Dawn Redeemed

"We don't know when that tree will die. But, we still enjoy the shade it provides on a hot summer's day." Torr rocked Fallon in his arms. Her tiny fingers wound through the leather braid around his neck.

"Will you die too?"

"Someday, yes."

"Years and years from now?"

"Hopefully, years, and years, and years, and years from now, yes." Torr opened his arms and Fallon pulled away. She brightened and gave him the smile that melted his heart. She was too young to understand how fast a year could pass and how much could happen in that short span of time. "All better now?"

Fallon nodded and cocked her head to the side. Years and years added up to a very long time. Longer than she could ever imagine. "Dad, your wolf is brown, what color will mine be?"

"I don't know, honey. You'll just have to wait and see."

Fallon frowned and plopped back down onto the grass. "Will my mom be afraid of me? She wants Uncle Alexander to call Animal Control on you. What if she sees me as a wolf and she tries to shoot me?"

Torr chuckled, "You don't need to worry about that now. I'm going to tell her all about our secret, soon. And as for me, I'm faster and smarter than any dog catcher."

Fallon bit her lip nervously. "Will mom still love me?"

"Of course she will. You're still her baby girl, no matter what."

"Do you love me?"

"More than life itself. C'mon, we'd better get you back before your mom decides to come looking for you." Torr kept a wary eye on the horse as he climbed through the fence. Jack didn't pay him much heed. He glanced up from the grass and twitched his ears nervously. His nostrils flared and he dipped his muzzle back into the grass.

Torr grabbed Fallon around the middle and helped her scramble onto Jack's back. Dutifully, he handed her the helmet that she'd set on one of the fence posts. Pleased when she put it back on her head and fastened the straps tightly. He pinched two fingers together and twisted them across his lips in a locking motion.

Fallon nodded and repeated the gesture. A promise was a promise and she didn't break her promises. She wouldn't tell anybody their secret, especially not her mother. Jack whinnied when she grabbed the reins and gave him a gentle tap with her foot. She turned over her shoulder and waved at her dad as Jack picked up his pace and trotted to the barn.

Torr gathered up his backpack and disappeared into the woods once he was sure Fallon was safe. Deep in his heart he knew he'd done the right thing by sharing his secret with her. He didn't worry about her telling someone else. First of all, when a wolf made a promise, it wasn't lightly broken. Secondly, who'd believe her if she did. They'd excuse her as a child with an overly active imagination. He'd cleared the first hurdle and landed on his feet. Fallon loved him more than ever and they certainly understood each other more than they ever had before.

Erica would be more difficult and less accepting. She didn't have a child's open mind or willing heart to believe him. Getting her to open her eyes and listen to him was going to take a leap of faith on both of their parts. She had to believe him and he was going to have to open himself up in a way he'd never done before. He had to make her understand and look beyond the fangs and fur, past his wolf, and deep into the man beneath.

Erica started at the beginning, with the tattered time weathered files from the mid eighteen hundreds. She scanned documents into the computer and added the information on the pages into her database. Carefully, she combed through each page for data and returned it to the file. For the most part, the documents consisted of land contracts and bills of sale. Some of the signatures were barely legible and she had to guess at the person's name. Slowly, the words on the papers began to form into a story. Erica wondered about the people, whose names she could read, and about what their lives had been like back then.

Luckily, there weren't a lot of very, very old files to go through. She was able to get them logged and scanned within a couple of hours. After the turn of the twentieth century the files got thicker and thicker. It seemed like paperwork evolved right around the same time as the industrial revolution. As the country grew and civilization carved its way through the wilderness. Erica tracked the progress of a family across this great nation.

The wealth of the family grew right along with the nation. There were stocks. Some from companies that were still in business today. Deposit receipts became more numerous with figures in the double and triple digits. The penmanship improved. The signature legible in a thick, heavy, swirling scroll of letters. One of Nash's forefathers had quite the head for business and, according to the files, had been quite busy expanding his family's holdings.

Erica ran her finger over the signature of what she considered to be a financial wizard, a tycoon, and a mogul. Nashoba Blackstone. The date on the land deed to a big portion of what was now known as the Las Vegas Strip read July 14, 1918. People probably thought he was crazy at the time for buying such a useless stretch of desert wasteland. Yeah, he was crazy. Crazy like a fox.

