The moon if she wants it
1222 Words
*Chase*
Sweet-talking. What do I know about sweet-talking?
Not one damn thing.
I pound on the door until the hinges rattle. I hear the hesitant footsteps on the other side.
"It's Chase! Open up!"
The door opens a c***k. I rein in my temper.
Lester Henderson opens the door wider. "Chase, good Goddess, you scared me to death. Is something wrong?"
"I don't know, Lester. I heard a rumor, and it's keeping me from sleeping. I'm just hoping it's not true." I tell him.
Always eager for gossip, Lester Henderson steps onto the back porch of the second floor. Like most of the newcomers to Moonshadowville, he lives above his business, and his business is the bank. "What rumor?" he asks.
"I heard my Luna came into the bank and asked for a loan today." I say.
Lester laughs with a high-pitched squeal that grates on my nerves. "Oh, that. Don't worry, Chase, I turned her down. Rowan was there, and he explained to her the foolishness of her request. She's supposed to be giving you a son, and Rowan spelled that out loud and clear."
I ball my hands into fists to keep them from circling the little weasel's throat. "Could you come out a little farther, Lester?" I ask.
"Sure." He grins.
Lester walks to the edge of the porch. I point to the far horizon. "What do you see out there, Lester?"
Lester shrugs. "Moon. Stars. Land."
"My land," I say. "As far as you can see, I own it. I don't have a son, Lester. If I get gored by a bull tomorrow and die, all that land goes to my Luna." I tilt my head. "Come to think of it, the land already belongs to her because she honored me by becoming my mate."
I tear my hat from my head and lower my face until he and I are staring eye to eye. Lester backs up, and I stalk him until the man has nowhere else to go and no choice but to bend over the railing like a sapling in the wind.
"If my mate comes into your bank, I don't want her to have to ask for a damn thing. I want you to jump out of your chair and ask her what you can do for her. If she wants a loan, then by the Goddess, you give her a loan." I growl.
"But . . . but collateral," Henderson stammers.
I narrow my eyes at him, "I just showed you her goddamn collateral!"
"But Rowan said…" he tries.
"I don't give a damn what Rowan said or what any other member of her family says. If she wants the moon, by the Goddess I will find a way to give it to her. Right now all she wants is a loan from you, and I would appreciate it greatly if you would think on her request tonight and decide in the morning that it would be in this town's best interest to give it to her."
I step back.
Henderson straightens and puffs out his chest. "Are you threatening me?"
"No, Henderson, I'm not," I say in a voice that rings out as deceptively mild. "I never threaten, but I will give you my word that if you ever embarrass my mate like you did today, I will build a bank next to yours and put you out of business. Wherever you go, I will follow until the day I die, and you will never again work in a bank, much less own one."
I spin on my heel and start down the steps. I stop and turn. "Henderson, I never want my mate to know of this conversation."
Henderson nods mutely, and I stomp down the steps. I don't figure Lester Henderson will ever accuse me of sweet-talking.
*****
The following morning at breakfast, I watch as my mate slowly trails her finger over her list of topics.
"Callie?" I call softly.
She looks up, disappointment etched over her features.
"You don't have to talk to me if you don't want to. I won't discuss husbandry at the table." I tell her.
She nods grimly, glances quickly at Blaise, then looks back at her notes.
I can feel Blaise's blue glare boring into me. Apparently, Blaise has figured out that I had not sweet-talked my mate last night, and it doesn’t sit well with him.
Callista shifts her gaze back to me and gnaws on her bottom lip. "What would you have done if Mr. Henderson hadn’t given you the loan for the cabinetmaker?"
I lean back in my chair, incredibly pleased with her question, more pleased that she isn’t planning to let Henderson or her brother stop her from reaching for her dream. I wonder what other questions she has written on her list. "I would go to a bank in another town, convince them to give me the loan."
"What town?" She asks.
"Fort Worth would probably be best." I say.
"How far away is…"
A pounding on the door interrupts her question, but I have a good idea where she was headed with the questions, and I hope she wouldn’t have to travel there. "Blaise, why don’t you go see who’s at the door?" I ask.
Blaise shoves his chair back and stalks from the room. A few minutes later, disbelief mirrored on his young face, he escorts Lester Henderson into the dining room.
Callista gracefully sweeps out of her chair. "Mr. Henderson, what a pleasure it is to have you in our home. Would you like me to get you some coffee while you speak with the Alpha?"
I don’t know if I have ever met anyone as gracious as my Luna, and at that moment I am damn proud she is mated to me.
Henderson turns his hat in his hand. "Actually, Luna Moonshadow, I’m here to speak with you."
I scrape my chair across the floor. Henderson looks as though he is about to almost come out of his skin. I stand. "You can use my office. I need to check on the herd."
I walk out of the house, head to the barn, and saddle Satan. By the time I ride the horse out of the barn, Henderson is climbing into his buggy.
"I hope you know what you’re doing," Henderson snaps, his lips pursed.
I smile with satisfaction. "I wouldn’t be as successful as I am today if I didn’t know the value of a good investment."
"She-wolves know nothing about business," Henderson says.
I tip my hat off my brow. "They know how to manage a home. They know how to manage a family and a pack. Why in the hell don’t you think they can manage a business?"
Sputtering, Henderson slaps the reins and sends the horse into a trot, the buggy rolling back to town.
I hear my Luna’s excited squeal as she calls Blaise’s name.
I ignore the ache in my chest because she hasn’t chosen to share her joy with me, and I pretend that it doesn’t matter because sooner or later, she will have no choice.
She will have to come to me.
When she does, she will hopefully learn that nothing in life is out of her reach. That I will give her anything she desires.
- Writer
