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Smiling, she leaned into him. Her life was pretty close to perfect right at that moment. She was engaged to a wonderful man who seemed to truly love her. Okay, so he turned a little furry every now and then, but that wasn’t so bad. She’d found that she enjoyed having Cole around in both his human form and his wolf form.

  Cole bent his head and gently kissed her on the lips. “Let me run upstairs for a minute and talk to Gabriel. When I get back down, we’ll go to lunch. While I’m upstairs, why don’t you pull out the yellow pages and find a restaurant you want to go to.”

  “Okay. I’m afraid I won’t be familiar with many of them, unless it’s a nationwide chain.”

  “That’s okay. If something looks interesting, I’ll let you know if it’s any good and what type of food they serve. It won’t take you long to get acclimated to Ashton Grove.”

  Giving her another quick kiss, he jogged up the stairs to the third floor. Gabriel was in Michael’s room arguing with him. From the sound of things, Michael was being obstinate as usual.

  “Is the patient giving you trouble?” Cole asked Gabriel as he walked into the room.

  His twin shot him a dark look. “I’m not giving him trouble. He’s just being unreasonable!”

  Gabriel threw his hands up in the air. “Fine, be pigheaded. If you don’t rest, you’ll end up back in the hospital. You’re white as a ghost and if you keep moving around you’re going to tear open your sutures.”

  Cole raised an eyebrow at his older brother. “White as a ghost? Cassie might have something to say about your phrasing.”

  Gabriel sighed. “You know what I mean.”

  Cole grinned. “How about a compromise? What if Michael lies still and watches TV or reads a magazine? Would that be restful enough?”

  “I guess that would work. I still say he needs more sleep, but I guess he’s old enough to know when he needs to sleep.” Gabriel realized he sounded like a mother hen, but he was worried about his brother. If Michael tried to over-do it, he could set back his recovery by a week or more.

  Michael was still glaring at Gabriel, but he seemed a little less aggravated. “I would hope that by the age of thirty I would know when I needed to sleep. I have no problem with lying in this bed for another day or two.”

  Gabriel started to open his mouth, but thought better of it and decided to keep quiet. The nurse had told Michael he needed to stay in bed for about a week to give the stitches time to heal. If the fool wanted to rush around before that and rip himself open again, then that was his business.

  Cole was trying not to laugh as he watched the silent battle going on between his brothers. Clearing his throat, he said, “I actually came up to let you know that we’re going to step out for a bit. I thought I’d take Marin to lunch and maybe do some shopping.”

  “More shopping?” Gabriel asked.

  Cole nodded. “Dave offered her an interview for a part-time job at Sabin on my floor. I thought she might need a few more things to wear to work.”

  Gabriel smiled. “That’s good. Not that I would have minded her help across the street, but I think she would be better suited to a company and not a garage.”

  “She doesn’t have the job yet, but I’m confident that she’ll get the position. It’s only part-time so she’ll either work four days a week or work shorter hours all five days. Either way, she’ll still have some free time to hang out with Cassie and make some new friends.”

  “Don’t keep her waiting. Y’all go have fun. I’ll stay here and argue with this stubborn mule some more,” he said, indicating Michael.

  Cole ducked out as the arguing began again. There were some things that would never change no matter how old they were. Gabriel, as both the eldest and the alpha, was always going to boss them around. Cole didn’t usually mind it that much because he knew that his brother just looking out for him, but he could certainly understand why it upset Michael so much. Cole had always been the more laid back of the twins.

  While Cole had paid his way through college and started a savings account, Michael had gone out drinking and carousing every week. There were times that Cole despaired of his brother ever growing up. He hoped the day would come when Michael would find whatever he was searching for. There wasn’t a doubt in his mind that something inside of Michael was unsettled. The wolf was always a little closer to the surface for Michael than it was with Cole or Gabriel.

  As he entered the living room, he found Marin flipping through the yellow pages. “Find anything that sounds good?”

