It took less than ten minutes to make the trip into town. She kept the windows down, loving the cool breeze that heralded the coming of spring. Virginia was beautiful in every season, but spring was her favorite time of the year. In the winter, it made it hard for her black panther to blend, but she still loved to run on all fours when fresh snow fell. “I’ll get what I need in town and get out,” she promised herself. Although she loved visiting the little town occasionally, she much preferred to chill at home. Today was her day off, which just so happened to be a glorious day that she’d much rather be doing anything other than buying fencing. She wanted to ride her bike. The need to feel the wind in her hair and let loose made her antsy.
She found a parking space up front, noticing the lot was empty except for two other vehicles near the back.
“Hey there, young lady. What can I do for you?”
Torrance looked up to see Howard, the old man who looked older than dirt, yet the human male was as competent as any of them, smiling at her. “Hiya, Howard. How’s the missus?” she asked, stopping to lean on the counter, knowing he wouldn’t let her out without a chit chat session.
“Ah, she’s good. Got the arthritis ya know. This time of year makes it a little rough, but she’s still puttering around getting the garden ready for vegetables.”
Torrance nodded, murmuring as if she agreed keeping silent about Ridge already having tomatoes. Her ability to fertilize the soil was something she didn’t advertise to anyone. She wasn’t sure if Ridge realized they were the only ones who had fresh produce long before others. “I need something to keep Mr. Bixley out of Ridge’s prized tomatoes, or he’s liable to have a heart attack.”
Their neighboring town of Assjacket, Virginia, wouldn’t even raise a brow if she’d spouted about her abilities to make shit grow, but here the humans were not to know. Nope, that was in the manual or something, she was pretty sure. Sassy Gobblesnitcherdoodle or some other effed up name like that probably had one she could borrow.
Howard nodded and pointed toward the back of the store. “We got some fencing in the back that’ll do the trick. Mind you, it won’t keep the wolves and other predators out if they come a sniffing around. You best make sure you got a good fencing around your goat’s enclosure. or he’ll be a snack for what roams them woods at night.”
She kept her eyes from rolling at the old man’s words. The natural predators lurking in the woods would be stupid as shit to come up on any shifter’s property. Poor Howard, he had no clue he was chatting with a shifter, although she would never hurt him or any human.
“Thanks. I’ll take a look at what you got.”
The bell above the door rang, drawing Howard’s attention. She hurried away to keep from being stuck in town any longer than necessary. She needed to tell Ridge about the feeling she’d gotten of being watched. Although it hadn’t felt like a fellow shifter, the malevolence had been real.
Voices drifted back to her. She quickly tuned them out once she realized they were both human. Just as Howard said, she found a huge roll of fencing high enough to keep her goat out of whatever Ridge planted, plus enough should Ridge expand his garden. Without thinking, she hefted the roll up in one hand and turned toward the front.
“Whoa, you need some help with that, young lady?”
Startled by the deep voice, she dropped the large roll. The loud thunk the metal made as it hit the concrete floor was a testament to the substantial weight she’d just about lifted without thought. Torrance grunted, making a face as if she was in pain. “Goodness, I didn’t realize that was so heavy.” She leaned forward, putting on a show of trying to pick it back up. “I think I need to get a cart,” she wheezed, whipping her hand across her brow. If they gave out Oscars for shifters pretending to be human, she surely would be a shoe in.
“Here, you take mine. I’ll load it in here for you.”
Son-of-a-biscuit-eater, she swore internally as she recognized who the male was. They’d gone to high school together only he’d been the jock every girl wanted. Every girl except her.
“Thanks, Jack. You home for...err, it’s not a Holiday?” She and Jack didn’t run in the same circles, never had. She was the girl who you didn’t bring home to meet the parents. For one, Ridge would’ve beat you senseless for talking to her. For two, nobody was good enough for her in Ridge’s estimation. And lastly, none of the guys, human that is, wanted to tangle with a girl who hung out with a bunch of huge guys who rode Harleys, and gave menacing looks. Nope, their mamas taught them better than that. If she’d ever acted as though she’d fuck and not tell, she was sure she’d have lost that V-card, but since she wasn’t that type of girl, none of the pricks, pricks like the gorgeous Jack, gave her a second glance. Besides all that, she had come into some weird powers that made her shifter shit seem like baby steps. Not that sprouting fur and fangs wasn’t awesome, but it was her witchy side that was out of control at times. And by out of control, blowing shit up was as far out as they came. So, yeah, she tried to stay away from dickheads who pissed her off, or she was apt
