5. Lucy

"This is more like a resort than a house," Lucy said, looking around. They stood in the middle of the parlor.

A huge fireplace was on one wall. The furniture looked as though it was brand new. There were vases and other antiques showcased in the room that Lucy was sure cost more than her car back home.

They stepped back into the great room and she couldn't help but stare at the grand staircase. "I always dreamed of having a staircase like that. It is the perfect setting for every romance and mystery novel in the history of literature."

"It is pretty spectacular, although there is one even more spectacular. Have you heard of the spiral staircase in the Loretto Chapel?" Michelle asked.

"No," Lucy said. "What is it?"

"According to the legend, the nuns needed a way to get to the choir loft, but the stairway couldn't interfere with the seating of the church. Every carpenter they called in said that it couldn't be done. The nuns prayed to St. Joseph, who is the patron saint of carpenters. The lore says that on the ninth and last day of their prayers, a man showed up on a donkey with his toolbox. He needed a job. They hired him and he created an elegant circular staircase and then just disappeared."

"Disappeared?"

"Yeah. The nuns never got a chance to thank the man or to pay him. They tried to find him but couldn't. Some believe that it was St. Joseph who answered their prayers."

"That's pretty awesome," Lucy said.

"But that's not all. The staircase has two three hundred and sixty degrees turns. What baffles everyone is that there is no support for the staircase. On top of that, is that the carpenter didn't use any nails."

"No nails? What did he use?"

"Wooden pegs," Michelle said.

"I would love to see it," Lucy said. "It sounds breathtaking."

"It is. It isn't far. It's in Santa Fe, which isn't far from here."

"I'll definitely have to rent a car and go see it," Lucy said.

"Depending on what's going on, I might go with you. I've been at least twenty times, but I can never get enough. There is just something so spiritual about the place that I feel completely at peace and as though everything is right with the world."

"I could use that," Lucy said. "And I would love your company."

She grinned.

"Micah said that you guys were the caretakers of his property, but he acted like you were close family."

"That is how we feel about him. We couldn't love him more if he was our natural-born son. Ronnie and I have worked for the family since Micah was a baby. When Micah built this place, we decided to move with him. His father, Gavin, is a… Well, he isn't always a pleasant man."

Lucy smiled and nodded. She understood what Michelle was trying to tell her without bashing Gavin.

"Micah's mother, Rose, is a saint. Ronnie and I have talked about it, and neither of us can figure out how she has managed to stay with Gavin all these years. We figured that once the kids were grown, she'd leave, but she didn't," Michelle said. "If it was me, I would have poked him in the nose and walked out a long time ago."

"I guess some people mean forever and, for better and for worse, when they say it," Lucy said. "Although I firmly believe that there should be limitations to that particular contract."

"You and me both," Michelle agreed, enthusiastically. "Follow me. Micah said that you were writing a book. I think I know a spot you'll love to write in."

Lucy and Michelle walked through a colorful flower garden to a gazebo that sat next to a stream. The gazebo had flowering vines covering it. Several bird feeders hung in the trees. Hummingbirds buzzed around and there must have been a hundred butterflies settling on the bright petals.

"This is pure heaven," Lucy said, looking around in wonder.

She stepped into the gazebo. The seats were fully cushioned and there was a tray that she could pull out and use as a table.

"You know where to find me," Lucy said. "It's inspirational and a great place to meditate."

Michelle grinned widely. "I come here a lot to read or just to take a couple of minutes to relax. It's my favorite place on the estate."

"I can see why," Lucy said.

"You can hang out here later. Come with me. You have to meet Vera."

Lucy dutifully followed Michelle back into the house, looking over her shoulder at the gorgeous site behind her.

Vera was a very tall woman with bright red curly hair and sparkling green eyes that almost guaranteed that she was up to some kind of mischief.

She pulled Lucy into a hug as soon as she laid eyes on her. "I'm so excited that you're here. I'm going to love having someone else to cook for. You'll have to tell me all the dishes that you love. If I don't know how to make them, I'll find out."

