Chapter 2

Randal - Chapter 2

Randal was just putting the last few entries in his January school newsletter when he realized how late it was. He was supposed to be at his parents' house in an hour, and he still had to shovel off the driveway and drive over. Walking sounded good—he didn't have to go anywhere else afterwards—and he decided that he'd be better off leaving now rather than later.

Going to his deck, he saw them before they noticed him. Laney had grown up in a very hot place, while her sister had been in Ohio her entire life. He could see the difference in the way they were dressed, how much one of them was prepared for it and the other was clueless. He whistled loudly, getting both their attention before Heather waved at him and started toward his home. Laney seemed to be torn over whether to come or go.

"I have a fire in the fireplace, and can have hot cocoa and cookies ready before you get here." That decided her and she came at him. When she fell the third time, having no idea how to walk in the snow, he made his way toward her. "Come on, darling. Let me help you."

"Aren't you cold?" Her teeth were chattering now and her fingers were ice cold. "This is the worst weather I've ever had the misfortune of being in. I hate the cold."

"This is nothing. Wait until January when it really snows." She stopped walking and he laughed. "You'll get used to it, I think. Heather and I have built several snowmen over the last couple of weeks."

"Why are you here?" He said that he lived here. "No, I mean, on this property. I thought your dad said it belonged to him."

"No, I have a few hundred acres, as well as a pond in the back that is perfect for skating on this time of year. And swimming, I guess, in the summer. I've not lived here that long yet." She asked him if he was serious. "Yes. I got the house from Chloe when she settled up her dad's estate a few weeks back. I'd been working on it, but had someone come in and finish things up for me before you arrived."

They were on the deck now, and he helped brush the snow off her. Heather was inside, no doubt asking Wally for seconds by now. When they entered the house, he noticed that not only was there a fire in the hearth, but also a warm looking blanket on the couch. He helped Laney to it and covered her up.

"You should take off your boots." She told him she was sorry for tracking snow in. "No, that's fine, but you'll warm up faster if you take them off. They're wet through."

"I didn't have any idea what sort of weather there was out here. I mean, I knew it was cold and all, but not this much snow. I've been skiing, once, but it was manmade snow, not this kind." Randal pulled off her boots and set them by the fireplace. He knew that they'd be dry in no time; the magic of the house would take care of them both now. "Did you really have hot cocoa, or were you just trying to entice me into the house?"

"Both. And Wally is good at reading your mind." She only stared at him when the man himself came into the room with a tray containing not only a pitcher of cocoa, but also a plate of cookies and scones. Heather was close behind him.

"I like your house now, Mr. Randal. It's way better than it was last week. Did you call someone in to help you?" He smiled and winked at Heather. "You should have seen this place before, Aunt Laney. He had like a million projects going at one time. And they were never going to get done."

"Heather, that's not nice." She laughed and told her sister that was what he'd said. "Not the handyman type, are you?"

"No, not really. I would rather pay someone to come in and do the work rather than try and figure it out on my own. I could, I guess. I worked with my grandda when I was in college as he renovated a lot of homes in the pack. But it wasn't something that I ever enjoyed."

"What did my sister mean when she said that this house looked better? The reason I ask is, I've been staying with your brother and sister-in-law, and their rooms move." Randal told her that they all did. "I see. And this thing that it does…I'm guessing that it's not anything you do?"

"Yes and no." Heather asked if she could have a snack and Wally said he'd make sure that she ate a good one. When she left the two of them alone and followed who she only assumed was Wally the mind reader, Randal moved to sit on the couch with her. "The house finds what you like by searching your mind, and makes the adjustment to suit it. Enlarging the room, should you need it. Even the furniture could be made more accommodating. Like this couch. When I came in here today, there wasn't a nice new couch here, it was ratty and old. You liked this couch better, and the house provided it."

"You expect me to believe that?" He just shrugged at her. "I don't, and I don't think it's very nice of you to say something like that."

"Ah, I see." Laney asked him what it was he thought he saw. "You had this room in mind, and are now pissed that it looks like what you imagined. I'm guessing you think I did this somehow."

"No. Yes. I don't know." She put her hand over her eyes and sat there. The room took on another change and he laughed. When she looked around, he waited for her to say something. But all she did was stare at the mantel over the fireplace. "That wasn't there before."

"Yes, I'm aware of that." He got up and pulled the pottery vase off the mantel and looked at it. "This is very beautiful. And I think you should have more thoughts like this. I love this room."

"You can't be serious." He sat back down after putting the vase back. "That same vase is at my apartment. I don't know what's going on."

