The Purrfect Plan (4 page)

She had written down a Sydney Address. Strange, River remembered her telling him she was from across the border. Something just wasn't adding up.

He was almost out of the door before he remembered his manners. "Thanks, Fiona."

She nodded with a smile. "Hope you find your mate."

He'd find her all right, if it was the last thing he did, and he would bring her home where she belonged.

~ * ~

Two and a half weeks later...

"I've got it!" Hawk burst through the front door.

River's head snapped up from the kitchen table; he wasn't in the mood for any of his brother's games. It was bad enough feeling like his soul had been ripped out ever since his mate had run out on him, but trying to track her down had proven difficult, and very frustrating. With each passing day, the pain of not having her close squeezed tighter around his heart.

He was at a point of utter despair. In some cases mates were known to even go insane without the other being there.

"Got what?" he snarled, his fangs dropping down from his teeth, his Panther peeking out from behind his eyes. He struggled with his cat and the urge to shift and tear everyone around him to pieces.

"Ease up there, Riv." Hawk moved to the fridge, yanking open the door to snatch a beer. "The other day I was talking to Ted who was talking to Sally, who was talking to Sky, who everyone in this town knows is the biggest busybody around..."

"Get to the point, Hawk."

Un-phased by his menacing glare, Hawk continued. "...anyway, Sky happened to walk by the motel the night your mate was parked outside and noticed her car had Capital Territory plates. She also remembered the car registration numbers.
So I took them to Forrest who ran them along with her name and bingo."

Forrest was the town's police presence and a shifter himself.

River leapt to his feet, knocking over his chair, a new wave of hope flooding through his entire being.

"Why the hell didn't you tell me this before?" River was in half a mind to grab his brother to either throttle him or hug him.

"You were gallivanting across Sydney, and someone has to run our little empire while you're chasing the one that got away."

Hawk popped his beer taking a long swallow and cocking his eyebrow. "I gotta say I admire this woman, to be able to fuck and run like that. Gotta be a first for you. Normally you're beating them off with a stick."

River glared daggers at Hawk, who simply grinned smugly. "She won't be going anywhere once I find her again."

"At least one thing I get from you taking a mate, no longer do I have to settle for your cast offs." He grinned impishly. Hawk placed the paper on the table.

Annoying as his brother could be at times, they had always been there for each other. River snatched up the paper and nodded. "Thank you. You'll take care of things while I'm gone?"

"Who else is gonna do it? I'm your brother and your beta, so go do what you have to do." Hawk raised his beer in a salute.

River nodded in gratitude, heading for the door. He had a few hours of driving ahead.

"Good luck bringing her home."

He had a feeling he'd need more than just luck.

~ * ~

Staying busy to keep her mind from the constant gut-churning guilt was not working. When she tried to sit down and focus on her job of editing and freelance writing, her mind constantly wandered. Physical labor toiling in her garden blanked her mind, but only for a short time before it wandered right on back again, replaying the image of the man who had given her the most incredible night of her life.

Not only was she dealing with the guilt, but she now had a new found sexual awareness. Just the thought of River touching her again made her body come alive. Even self-pleasuring brought little relief. She'd gone as far as to invest in a battery operated boyfriend. Awake or asleep, River filled her thoughts, driving her slowly insane.

She'd lost count of how many times had she fought the urge to climb into her car and drive back to Black Town. Why was her mind and body craving him to the point of madness?

Get a grip, woman. You are not in love with your one night-stand. You do not need him.

Denying it only seemed to make it stronger.

I do not need a man and most especially a relationship
. Not that she would ever have a chance with a man like River Black.

Thinking about how many tall, beautiful women he'd probably nailed since her was the only thing that kept her resolve.

Men were not to be trusted, she told herself. They were unfaithful, conniving, smug bastards. They wanted to control and ruin a woman's life. Storm had seen it often enough to know the truth. From early childhood, men had been nothing but the cause of ongoing anguish and pain. Watching and listening to the constant fighting of her parents over her father's unfaithfulness, was only the tip in the large iceberg of Storm's experience.

High school had been uneventful. Being an English geek, she stayed within her small group of friends. In university, while studying advanced English and copy reading, she admired from afar the older and handsome Bradley Kellen. He had left her hurt, humiliated and emotionally torn to pieces.

Years later, she had stepped out into the big wide world, hoping to put the university behind her and make a brand new life. She found a proofreading job with a Sydney newspaper, and it was there where she met Mike Miller. He had all the appearance of someone who was sensitive and caring. After six months of dating, his marriage proposal had stunned and delighted her, making her believe she'd finally found someone nice, who wouldn't try and hurt her.

A few days after they announced their engagement, she overheard a conversation by some people at the office water cooler. It was clear she was the laughing stock of the whole newspaper, as Mike had been using their engagement to cover up the fact he was having an affair with the newspaper owner's wife.

His betrayal cut deeply, stamping out her last bit of faith in men, or her hope of ever finding a man who she could settle down with.

When her grandmother passed away, leaving Storm her home and a little money, she took what savings she had and started her own editing business.

Yet, she found the solitude of her life harder to bear than she ever imagined. She often took long walks to the local playground, watching the children play. It sent a pang of envy through her heart, and she ached for a child of her own. A child of her own would mean she wouldn't have to be alone any more. She would do the best to raise her child in a safe and loving home.