  She looked up, surprised. “I didn’t even hear you come down the stairs.”

  Cole grinned at her. “One of the many benefits of being a werewolf.”

  Returning his smile, she said, “Well, I only recognize a few places, but I noticed that there was a Chili’s in the mall. Would that be okay?”

  “That sounds fine. Why don’t you grab your purse and we’ll get going.”

  Marin went to the kitchen to get her purse from the table. She quickly rejoined Cole in the front entry and they walked out to the truck hand in hand. Within minutes, they had reached the mall.

  Chapter Nine

  After lunch, Cole led Marin out into the mall. With Ashton Grove being a small town, you wouldn’t expect much from the mall. Walking over to the mall directory, she browsed through the list of main department stores along with the listing for women’s apparel and shoes. Marin was pleasantly surprised to see they had a Rich’s, Macy’s, and Sears, along with a handful of shops specializing in women’s clothing.

  Grabbing Cole’s hand, she headed for Sears first. When he saw their destination, he quipped, “Looking for tools?”

  Marin gave him a funny look. “No, clothes. That’s why we’re on the clothing floor.”

  Cole shook his head. “While I don’t begrudge anyone who wishes to buy their clothing at Sears, I was hoping to spoil you a little today.”

  Marin tilted her head to the side. “Spoil me?”

  “I had thought to get you a nice outfit from Macy’s and maybe a few work outfits from some of the other stores in the mall.”

  “Oh! Well, that sounds lovely, but there really isn’t anything wrong with getting my work clothes here.”

  “If this is where you want to shop, then by all means lead the way.”

  Marin flashed him a smile. She hauled him through the children’s section and marched into the women’s department like a woman with a mission. Quickly dismissing the casual section filled with jeans and workout clothes, she threaded her way to the petites section.

  Dave might have said that she could wear khaki pants or jeans, but she wanted a few nice things to wear too. She grabbed a nice pair of black slacks and a leopard print skirt. Flipping through some sweaters, she selected a royal blue one with a black contemporary print to go with the pants and a chocolate angora to go with the skirt.

  Turning to face Cole, she asked, “Will these do?”

  “You will be the best dressed woman there,” he replied with a smile.

  Little did he realize that wasn’t quite the answer she was hoping for. If she dressed better than the other women, they might begin to resent her. That definitely wouldn’t make for a friendly work environment. Maybe she should look at the khaki pants.

  Putting the pants and sweater back, but not quite able to let go of the skirt outfit, she turned toward the rack of khaki slacks. Finding a soft pair in her size, she went in search of a top to go with them.

  Cole watched her curiously. “Did you not want to be the best dressed woman at work?”

  “Not exactly, although I appreciate the compliment.” At his odd look, she continued, “You see, if I dress better than the women who already work there, then they might wonder how or why I got the job. They might feel that I think I’m better than them, which is definitely a laugh.”

  “I can understand your reasoning, but I don’t want to hear you put yourself down. You are every bit as good as the other people who work with me. For that matter, you’re probably better than the
y are.” Before Marin could protest, Cole placed a finger over her lips. “Not another word.”

  She sighed. “Okay. I won’t talk badly about myself anymore.”

  Cole kissed her cheek and gave her a gentle nudge toward a rack of long-sleeve knit tops. She quickly selected a lavender shirt to go with the khaki slacks and headed into the dressing room. After she tried both of the outfits on, she went back to Cole and took his hand.

  “Did they fit?” he asked.

  She smiled at him. “Perfectly. I don’t remember the last time I enjoyed shopping so much.”

  “Good. Let’s go check out.”

  As they neared the counter, the sales lady asked, “Can I interest you in a Sears card today?”

  Marin started to say no, but Cole answered first. “Actually, I have a card. But you might be able to help me with something else. Is it possible to have my fiancé added to my account? Maybe even get her a card of her own?”

  “Of course,” the sales woman replied with a smile.