"I told you." He felt the touch of magic and knew who it was. Myra said she'd be by to meet his mate, so he looked at Laney. "There is a friend of the family that will be here shortly. I'm only telling you this because she can be blunt and outlandish. I love her to pieces, and she's the one that helped me with the magic of getting the house ready for you."

"Why me?" Myra came into the room. Not walked, though he wished that she had, but just appeared. Laney gave a short scream, but didn't run like he might have seeing Myra dressed as she was today. "That is quite the outfit. Where are on earth did you get that? I'm assuming that you paid money for it?"

"Never. My goodness, you're more beautiful than I thought you'd be." As she was sitting down, her purple outfit became less colorful but no less bizarre. The paisley that she wore right now reminded him of another of her outfits that she'd had on, and he laughed a little. "I love color. And someone, I won't name who it was, pointed out that my color matched my mood. I have since given it a great deal of thought, and decided that I was going to be more of a challenge in making people aware of me when I enter a room. But I make them magically, I don't buy them. How are you enjoying your stay, Laney?"

"I'm not sure yet. It's very cold here, and I have a feeling that when I go back to Vegas, it's going to seem three times hotter." Myra looked at him and so did Laney. "Did I miss something here?"

"You've not told her then?" Randal shook his head and explained that he'd not wanted her to be upset. "She is now."

"Yes, I thank you for that." Laney looked at him and asked him what was going on. "I'm your mate, your other half."

"No." She stood up and he did as well. "I knew there was a trick to me coming out here. No one is that generous with their plane and shit. When can I go? Your brother assured me that I'd be able to leave as soon as I wanted. And don't even think about begging me to stay here. I have nothing here I want but my sister."

"You can go now, if you'd like. I can have the jet ready whenever you're ready." She nodded and he watched her. "But, you should know that I'm going with you. I'm not going to beg you to stay, I'd never do that. But where you go, I will."

She looked at Myra then back at him. Randal thought that she was holding onto her temper very well. He might have exploded by now. But instead of saying anything else to upset her, he asked her to have a seat and let Myra explain a few things.

"I don't need anyone explaining to me what a mate means. I'm not stupid." Randal told her that he didn't believe that she was. "And I'm not going to be your bedmate, nor am I going to be at your beck and call."

"I should hope not." She looked at him, confused. "If you'd just have a seat, I'm sure that Myra can explain a great deal to you. I asked her to look into a few things for me, and she might have some information that we can use. Please?"

He was sure she was going to bolt. Randal wasn't worried that he'd not be able to go with her, but he didn't want to leave. He had a good job, a nice house now, and his family was here. But she was his world now, and he wasn't going to be without her. When she finally sat down he did as well, but at a distance. Spooking her was the last thing he wanted to do.

"Very well, I'm Myra. I have no last name. I never cared for adopting one, so I didn't. I'm the second hand to the queen White Witch. Her name is Chris Bentley. Such a lovely young woman, and so full of magic that it—" Randal cleared his throat. "Yes. I'm sorry. I get sidetracked sometimes. Anyway, your parents. I've had a faerie and a brownie watching over them for the last few days. My goodness, they are a pair, aren't they?"

"You have no idea. What sort of things have they been doing? I'm aware that they know of my sister's death." Myra said that they'd been made aware the day that it happened. "And how are they taking it? I'm assuming that they're coming here for some reason."

"Yes, to take the child. They have been taking a great deal of funds from the community that they live in. I don't mean that things have been donated to them and that's how they got them, but they've been stealing things too. I would imagine, as good as they've become at it, that they've been doing it for some time." Laney said ever since they'd been married. "Yes, well that explains a great deal. I hope you don't mind, my dear, but I've slowed them down a bit. A little magic here and there and it'll take them a little longer than they had hoped to come to this town. Nothing to harm them, though I think they might deserve it, but just a flat tire and a little engine trouble. That's all."

"Why are you doing this for me? Or is it for him?" She nodded at him and he thought of how much he liked her having all the information up front like this. It was better for them all. When she glared at him again, he laughed. "I'm not sure I like you at the moment, so back off."

"You like me, admit it." She glared and he laughed harder. "You're very adorable when you're pissed off. Did you—? Fuck, that hurt."

She'd pinched him. And hard. He'd bet anything that he'd have a bruise on his belly in a few minutes. But in an hour, less probably, it would be gone. Still, she had spunk…that was all he could think about.

"I've also come to tell you, so that you're not left in the dark, as to what you've gained by being Randal's mate." Laney said that she wasn't. "But you are. And as such, you have gained a great deal of magic. So has your sister, Heather. She will need it, I'm afraid, as will you. You are both immortal."