Her stomach grumbled in complaint. Reminding her that she'd skipped breakfast and lunch time had came and went. She actually was enjoying digging in the files. It was like taking a long look back in time reliving history. She slid the filing cabinet drawer closed. There was only one more drawer left. For a minute, she debated calling it a day and resuming her work on Monday, but curiosity got the better of her and she bent, pulling the drawer open and set the thick file on her desk. If she hurried and her computer cooperated, she could get her work done before late afternoon and spend some much needed mother-daughter time with Fallon.

She didn't realize that this filing cabinet spanned the Roaring Twenties, including the stock market crash of '29. There was a litter of bills of sale haphazardly crammed into the files. Exactly in the place where they'd been left by unknown hands over eighty years ago. Her heart sank as she entered the losses and deducted them from the family's growing fortune. Nashoba Blackstone might have been a great financial wizard, but even he couldn't have anticipated the plummeting values of his now worthless stock. In order to keep his family from going completely under. He sold what would in another twenty years become a glittering oasis in the desert for a fraction of its original purchase price.

A gentle knock on the heavy oak door frame drew her attention from the last of the files. "Erica?"

Erica looked up to see Nash standing in the doorway. "Hi. I hope that you don't mind that I came into work today."

Nash slung his graying braid over his shoulder and shook his head. "I don't mind at all. Looks like you've been busy." He knelt beside her desk and flipped through the file's contents he knew all too well.

"I've just about got the Roaring Twenties all buttoned up. Monday, I'll call a data storage firm to come take away the files."

"There's no need for the trouble. I'll move them moved someplace safe before Monday. I imagine you'd like to be able to open your office door all the way."

Erica nodded, "Yeah, that was part of my motivation. Actually, this has been a lot of fun. I feel like I'm watching history unfold right before my eyes. Tell me something, Nash. Are you directly related to Nashoba Blackstone?"

"Yes." Nash cut off her line of questioning by standing and towering over her. There was no need for her to know exactly how close he and Nashoba Blackstone were related. "Actually, I stopped by to kick you out for the day. The sun is shining, the birds are singing, and a stuffy old office is no place for a beautiful young woman to spend such a glorious afternoon."

Erica smiled at Nash's silky words. From him, she didn't take it as a come on or deliberate flattery, but rather that he was stating what he believed to be true. And since her office was only accessible through his house. She kind of had invaded him today. Maybe he had plans with his family today and she was delaying them. 'Let me finish up these last couple of documents and I'll get out of your hair."

Nash shot her a smile. Erica was quick to take a hint and smart enough to do so gracefully. "I'll see you Monday morning then."

Erica typed a few numbers on the keyboard and powered down the scanner and computer. Pleased with her progress, she slid the papers into the file and closed it shut. "Monday it is."

"Have a good rest of the weekend, Erica."

"You too, Nash." Erica returned the file to its place in the drawer and closed the cabinet tightly with the heel of her shoe. Without giving Nashoba Blackstone or his colorful past another thought she snagged her purse and flipped off the lights.





Chapter 60

The further north Ruby drove the sweatier her palms got. Her heart pounded in time with the tick of the miles on her odometer. She'd practiced her apology in her head at least a thousand times. None of them sounded adequate enough to smooth over the damage she'd caused. She'd fled to Texas to rebuild her old life into a new one. There wasn't a life there for her to rebuild. Her home was with her family. It took her over two thousand miles and countless hours of soul searching to figure that out.

Ramon was dead. Realizing that, she'd given herself over to grief and mourned him. Finally able to lay him to rest and move on with her life. She'd be deceiving herself if she said that she still didn't love him and that a special place deep in her heart wouldn't always belong to him. But, no amount of love could bring him back.

She'd always blamed Shayla for taking him from her. She'd resented Hanning for years, for not being Ramon. The only thing he'd ever done wrong was that he loved her. Rather, he had loved her. Whether he still did or not was another story. This was all her fault. She knew that and could openly admit it. And she would time and time again. Whatever it took to earn his trust once again.

