Surrounded by Woods Read online

  He was in love, and he’d never been happier or more scared in all his life.

  Chapter Nine

  Mikaela awoke with something that she hadn’t had in quite some time. She didn’t realize it’d been missing until it’d returned to grace her presence.

  Her smile.

  Not only could she not remember the last time she’d been this happy, but she couldn’t remember the last time the reason for her happiness was because of a man. Being a strong, independent woman had altered her ideals, thinking she didn’t need a man to make her happy, and she hadn’t even realized that line of reasoning had taken root in her. It was probably because of Joel. Joel and every other asshole she’d wasted time on. But now the man she couldn’t seem to stop thinking about made her smile even bigger.

  Josh. She’d spent the entire day with him yesterday, and she loved every single minute of it. She’d never been that open with anyone, and it felt great, but whenever they’d talk about his family, he’d say he’d deal with them and then changed the subject. She didn’t understand his reluctance to discuss them, and he never asked her about her relationship with Joel. Mikaela had every intention of telling Josh the truth, but honestly, yesterday was about the two of them. Josh didn’t talk about his family, and Mikaela didn’t talk about Joel. But she knew she had to do it and do it soon.

  She showed up at breakfast promptly at six, but the guys were scrambling to grab breakfast in a hurry. Of course, her eyes immediately sought out Josh, and he shared a tender smile with her.

  “What’s up?” she asked to no one in particular as she walked to the table.

  Thomas eyed her briefly before responding. “There’s a front moving in. We need to get prepared.” He was dressed in work clothes like the rest of the guys, so he was obviously going to be working outside.

  “What kind of front?”

  “Winter weather,” Jack explained as he turned his cup up to gulp the last of his coffee.

  “Well, if you need me to do anything, let me know. I’d be happy to do what I can.”

  “That’s not necessary, Mikaela,” Thomas said without making eye contact. She figured he was just worried about this weather moving in.

  “Dad, she could contact the lumber companies and cancel the scheduled pickups this week,” Rob suggested.

  “Absolutely not. She is not my secretary. I can do it when I get back,” he barked.

  “Really, Thomas. I don’t mind.” She glanced at Josh, but he was watching Thomas.

  There was a pause while Josh and Thomas stared at each other and then he cleared his throat. “All right. Come with me, and I’ll show you who needs to be contacted.” He turned to his sons. “Boys, get outside and get started without me. We have to move fast if this storm is as big as they’re predicting.”

  By the time Thomas was finished giving her the contact information for the lumber companies, which didn’t take long at all considering how agitated he was, the snow had started falling.

  With the way Thomas was either eyeing Mikaela or avoiding eye contact altogether, she figured Josh had told him what happened. Well, maybe not everything, but enough to explain that they were becoming involved with one another. It seemed like Thomas wasn’t very happy about this news, so she’d have to come clean about Joel with Thomas too. Hopefully everyone would understand, and hopefully, the weather wouldn’t be as bad as they were saying. She didn’t want to get stranded here if Thomas had an issue with her getting involved with his son.

  Then again, she really liked the idea of being stranded here with Josh. That thought put a smile on her face as she started to work.

  She spent the day thinking about him while doing the tasks given to her. She stayed on the phone, rescheduling pickups and dealing with other things that made absolutely no sense to her since she’d never dealt with lumber issues before. Most of the companies were understanding and even appreciative for the heads up to the incoming weather, but there were a few where she had to flex her legal muscle to get them to cooperate.

  By that evening, the ground was covered in nearly two feet of snow with heavy snow still falling. The guys worked as much as they could, cleaning up previously cut trees and storing the small and large equipment. Most of that stuff was made to endure the elements, but when heavy snow was predicted, Thomas said they didn’t take chances.

  She knew the men spent most of the day outside in the harsh conditions, so they probably enjoyed the moment when they could come inside to shower before eating. Mikaela never got around to exercising today, but she needed a shower, too, so when they all came in, she used that as her opportunity to freshen up. When she reached the dining room, she could see that everyone was exhausted. The guys were all nursing their drinks, and there was a bottle of wine sitting at her place setting. Josh rose and walked over to open the bottle and pour her a glass.