"If you can make Mexican tamales, banana nut bread, and pumpkin pie, I'll be in heaven," Lucy said.

"Heaven coming your way," Vera said. "When you start having cravings, I'll make sure and make those, too – within reason."

"What do you mean?" Lucy asked, cocking her head to one side.

"I've heard that some women crave things like glass, paint, and dirt," Vera said.

"I'm pretty sure that my cravings won't be anything strange like that." Lucy laughed. "But if they are, you can tie me down to the chair and force feed me dill pickles dipped in strawberry ice cream."

Michelle and Vera laughed.

Lucy yawned and rubbed her eyes. "It's been a long day, already. Would you mind if I laid down for a while?"

"Of course not," Michelle said. "Do you remember where your room is?"

Lucy laughed. "This place is like a labyrinth. If you could show me once more, I would appreciate it. Vera, it was very good to meet you. I suspect that we'll have a lot of fun together."

"Absolutely, Kiddo."

Michelle showed her how to get from the kitchen to the staircase. "Take a left at the top of the stairs. Your room is the third door on the right."

"Thanks," Lucy said, giving the woman an impromptu hug.

Michelle hugged her back.

Lucy looked around her suite and then sank onto the bed with a heavy sigh. She called her mom.

"I think that I must be asleep," Lucy said. "This place is some kind of fairyland."

Lucy described everything in detail, including the gazebo.

"It does sound like a palace from a childhood fairytale," Sophia said. "But how are you doing?"

"I'm okay. I had the first treatments today. I go into the clinic every day," Lucy said.

"What about the conception method?" Sophia asked.

"Well, I'm not going to lie. I'm a little nervous. I think it will be okay, though. Who knows, I might even like it and decide to make my career as a high-end call girl."

Her mother sucked in a huge breath and said, "Lucy Sawyers. I can't believe you."

Lucy laughed. "I'm just kidding, Mom, although they do make a lot of money."

"Don't even joke about things like that. You'll give me a heart attack."

"Poor Mom. I know all of this has been hard on you."

"I do miss you and worry about you. I'm still not sure about this decision, but you know that your father and I will support you and have your back no matter what."

"Thank you, Mom. I love and miss you."

Lucy stared at the ceiling for a few minutes, wondering again if she'd made the right decision. It's too late to change my mind now.

She was shocked when a knock on the door woke her up. Lucy didn't know that she had fallen into a dreamless sleep.

"Honey, it'll be time for dinner in ten minutes," Michelle announced.

"I only brought a few outfits with me. What am I supposed to wear to dinner?" Lucy asked, hoping it wasn't anything formal.

Michelle was silent for a second before she answered. "Clothes."

"I kind of figured, but casual, formal, or something in between?"

"Casual. Most of the time Micah comes to dinner in sweats and a T-shirt," Michelle said. "Come as you are dressed now."

Lucy looked down at her Wicked T-shirt and jeans and shrugged. She trusted Michelle not to steer her wrong. After washing her face and hands, she managed to find the dining room. Lucy was happy to see Micah in a Toby Keith T-shirt and jeans. She somehow figured him to be the kind of person who thought that dress slacks and a collared shirt were dressing down.

"Michelle said that she introduced you to her favorite spot on the grounds," Micah said.

"Yep. It's my new favorite spot in the world," Lucy told him.

"I'm rather fond of it, myself. I go there when I need to think," Micah said.

Michelle, Ronnie, Vera, Micah, and Lucy sat down together to eat.

"Vera, there is enough food here to feed an army," Lucy said.

"You haven't seen Micah and Ronnie eat," she said, wryly. "The two of them can put away more food than a dozen men."

They talked about music during dinner. Lucy was shocked when Micah told her that he liked to listen to John Williams' compositions while he was working. John Williams composed the music for many movies, including Harry Potter,Superman, E.T., Star Wars, and many others.