Tired, she stood up and stretched her back. Although it was still early, she was enjoying the cooler afternoon breeze of the mid January summer. Living on the outskirts of Canberra in the higher mountain region kept the air cooler than most of the surrounding states. Still it was proving to be a hotter than average summer.

With her gardening tools packed away, she washed her hands and went inside. Along with constantly thinking about River, she couldn't help wondering if it had worked…

She'd been having some mild PMS symptoms; it was a day early to be taking the pregnancy test that was sitting in her bathroom cabinet. Still, she found herself standing in the bathroom staring at her pale reflection in the mirror.

She made a decision.

"If it doesn't work, I can always go get another one." Her voice echoed against the white and floral patterned tiles. She flicked open the small door and grabbed the pack.

Chapter Four

It was late afternoon when he pulled his truck up outside the address Hawk had given him.

River's gaze lingered on the old square building in surprisingly good condition. I had a dull tin roof and a veranda circling the entire building. A front wire fence was curled with a circular patterned ironwork gate, and the garden was immaculate with its neat green trimmed lawn, rose bushes and blooming flowers of every kind. She obviously enjoyed her time in the garden.

He envisaged her happily toiling to make the front of their home in Black Town the envy of the community. He'd get her anything she wanted to help her gardening. First, he had to convince her to leave this place. Was it her place or someone else's? Intuition told him it was hers.

The houses along the quiet and quaint little street were a nice distance apart. Still, River left his black SUV parked across the street from Storm's house, walking across the worn asphalt road. His weight crunched the red gravel path before stepping over two stairs on to the welcome mat at her front door. He stopped for a moment, wondering how much of a welcome he would receive.

Would she be happy to see him? Or think him a psychotic stalker for tracking her down? River consoled himself once he calmly explained how much she meant to him, she would see reason.

Anticipating what he would find made him edgy. He desired to hold her in his arms, kissing her and sinking his constantly aching cock so deeply into her she would damn well know to whom she belonged. His hands shook. Fisting his fingers, he raised his arm and knocked.

Nothing. He tested the door to find it unlocked. He didn't like it, but he carefully he edged it open. Her scent, and the aroma of mouth-watering fresh baked cookies, meant there was no way she was getting away from him this time.

Ducking his head as he entered, he closed the door gently behind him and drew in a deep breath as he tried to detect if there was another presence in her home. A husband would call her off limits, but a boyfriend he could persuade to leave. Relief hit him when he could not pick up any other scent but hers.

The hall was long and had doors at either side. Curious, he started to explore his mate's habitat, wanting to solve the puzzle of why this woman would go so far out of her way, have sex with him then leave. It simply didn't add up.

The hallway was long with rooms on either side. He opened each door, peering into each room before moving to the next. The living room was neat and tidy; her floral patterned sofa held the faded marks of age. Much of the place held an old nineteen fifties charm. It was as though an elderly woman lived here, rather than his smartly dressed, full-figured little minx. White handcrafted doilies were carefully placed under vases. Rugs spread out on the polished wooden floorboards were worn and well used.

The second room made River frown; a nursery--a crib in one corner, changing table, and a rocking chair for a mother to sit and feed her infant. He could not scent a child, only Storm's scent over everything. He closed the door and moved on to the next door.

He discovered a surprisingly modern office. River didn't hesitate ducking under the doorframe and, striding around her desk. He pulled the chair out and sat down. He sifted through the scattered papers on the desk. A laptop sat to the right, a printer on top of a bookshelf and a large cork notice board was mounted on the wall. He picked up a printed map with clear directions showing how to get to and from his town. She had planned her trip? Picking up another paper, he read the title
, "
Natural ways to increase your fertility."

What the hell? Apart from a few bills, her desk was full of pregnancy information. River glanced at her bookshelf and skimmed over the titles.
What To Expect When You're Expecting. The Single Mothers Guide to Child Raising. New Pregnancy and Childbirth Book. Babies Without Fathers.

River felt his anger rising with every heartbeat. He stood, shoving back the chair, his fists clenching and unclenching. His teeth ground as he stared at the large calendar pinned up on her board. She had charted her fertility cycle, the fours days curled in red marker. Exactly on the day she had turned up in Black's bar.

Like a thundercloud, he stormed out of her office in search of her bathroom, as the clear revelation set in. She
had
deliberately set out to get pregnant. He struggled to keep his rage under control, realizing if he had not turned up that night, she would have just as easily fucked Hamish to get what she wanted.

He located her bathroom near the back of her house. The opened pregnancy test box still sat on the vanity unit. Shaking it proved it empty. A quick search found the used item in the trash bin. He picked up the long white stick and studied the two pink lines.

There was no doubt in his mind the cubs now nestled within her were his.

Conflicting emotions battled within; joy to the fact he would soon be a father, anger at how she had gone about it, and confusion as to why.

Every detail seemed to be perfectly planned, including keeping the father of her baby out of the picture. Well, her plans were about to change. She and the babies belonged to him; no way in hell would he allow her to raise his cubs alone. All her pregnancy books would not prepare her for carrying shifter cubs.

Whether she liked it or not, she needed him.

River gathered his evidence, set them on Storm's old speckled laminate table, helped himself to juice from the refrigerator and sat down to wait for his little wayward, pregnant mate to return.

~ * ~

Even after a long walk, Storm's head wasn't feeling any clearer. The positive pregnancy test should have left her elated and joyful. Her plan had worked. In nine months she would have a little boy or girl to call her own, to lavish with love and attention, her loneliness would be at an end.