He was all right with that and told her so. When they were leaving the school, she asked him if he knew any of the other children in town. He shook his head before answering her.

  “I was taken as a baby, and I don’t have any parents. They killed my real ones when they took me. I don’t remember that, of course, but I read about it later.” He told her how he’d found the big paste book with pictures in it that had been covered in the Manns being not arrested for things they’d done. “My last name is Richard Stonehouse the Forth. Everybody just calls me Richy. I’ve been staying with Mr. J since I got away.”

  The two of them sat in the back seat while her dad and Mr. J driving his car were in the front. As the day grew shorter, the nights were coming faster. He leaned back on the large seat and closed his eyes. It had been a long time since he’d felt secure enough to sleep when he was tired and he was taking advantage of it whenever the mood struck him. He was sleeping better at night, too, since living with Mr. J. Not every night, not yet. But he knew that it would be something that he could look forward to as he got more comfortable.

  If she said anything to him after that, he didn’t remember it. Exhaustion was keeping him on his toes all the time so that he didn’t fall asleep falling into his cereal. He almost did that once, and that was enough for him to pay better attention. He also thought that he didn’t have to be worried about being beaten for something that he’d not done and then having his meals taken from him.

  When he was shaken awake, it was Mr. J who caught his fist before he hurt the woman who was seated next to him. It also took him a little bit longer to remember that people weren’t out to get him all the time. Mr. J had been hit a time or two when he’d fallen asleep on the couch watching television with him, and he’d felt powerful bad about it. He told Ms. L that he was sorry, too.

  “No need for that. I understand that you’ve had a rough life. And please call me Lexy and my dad Larry when we’re not at school. I want us to be friends.” He asked her if she wanted to be his friend to butter up to Mr. J. “You should really think before you speak, Richy. Your saying whatever you wish can and has hurt my feelings. I don’t know if Mr. J or whatever it is that you call him is a part of my life, but then I’ve never been your friend before and perhaps it’s better than I think. You need to think about what you’re saying before you say it and think would this hurt my feelings if someone were to say it to me. All right?”

  “I want to be a better talker. I remember the other people, the Manns. They said the f-word every other time they spoke. Called people that, too. But Mr. J is different and a nice man. He’s a looker too. I didn’t think that, but some of the women in town want to get on his good side because he has money, too.” Lexy told him that she didn’t care if he was going to be around other women. “Yeah? I can see that. But you’re a big elephant so that will keep you from having to share him. That is if that’s what you want to do with him. I’d recommend him to someone to date. He’s clean and stuff.” He laughed when she smiled at him.

  They were getting out of the car when he realized where they were. A nice buffet, and if he didn’t miss his bet, he’d say it was Chinese food. His all-time favorite when he could find it in the trash. As far as he was concerned, he could never eat a pizza ever again. That was mostly what he found to have as a meal when he was on the run. Although he’d never had one to be ordered just for him. So maybe…well, he’d try it but wouldn’t take too big of a bite at first.

  They were seated right away and given napkins and silverware. The first thing that he wanted was some hot sour soup. That was usually nasty by the time he got to it, and he wanted to see if it was tasty when it was fresh. He hoped so. He wanted to be able to come back here sometime and throwing up soup would be in bad taste. Richy thought it was wonderful and ate the entire bowlful before getting into the rest of the foods that had been laid out.

  ~*~

  Jeremiah didn’t get to talk to Lexy all that much. Richy, usually a quiet kid was going over all the details of his life since he’d been living with him was taking up every bit of her time. But he was able to get some information about her when her dad spoke to him.

  After dinner, which was delicious, the four of them loaded back up in his car and drove to the mall in Columbus. There wasn’t much going on in the place, but they were headed to the office supply store anyway. They, Lexy and Larry, had a credit card that they were to use, and he was happy to see that they knew just what they wanted. He even told them that they could have his schoolroom things if they wanted them.

  “So long as they’re not obvious that they’d been in your room.” Jeremiah asked her why that would be. “I don’t want them thinking that you’re going to just pop in and take over because they know that it’s all your things. I’m not trying to be rude or anything, but Dad and I are going to be filling some large shoes, and I don’t want to have to explain to them that it’s my room. Understand?”

  “I do, as a matter of fact. Then I’d like to suggest too that the two of you overlap some of the things that I have. That way, they’ll think that you and him aren’t sharing what I have. That’s a good point.” She thanked him.

  Jeremiah felt relaxed for a change. It had been his goal to retire in a few years and find something to do in the family foundation. But with him taking the rest of the term as principal, the last one had been an older man who just couldn’t take it anymore after the Holt incident. They had, he and his wife, slipped out in the middle of the night with the help of the foundation. It was the best way for them not to be blamed for the shooting death of a teacher and student.

  After loading up his car the best that he could, he stepped back when Lexy said that she had it. Not only did she get everything loaded in the trunk of his car, but there was room left over to hit up one more spot. He would never play tetras with her. She was just too good at it.

