Chapter 23

..."Like coming home," Audrey repeated. Then looking up at Fred, "Like coming home."

They sat and talked about things in general for a few minutes, then Carla squeezed Audrey's hand for a moment. "Please stay with us tonight. Do you work tomorrow?"

"Uh, no. Rob is insisting on covering for me for a while to make up for all the time I worked for him. I wouldn't let him when he offered repeated in the past. Well, you see, his wife's sister lives in Chicago. A couple of years ago, she had to have a double mastectomy because of cancer. She lives alone. Rob and Nicole stayed with her for a month until she got back on her feet, then went back later for another three weeks when she had reconstructive surgery.

"I feel guilty about letting him work my shifts in compensations for my doing that for him, but he is insistent. He and his son have spent the last two summers pouring pads and running water and power to update our camp — not to say anything about all the other work the two of them have done. We've paid his son, of course, but Rob has been a great partner. Without him, the camp would not have made nearly the money it has.

"I worked the desk straight through my days and his so that he could do the construction, but even so, I feel like I owe him, instead of the other way around. I feel badly about not being able to keep Kenneth, Rob's son, on. He graduated from high school this spring and worked through the summer with us, but now that the construction is about over, we just don't have a reason to keep him on the payroll.

"Jobs are scarce around here. There isn't any industry. All he's managed to find is an occasional day here and there at Callaway, plus working two shifts a week at a convenience store. He's a smart kid, though, and can do anything with his hands. Rob taught him to pour concrete for the pads, run the wiring and lay the pipes. Restrictions are less here than in the big cities. We have an electrician and a plumber come in and certify the job before the inspection, but Rob and Kenneth do most of the work. He has a nice girlfriend and they want to get married, but he needs a job first."

"Okay," Carla said as she stood. "Fred gets his shower first. And remember, Big Man," she said as she grinned at him, "that water heater might be a quick recovery model, but it's still small. If you use up all the hot water, you're going to be in trouble."

Audrey, still sitting tucked under Fred's arm as they sat on the couch, said, "But I'm only a few hundred yards from my apartment. I can just go home..."

Carla leaned over, lifted Audrey's chin up a little with a fingertip, then touched her lips to Audrey's for an instant. Pulling back a few inches, their eyes locked as Carla smiled at the brunette, "You're our special friend. All of us want you to sleep here tonight. Please stay."

Audrey sighed. "I'm confused by all this, but ... I want to stay, and there's no real reason why I can't, since Rob is working for me. He kidded me that I could sleep as late as I wanted ... I'll stay."

"Good," mother, daughter and Alpha chorused.

Carla grabbed Fred's hand. "Come on, get that big butt up. I've changed my mind. I'll shower with you." Then to the others, "We'll be back in a few minutes."

"Good, Audrey and I can have a talk while you two are gone. I'll tell her all about your ax murders," Jessica joked as she sat down beside the camp manager on the couch.

A few moments later, Carla and Fred stood whispering in the bedroom. "Look, Baby," Fred said, "are you sure about this? I can't just turn my feelings on and off. When I kissed her, something happened, just like it did with you two. I don't even know if I could stop now, but I'll try if you say so. But don't come back in a couple of days and say it was a mistake. Ever since Jeff did whatever he did to us, I feel ... different. And I'm not just talking about good health, either."

Carla pulled his face down to hers and kissed him. "Jessica and I have talked about this. Diana told us when everyone was working on the farm, that it would happen sooner or later. She reminded us again before we left on the trip. I'm going to call her in a few minutes. I need to ask her some things."

"What do you need to ask her?" Fred questioned, a look of concern on his face.

"Oh, nothing of any import," Carla quickly answered. "We just need to talk about some girl things. Some things have happened that ... well, I would like her advice."

"You're not talking about what happened last night?" Fred asked, knowing that she was probably referring to something else, but still a little worried, anyway.

"No, it's something different. I'll tell you about it, but I prefer to wait until after I have asked Diana, if you don't mind."

"I don't mind," Fred said as he hugged her for a second. "I was just concerned that I had done something that had stressed you. Well, last night..."

Carla giggled. "No, silly. You did everything right last night. Now we need to get that shower so Jessica and Audrey can, too."

As Fred turned toward the shower, "Wait." Carla opened one of his drawers. "Here, put this on. I almost forgot," she said, holding out a nearly new white tee-shirt.

When Fred looked at her, a slight frown forming on his face, she quickly continued, "Just slip it on for a moment. Then I'll fold it up and give it to Audrey to sleep in."

"Baby, it will..." Fred said, as he slipped the shirt over his head, anyway.

"Yep. It will smell faintly of you and your cologne. Might even have a few pheromones if I do this," she said with a grin as she trapped the shirt tight against his underarms for a moment. "Okay, give it back to me."

"Baby, that seems a little gross. It might smell of sweat," he said as he pulled the shirt back over his head.

"Nonsense. You've been sitting in there with the air conditioner running, and besides, you only had the shirt on for a few seconds. I just want enough of your pheromones in it to keep her a little more aware of you when she goes to sleep."

"This all seems a little cold-blooded," Fred said, concerned.

"Nonsense. She'll sleep better with a faint smell of you near her. You would have to be a woman to understand. I'll give her the shirt, then, so she'll have something to wear for bed."

Jessica walked into the bedroom, opened a drawer, took out a pair of panties, grinned at them and left the room.

In the living room a moment later, "Here," she said to Audrey. "These are brand-new. I've washed them, but I've never worn them. You're on your own about a fresh bra for tomorrow morning, though. Mom and I don't wear one around the house, and we won't have one on first thing in the morning. Besides, I know that Fred would like to see you braless, but that's up to you."

Audrey smiled a tentative smile back at her. "I might just do that," she answered, but the blush began to creep onto her face anyway.