~*~

Laney knew that she should be packing. Or something. But she just couldn't get her head into it. The words, some of them as nutty as the woman seemed to be, kept circling around in her head like an embroidery hoop. Not that she sewed that much, but Laney did know what that was.

Heather came in to sit with her. "You okay?" She said that she was thinking. "Are you mad at me? I didn't want to go into their room, but I was very hungry and Dad had all the money in his pants."

She'd been told by Sterl that Heather had lived with her dead sister and brother-in-law for a long time. And that she'd taken money from Clay's wallet to buy some food. It broke her heart to know what she'd gone through. And she also knew there was going to be more to come with her dad and stepmother coming, but they'd deal with them when they arrived.

"No, I could never be mad at you, Heather. Why would you think that?" She shrugged, a habit that Laney figured out she did when she was afraid someone might not like her answer. "I have to tell you a few things. I don't know if you'll understand them or not, but you need to be aware of them."

"You mean that you're not my aunt? I know that, silly." Laney asked her who had told her, thinking that it had to be one of the Calhouns. "Mom did. Well, she's my sister too. She told me. But she told me to never tell anyone. She said that my check would go away. I don't know what that means, but she never told me a secret before."

"I would imagine that she had a lot of secrets. And I'm sorry that you were so hungry." She said it was all right. She wasn't hungry any more. "Yes. When we go back to my place, I'll make sure you have lots to eat too."

"Are we going to pack up your things to come back?" Laney told her that they'd not be coming back. "But why? I like it here. I have my friends and my school. I can't go out there with you. What will I do with my stuff?"

"Honey, I don't live here. I have a job and everything out west. You'll love it out there. It never snows and it's always warm. We have a pool too that you can use." She said that there was one here for her. "Yes, but I don't live here. Don't you see? We have to go back there. I have a life there, and you're going to be a part of it."

"I don't want to be a part of it if I have to move. I don't like you." It cut her deeply to have her sister say that, but when someone told her to stop that, they both looked at the doorway. "She said that I have to move out there with her."

Randal looked at her and she could see that he was upset. At her or her sister, she wasn't sure, but she lifted her chin to show him that she didn't care. For some reason, she felt like a fool in front of him, and she hurt too.

"Is that the way we treat someone, Heather? Do we tell tales about how we feel about them just because something doesn't go our way?" She bowed her head and spoke, but Randal wasn't having any of it. "Look at me when I'm addressing you. You hurt your sister. How would you feel if my mom or my dad said that to you?"

She looked at Randal with something Laney had never seen on her face before…respect and love. Things that Heather had never had for her since she'd been there. Heather tolerated her, but she didn't look at her as she did this man.

"They love me." Randal told Heather that Laney did as well. "Then why is she making me go away from here? I love the snow and the pool. I have food all the time here, and someone that hugs me. I never got to hug anyone but you when my mom was here. Now she wants to take it all from me. ‘Cause she's got a life out there."

"What do you think would have happened to you should your mother and father be here with you?" She bowed her head again, but lifted it when he asked her again. "Do you think that they'd be making sure you had food in your belly? That you had a warm bed when you went to sleep? How about a coat or a Christmas tree? Do you think that they would have given you those things?"

"No. They didn't like me." Laney started to tell her sister that they loved her, but she didn't when Randal asked her if she thought her sister loved her. "Yes. She does. But I still don't want to move."

"Perhaps you don't. But you have to have someone caring for you that loves you. And I'm sure that your sister will provide those things and more for you if you have to go. Now, I have to talk to your sister. Wally said that he could use your help with dinner." Heather looked at her then back at Randal. "Do you have anything to say?"

"Yes. I'm sorry, Laney. I know that I hurt your feelings, but that don't mean I want to move. I like the snow and my friends. And I can't catch the bus if you take me way far away."

She skipped out of the room and Laney sat down. She wanted to cry, to sob like a little baby herself, but she knew from past experience that tears were as useless as her stepmother had been. So when strong hands pulled her from the couch and into an equally sturdy chest, she went willingly and held onto Randal like a lifeline she'd never had before.

"She hates me." He said that she didn't, but a lot had happened to her. "Yes, well, me too. I've been uprooted. Brought here to six feet of snow in a hundred degrees below zero winter. I have no boots or a decent coat, and I have my family coming out here to make trouble for us. Oh, and I'm an immortal that has all kinds of magic that will be helpful, but for what, I have no idea."