  Marin began to protest, but Cole gave her a look that brooked no argument. She sighed, realizing that he was once again trying to take care of her. After caring for herself and her younger brother for so long, it was hard to let someone else take over.

  Once Marin was set up as a user on Cole’s Sears account, they walked off towards the escalator. Marin looked at him questioningly.

  “I thought you might like to select some new sheets and stuff for the bed. You know, to make it more your own.”

  “I’d like that. I love what you have on the bed already, but it never hurts to have another set.”

  Cole led her down the escalator and into the bedding department. It didn’t take her long to find a slate gray comforter with sprigs of tiny purple flowers embroidered on it. It even had a matching slate bed-skirt and purple sheets. Without even looking at the price, he carried it to the register and paid for their purchase.

  After picking up the sacks, he asked, “Where to next, sweetheart?”

  “Well, I could use some shoes to go with my new skirt outfit. And maybe a pair of earrings?”

  With a thoughtful look, he replied, “I’ll tell you what. Why don’t you head over to the shoe store? If you don’t mind, I think I’d like to pick the earrings out for you.”

  “I’d like that. Just don’t go overboard!”

  He just smiled at her and she knew without a doubt that he would pick out an expensive pair of earrings. “Meet me in the shoe store? I was thinking of going to Nine West.”

  “I’ll see you over there in a few minutes.”

  As Marin walked to Nine West, Cole headed to Gordon’s Jewelers. Not only was he going to buy her some earrings, he was also going to get her a necklace to go with them. After careful selection, he chose a pair of one carat diamond studs with a matching pendant.

  When he reached Nine West, Marin was still trying on shoes. “Can’t decide on which pair to get?”

  She looked up, startled. “I’m going to have to put a bell on you! You keep sneaking up on me.”

  He laughed. “Sorry about that. I promise to make more noise next time.”

  “I just can’t decide if I want the four inch heels or the two inch ones.”

  “Why don’t you get the pair that would be most comfortable?”

  She looked at him like he was crazy. “Women don’t choose their shoes by comfort level.”

  “No?”

  She shook her head. “No. We choose them by which pair makes our legs look sexier,” she said with a grin.

  “Then you can pick any pair in the store because your legs are sexy regardless of what shoes you wear.”

  After a few more minutes debating over the shoes, she selected a pair and walked up to the register. She still felt a little odd when Cole paid for her shoes. Even if they were going to get married, she still wished she had some money of her own. It was a good thing she was getting a job. Hopefully it would give her a sense of independence again.

  ***

  A few hours later, their arms were laden with purchases. They trudged out to the truck and stashed everything in the backseat. Exhausted, they both collapsed into the front seats. If someone had told Cole that shopping was more tiring than a trip to the gym, he would have laughed at them… that is, before his shopping trip with Marin.

  When they arrived back home, Marin went to check on Michael while Cole unloaded the truck. She was anxious to see how he was doing. Arriving at the third floor, she gently pushed Michael’s door open. Looking inside, she saw that he was sleeping peacefully. Quietly walking into the room, she turned off the

  TV and placed the remote on the bed beside him. In sleep, he looked a lot like Cole. She brushed the hair back from his forehead and brushed a kiss against his cool skin.

  “What are you doing?” Cole asked from the doorway.

  Startled, she whirled toward the sound of his voice. “I was just making sure he was settled.” She walked over to him and ran her hands up his chest.

  “Making sure he’s settled? And does that include kissing him?”

  Marin suppressed a grin as she realized that he was jealous. “It was only a sisterly kiss on the forehead. It’s not like I kissed him on the lips.”

  Cole looked down and saw the mirth in her eyes. Damn her, she was playing with him! He wondered if she had known from the first that he was jealous. No matter how much he tried to control it, the feeling kept resurfacing. Every time he saw her look at another man, touch another man, or even smile at them, he felt eaten alive with jealousy. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust her; he just wanted every man on earth to know she was his.