  “Thanks,” she whispered, bringing the glass up to her lips.

  “Oh, you can thank me later,” he murmured.

  “I intend to.”

  “Mmmm…I can’t wait.” He smiled.

  The others crowded around the table while Jeffery brought out the food, and everyone took their seats.

  “Thanks for your help today, Mikaela,” Thomas said as he placed his napkin in his lap.

  “It was my pleasure, Thomas.”

  “I hope it didn’t set you back too much on your legal work.”

  “Oh, no, I’m already ahead of schedule.” No need to tell him how ahead she was. She had no intention of leaving sooner than scheduled now that she was enjoying some hot, sweaty private time with Josh.

  “That’s good. You should contact your office and let them know about the storm, so they do not worry.”

  “I already did. I told them I’d check in once the weather clears.”

  Thomas nodded.

  Everyone ate and chatted about the first big snowfall of the season. The guys were busy comparing it to other major events in the past, but Mikaela just spent her time watching Josh’s mouth move when he spoke. A few times he caught her staring, and smiled and winked at her when no one else was looking. That innocent gesture made her feel like a teenager with her first crush, but as she thought about that, the reality of her feelings came crashing down. Josh wasn’t just a crush. In the course of her stay, she’d fallen in love with him. How was that even possible? The thought made her feel so happy…and so confused.

  The door opened, and Jeffery walked in carrying a cordless phone. “Ms. Patterson, there is an urgent call for you.”

  Her eyes widened, and she swallowed her food. “Oh?” She stood, taking the phone.

  “Yes, ma’am. It’s a Mr. Youngblood.”

  She crushed the phone to her chest to shield her voice. “What?” she whispered. “What did he say?”

  Jeffery lowered his voice. “Nothing, ma’am. He just insisted on speaking to you right away.”

  Shit, shit, shit!

  Mikaela nodded and slowly put the phone to her ear, stepping away from the table in a daze. “Hello?”

  * * * *

  Josh’s eyes locked onto Mikaela as soon as she answered the phone. Who the hell was Mr. Youngblood, and why was he calling her?

  “I’m fine,” she said curtly into the phone.

  She didn’t sound fine to Josh. She sounded pissed.

  “It’s a little too late for that, Joel.”

  Joel? Joel! CPA Joel? Fiancé Joel? Josh felt his hackles rise as if he were in cat form and a hiss slipped out his throat.

  “Hmm, well, you can take your apology, roll it up into a nice little ball, and shove it up your ass!” She hung up the phone, sat back at the table, and took a drink of her wine.

  Josh’s heartbeat quickened, ringing in his ears. His hands shook as he stared intently at her, his mind unable to grasp what was happening. It was probably just a fight, he tried to tell himself. Couples fought all the time.

  “Er, is everything all right, Mikaela?” Thomas asked awkwardly.

  “Mmm-hm
m.” She picked up her fork and took a bite of her food.

  His dad seemed to be scrambling for words while the other men were intently focused on her. “Um, was that your fiancé on the phone?” he asked timidly.

  “He wishes,” she mumbled into her glass as she took another swig.

  “I beg your pardon?” Thomas asked slowly. “Was that or was that not your fiancé?”

  She sighed and looked at him. “He was about a month or so ago.” Mikaela watched Thomas’s eyes get bigger by the second and the blood rush out of his face, right about the time five distinct forks dropped out of five different hands and crashed onto five separate plates. “What?”

  Josh shut his eyes, the enormity of her confession too much to process. But he had to stay focused, so when he opened his eyes, he tried to watch everyone.

  “You mean you are not taken?” Thomas barely whispered.

  “Taken? What? What’s that? What’s wrong?” She glanced around the table incredulously.

  “Engaged or at least involved with someone.”