  Laughing and thinking about how organized she was, he wondered what she’d think about his being a principal. Right now, it reminded him of a war zone trying to get things organized in his life.

  Jeremiah was usually honest and harsh with himself when he was in the mood. And with his honesty came the idea that he wasn’t too thrilled that Lexy wasn’t his mate. He thought her to be beautiful and well-spoken, and she had a twinkle in her eye that made him want to tease her enough to have it sparkle again.

  “What makes you think she’s not your mate?” He stared at his brother Joel like he wasn’t speaking English. “Jeremiah? Are you in there? What makes you think that Lexy isn’t your mate? Did you try shifting? If you have your clothing back on when you shift, that’ll tell you that she is. Also, do you want to jump her bones all the time? That’s the best—”

  “Will you knock it off?” They both laughed. “I caught her when she was falling off the ladder, and she told Richy that I wasn’t. I don’t remember having any feelings like I wanted her. It really was so quick. But she is very beautiful, isn’t she?”

  “Yes, I guess so.” Laughing again when Joel told him that his wife was so much more beautiful had them laughing all the harder. “You should just go into your apartment, I’d not recommend the bathroom and shift. If you’re dressed when you come back, then that’s a sign.”

  “And what will I do if she’s not my mate? Stand around naked waiting on one of you guys to—if you remember it recently, I’ve done that already. You let me sit naked in my classroom for an hour without getting me something to wear.” And they’d only given him a towel to cover himself up. “I’ll just let her tell me if we’re mates or not. I like that idea better.”

  After dropping off all the things they’d picked up for their rooms, his family stayed to help them get it all organized and put on the shelves. The things that he’d had in his room had been picked through. It showed him how behind he was in things when some of the things were dated ten years ago. He should have kept up on that.

  After they were all finished up, he yawned for the fifth time already. He was happy when his dad and Joel said that they’d make sure that Lexy and her dad got to the place they were staying. If they decided that they wanted to continue to work here, they’d have to find better arrangements. Staying at the bed and breakfast for an entire term would be too expensive.

  Taking Richy up to his room when he got back to his apartment, he laid the little boy on the bed. He’d filled out a great deal since he’d been here, and Jeremiah was happy about that. Waking him up enough so that he could get on some jammies and brush his teeth, Jeremiah listened to him as he went on and on about how much he loved his night. And the food. He remembered how hungry he seemed to be all the time when he’d been about his age.

  Going to his office, Jeremiah pulled up some of the things that he’d been working on. Before he knew it, not only was his computer closed down, but his printer had gone to sleep as well. Getting up, he decided to hit the gym, the one in the complex, but got sidetracked in making sure to save any work he might have done while seemingly sleeping on the job. He caught a house for sale that he’d not seen before.

  Bringing up the pictures of the house, he was amazed that he’d never heard anyone talk about the place. Several years ago, about ten, he thought Jeremiah remembered the place being built. It had gone up slowly, he’d thought at the time but later found out that the house had a great many special features in it. He’d never been able to see what they’d been, but that’s what the rumor was going around town. Then, the people left town while the construction was still going on, and they’d, as far as he knew, had never returned.

  Setting up an appointment to see the house, just to see it, he told himself. He was thrilled that he’d be able to spend the day at the house on Sunday as it was going to be an open house setting. Reading the specs on the house, he wasn’t the least bit surprised to find out that the kitchen was out of date as were the grounds were a mess. It didn’t say that, of course but he could see the pictures and knew that it would take some work to get it back to the way he always thought that it should have been.

  By the time he’d made breakfast for himself and Richy, they were out the door in plenty of time for them to wander around the grounds before they were set to go inside. Nearly giddy with excitement, Richy told him that he’d seen the pool from the driveway and was very excited to learn how to swim in the coming spring. The two of them had been making plans like that for the weeks he’d been at his home. He didn’t want anything to mess with the plans as much as Richy didn’t.

  The Turners were there when they came back from the back of the house. It was a haven for things like spiders and ticks, so he didn’t recommend the Turners traveling there. Lexy called her dad and him a wimp and went into the house.

  “I’ve been meaning to get you alone, young man. The other day, you were asked if she was your mate. I know that Lexy said no, that you weren’t, but I don’t know that she took that question very seriously. She’s been told before that she was someone’s mate, and it turned out…well, badly for the other person. It seemed he wanted…other things from her other than a serious relationship.” He laughed a little. “I actually called a couple of my friends back home to find out what they can remember—you’d think that was funny with us being elephants, wouldn’t you? I don’t remember what it was like to be mates. It’s been so long. LeAnn and I didn’t have what one would call a normal relationship when we first met, other than having Lexy. As an elephant, we don’t have to be mates to have children. I think it’s because of our size and the way a newborn, especially if both parents are elephants could be a long gestation period. That much I did remember being told. However…when I think back on it, I think we were both just lonely and bored, and that’s how we ended up staying together for as long as we did.”