She'd said terrible things to him. Things that no amount of words might never make right. She'd told him that Evan wasn't his son. That wasn't true. She'd told him that she'd never loved him. At the time, she believed the truth in those words. Now that she teetered on the brink of losing him for good. She knew how wrong she'd been. Hanning might never forgive her. And she might never rebuild the trust they once had between them. She had to be prepared for his rejection. After all, she knew she'd earned it.

Ruby looked forward to holding her son in her arms. Hanning was a good man. The one thing he'd never do would be to keep her from Evan. Her little boy loved her unconditionally and would forgive her. If only, she could be as certain about his father. Making amends with him would not be so easy.

Ruby and her sister would always have issues between them. As sisters so often do. They'd have to agree to disagree on the topic of vampires. Ruby simply could not look past the fangs and pale iridescent, unnatural cast to their skin. Carter might be a good man. He might love Shayla with all his heart and soul. But to think him tame, was to think one could pull a tiger out of the wild by its tail, put a bell around its neck, and call it a house cat.

She had a lot of repair work to do with Shayla too. The vampire thing aside, she'd challenged her sister for guardianship of her son. She'd been so horrified by the puncture wounds in her sister's throat. Wolves weren't prey. They were predators. By allowing Carter to feed, Shayla had thrown away everything their ancestors had worked so hard to build. The thought still turned Ruby's stomach. She owed Shayla and Carter a big apology. Shayla was free to do whatever she wanted with her life and her neck. Ruby didn't have to like it, but she did have to accept it. To win back her sister, she was going to have to swallow her pride and her prejudices.

The past few days had left Ruby humbled. She had so much to lose and her whole life hung in the balance of the words she had yet to say. Rebuilding what had taken moments to destroy was going to take time, hard work, and patience. She had no doubt that Shayla or Hanning would not turn their backs on her around R.J. and Evan. She'd threatened too much and said too many hurtful things. At the time when she'd said them. She'd meant them. If they'd been said in anger, forgiveness might be easier to earn. Her words had been calculated and deliberate. She could barely forgive herself. How could she ask anyone else to?

Ruby sighed and flipped on her headlights. The pale purple, gray of nightfall was sinking over the traffic on the interstate and she'd been driving since dawn. Oklahoma didn't look that big on the map. But, the reality of driving across the boxy state was quite different. She still had more miles than she cared to count before she reached the state line. Her eyes were bleary and the yellow center line blurred ahead of her. She changed lanes and exited onto an off ramp.

A little rest break and a hot cup of coffee would do her some good. The engine ticked from its efforts as she pulled out the key. Her skin goose pimpled from the chilly evening air. She reached behind her and felt in the floorboards and in the backseat for something to toss on. Her fingers brushed across something soft, like a jacket or sweatshirt. She grabbed it and pulled it over the seat. The battered, faded sweatshirt crumpled in her hands was Hanning's. His favorite. He must have left it in the backseat the last time they rode together in the car. The morning they left Texas. She tugged the fabric over her head and slid it down her chest. Burying her nose in the sleeve, she inhaled deeply. The worn navy sweatshirt smelled of him, of pine, of pack, and of home.

Evan shouted triumphantly and jumped the last black checker on the board. "I beat you!" He shimmied a little happy dance in his seat and reset the board for another game. "I'll give you a chance to try again," he said, goading his dad.

"This time I won't let you win." Hanning slid his black checkers into their squares and grinned at the triumphant twinkle in his son's eyes.

Evan's brow was furrowed in concentration. His finger perched over a red checker, studying his first move. "You're a sore loser." Certain that his move would ensure another victory, he pushed a checker into a neighboring square.

Shayla snapped her cell phone shut and walked into the dining room. Evan was perched on the edge of a high back wooden chair, precariously sitting with his feet under his butt to give him more height. Hanning moved a black checker into a square and took his finger off the plastic disc. "Hanning, can I speak to you for a minute?"

Hanning pushed his kitchen chair back with the heel of his boot and stood. "Sure." He glared down at his son, playacting "Don't you move those checkers. I'll know if you do." He paused to tousle Evan's hair as he walked past.