"Yes, you have. And there are other things too that you didn't list. You have a family here, not just mine but a great many others, who will drop everything to come to your aid. And have, by the way, to make this better for your sister. Also, there is a lot to be said for a hundred below zero weather. It's very good snuggling weather. But, most importantly, did venting make you better? I mean, do you feel better now?" She looked up at him. "The reason I ask is, I think you need a nap. Kids get cranky when they need a nap."

"I'm not a child." He said nothing, but she felt like one in that moment. "I'm whining. I don't usually whine at all, but as you pointed out, it's been a hell of a week for us."

"I have some news that's not going to help you with your whiney behavior. Your parents will be here the day after Christmas. I know you have to return to your home, but I'd rather you dealt with them here, while there is family around. If you would rather leave and go out there and not have the support you need, then we'd go too. Just to keep you safe. They're not going to be thrilled about you taking Heather away from them." She asked him if he knew what they were planning. When he didn't answer, she looked up at him and asked again. "If you're asking me if they want Heather because they love her, then no, that's not the plan. Rosemarie thinks to take her back with them, get more support from the state, and then kill her. Not violently, she is thinking, but she doesn't want to raise her any more now than when she was born."

"I can't let them take her. They'll…Heather is all I have left in this world." He let her go when she pulled away, and she felt like a cold blanket had been laid over her. Shivering, she went to stand in front of the fireplace. "I don't have a leg to stand on, do I?"

"No. I'm sorry, but my sister-in-law found a will that names your stepmother as guardian of Heather. And I've had my brother Tanner—he's an attorney—looking into a few things, and he said that with your lifestyle, living alone in a gambling town, you'll not get her either. Your parents will be arrested but not right away, and that means that they'll not be able to take her anyway. Like I said, the Feds and Chloe want something that will stick so they spend time in prison. But I'm afraid that you will be turned down as well." She pointed out that she was her sister. "Yes, a sister that she's not seen very often. And even though I can understand the reasoning behind it, they'll wonder why you didn't offer support to her when she needed it."

"That isn't right." He nodded and sat when she did. "What do I have to do? Just leave here now? Without her?"

"I have a plan, but you're not going to like it." She nodded and asked him what it was. "Marry me. I know that you think this is a trick, but hear me out. My name means something. Not just here, but all over the state. My brothers are upstanding men, Trent is the pack leader, and four of them are married with families of their own. My grandparents as well as my parents are here for support, and Heather is a student of mine. I know her well, and I'm well thought of in our district, as I said."

Her first instinct was to tell him no, hell no, but she wasn't one to jump in with both feet and have herself drown. And right now, she was drowning. Her sister might not know her as well as she'd like, but letting her go with her mom was going to be the worst thing that ever happened to either of them. Getting up to pace, she thought of all the things that marrying this man would mean for them. Not just her and him, but for Heather as well.

"Tell me why again they're going to be put in jail." He told her things that she didn't know, as well as a couple that she was aware of. "And this Social Security scam, that's not enough to get them into trouble? It seems to me that that's a no brainer."

"Rosemarie could always say that she had no idea that Sally Anne had applied for her a card too, nor that she knew she was going to claim her." Laney said they'd have that kind of story if it came out. "Yes. And without Sally Anne around to naysay her plan, then she'd get off. Not entirely, but enough that she'd only be fined and not put in prison."

"What about my dad? Lance Price was never a man that was in trouble until he married Rosemarie Prichard. He was a good man; not a great father, but a good man." Randal didn't say anything. She knew that he had more bad news, and she wasn't sure she could take much more. "Would you like to go out to dinner? With me? I know that it's off the wall, but I really need to do something fun. Just for tonight."

"Sure. I'd love that. I have a few more gifts to pick up anyway. The day after tomorrow is Christmas. Do you need to do any shopping?" She did. Since it had only been her a few days ago, she'd not bought a single thing, not even a tree. "All right. There is something in the magic that I think you can benefit from. You can dress yourself. What I mean is, think of something you'd like to wear and it'll be there."

A plethora of things ran through her mind, and she had to stop and think of things that she could wear out. For some reason the thought of a sexy little nighty with barely any covering came to mind over and over. Laney was afraid that she knew why…this man was too sexy for his own good, and she wanted a piece of him. A huge hunk of him, as a matter of fact.

When she was dressed in warm clothing—boots, gloves, and a hat—she felt better. Warmer too. As they made their way out to his Jeep, she thought of what she'd be doing right now. Wally said that he'd enjoy having the little miss around. He had some projects for her to take care of with him. Plus the thought of not walking around in the snow to do shopping seemed sort of depressing. Laney was smiling when Randal started the car up and they took off. She might enjoy the snow too.