"I like country when I'm working. I'll sing right along with them," Micah said.

Lucy giggled because she just couldn't picture him doing that.

Ronnie proposed a couple games of Spades after dinner. Vera excused herself because she had a new book she wanted to read. Lucy and Michelle paired up against the two men. They teased each other while they played. They called it quits after each team won one game.

Lucy hugged Ronnie and Michelle. Micah walked her to her room, brushing a kiss across her cheek. She looked at him, surprised. A sexy grin spread across his face, and Lucy's heart nearly stopped. She bit her bottom lip, and she felt a heated flush in her cheeks. Lucy quickly stepped into her room.

A million thoughts exploded in her brain. He was hot. Micah was very nice and charming. His casual touch caused butterflies to explode in her stomach.

You're only going to be here for six to eight months. Don't even think about falling in love with the man. Plus, you might be on the rebound.

Lucy brought out a small journal and her favorite pen and wrote about her day, including her thoughts and emotions. She wanted to capture her journey as a surrogate. It might be a fascinating book someday – published under a pen name, of course.

"I'm going to gain a hundred pounds just from your cooking," Lucy told Vera the next morning over breakfast. "I'll look like I'm carrying ten babies at once."

"I'm glad you like it," she said, smiling at the compliment.

The treatments went quickly, and the doctor said that she was fine to shift and get some exercise.

"I've been wanting to do that since I got to the human world. I just didn't know where it was safe. I don't want to shock the folks around here by suddenly stripping naked and turning into a bear." She laughed. "Plus, I couldn't drive my car through the portal, and I'm not so sure about telling an Uber driver to take me to the local shifting spot."

"I doubt that Sean would appreciate a car appearing in his basement." Micah laughed. "As for the Uber driver, there are a lot of shifters in the area. He might not even blink."

Lucy had seen a lot of men naked since clothes were optional in the shifter world. She was not prepared for the jolt in her heart when Micah got undressed. His body was perfectly sculpted as though he had been created by a master artist.

"Do you like what you see?" he asked, with an ear-to-ear grin.

"What? Oh." Lucy was sure that she was blushing from head to foot.

She quickly undressed, folded her clothes, put them in the plastic bag, and stashed the bag in the crook of the tree with Micah's. For the first time in her life, she felt very self-conscious and it was an effort not to cross her arms over her breasts and put a hand to cover the area between her legs.

Taking a deep breath she quickly shifted. Micah seemed to be taking his time to shift, knowing he had her full attention.

They trotted up the forested mountain. Lucy was at ease, as though she had known Micah forever. There was so much about him that she liked. He didn't act like a stuck-up billionaire. He was down-to-earth and incredibly nice. Who would have thought that a man with enough money to buy the state would be happy hanging out with his so-called hired help and the woman who was going to be his surrogate and play Spades all night long?

"Do you want to race?" Micah asked, telepathically.

"You know that a wolf can outrun a bear," Lucy said. "Not a fair race unless we tied your back legs together."

"I don't see that happening." He laughed.

He had to get some work done after they went back to the mansion and showered. Lucy walked out to the gazebo to work on her book. She stared at her computer screen, but the words blurred. She kept seeing Micah's naked body and felt the heat rising in her body.

Lucy never felt this kind of heat for Leo. The ache inside of her that desired Micah's touch had never existed before.

She closed her eyes and imagined what it would feel like if he kissed her. His scent of sandalwood and his essence flooded her body as tiny flames flickered to life. Lucy could almost feel their bodies pressed together as their arms and legs wrapped around each other.

Her heart thundered in her chest and she panted a little as she imagined exploring him with her mouth, tasting him.

Then, the image of his long, thick shaft popped into her mind. It hadn't been hard but it was huge. How was that thing going to fit inside of her?

Staring off into space, Lucy thought that it was interesting that she was intrigued by the idea of having sex with him. She was just scared about the process of having sex for the first time.