Joey: The Whitfield Rancher – Tiger Shapeshifter Romance Page 5

  May was sure she had too. Not only had Autumn kept the house cleaned up, and the yard mowed when necessary, but she also made sure the neighbors had nice yards. Their driveways were plowed in the winter months. Even their flowers were neatly planted and happy looking.

  After lunch, where she’d been able to con one of them into paying her check, she went to the bathroom and looked at herself in the mirror. Fighting age was difficult, she thought. Forever having to make sure no gray hairs were present, that wrinkles didn’t mar her skin. Something else she’d hated Autumn for was her perfect self. She’d never had acne when she was a teenager. Autumn had stayed slim her entire life, well into adulthood. No matter what she ate, May had to work out to remove the unwanted fat. Autumn’s hair, a wonderful shade of deep red, had never looked out of sorts. Even when she was awakened in the morning, her hair looked just as pretty as it had when she fell asleep.

  Autumn had had good grades in school, too, good enough to have gotten a full scholarship to any college she wanted to go to. She did, too, going to college and graduating at the top of her class like she had in high school. There was nothing flawed about their sister. She was fucking perfect in every conceivable way.

  When they were on their way to the house, May was hurt the others hadn’t gone with her—just January, February, and July. June didn’t want anything to do with any of it. September was too busy having enough children to put the world in crisis.

  May looked in her mirror when July told her she’d missed the turnoff. “I did not. I know where to turn. Where the house is sitting out by the road.” July told her she’d missed it according to her phone, and she should turn around. “I’ll turn around when I’m damned good and ready.”

  That was another thing her husband said—she had a closed mind. If she had closed her mouth as much as she did her mind to new things, they might well have gotten along better. As it was, he didn’t want to have to debate every little thing he told her. Now here she was doing it again with her sisters.

  After another fifteen minutes of driving, she did turn around, but she refused to believe she’d done anything wrong. The pull off where the house should have been was nothing but weeds as if nothing had been there in decades rather than just a few days ago. The house, a tiny little thing that was really falling down, wasn’t anywhere to be seen. Each of them got out and walked to where the pathway had been their entire lives.

  “Well, this is where it’s supposed to be.” Not only did they kick around the grass, looking for any kind of clue as to what happened, May drove to the neighbor’s home and asked her where the house had gone. “My sister was very ill, and now I can’t find her home. Surely nothing happened to it. Did it?”

  May hoped not. It was going to have to house her until she got her husband to take her back. Or failing that, she needed to find herself another man with money. May swore she’d be better with money this time. She’d only buy things on sale. No more buying just to be buying.

  “You mean that little house Autumn lived in? I don’t know. I’ve not thought about it being gone. I do know some young man came by to tell me he and Autumn were moving to his home. I didn’t think to ask her where she’d be going. Nice young man too. I hope she’s happy. After you six, I’m sure she deserves it.” May asked her what that was supposed to mean. “You know just what I’m talking about, young lady. Ross, he told me all about how you treated that little sister of yours. To think the seven of you came from the same genes. Never a nicer neighbor I’ve ever had. If she’s happy, then you should just leave her alone. You got no reason to be bothering her anymore.”

  “I have plenty of reasons. If she or Uncle Ross badmouthed us, then she’s going to tell you the truth.” The woman, older than she was, told her she knew the truth as much as May did. “I haven’t any idea what you’re going on about. I only came here to check on the whereabouts of my sister. She’s ill, you know.”

  The woman laughed. “So not only have you lost your sister’s home, but her too. My goodness, you’re not having a very productive day, now are you?”

  She was still cackling as she went back into her home. The smell of berry pies or something came through the open window when the door opened to allow the old woman into her home. May’s mind was flooded with memories of the same smells coming from her own home as a child. Autumn again. She’d say she got them some berries for pie or something. May could remember eating more than her share simply so Autumn couldn’t have any. The stupid girl never said a word to her about it either.

  As they drove back to town and to the police station, she thought of all the stupid things Autumn had done. She never told on any of them when they were mean to her or hurt her. Mostly it was her and January, but they never got into trouble. After a while, it wasn’t as much fun as it used to be at the beginning. It was because when Autumn told on them, she was the one that got punished, not them. When she kept her mouth shut, Mom and Dad would still punish her, but not because of them. It got to be boring watching her baby sister being treated as she’d been. And Autumn did get punished.

  Almost as if she’d read her mind, July spoke up about the worst punishment Autumn had gotten. “You remember when Mom looked up how to make paint stripper? Did you know she was going to force it down Autumn’s throat?” May said she’d helped make it. “I didn’t ask you if you made it, May. I asked if you knew then that Mom was going to pour it down her throat? To make her drink it?”