"You won't be gone long will you?" Evan asked, looking up at his dad and then across the room at his aunt. He had his next move all planned out. So far, his strategy was working and his dad had left him wide open for a double jump. Sometimes, it paid to be a little kid. More often than not, the grownups let you win.

Hanning raised an eyebrow at Shayla. "Just a few minutes," Shayla answered. The mudroom off the dining room was as private as anywhere. She closed the door behind Hanning and leaned against the wall. "The vampire's tech geek called me. He's been tracking Ruby's GPS for us. Ruby is on the move again."

"Where?" Hanning stiffened and crossed his arms over his chest. He had a feeling where his wife was headed. The rhetorical question would at least buy him a few minutes till he had to respond.

"North. If she stays on her current route, she'll be here before dawn." Shayla met Hanning's eyes. "I'm not hiding again. What about you?"

"No." Hanning cast Shayla a pointed look. "We're clear on what we need to do?"

Shayla didn't relish the thought of hurting her sister. She hoped things wouldn't come to that. Anything that threatened her son or Evan was considered collateral damage. She would protect them at any costs. "Yes."

"I'll let Nash and the rest of the pack know we're expecting company." Hanning stopped on his heel at the tug of Shayla's fingers on his shirt sleeve.

"Hanning, I don't think she'll hurt Evan," Shayla said gently. She opened her fingers and released Hanning's shirt. Hanning's eyes were cold and hard as steel. His mouth set in a hard line that meant business.

"She already has," Hanning said as he stormed out of the room. His body tingled with tension, every muscle coiled, ready to strike. He might not know the woman Ruby had turned into. But, that didn't make his decision to sacrifice her and possibly himself to protect his son any easier. He didn't know her anymore, but, his heart did. As self-damning as it was. He still loved her.

"Dad?" Evan frowned as his dad stormed through the dining room. Dejectedly, Evan cleared the checkers off the board and put them back in the box. His dad's expression was angry and hurt. There wouldn't be anymore checker playing today. Something was wrong. Something that had to do with his mommy, Aunt, Shayla, and his dad.

Carter had excellent hearing. He'd heard both ends of the conversation on Shayla's cell phone and knew exactly where she was going when she plopped R.J. in his lap and trotted down the stairs. He followed after her, but kept a casual distance. Shayla was more than capable of taking care of herself. She had to make her own decisions about how to handle her sister best. He'd already made his. If Ruby threatened one hair on R.J.'s, Shayla's, or Evan's head. She was a dead woman. And he'd take his time about doing the deed.

Carter sat in the empty chair across from Evan and balanced a drooling R.J. on his knee. The kid looked like he'd just lost his best friend. Carter supposed that he could understand how Evan felt. Evan was gifted and no doubt had picked up on the tension and negativity in the air. "You think you can outsmart a vampire? I've been playing checkers a very, very long time."

Evan smiled wide and opened the checker board. He dolled out the black checkers to Carter and neatly set out his red checkers on the board. Grinning, he rested his chin on the vinyl tablecloth and made his first move.





Chapter 61

Fallon hung upside down on the couch, her feet draped over the back and her head hanging from the seat. She had stuff to do, but none of it held her attention. Idly, she listened to her uncle snore through a baseball game while her aunt rocked her rocker with one foot and her nose buried in a paperback. Such was Saturday afternoon for a little girl. She watched the players run back and forth on the screen from her upside down world while she waited for her mom to come home from work. She didn't think she'd ever been so bored in her whole life.

She had a huge secret, gnawing a hole in her gut. Just knowing that she couldn't tell anyone made her want to tell someone all the more. Her mother would be furious if she found out. Fallon promised her dad that she wouldn't tell. But, she didn't want her mom to punish her for keeping a secret. Her mom always told her that it was ok to keep a secret. As long as the secret wouldn't hurt anybody. Fallon didn't know if this secret was like that or not. If she didn't tell, would daddy's wolf hurt somebody or would somebody hurt his wolf? Daddy promised that he'd tell her mom, soon. Would her mom still like him once she knew? Would her mom still love her when she found out that she'd be a wolf like her dad when she grew up?

Leigh looked up from her book and over at Fallon. Fallon had a perplexed look on her face. Her bottom lip pulled down in a frown of concentration. "Fallon, what are you stewing about?"