  “Are you saying that we could still be mates?” He shrugged and told him that he honestly wasn’t sure how to tell. “There is a theory on how I know if I’m mated to Lexy. I can shift with my clothing coming back on me when I shift back. I’ve been meaning to ask my brothers about it, but…well, I just didn’t get around to it.”

  The two of them entered the house. He could hear Richy talking to someone, but he couldn’t tell if it was Lexy or not. When she laughed, however, he knew who she was right away. It matched her well, the sound of glasses being played in concert. Given free rein of the home, he made his way to the kitchen. That was a place that he loved more than any other room in the home. His domain.

  The kitchen was outdated. Not only did it have older appliances but it was just simply out of date. Hardly any cabinets to speak of. The pantry was clear across the room from the stove and fridge. When Lexy joined him in the room, the two of them went over the things that they’d change. Apparently, she loved to cook as well. But she loved baking more.

  “No one baked at our house. I mean, someone would pick up something like a frozen pizza, and we’d have it, but not like any cakes or cookies. Stuff a kid loves.” He said that his mom couldn’t cook, couldn’t bake, nor could she make a cup of tea if her life depended on it. They both laughed and he told her the story about his mom making cookies for Joel for school. He still got a big laugh out of hearing that story.

  “Your dad said that we should think about trying a different way to see if we’re mates. I’d not mind that so much if you wouldn’t.” Lexy asked him what he’d do. “Shift. Not here, but someplace where I have clothing so that when I shift back, the way it works is that I’m fully dressed. In the same kind of clothing.”

  “I don’t understand. Why wouldn’t you have any clothing?” He explained to her about how if he were to shift in a hurry, his clothing would be shredded. “Oh. I guess…yes, I can see that. Like you did when Richy needed you to save him. All right. What’s stopping you? Wait, you’d need clothing if it didn’t work. See? I’m paying attention. I would, more than anything, like to know if you are my mate or not. I have no deep-seated need to have a mate or husband, whatever you call it, but I can see where one would come in handy.” He laughed with her and was really enjoying himself as they walked through the house making notes.

  “What do you think of this house? I mean, I don’t want to move into it, find out that we’re mates and you hate the place.” She told him that she was going to make an offer on it if he didn’t. “Okay. I’m going to call my brother, Joel. He’s out and about today. Have him bring me something to wear then I’ll go into the master bedroom and see if I can redress when I come back. How about that?”

  Her grin was a look that he could get used to seeing. She seemed to be really happy that he was willing to do this. After contacting his brother, he and his dad showed up at the house, too. While Lexy was showing the two of them around, he slipped into the master bedroom and gave himself a good talking-to. Christ, he was going to be so disappointed if he couldn’t get his clothing back when he became a man again.

  Chapter 3

  Lexy couldn’t help but look at Jeremiah and snicker a little. She’d been laughing until about an hour ago when his family found out what had happened. Christ, she could still see his dad, standing there with the most confused look on his face, trying to understand what she was saying to him. Oh my, she thought, she wasn’t going to get started again. She thought that right up until she saw Joel, Jeremiah’s brother, giggling again before going into the barn.

  Jeremiah was her mate. But it hadn’t been an easy figure out. After waiting his turn in the master bedroom’s bath, he stood, what he was telling her there for five minutes, locking the door to the large room. After it finally clicked, he’d gone to the middle of the room and had shifted. All was well then. Just as he was getting ready to shift back, hoping he told her for his clothing to return, someone opened the door and stood there staring at him while he was his wolf. Needless to say, that hadn’t gone over well either.

  The little girl, about eight years old, had screamed, bringing the entire household racing up the stairs. Being terrified, Jeremiah leapt into the tub, trying to hide from her, he told them, and had got himself tangled up in the shower curtain until he cut off his air supply when the curtain and the rings got tied up together around his neck.

  As he was scrambling to get himself a breath, clawing at the curtain, he’d pulled the rod down along with the towels that had been hung up for use today. There was a plant that hit the floor at some point which tossed dirt and tiny flowers all over the place. The little girl, she never found out her name, thought it was blood as the tiny flowers were blood and started screaming all the louder. By then, Joel and her had made it up the stairs.

  As he ran out of the house, hell-bent for leather, trying to get away from the child’s angry father, he slipped and fell several times down the stairs as he was trying to get away. Suddenly, a gun went off. There was another scream, and this time Jeremiah, still as his wolf was howling like he’d been killed running toward the front door, trying to get away from the gunfire.

  Somehow, he managed to get into the kitchen, where, of course, everyone was gathered listening to the realtor talk about the home and ‘how quiet it was’ before a full-grown wolf leapt up on the counter, trying to get away, scattering cookies and punch all over everyone as the back door slid open and he raced out of the house.

  It didn’t end here. Oh no, as the man with the gun chased poor Jeremiah across the yard, he slipped again, falling into the covered pool that was full of water and nosedive into it. Again, he was tangled up, and before he could get out of the other end of it, Jeremiah screamed again, tearing up the cover, and barely managed to get across the lawn in time for the man to see him racing toward the woods.