Fighting for Keeps (Rocky River Fighters 2)

“No, I just came to let you all know that Zane won’t be a problem any longer. I should get back.”

Get back to what, Seth wondered but didn’t say. He knew Kian trained somewhere, but he’d been living in Eagle Creek’s hotel for the last couple months, and he’d just sent his only company home. Seth wasn’t sure why Kian was still here, honestly. He came to spend time with Shelby, but he’d been here for months. Seth couldn’t help wondering if there was another reason Kian wasn’t going home, maybe something he was avoiding.

Seth felt an unwelcome pang of sympathy as he stared at the proud prince of the War Cats. Kian’s life seemed lonely and isolated, and Seth was suddenly grateful he’d escaped that life. If he hadn’t been kidnapped, if he hadn’t been shunned and left his clan, that would have been his life.

The others went inside while Seth stayed on the porch and watched Kian leave. He wasn’t as certain as Kian that Zane wouldn’t be back, stirring up trouble. The tiger shifter not only wanted Amelia, but he hated the Rocky River fighters, and that hatred ran deep, though Seth wasn’t sure why. Regardless, Seth’s instincts were blasting a warning. Whether it was sooner, or further down the road, he felt sure that hadn’t heard the last from Zane.

That was okay. It didn’t matter what the tiger brought next, Seth would be there, ready to take him on. He had something precious to protect now, and he wouldn’t let his mate down. Ever.

Amelia sat down on the couch after her shower, not sure what to do. After getting back from taking Seth home, she spent a couple hours cleaning out Uncle Jerry’s room, but it wasn’t long before she lost her motivation. She’d showered the dust and dirt away, and now here she was, the night stretching before her, with nothing to do that appealed to her.

Looking around, she spotted the stack of books she bought at the bookstore and reached for them. Pausing when her eyes landed on her notebook, she grabbed it and opened it, staring at the list. Guilt for how she went about things washed over her, but she pushed it aside. She grabbed a pen from the coffee table and got comfortable.

She had no need for the notes she’d written down pertaining to what Seth was, and they mocked her from the page, reminding her of what a horrible person she was. But she wanted to make a list of all big cat species, maybe try to figure out what kind of cat Seth harbored. This wasn’t research, though. This was curiosity over the dual nature of the man she loved.

Titling it, What Is My Man, she tapped the pen against her lips while she thought.

Tiger

Lion

Bobcat

Panther

Leopard

Cheetah

Cougar

She paused and stared at the list she had so far. She was sure she was missing something else, but those were the ones she thought of off the top of her head. But making the list got her no closer to figuring out what he was. Not that she really thought it would.

She wanted to ask him, but there was no way she could without letting on she’d known for a bit. And that brought on a fresh wave of guilt. Because she didn’t know exactly where this was heading, but she wanted it. Wanted a life with Seth badly, wanted him permanently. So much so that she didn’t want to return to England. She wanted to stay right here in Eagle Creek with the man who was beginning to mean more to her than she could have imagined someone would.

But if it looked like her wish was coming true, and she had to admit it already was, she had to tell him the truth. She couldn’t live out a life with Seth, knowing she was keeping secrets. Besides, these things tended to come out eventually, and the more time that went by while she was hiding this, the worse it would be when he found out the truth. But how would she come clean, and in a way that didn’t send him running away from her?

“What do I do, Mum? How do I tell him the truth?” she asked softly, looking at the picture of her mother on the coffee table. She’d never tried to speak to her before, but this seemed like an occasion that called for it.

With an exasperated sigh, she tossed the pen and notebook on the table and started browsing through the books Ellie helped her pick out. They all looked good, and she finally settled on one with a pirate on the cover.

She didn’t really expect much of a distraction from her thoughts, but her restlessness eased the more she read, and before long, she was engrossed in the novel, feeling like she was on a seventeenth century pirate ship, and about to be kidnapped for the third time.

Amelia pulled up to the house, two large boxes of donuts she’d purchased from the grocery store sitting on the passenger seat. She glanced around, smiling when she saw Ian’s truck and Seth’s Charger parked by the barn. The fighters were working on the roof, so she knew they’d be finished soon. Even though she didn’t need an excuse to keep

Seth coming around now, she still felt sad they’d be done soon. She enjoyed having them around, even if she didn’t see much of them.

Opening her door, she slid out from behind the wheel, and then walked to the other side and grabbed the boxes. She turned to face the barn, and when there was a break in the noise, she spoke.

“I brought donuts,” she called loudly, raising the boxes when everyone looked her way.

They nodded, and she smiled to herself as she made her way to the back door. She walked into the kitchen, easing the boxes to the counter, and then turned around, coming to an abrupt halt when she looked up.

The old stained and scratched table was gone, and in its place was the most beautiful piece of furniture she’d ever seen. Walking closer, she gazed at the table in awe. The dark wood, walnut, she thought, was gleaming in the light, and she traced the design on the top with her fingertips as she walked around the table. There were flowers etched at intervals, and as she glanced at the mason jar of wildflowers in the center of the table, she realized this was one of Seth’s creations. The flowers carved into the surface were an exact match to one of the flowers in her makeshift vase.

Throat closed up tight with emotion, she continued her circuit around the table, fighting tears. There were two chairs with the same design on one side, and as she walked to the other side, she realized there was a bench for seating, also boasting the same designs the table and chairs had.

The door opened behind her, and she knew before she turned around that it was Seth. He had a proud grin on his face as he said, “So? You like it?”