The Tigers Shared Mate Read online

  He smiled when he saw Lydia in the doorway.

  “I’ve had some fluids and some rest,” he held up his arm where the IV was still embedded in his hand, “and I feel a million times better. Come sit with me.”

  Lydia walked into the room, stomach in knots and Carter close on her heels.

  “Mathilda. Will you give us the room?”

  “Of course, Carter,” she said, scurrying out and closing the door softly behind her.

  “Oh boy.” Jareth breathed out. “This can’t be good.”

  Lydia sat on the side of the bed, holding Jareth’s hand and absentmindedly running her thumb along the back of it while she spoke.

  “I have something to tell you guys and I have some business to take care of back in Kentucky.”

  “Does it have something to do with you being a silver tiger?”

  “It does and it doesn’t. It’s a really long story. The bottom line is, until I deal with my past, I’m never going to be free to have a future.”

  She felt Carter’s hand fall on her shoulder. He gave her a reassuring squeeze.

  “That’s a truth we’ve all learned at one point or another,” Carter said. “You are right, you have to deal with your past so that you are free to live your future. What do we need to do?”“I’ll need to go home tomorrow, so I’m going to need a flight out first thing in the morning. I have no idea how long it’s going to take to clear up the legal part of my issue, but I’m assuming that I’ll need at least a few days. Since tomorrow is Tuesday, if I leave first thing, I can probably get that cleared up by Friday.”

  “But that’s not the only thing you need to deal with.” It was a statement more than a question, and Jareth’s expression said that he knew all too well that things were never just that simple.

  “It’s not. It’s not even the worst thing, but the legal issues are the ones that might follow me the rest of my life.”

  “We understand, Lydia. Anything you need Jareth and I to do, don’t hesitate to ask. We’re here for you.”

  “Even if it means that I’m not here with you?”

  “Whatever you need us to be, and wherever you need us to be, we’re on it. Even if I have to fly Jareth and his nurse halfway around the world, we’ll do whatever it takes.”

  “Very funny, Carter. Doc says I’ll be back to full strength in a few weeks.”

  “This might take more than a few weeks,” Lydia confessed.

  She looked down at her hands, willing herself not to cry. She never imagined leaving them would be this hard. Just one short month ago, she was desperate to leave. Oh, how time had changed them all. Now, she found herself wondering if she really could just ignore the problem until it went away. It would be easier. Then she wouldn’t have to leave Jareth and Carter, and she wouldn’t have to make the choice whether to stay gone or come back forever.

  It was all more than she’d ever imagined.

  CHAPTER 14

  “So it might take more than a few weeks,” Cater said, “How much time are we talking?”

  “I don’t know. I really can’t tell you for sure. It could be a week, or it could be-” her voice cut out.

  “So you don’t know if you’ll be back?” Carter asked, but his expression said he already knew.

  Lydia’s face crumpled. Wrenching sobs wracked her body while she fought to control the tears. She laid her head down on Jareth’s chest, her cries almost uncontrollable. Jareth kissed the top of her head, comforting her as best as he could, bandaged and bound the way he was. Carter rubbed Lydia’s back, murmuring encouragement to her.

  “Lydia. We agreed before. If you don’t want to be here, we’re alright with that.” Carter stopped, measuring his next words carefully. “Even if it hurts us. We don’t want to force you to stay here.”

  “He’s right, Lydia. If you’re not happy here, then there’s nothing we want more than for you to find happiness. That’s what love is. Being happy is what matters to us. If that isn’t here with us, we support that.”

  “That’s the thing. I am happy here. I’ve never been so happy in my entire life.”

  “Then what’s the problem?”

  “I have no idea if that’s because I’m finally not trapped in my own living hell or because I’m truly happy. Until I get away from here, and really spend some time away, I won’t know if I’m truly happy or if I’m just happy by default.”

  Carter nodded.

  “That makes sense, Lydia. I’m sure Jareth agrees.”

  “I do. Lydia, we both do.”

  The three sat in silence for a long time while Lydia slowly regained her composure. Jareth and Carter shared more than one knowing look over Lydia’s head, but neither knew what the future held. It was obvious Lydia was battling some deep-seated demons. The only way to be free was for her to free herself.

  At some point, Jareth fell to sleep, too exhausted from his injuries to stay awake.

  Carter gently shook Lydia.

  “Jareth needs his rest. Let’s go upstairs.”

  Lydia nodded and sat up. Tenderly, she kissed Jareth’s cheek and squeezed his hand.

  “I don’t think he’ll be awake when I leave in the morning.”

  “He’ll understand.”

  “I know he will.”

  They walked out of the room hand in hand. Lydia paused at the door to look at sleeping Jareth one last time.

  “You look like you’re never coming back.”

  “It feels a little like that.”

  Mathilda slipped in and closed the door behind her. Lydia walked up the stairs slowly, like a woman on her way to the gallows. Carter walked her to the door, kissing her in the hall and telling her goodnight.

  Reluctantly, he turned to go to his room.

  “Carter, wait.”

  “Yes?”

