Mind Mates (Pull of the Moon Book 2) by Mary Hughes Read Free Book Online Page A

finished nursing, still trying to corral rambunctious toddlers. The stink of a full diaper reached Emma’s nostrils and tried to yank out nose hairs. Poor mother. Emma knew nothing about toddlers, but she got to her feet, intending to help. And the bench. I promised to take care of it. Well, that would have to wait until morning. The store was closed now.
    At that moment the ship hit choppy waters. She stumbled and plunked back into the chair.
    The older toddler had no such trouble but dashed past, running toward the exit, giggling maniacally.
    Then Dr. Light, head and shoulders above the milling crowd, swooped in and corralled the child.
    “Whoa, there, partner.” He used his calming voice. “You need to stay with your mommy, to help her.”
    That was so sweet of him. Emma smiled to herself.
    Gently he guided the boy by the shoulder back to where the poor young mother restrained the younger tot with one hand while she tried to change the baby’s diaper with the other.
    “Here, let me do that.” Dr. Light sat in the lounger next to the young mother and competently dug through her diaper bag, laying out wipes, ointment, and a fresh diaper. To Emma’s surprise, the nerd king took the baby and, as if he’d done it many times, quite capably changed the infant who giggled and cooed the whole time.
    Her wolf wagged its tail. Father material. She shushed it.
    Feeling like she’d seen something quite personal, intimate even, she rose and, stumbling a little with the ship’s rocking, ducked out the back way.
    She found herself in one of the ferry’s food areas. Her nerves were still brittle from everything that had happened, and she indulged in ordering herself a cup of hot tea. Her name was called a few minutes later. She collected the cup, added milk and sugar, capped it, and took it to Dr. Light’s stateroom.
    The room was small and empty to her sight. But to her nose…the whole cubicle smelled like Dr. Light. Gabriel. She breathed deep and felt her tensions drop away one by one.
    Four hours. The ferry would take four hours to cross Lake Michigan. Sipping tea, she considered the bunk and decided she had time for a nap. After all, who knew what she’d have to confront when they docked in Wisconsin. Bruiser had friends.
    Although she’d feel better after washing her face. She set down the cup and went to investigate the carry-on.
    Her nose must’ve been especially sensitive. She smelled Dr. Light… Gabriel …everywhere. His carry-on was on the bunk, but strangely, she smelled him not only on his things, but, when she carried his face soap to the tiny sink, his scent floated strongly near the bathroom door.
    She breathed deep of his essence, feeling his huge, calm presence, his brilliant competence. One breath, that was all, and she felt wonderful.
    She washed her face and dried it with a towel, glancing periodically at the cabin door. For some reason, she smelled Gabriel as if he were in the room with her, and she almost expected him to step into view at any moment. Impossible, as the door was locked and she had the key, but that didn’t stop her from cutting continual peeks as she dampened the towel and used it to scrub the worst of Bruiser’s nasty barbiturate from her hair. She tried to wipe her Techie Titan shirt down, but it was too gunked up with the nasty stuff so she took the polo off, rinsed the worst out, and hung it up to dry.
    Then she stripped off her pants, lay down on the bunk, and stared at the door.
    What do I do now? She’d left home two months ago to join Bruiser’s pack because jobs were scarce in her hometown of Matinsfield, Wisconsin. Wolf shifter packs were few and far between, but she could count on one paw the number of packs accepting uninvited new members.
    And that answered that, didn’t it? At least for now, she’d have to go home.
    She’d promised to mind the bench, but she could send Carol an email in the morning, letting her know there’d been an emergency. The second