  She immediately looked contrite. “I’m sorry. I meant to clear this up earlier. I was engaged to Joel until I found him… Well, until about a month or so ago. I wasn’t ready to tell Bill, so he assumed I still was engaged.”

  Mikaela smiled at Josh, and he understood what she was trying to convey. She was trying to tell him she was free to be with him. But she didn’t understand. Before he had a chance to even voice anything, he caught movement out of the corner of his eye.

  Toby had leaned closer to her. He growled right next to Mikaela, and she gasped, scooting her chair back to get away from him.

  “Don’t!” Thomas yelled. But Josh didn’t think Mikaela knew who his father was speaking to. Hell, he wasn’t sure if his dad was talking to Toby or to Mikaela. He just watched her freeze while he prepared to act, shifting his eyes to Toby. He just didn’t know what would happen. None of them had ever been in a situation like this before. Not and lived through it.

  “What the fuck is wrong with you?” she barked at Toby.

  The next three seconds went by faster than expected. She was sitting at a table with five angry-looking men one moment, and then the next, only his dad remained looking distraught.

  Josh’s brothers had shifted, so he shifted on instinct to protect Mikaela. Now she was staring at four huge mountain lions. This was so not how he wanted her to find out!

  She opened her mouth to scream, but nothing came out. She was frozen. The cats didn’t move, but Toby was right next to her, growling and sniffing her leg. She started to scoot her chair again.

  “Mikaela! Don’t move,” Thomas ordered.

  “What the hell is going on here?”

  “Long story. Basically, we are all mountain lion shifters. Our feral side spends its life searching for a mate. Once we find her and take her as our mate, she also becomes a shifter. Our humanity respects mating bonds already in place, hence why I only allow taken women on the property. However, our feral side does not wait for a mating approval with an untaken woman. Out in the wild, males dominate the females and take what they want. My sons are all in their feral forms now.”

  “And they all want me?” she whispered.

  “They all want a mate.”

  She glanced at the lion where Josh was sitting. But he couldn’t look at her; he had to stay focused on protecting her from his brothers. His eyes shifted to each of the cats, but none of them looked at him. They all watched her.

  “Josh?” she whispered.

  At the sound of her beautiful voice, his eyes shot to her, but he looked away quickly. He couldn’t risk it. He didn’t want his brothers to hurt her, but if he were the one to hurt her, he’d never be able to forgive himself. Dad, explain things to her.

  “Josh wants me to explain that he’s the only one who has any control right now, but it’s very slim. He’s more worried about protecting you than claiming you. He doesn’t want any of the others to hurt you.”

  “What do you mean he wanted you to tell me that? How do you know?”

  “We can speak telepathically. The other night when you caught Rob laughing? It was because they were discussing things privately.”

  Toby growled louder, and Mikaela made as if to move.

  “Please, Mikaela, don’t run. You’ll just excite them. They like the chase. I’ll try to reason with them. Just give me time.”

  She nodded. “Josh, I—”

  “Don’t, Mikaela. He’s trying to resist you. If you force him to focus on you, he’ll be the one you’ll need to worry about the most.”

  “W-why is that?”

  “Because he’s the closest one to you.” Because he’s fucked you already, he added silently for Josh’s benefit.

  At least he didn’t voice it out loud, though Josh didn’t give a shit what his dad really thought about his relationship with her.

  Toby’s fur stood up, and he hissed at her. Josh jumped on the table and growled at him. Toby growled back at Josh and flinched at Mikaela, trying to make her move so he could chase her.

  She grabbed her stomach, and Josh could see that reality was sinking in for her. If he could just get her out of here and explain everything himself…

  “Oh, God, I’m going to be raped by a big scary kitty cat,” she muttered, looking around the room, “or by a bunch of them.”

  Like hell! Hearing her frightened voice ignited Josh’s anger. He’d kill anybody who hurt her!

  Get her out of here, Dad! Toby, I swear I’ll rip your fucking throat out if you touch her!

