Shifter Chronicles - Theo and Lucinda by EA Hunt Read Free Book Online

Taylor told her. The woman before her was her uncle's mate but he hadn’t told her yet, probably because the woman was skittish. Every time the door opened she would jump expecting someone to come through the door and hurt her—something that wasn’t going to happen in Hart. “Would you like more pie?”
    Lucy shook her head. She had to admit this was the best pie she had ever had. “Thanks, but no. I think three pieces is enough. Is there a phone I can use? I forgot to ask your uncle.”
    “Sure, you can use my cell phone if you’d like,” Taylor replied as she pulled her cell from her pocket. She stood from the booth, giving Lucy some privacy. She smiled at the woman as she stepped up to Tyson. “Did you call Dad?”
    Tyson looked at his sister. “Yeah, he's coming to pick us up.”
    Taylor nodded, “ok.” She turned and faced Lucy. She had a sad expression on her face. “Ms. Lucy, are you ok?”
    Lucy smiled at the teen. “I’m fine,” she replied. Lucy released a breath. She had checked her messages at home and been informed by her waitressing job she was no longer needed. Great—now she had no home and no job. How was she going to get her car fixed and leave here if she had no money and no job? How was she going to provide for Anastasia? “Do you know if the diner is hiring?”
    “Why, do you need a job?”
    Lucy looked over Taylor's shoulder to Theo. She had hoped she had more time to plan before he came back into the diner. She stood from the booth. “Theo…”
    He shook his head. He was not going to have this discussion with her in front of his niece and nephew. “Ty, Tay—I saw your dad pulling up. You two should head out.”
    Both nodded, smiled at Lucy, then turned and left.
    Theo faced his mate. He reached out a hand to her. “Come, we have some shopping to do.” Then after their shopping trip he would talk to her about this job thing. There was no reason for Lucy to work. He had enough money for her to stay home with their children.
    Lucy stared at him. “I can’t.”
    “You can and you will,” Theo replied. He was not going to argue with his mate about her care.
    “Theo, this high-handedness of yours is not attractive,” Lucy said as she tried to pull her hand from his.
    Theo stopped at the door to the diner. He stepped closer to Lucy, invading her space. “I will not argue with you about your care.”
    Lucy shook her head. What had gotten into him? When he had left her he had been in a semi-good mood. Now that mood was gone and—
    “I’m sorry.”
    “What do you have to be sorry for?”
    “This.” Theo bent his head and took Lucy’s lips with his. All the time he was at the Sheriff’s office he became angrier and angrier as he typed up the complaint, when he did a quick search on Lucinda McArthur, before starting the complaint, he found pictures of a bruised and battered woman. Each report he had seen had been closed by the police. There had been no follow-up. No conversation with the victim. No charges even though the doctors who had called in the abuse had done their job. It was like the police were protecting one of their own. He lifted his head. “I—”
    “Why did you kiss me?” Lucy questioned. She had never had anyone kiss her with so much strength and passion as Theo Hart.
    He smiled at her. “Because you, Ms. McArthur, needed to be thoroughly kissed. Now come on. We have a lot of shopping to do.”
     
     
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    This was not going like he had expected it to. Lucy was supposed to be shopping for the things she wanted for the house, herself, and the baby, but every time she picked up something she looked at the price and then placed it back on the shelf. Anything she had placed back on the shelf he had picked up and placed in his cart. His cart was full almost to the brim while hers had