Page 1 of Woodland Web

CHAPTER ONE

I stared out of the window, thinking how odd it was that I didn’t have to get up to go to work. I was on a sabbatical still, but getting bored enough to realize that I probably should go back to work. I wasn’t happy when I wasn’t busy, and even though I had more time now to learn the magic I needed to learn and to spend with my grandmother and aunt, I couldn’t—and didn’t—expect them to spend every moment of every day holding my hand. But I had figured out that I was an extrovert at heart, and I missed seeing my friends and coworkers every day.

I turned over and gently prodded Killian. “Hey, wake up. It’s morning. It’s seven.”

He grunted, snored once, then turned over.

I prodded him again, a little harder. “It’s time to get up and go to work,” I said. Then I leaned close and began nuzzling his ear and neck. “Do you know what you’re missing by sleeping? Get up now and we might have time for?—”

That was all it took. Killian blinked, turning over to yawn and stare at me with hungry eyes.

“I’m awake,” he said, lifting the covers so I could see that, yes, he was definitely awake. All parts of him.

“You should get up and shower?—”

He snorted, pulling me into his arms. “Oh no, woman. You tease me like that, you have to at least kiss me.”

I melted into his arms, my boredom forgotten. He was warm against my side and his lust was hard to ignore. So hard. So…very…hard.

“You’re making this difficult,” I whispered, pressing my breasts against his chest. Morning sex was good. I loved morning sex—it was a flurry of warmth and coziness and that hope that only comes early in the day when everything else felt like a blur, still. “I’d love to make love, but… Last night you asked me to remind you that it’s your low-income spay and neuter day at the clinic.”

Killian was a veterinarian, and he and the other vets in town had divided up the months into two categories. Each month, half of the vets would hold a free spay and neuter day for low-income clients. The other half would offer low-cost appointments for vaccinations and overall wellness checks. The next month, they swapped out for the other category.

There were six other vets in town, and Killian had quickly risen to the top in popularity. That meant he was able to spearhead his favorite projects. This—the free care for low-income customers and their pets—meant the world to him. But the clinics were long, from early morning until night, and the sooner he got to the office, the better.

“Woman, you’d kick me out of bed just to send me to work?” He stretched and kissed me again. Before I could protest, he sighed. “You’re right. I’ll shower. Make us some breakfast?”

I nodded. “I’ll drag my ass out of bed to make breakfast, yes.” As I slid into my robe and slippers, Killian padded naked into the bathroom. He was a fine sight, front and back.

Xi and Klaus stirred, jumped off the bed, and led me into the kitchen. Generally, Killian and I took turns making breakfast. When I had a migraine, he would cook for me, when I could eat. When I was at work, we took turns cooking. But since I’d gone on sabbatical, I had taken over most of the cooking, since I had the time.

As I whipped up eggs for omelets and popped bread in the toaster, my phone rang. I glanced at the clock. I reached for the phone and saw that it was Meagan. Surprised—I hadn’t heard from Ari’s wife since Ari and I had fallen out, plus it was awfully early for a phone call—I turned the heat down and answered.

“Hey,” I said, hesitant. I didn’t know why she called, and I wasn’t sure how to respond.

“Hey,” Meagan said. “Listen, I know you must be surprised to hear from me, but can we meet for coffee today?”

At least she didn’t sound angry.

I took a deep breath, deciding that meeting her couldn’t hurt. It wasn’t like I’d been bothering Ari. We’d talked a couple times, but we still were circling the outskirts of our old friendship, and neither one of us were sure what to do next. I desperately missed my former best friend, but I wasn’t about to push her with an ultimatum. Plus, if we couldn’t be friends again, I wasn’t ready to hear it. So I’d kept away, honoring her request, hoping for something to heal the rift.

“Sure,” I said. “I can do that. Where and when?”

“Ten, at Jerry’s?”

Jerry’s was a new coffee shop that had recently opened on the other side of town, away from both Ari and Meagan’s house and away from my house. I had a sneaking suspicion that Ari didn’t know that Meagan was talking to me. But it seemed prudent to clarify matters.

“Does Ari know we’re meeting?”

Meagan paused for a moment, then said, “No, actually, she doesn’t. But if she asked, I’d tell her. Trust me, this is aboveboard?—”

“I wouldn’t expect anything less of you,” I said. “Okay, ten a.m., at Jerry’s.” As I went back to cooking, I wondered what Meagan wanted to talk about.

* * *

At ten a.m. promptly, I was sitting in Jerry’s, sipping on a triple-shot iced latte, eating a doughnut. I had given up sugar, for the most part because it aggravated my energy reflux syndrome, but now and then I let myself have a treat, and today I definitely needed it. I wasn’t sure what Meagan was going to say, and I decided I wasn’t about to beat myself up over eating a couple pastries to calm my nerves.

Every time the door opened, I glanced up. I wasn’t sure why I was so worried—it wasn’t like Meagan could make the situation worse—but for some reason, I felt a little guilty. The argument hadn’t been my fault, nor had it really been Ari’s fault. It was situational, and there had been no way for us to avoid it. But it all came down to my occupation and how Ari thought I was too dangerous to be around their adopted children.

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