  I’m closer to her, Josh. If you interfere with my mating, I’ll kill you, Toby growled.

  I’m right behind you, Toby. I can get to her before you can, Rob taunted, inching closer.

  Hell, I’m faster than all of you. If she runs, she’s mine! Jack declared.

  Josh jumped across the table and stared down at Toby. He flinched but didn’t move. This is your last warning, Toby. I can kill you from here. Now back off!

  As soon as you attack him, the others will use the opportunity to jump in, Thomas warned. He didn’t want to say it out loud, lest he’d scare Mikaela more than she already was. Josh was pleased his dad was at least trying to help her as much as he could, but Josh knew he’d have to fix this himself.

  And he wasn’t waiting another second.

  He jumped off the table, plowing into Toby’s side, making him stumble back. Now Josh shielded her from all his brothers. He growled loudly at them. Mine! He wasn’t going to allow anyone to claim his mate. She belonged to him, damn it!

  His side brushed against her leg as he staked his claim, and he instinctively purred from the contact, distracting himself. He turned toward her and purred louder, rubbing against her. Her hands were dangling down, so he licked her fingers, nudging them to pet him. Her touch was the most exquisite thing in his regular form, but in his feline form it was pure bliss.

  “Don’t, Mikaela. He could turn on you.”

  Josh’s head whipped to his father, and his purring turned to growls. I’m not going to hurt her!

  Then let me get her to the safety of her room, and each of you to the cabins.

  Josh didn’t want to leave her, but he knew he had to prove his strength to his father. He nodded.

  “Mikaela, Josh is going to help me get you to your room. You can stay there until I get them outside. Normally, I’d have you leave right away, but we’re all stranded here until the storm passes.”

  “Okay.”

  Thomas walked around the table, and he and Josh escorted her out of the dining room amidst growls and hisses of protest. Once they were out, Thomas locked the door and instructed Jeffery to guard it until he returned. Thomas practically dragged Mikaela to her room while Josh followed, staying a few steps behind to block her from an attack if his brothers got loose. Once Mikaela arrived at her room, she turned to look at Josh.

  “Go inside, Mikaela,” Thomas warned.

  Josh was unable to stifle the low growl that bubbled u
p at his father’s interference. He knew she wanted to talk to him, but now his dad wouldn’t even allow that. Thomas shot him a look for his defiance, so Josh just dropped his head and turned. Knowing that Mikaela was now safely in her room, his dad would put them all in the cabins outside.

  And he’d do everything in his power to keep Josh from seeing her again.

  Chapter Ten

  Day after day, Mikaela stayed quarantined in her room like some diseased patient. Like she was the one with a problem. Right. She was stuck with a bunch of men who turned into big ol’ cats. She’d think that they were the ones who needed quarantining. Men who turned into animals? How was that even possible? This wasn’t some sci-fi crap. People did not turn into animals! So why did all these guys do that?

  If she really thought about it, some things made sense, though. She’d heard Josh make noises that sounded animalistic on more than one occasion. They all went out at night and didn’t come back until long after she was asleep. They were probably out hunting or running or using their tress as giant scratching posts. They lived out in the middle of nowhere and apparently never left the premises since Josh hadn’t gone after her when she went to the bar the other night. She wondered why he didn’t, but now it made sense.

  She hated being stuck here, but as she looked out her window at the snow-covered ground, she realized she wasn’t the only one stuck. The guys must be quarantined just like she was. Over the last few days, she hadn’t seen any of them, nor had she heard anybody but Jeffery in the hall outside her door, which was only when he’d come to bring her meals. That meant they were not staying in their rooms. She just didn’t understand everything.

  But she wanted to.

  Against her better judgment, she wanted to talk to Josh. She longed to be in his arms and hear what he had to say about all this. She knew he had to be worried how she was taking the news that he turned into a cat, and honestly, it freaked her the hell out! But after the first day or two, she started to think more about the man and less about the animal. She knew they were one in the same, but she couldn’t let herself focus solely on his animal side. He was a man, too.