WhileIwas thinking what to say,Ifound that we had come to a stop—right in front of my own bedchamber!
I blushed fiercely whenIsaw whatIhad done.Itwas as thoughIwas offering to let him share my bed, which was wrong in so many waysIcouldn’t even count them.
“Er…is this whereI’mstaying?”Korasked, nodding at my bedroom door.
“Um, no.This…this is my room,”Isaid.Then, fumbling for a reasonIhad brought him here,Iturned to the door next to mine.“Thiswill be your room while you stay with me,”Isaid, and pushed open the door.
It wasCarter’sold room, of course, empty ever since his passing.
“Wow,”Korbreathed as the door to the bedchamber swung open.Itwas a massive room with a vast arching window on one wall that let in the light of the half-full moon.Ahuge, heavy bed carved from native mahogany dominated the center of the room and there was a fireplace flanked by two large wingback chairs that matched it.Thewhole thing was decorated in deep greens and grays and browns—extremely masculine, without even a hint of a woman’s touch, which was exactly howCarterhad liked it.
“Is this really one of your guestrooms?”Korasked, looking around with wide eyes.
“Well…no,”Ihad to admit, becauseIdidn’t like lying to him.“Thiswas your uncle’s room.I, uh, thought it ought to be yours, considering you’re the head of the family now,”Iadded lamely.“Allthe sheets and the comforter set, and the mattress and pillows are new,”Iadded quickly.“Ihad the whole thing cleaned from top to bottom to get rid of every trace of him after he passed.”
“Er…Ihope you don’t mind me asking but did…did he die in here?”Korasked, turning to me.
“What?Ohno—definitely not!”Isaid, but didn’t elaborate.
It was actually a heart attack that finally took him—right at the end of the vast dining room table we never used for guests.Carterhad insisted on sitting there for every meal, even though the huge empty area echoed so loudlyIcould barely understand him.Notthat he ever spoke to me much as we ate.Iwas always an afterthought and an annoyance to my late husband.
“All right, thank you.”Kornodded.“I’mglad to know he’s not going to be haunting me for sleeping in his bed.Er…are yousureyou don’t mind me staying in here?”
I shook my head.
“It ought to be your room.”ThemoreIsaid it, the more certainIsounded.Ididn’t mention the connecting room betweenCarter’sold bedroom and my own—the one that wouldn’t close all the way because early in our marriage whenI’dtried to keep him out so he wouldn’t breed me, he had broken the lock.
“Please make yourself at home,”Isaid now toKor.Istepped into the bedchamber and started pointing things out.“There’san ensuite bathroom through there and a dresser for your clothes…or, er,Iguess you don’t have any clothes, do you?”Isaid.
He grinned and shrugged.
“Just what’s on my back.”
I bit my lip.
“I’d offer you some ofCarter’sbutIgot rid of them all after he died.Andbesides, he was about a head and a half shorter than you are.”
Actually,Ihad gotten rid ofallof my late husband’s personal items after his death down to the razors he used to shave with and the toothbrush he brushed his teeth with.Ihad wanted to purge the house entirely of his presence—andIthoughtIhad done a fairly good job.Ihad donated everythingIcould and sent the rest to the dump.
Which is exactly where you should have buried him,whispered a spiteful little voice in my head.
“It doesn’t matter,”Korsaid, breaking my train of thought.“Ican order some more online.Er, do you get deliveries way out here?”he asked.
I shook my head.
“We have to pick everything up at the post office.Youcan still get one day delivery on a lot of items though—you’ll just have to make a trip to town to get it.”
“GuessI’mgoing to town tomorrow then,” he said easily.“Fortonight,I’lljust sleep in my boxers.”
I tried not to picture him in nothing but his underwear but since he was still bare-chested, it was a short trip in my imagination to take off his trousers.Ibet he had long, tan, muscular legs with just a dusting of hair on them.
“That’s fine,”Imade myself say, looking away.“Ihave some things that are ready for pickup too.Wecan go together…if you want,”Iadded.Becausehe might not want to be stuck with me on a trip to town when we were already spending so much time together.
“I’d love that.”Kor’ssmile was warm and genuine.“Maybeyou can show me around.AndIshould get to meet people ifI’mgoing to be their newPackMaster.”
I bit my lip again.Iwanted to warn him about the town—about how people weren’t exactly going to welcome him with open arms, even if he was rightfully thePackLeader.Thepeople of my late husband’s pack—and by extension, the town—were extremely insular and wary of outsiders.Also, most of them were probably betting onHarrisMurdochto win theAlphaChallenge.
I hoped and prayed they were wrong, butMurdochwas a hardened male in his prime andIstill didn’t know how strongKorwas or how strong his wolf was.