma and Kaylee piled into the back.

It was just a short drive to
Broomstick Inn, and Kaylee gawked at the quaint little inn as she got
out of the car. It was really lovely, cozy and well-kept and when
she stepped through the front door, she was greeted by the
mouth-watering smell of a delicious, home-cooked meal wafting from
the dining hall.

CHAPTER
TEN

“Alisa's been cooking
all morning,” Ne-ma said. “Alisa's the chef at our inn.
She wanted to cook something homely and nourishing for you.”

Before Kaylee could reply,
Alisa came bustling out of the kitchen. “You're just in time,”
she beamed. “The food's ready!”

Kaylee stepped into the
dining hall and saw steaming bowls of soup, freshly baked bread and
mouth-watering pasta sitting on a table. “Dig in!” Alisa
said, motioning them to the table.

“Oh, this...this...”
Kaylee stammered, blinking rapidly. “You shouldn't have...”

Ne-ma stuffed her into a
chair and put a spoon in her hand. “Eat, and tell us how you
like the food.”

Kaylee took the hunk of bread
from Gramma and dipped it in the soup. She took a big bite and
looked up at the expectant, eager faces. “I like it...so
much,” Kaylee said with her mouth full. “I love it. You
are a great cook, Alisa.”

“Home cooking.”
Alisa smiled. “I love cooking for family! The soup was
prepared by Ne-ma though. She was in the kitchen before dawn,
slicing and grinding and making sure everything was perfect.”

Kaylee stood up and hugged
Ne-ma, Gramma and Alisa. “Thank you,” she whispered, her
eyes misting with tears. “Thank you so much!”

Ne-ma gestured to the table
and clapped. “Come on. Let's all eat! Winston, sit down. I
don't want to see any leftovers, understand?”

The meal was the best.
Kaylee had never eaten food that not only filled her stomach, but
also filled her heart with so much warmth and love.

And there were no leftovers.

Alisa had gone off
immediately after they sat down to lunch to relieve Harper of her
babysitting duties. Alisa and Harper took turns babysitting the cubs
and working at the inn.

Harper came in just as they
finished their meal and mock pouted at them. “You didn't leave
any soup for me,” she accused.

“Of course we did,”
Ne-ma answered. “There's more in the kitchen!”

“Yay!”

While Gramma and Ne-ma were
sipping their tea, Winston took the tray from Harper and went to put
the dirty dishes in the kitchen.

Kaylee followed Winston into
the kitchen and was about to start doing the dishes when Harper
stopped her.

“Go,” Harper
said, shooing her away. “Winston's waiting for you.”

Harper laughed at Kaylee's
look of surprise and confusion. “I heard Ne-ma and Gramma
asking Winston to show you around town. And you can't get any safer
with the Sheriff escorting you around!”

Right on cue, Ne-ma and
Gramma waltzed into the kitchen and chirped excitedly, “Kaylee,
would you like to go explore the town with Winston?”

“I...”

“Winston knows the town
inside out. He knows every nook and cranny. Go drive around, walk
around and get to know the town and the people. You...you're staying
here, right?” Ne-ma said with a huge smile, but Kaylee caught
the slight quiver in her voice.

Kaylee's heart clenched
painfully. She knew that Ne-ma wanted her to stay in Shadow Point.
Ne-ma hoped that she would stay here, settle down and put down roots.

But the decision was hers.

She could decide to stay. Or
she could move—again.

Kaylee went to take Ne-ma's
hands firmly in hers. “Yes. Yes, of course I'm staying in
Shadow Point. I'm staying, for good,” Kaylee said.

Smiling, she added in a
clear, strong voice, “I belong here. I have family here!”

CHAPTER
ELEVEN

Kaylee nodded and murmured in
response as Winston pointed out the sights of Shadow Point to her as
he drove. He drove past the library, the post office, the park, rows
of shops and eateries and showed her where to get the best cakes and
pastries.

“Baker's Hut,”
Winston said, pointing out the small bakery at the corner of the
street. “Elle's the owner, so Aidan is always bringing in
cakes and cookies to the Station. Our belts are all getting a little
tight.” Winston patted his non-existent paunch.

Kaylee smiled. “Those
women are all so capable,” she muttered. “Ne-ma's
granddaughters-in-law.”

Winston slotted the car into
a parking lot and studied her for a beat. Kaylee met his intense,
quiet gaze and blew out a breath. “I mean, Alisa is a chef,
Elle owns a bakery, Suzanne is an accountant and Harper juggles the
cubs and helps out at the inn. They're all so accomplished and
settled and sure...of their lives.”

“And?” he
prompted.

“And I'm just her
useless, drifting grandniece.”

Winston quirked a lopsided
smile. “I kind of knew you were going to say that.”

“You agree with me.”

“No. I don't agree
with you at all,” he said emphatically. “But I knew
that's what you were thinking.”

Kaylee looked away and
sighed. “After my parents passed away, I just kept floating
around. I never stayed in one place, or one job, or one relationship
for long.”

“Hmm. Just like a
flower.”

“What?” Kaylee
blinked at him.

“You. You're like a
flower that has been growing safely under the shelter of a big,
stable tree,” Winston answered matter-of-factly.

Kaylee smirked. “You're
saying my parents were the big, sheltering tree, and after the tree
was gone, I just floated away in the wind.”

“And the reason you
kept floating and flying was because you never had the chance to put
down roots and grow into...”

“A tree!”

Winston smiled. “If
that's what you want to be, then yes, a tree.”

Kaylee considered his words
for a moment. “Ne-ma is a tree,” she said softly. “She
has a wonderful family, and so many friends. She runs the inn, and
she's very active in the community. She and Gramma have a reading
group, a knitting group, and they've recently taken up Pilates. She
has so many branches, so many leaves and flowers...”

“You want her to be
proud of you, but she only wants you to be happy,” Winston
said.

Kaylee narrowed her eyes at
him. “Are you a psychic?”

“No. But I am very
observant. It's an occupational hazard.” Winston shrugged and
got out of the car. “Come on. Let's take a walk.”

Kaylee followed him down the
street, and smiled as Winston greeted families and shopkeepers along
the way and introduced her as Ne-ma's grandniece. Everyone seemed to
know Ne-ma and Gramma, and Winston seemed to know everybody.

As she listened to his easy
banter and conversations with the residents of Shadow Point, Kaylee
saw that Winston Knight was indeed very astute and observant, and she
suspected he had a photographic memory. He could remember faces,
names, obscure street names and places, major and minor events. He
could even tell Mrs Prakash what she wore to last year's Sheriff's
Charity Ball. He was a very good Sheriff, approachable, sharp and
genuinely concerned about the residents.

Winston had earned the
respect and affection of the town. He protected the town, maintained
law and order, and kept the community safe. Shadow Point was a
better place because of him. The man made a difference to people's
lives, yet remained humble and unassuming.