  “Can you sleep with me tonight? And I mean sleep. I want to feel safe before I step into the serpent’s nest tomorrow.”

  “Of course. I wouldn’t miss the chance to hold you for anything in the world.”

  The next morning came too soon, and Lydia wondered again if she was doing the right thing. Martin met her in the hallway, waiting patiently when she spent a long moment staring at Carter, still asleep on her bed.

  “Are you ready?”

  “Martin, I don’t know.”

  “If you don’t face it now, it will haunt you forever.”

  “I know. I just wish I knew how this all turned out.”

  “Ha! If any of us could see that future, wouldn’t life be so much easier?”

  He carried their bags down the stairs and took the keys to his car off a hook by the front door.

  “Let’s take my car,” Lydia said.

  “Can you drive?”

  “Not well. You can drive, but I want to ride in my car to the airport.”

  “Sounds good to me. Your car is probably a lot better than the jalopy I drive.”

  Lydia led him to the carport where her metallic blue BMW X5 was parked and he let out a low whistle.

  “That’s a nice car.”

  “Thank you. Carter and Jareth bought it for me. I thought picking something outlandish would make them stop trying to force me to let them buy me a car but it backfired.”

  “How much did it end up costing them?”

  “Almost one hundred grand, but they didn’t even blink at the price.”

  “Lucky for us. This beauty is going to make a long ride bearable.”

  “Good. I’m dreading this trip. Anything we can do to make it more fun is welcome.”

  “Yep. We’ll be there before you know it.”

  Lydia took one last look at the beautiful house, the sunrise splashing vibrant colors on the entire scene so that it all appeared to be a dream. Martin was right and too soon, they would be in Kentucky.

  ***

  As predicted, their drive to the airport and their flight took much less time than they should have. Lydia felt unbalanced as she stepped out of the lawyer’s office and made a beeline for t
he rental car where Martin waited patiently parked under a large shade tree.

  She slid into the passenger seat and let out a heavy sigh.

  “How was it?”

  “It wasn’t that bad. I don’t have to appear today. Ms. Engle will file a petition on my behalf regarding the money stolen by my uncle early this afternoon. The court is slow this time of year, so she thinks that the judge will schedule the preliminary hearing for tomorrow morning.”

  “Will they be able to serve him before then?”

  “This hearing isn’t about him. It’s only to determine if I had any reasonable right to the money so the felony charge can be dropped. After that, he’ll be served and they’ll set up a court date to determine who the money belongs to.”

  “What did she say about your chances of getting the felony dropped?”

  “Felonies. The police tacked as many on there as they could. She said that it looks pretty cut and dry. The money was left to me, and the life insurance had a provision for a caretaker. This money was separate and never rightfully his. Since he provided a false death certificate to obtain the money, she doubts that we’ll have to fight him.”

  “So, you can’t confront him until after court tomorrow morning?”

  “I sure can’t. I don’t even need to be there tomorrow. The lawyer is filing on my behalf with the information I gave her. I’ll have to testify at the actual trial, but that’s about it.”

  “Are you planning on confronting him before the trail?”

  “I don’t know. The more I think about it, the more I realize that he’s punished himself. He’s a lonely old man with no family and no one to take care of him. Even if things have changed drastically since I last saw him, I doubt he’s happy. Why give him the chance to spew his venom at me one last time outside the courtroom? It’s not going to do anyone any good to talk to him and I’m tired of hearing his lies.”

  Martin smiled at her, his eyes crinkling merrily.

  “That’s the spirit. Don’t give the fool any more power. If you have nothing else to do today, I had something in mind that I thought you might want to do.”

  “Lead the way. I’m ready to be done with this mess.”

  Martin keyed in the address on the GPS and eased the car onto the street and into the light traffic.

  After a few turns, Lydia sat up, suddenly interested in where he was going. All this looked so familiar, but it had been over ten years since she’d last laid eyes on her parents’ neighborhood and the east side of town. Martin passed through town and took another turn before parking in front of a dark building that Lydia didn’t recognize. He didn’t have to tell her where they were, though she waited for him in the car while he went inside to ask for directions. He was back in moments, backing out of the space and passing through the ornate gates of the Merryville Cemetery.

  “Are they here?”

  “They are.”

  Martin drove in silence, counting off the spaces before pulling to the side and parking. He popped the trunk and went to the back of the car while Lydia gathered the courage to get out. Martin returned with two beautiful floral arrangements that were Christmas themed.

  “I know it’s not Christmas yet, but I thought these were appropriate.”

  Lydia’s eyes welled up with tears.

  “Thank you, Martin.”

  He led her to the large stones that marked the place where her parents rested, side by side. He sat quietly on the bench a short distance away while Lydia visited, listening to the sound of her voice dancing on the wind, but not quite close enough to make out the words. She sat in the grass between their gravestones, talking animatedly as if they were both sitting before her. The scene tore at his heart.

  She deserved better than the hand she’d been dealt.

  It didn’t matter. He could tell this was exactly what she needed. Some kind of closure, and some proof that she hadn’t always been all alone in this world.