  He sighed. “I can’t help being jealous of you. I try not to, but it’s like my inner wolf has a mind of its own.”

  “I understand, Cole. You have nothing to worry about though. There isn’t another man out there who could ever measure up to you.”

  Pulling her into his arms, he hugged her tight. He only hoped that once they were married, once they had mated, that he would be able to control himself better around her. If not, he would eventually drive her away with his jealousy. That was the last thing he wanted to do. Life without her would be meaningless.

  “I love you, Marin. I hope that you will always remember that,” he told her quietly.

  She smiled up at him. “Of course I will. Will you always remember that I love you?”

  “You know I will.” He brushed her bangs back from face and leaned down to kiss her.

  Across the room, Michael cleared his throat. “I hate to interrupt such a touching scene, but the two of you make it really hard for anyone to sleep around here.”

  Marin turned to smile at him. “Sorry Michael. I’m afraid it’s my fault. When we got home, I came straight up to check on you. I should have left you alone when I realized you were sleeping.”

  Michael yawned. “It’s okay. You’re forgiven.”

  Cole walked to his brother’s side. “We’ll let you get some rest. Is there anything you need before we go downstairs?”

  “Some sort of Gabriel repellent would be nice, but I don’t think it’s been invented yet.”

  Cole chuckled at his twin. “I know he’s driving you crazy, but you know it’s only because he’s worried about you. He wouldn’t be a good brother if he weren’t.”

  “Yeah, yeah. I know. It would just be nice if he would stop seeing me as the family screw up,” Michael grumbled.

  Cole pondered his brother a minute. “I didn’t realize it bothered you so much. In fact, there are times when you seem to enjoy pushing him to that conclusion.”

  Michael sighed. “I think I started doing that so he wouldn’t suspect that it got to me. I wish that I could do something right, something that would make him proud. I even screwed up when I tried to protect Marin and ended up getting hospitalized.”

  “Hey! None of that nonsense! You were distracted. It could happen to any of us!”

  “Maybe.”

  Marin, having watched the conversatio
n in silence, walked over and sat on the edge of Michael’s bed. She took his hand in hers and leaned down to kiss his cheek. “I don’t think you’re a screw up. You’re brave, kind-hearted, think of others before yourself, and you obviously care about your family. I don’t see a screw up in front of me. I see a very courageous, caring man. You like to live life a little on the edge, but I suspect that it’s more of a smoke screen than anything else. For whatever reason, you don’t want us to see the man you truly are.”

  Michael visibly swallowed. Marin had seen all of that? She’d only been here a few days! He glanced at Cole to see his twin’s reaction and noticed that his brother was watching him intently. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he mumbled.

  Marin smiled. “Maybe not, but one day you’re going to find the woman who can get past your rough exterior to find the prince hiding inside. And you know what?”

  “What?” he asked, not entirely sure he wanted to hear her answer.

  “I hope I’m there to see her knock you on your ass!”

  Michael’s jaw dropped in shock. “I can’t believe you just said that!”

  Marin laughed. “Well, it’s true. Some woman is going to come along and knock you flat. You’ll never know what hit you, but it will end up being the best thing in the world for you.”

  Cole decided he’d better separate his future wife and his brother before she decided to impart any more wisdom to his rather stunned twin. “Come along, sweetheart. I think you’ve spread enough sunshine in Michael’s world for the day.”

  Marin took his hand and let him lead her from the room. She knew that she had shocked Michael, but she felt that he needed to know what he was truly worth. Even though Gabriel might say things as a jest, it

  was obvious that Michael took everything to heart. She really was looking forward to the day that a woman walked into his life. From the conversations she’d over-heard since arriving at the Victorian home, she gathered that Michael was something of a ladies’ man going from woman to woman without investing any emotions into a relationship. She wondered if it was something he’d fallen into or if it stemmed from something deeper, maybe an old hurt or rejection.