A few minutes after everyone had showered, Fred stood in the doorway of the bedroom and called out to Audrey, "Are you dressed? Can I come through?"

Audrey, already in bed, told him to come on, but he didn't pass through to the galley as she expected. Walking over, he sat on the side of her bed. In the soft light that spilled in from the bedroom, he leaned over and gently pressed his lips to hers. She sighed and locked her arms around him to pull him close.

After a few seconds, she broke the kiss. "Carla keeps telling me that you are an Alpha, and that things happen quickly with Alphas. I'm feeling things that I've never felt before. Please don't hurt me. I've been hurt once when I trusted a man. He told me he would be there forever, but as soon as the newness wore off, he changed..."

Fred sighed and sat back up a little, but reached for her hand to hold. "I was married for a long time. She had a massive heart attack and died. And yeah, we argued from time to time, but our love never faltered. It's still there, heck, maybe even stronger than ever..."

"It is," Brenda agreed in his mind.

Audrey jerked a little, breaking their contact. Sitting up she flipped the light on, looking around wildly. "Who was that?" she asked, her voice quiet, but tinged with alarm.

"Oh, shit," Fred said. "I never thought..."

"Me, either," Brenda said in his mind.

"Oh, shit," Fred said again. "I didn't want this to go down like this. I never thought about your being able to hear her." Turning toward the bedroom doorway, he raised his voice enough to be heard. "Carla, Jessica. I need you two out here right now."

Fred, worried, had overemphasized the urgency when he stressed the now. Both women came out of the bedroom at a near run, considering the cramped circumstances of the RV.

"What's wrong?" Carla and Jessica voiced in almost perfect synchronization as they slammed to a stop at the bed.

"Touch both of them!" Brenda ordered Fred.

Fred grabbed the hands of both women.

"I fucked up and said something to Fred while he was touching Audrey. I never expected her to hear me, but she did. She's not going to take well to her new lover having a ghost in his head, particularly a dead wife," Brenda told them.

"What's going on?" Audrey asked as she watched strange expressions chase themselves across the faces of her new friends. "Is there someone else here? I know I heard someone."

"Touch her," Brenda instructed. "We might as well get the disbelief stage over with. Touch her."

Knowing there had to be a better way, but not being able to think of it at the moment, Fred grasped Audrey's hand.

"I'm Fred's dead wife, Brenda. And trust me, if you think hearing me is strange, you should be on my end of it."

Audrey stared at Fred, her eyes opening wider and wider. Finally, they rolled back in her head and she fainted.

Since Jessica and Carla were touching Fred, they had heard Brenda, too. "Well, that went well..." Jessica started.

Before she could finish with her "not" that she had picked up from Jeff's young wives, Fred groused, "I don't want to hear it."

Carla frowned at him. "Unless... you want to be cut off after one night of pussy, you better start groveling. Just because you're upset, doesn't mean we can't joke a little."

"Fred, dammit, now isn't the time to start pissing off your women," Brenda joined in.

Fred grabbed Jessica and hugged her. "I'm sorry. Hell, it was a perfect time for a little joke. And now it's funny. I just fucked up."

Jessica quickly kissed him. "I'll make you pay later. Right now, what are we going to do about her?"

"Dammed if I know," Fred sighed.

"Simple," Carla laughed. "You lie beside her and take her in your arms. I'll get her something to drink. I guess now would be the time for something stronger than wine, but that's all we have."

Fred positioned himself beside her and pulled Audrey into his arms. By then Carla was back with a glass and a partially full bottle of wine. "Here, Baby. Drink a little of this," she said as Audrey's eyes opened and she looked around her.

"Just hold her while she drinks her wine. Let Brenda explain it to her."

Fred nodded absently.

The coffee maker had been turned off, but there were a couple of cups left in it. Carla got a big mug, filled it and put it in the microwave to heat. When it was ready, she made sure her cell was in her pocket, picked up the mug of hot coffee, a can of bug spray and the blanket they had been using by the campfire. "I'm going to sit outside and talk to Diana," she told the others.

"Okay, Mom," Jessica replied from the bed where she and Fred had bracketed Audrey. Audrey was snuggled in Fred's arms while Jessica lay beside her holding her hand. Audrey's face took on a look of awe for the moment as she listened to the woman in Fred's mind. Smiling at her expanding family, Carla turned and went outside.

Walking a short distance away, she chose a big tree and spread her blanket. She heard the whine of a mosquito almost immediately, but took care of the irritant by spraying herself and the blanket liberally with insect repellant. Crap, now I'm going to have to shower again to get rid of the smell from the spray. Sitting down and propping her back against the tree, she looked around her as she allowed her mind to settle.

So much has happened in the last month: Almost losing the farm, the Matthews and Fred seeming to almost appear out of nowhere to help, not to mention Frank Wainwright and Margaret, or Dave and Evie. Then that Sunday at the church, Fred got all the others lined up to help with the harvest. Instead of leaving everything in the fields, and Jessica and I having to move to a ratty little apartment in the city, my farm is paid off, all my new silos are full, I have a giant new barn that is state of the art, plus a riding stable. We have our horses back.

I look years younger, I have an Alpha for a ... mate, I guess Diana would say, and one day he might even marry us both. Well, now that might be all three of us, if things keep on the way they seem to be going with Audrey. But something is happening to me ... well, maybe to both Jessica and me to be more exact. But I think it's also true of Diana and her sister-wives, but I don't know for sure. Dare I ask? She said I could always ask anything. She says Jeff is a Prime. If he's a Prime, then she's the Queen Bitch of a Prime, so she should be the one for me to ask, since I'm now a Queen according to her.

"Matthews' residence. Ann speaking."

"Hi, Ann. Uh, I know it's getting late, but could I speak to Diana?"