  “No. I didn’t know.” That had been horrific. Watching her drink down the liquid only to puke it back up. The more she puked it up, the more Mom would pour down her throat until she was throwing up nothing but blood. “I thought she was finally going to paint our bedroom. I don’t remember what Autumn did to deserve that. I’m sure if I think on it, I’ll—”

  “She didn’t do anything. She never had to do anything to be hurt like that. But making her drink that shit. That has haunted me. Not all the time, but when I’d think of her. Autumn, she wasn’t a bad kid. Just different than us.” May didn’t have a single answer to her sister’s comment. “Autumn never lived with us after that. I mean, she was in the hospital for a very long time, but she never came home. Did she?”

  “No. Not even at the holidays.” There hadn’t been any stopping of Mom and Dad, however. They just centered their meanness on the town they’d lived in. Never any of them. Never their children. The town suffered badly after Autumn left home. “Do you remember how old she was? She might have been like ten or something if I remember.”

  “When Mom poisoned her? I have to think on it.” If she ever remembered, July didn’t tell her. Mom had forever tried to kill off Autumn. Not just with the poisons, but with knives and an axe once. May remembered a time when their dad had tied a noose around Autumn’s neck and tried dragging her through the fields. She never complained to any of them. Not, now that she thought about it, that it would have done her any good. Her sisters didn’t like her simply because their parents didn’t.

  The police station house was busy. Shift change, May thought. Going inside, the police snickered, and she looked around to see what they thought was so funny. May could use a good laugh about now. But instead, she found them all looking at her.

  “What are you laughing about?” None of them would look at her then. Going up to the desk, she asked the man there if she could talk to an officer. “I need to know where my sister is.”

  “Gone.” She asked the man where she’d gone. “She didn’t tell me. She and a man came in yesterday and said she was going to go live with him. Also, she mentioned she was getting married. Never seen her so happy before. Why don’t you just leave her alone? She’s not bothering any of you.”

  “In the event it might have slipped your mind, my sister is very ill. This man, for all you know, could be swindling her out of her money.” The man laughed and said he doubted he would need anything to do with her money. “Oh? And you know this how? Is she marrying some rich bastard that will supply her with all kinds of things? Get real. No one wants to take on an ill person like she is.”

  “She didn’t look ill when she was here, to be honest with you, May. She looked healthy as I’ve ever seen her. Happy too, like I said.” May didn’t want to hear about her health or the man she was supposed to be marrying. He was going to be a deadbeat, she just knew it. “What else can I help you with?”

  “Who tore down the house?” The officer, she didn’t know his name, asked her what she meant. “The house. It’s not there. I was going to stay in it while she was gone. Now I can’t seem to find it. What happened that it had to be torn down?”

  “Well, now, if I have all my information right, her future husband, he said he was going to take care of it. Said Autumn didn’t want any squatters in her uncle’s house. You have her permission to be living there, May? I’m thinking not, or she would have mentioned that to me as well.” She asked him if he’d just called her a squatter. “I guess I did. You just go on back to wherever it is you came from. You and those sisters of yours. I’m warning you right now, May, none of you want to mess with that man she’s hitching herself up to. Or any of his family for that matter.”

  “Oh? And why is that? Is he something special? The president or something? Perhaps he’s not quite that good, but the governor or something?” The man just laughed. “Well, what is it that makes him so special?”

  “One of his uncles was the president for a while. I believe he served several terms too. Adrian Whitfield was his name. Uncle to Joey, the man your sister is marrying. Also, as for governor? Well, I think a few of them have been in the position too. I know Joey’s grandda was the mayor for a while. I think he’s retired by now. One of his other grandkids is doing the job, I think.” Whitfield? She was marrying a Whitfield? May had to sit down and realized she might have missed something the man was telling her. He was fanning her now with a file that had been on his desk. She only just noticed it had her name on it. Snatching it from him, she opened it up and saw her picture there. “Your husband, I’m sure you’re aware he’s changed the locks on the house and that you’re not welcome there anymore. I think he’s also planning to divorce you. Serves you right for being the bitch you’ve been.”

  If there was more, she didn’t hear it. Staggering her way back out to her car, it took her several tries to get into it. Once she was inside, she could only sit there. Starting her car seemed to be impossible. May didn’t know where to start. Looking around, hoping to have one of the others go inside and verify what she’d only just heard, she realized they’d left her. May was alone in the car.