  After some time, she got up from soft grass and looked at Martin. She took a step forward and faltered, catching herself just in time.

  Martin stood and rushed to her side.

  “Are you alright, Lydia?”

  “I’m fine now. I just felt a little light-headed. I’m under so much stress.”

  “That’s for sure. You need to take it easy.”

  Martin held onto her arm, watching her with great concern until the color returned to her face.

  “Better?”

  “Yes. Much better. I stood up too fast. I’m exhausted and this is all much harder than I thought it was going to be.”

  “No need to explain. I get that. Let’s get out of here and do something to take your mind off everything. It’s not like worrying will change anything. You’ll just end up worrying yourself sick.”

  “You’re right, Martin. Thank you.”

  He walked her to the car, hand on her back and his free hand ready to steady her if she stumbled again. This week was only going to get harder, and he secretly wished she’d waited until Jareth was well enough to accompany her. Martin wouldn’t miss this time with her for anything because she was the daughter he’d never had, but he had a feeling that this journey was going to need more than just his strength to see her through.

  Having Carter and Jareth by her side through all of this would have been better, but Martin was going to do his best to be everything that Lydia needed.

  They spent the rest of the day exploring the town Lydia had grown up in. To her delight, she actually remembered some of the places they saw. She indicated the different points of interest as they drove through the town.

  “It seems like you had a happy life before your parents died.”

  “I really did. They were so fun and full of life. My mom was the most loving, caring woman I’d ever met, and my dad loved us both so much. Even at a young age, I knew how lucky I was.”

  “It is amazing how all that can change in an instant, isn’t it?”

  “It really is. One minute they were here, the next minute, there’s a police officer pulling me out of third grade to tell me that they’d died in a car accident.”

  “That must have been so hard for you.”

  “It was like a nightmare. I don’t remember most of the day it happened. But, by the end of the week I had one suitcase of my things I was allowed to take from our home and I was dropped off at my uncle’s house.”

  “Just like that?”

  “It really was. Looking back, I wish someone had cared enough to worry about me a little more.”

  “It happens. Children fall through the cracks all the time. But you turned out pretty good. At least, I think so.”

  Lydia smiled at him, laughing at his thinly-veiled attempt to pull her out of the ugliness of her memories.

  She and Martin spent most of the week in much the same way, exploring Merryville like two tourists. The lawyer called her Wednesday afternoon to let her know that court had gone well and that the judge had agreed to hear their case.

  “The judge was interested to hear how your uncle was going to explain away all of this. He’s being served tomorrow and court is set for the end of next week.”

  “That fast?”

  “Yep. There wasn’t much activity in the courtroom this week and the docket was pretty much empty. It would have been sooner, but the judge has to give him enough time to hire a lawyer if he’d like.”

  Lydia hung up the phone and told Martin about the impending court date.

  “Do you want me to stay until court is over?”

  She looked at him, grateful that this man seemed to always know exactly what she needed.

  “You remind me so much of my father.”

  There were tears in her eyes.

  “I can’t tell you what a compliment that is. I can stay as long as you need me to.”

  “Thank you. I would really appreciate it if you would come with me to court. I’m ready to face Sadler, but I don’t know if I can do this on my own.”

  “You absolutely ca
n do it on your own. But you shouldn’t have to. You faced so much of this life alone, it’s about time someone was there to stand beside you.”

  “Thank you. I hate to admit it, but I’m not looking forward to dealing with Sadler. He’s an angry person. He was even before he found out that I was, well, you know. It’s like he always knew he needed to hate me, and when I shifted, he finally knew why. I don’t know what he’ll say and do in court, but I know it’s not going to be pretty.”

  “It will be the end of next week before you know it. Let’s not waste time dwelling on things we can’t control.”

  “You’re right. I want to live my life and enjoy my days.”

  Lydia sat back, content to let Martin lead her haphazardly around the county. Soon enough this week would be over, and these moments lost forever. She was going to cherish them while she had them.

  The following Friday morning came faster than either of them had expected. The steps of the courthouse loomed before her. Martin held his arm out, offering his strength to her.

  “Thank you.”

  “Let’s do this.”

  “I’ve got this.”

  “Yes you do.”

  Court was nothing like Lydia imagined. Her crime show watching experience did nothing to prepare her for the reality of court. The judge sat on the bench, as expected, but that’s where the similarities ended. The jury box was empty, and there was no one to witness the case. The judge listened to evidence without using the witness stand, with Sadler Blunt sitting behind a desk with his lawyer on one side of the courtroom and Lydia sitting with hers on the other.

  Martin took a seat directly behind Lydia on a long benches that reminded her of a church pew. When the judge called on Lydia’s side, her lawyer stood, motioning to Lydia that she should remain seated and let her speak.

  Lydia watched in rapt attention as Ms. Engle went over the information Lydia had shared about her childhood and how she’d found out about the money that her parents had left her. More than once, she heard Sadler mutter under his breath, but the Judge ignored the old man.

  He’d aged considerably in the last year, looking extremely frail and sallow. She almost felt sorry for him. There was no one sitting behind him in the courtroom.