  Laying her head on the steering wheel, May realized two things. Her sister was marrying into the richest family in the world. Secondly, they would protect her with their lives. The Whitfields were, just as the officer told her, not people to fuck with. How was she ever going to get a place to live now that her sister was off limits to her?

  ~~~

  Joey wasn’t sure what to do with himself. He knew where he’d been sleeping when he stayed all night with his grandpa, but with Autumn in the house, he hadn’t any clue what she wanted. Sitting in the office, the one he’d sat at millions of times when he’d come here, Joey looked around.

  The books on the shelves had all been read by him. At first, Grandpa had read them to him, then after a little while, he’d read them back to him. Grandpa Oliver had been there helping him learn as well. Since he’d not been very good around people, the two men homeschooled him until he could take college classes online and graduate from there. Thanks to the old men, he not only had a better education than most people his age, but he also had a well rounded view of businesses and stock markets.

  When Autumn joined him, he asked her if she was getting things squared away all right.

  “I am. Your mom told me you’ve taken over running your grandparents’ businesses. That you were a whiz at investments and such. I was wondering if you’d like to take over our gem business.” He asked her if she was sure. “Yes. I trust you if that’s what you meant.”

  “No. I mean, I’m happy you trust me, but do you want me to have a hand in your family’s company?” She frowned at him. “Come here. I want to show you something.”

  The computer was forever on, but waking it up took a few seconds. When she sat on his lap, it was all he could do not to beg her to take him. To tell her she was in a dangerous spot if she didn’t want to make love with him.

  “The program I use for investments is older than this one. I think it’s the same one Uncle Ross used when he had his pension moved around.” He told her he always had the newest versions of programs, thanks to his family. “So do you invest the money from the profit, or do you take the money you have already and invest?”

  They spent the next hour going over where the money was coming from, how he decided what was going to move to another account, and what he had to hold onto. Joey suggested that she upgrade her programs and try to see if she liked it better. When she leaned back against his shoulder, he kissed her on the head and thought about living the rest of his days with her at his side.

  “I’ve something to tell you.” He said he was there for her. “I’ve never enjoyed sex. I’ve had it a couple of times, and I found it to be not just messy, but sort of boring.”

  Joey couldn’t help it, he burst out laughing. “Of all the things I thought you were going to tell me, that wasn’t even on the radar.” Turning her around, so she was sitting on his lap facing him, he looked at her beautiful face and decided to tell her something too. “I was sexually abused as a child. Not here. This was the only place I was able to heal and figure out that hugs didn’t come with a punch to the gut. Kisses led to nothing except knowing how much you missed or loved someone. And best of all, I found out that not everyone is as bad as my biological parents were. While I’ve had sex, like you, I’ve never been all that thrilled with it. However, I think the two of us will not just enjoy it, but realize that making love is so much different than having sex with someone.”

  When she rolled her hips forward, Joey closed his eyes. Begging him to look at her, Joey watched her emotions through her eyes. She was the most beautiful creature he’d ever seen. Putting his hands on her hips, he pulled her forward and removed her clothes. Making himself as naked as she was, he suckled at her breasts until she pleaded with him for more.

  “We can go to the bedroom if you want.” She shook her head and told him to take her. Clearing the desk was easy—parting with her body to lay her out on his desk was much harder. “Please. Take me. I need to come before we can make love slowly.”

  He didn’t so much enter her but slammed forward. She was wet and warm. Her body welcomed him like a hand to a glove. Stilling his movements to make sure he didn’t come before her, Joey nearly cried out when her sheath started to milk him. His cock, hard as stone, seemed to have a mind of its own, and Joey leaned over her while he took her hard enough to move the heavy desk across the room.

  The need to fill her nearly took his breath away. She held him tightly, her legs wrapped around his hips, her arms around his neck. Joey leaned into her throat, smelling her scent that was her call to him. When she cried out that she was coming, Joey had no choice but to follow her over the edge.

  Both of them were breathing hard when he pulled her off the desk and into the chair with him. His cock was still hard, but not painfully so. As soon as she looked up at him, her eyes full of need, Joey took them to their bedroom and laid them both out on the big bed.

  “I love you.” She smiled at him, telling him she loved him more. “Doubtful, but I’m all right with that. I want to make love to you. See your face when you come again.”

  They made love to each other then, him touching places that made her sigh, kissing skin as soft as a rose petal. Joey discovered he was ticklish under his chin. He found out that Autumn loved to have her nipples suckled. Making love to her, with her, Joey discovered he was a romantic after all. That making her come over and over was what made his heart fill and spill out into the rest of his body.

  Joey came so many times, short punches to his system that, instead of calming him, giving him relief, seemed to energize him in some way. He was in love, making love to the only woman he would ever love.

  When she came again, screaming out his name and her love for him, Joey joined her once again. The bright spots behind his eyelids had him hold her tighter to himself. The pictures, because that was what they looked like, flashed there just long enough for him to see them, but nothing more.

  There was no rhyme or reason to them. He was holding a child in one. A stone marker that bore the name Whitfield was there as well. A house on fire. A gun lying in a pool of blood. Finally, when they stopped flashing, he was left with a single picture of a couple sitting on a porch, swinging on a hanging swing. Then nothingness.

  When he woke, he had no clue as to how long he’d been out. But as Autumn was sleeping beside him, his body spooned around hers, he knew it couldn’t have been all that long. Pulling her closer, Joey pulled the blanket up and over the two of them. Inhaling deeply, he wondered if he’d ever get used to the smell of Autumn. He hoped not. Closing his eyes, he fell back to sleep until a voice was in his mind.

  Joey? He didn’t move when his mom called for him. Joey, I need for you to wake up. A woman by the name of September Hasher is at our house. She’s looking for Autumn. I guess the sisters had a falling out yesterday, and September wants to tell Autumn about it.