Unstoppable Force (Force of Nature Series) by Kathi S. Barton Read Free Book Online Page B

again. “What did she do? She still has a lot to learn about trusting
people.”
    “So she does.” Nancy sat down. “I went
up to take her some breakfast. She was…she was crying. When I asked her what
was the matter, she told me nothing, just tired. I left her the tray and went
back to fixing breakfast for the rest of the household. I might have gotten a
little side tracked with little ones.” Nancy got up and went to the stove to
stir the soup she had simmering there. It was the lightest soup she could think
of to give to Lou.
    “Mom?” She wiped again at the tears. “Mom,
tell me what happened. Whatever it is, I swear to you that I’ll talk to her
about it.”
    She turned to look at him. “She hadn’t
eaten. None of it but a few nibbles on the toast. By the time I’d made it back
up there, she was asleep. I took it away and didn’t…I brought her some lunch
about an hour ago. I decided to visit with her.” Nancy didn’t mention that the
visit hadn’t gone well. She’d left the room in tears, but it had nothing to do
with the girl. It was entirely to do with what she’d discovered. She sat back
down. “How much do you know about her?”
    He shook his head.
    “I thought so. She’s not been eating
well. Well, that’s an understatement. She told me that she’s been consisting on
mostly ramen noodles for ten years.” She watched as dawning came over his face.
Connor looked at the stairs then back at her before he spoke.
    “She can’t eat. She doesn’t…she doesn’t
have the stomach for it.” He leaned back in his chair and scrubbed his hand
over his face. “How do I fix that?”
    She didn’t know what to tell him. “She’ll
never be able to live through the change if you want her to be a wolf, as weak
as she is. And not being able to eat will make her…” Nancy got up to stir the
soup again. “I don’t want her to die.” She continued to stir the pot and think
about how to help Connor when the she heard the door close. She turned to see
that Connor had left the kitchen and had gone into the yard. By the time she’d
gotten to the door to call him back, he was in his truck and peeling out of the
driveway.
    She was immediately concerned, then
pissed. How dare he? As soon as he came back she was going to take the spoon to
his bottom. Then his hard head again. By the time she was finishing up the soup
and ladling it into a bowl she was in a rare form even for her. The girl in the
bed was not going to be put through whatever her son was up to.
    Lou was sitting on the side of the bed
when she came through the door. Her face was pale and Nancy immediately put
down the tray and went to her. She could see right away that the girl was in a
great deal of pain.
    “Why can’t you all just leave me the
fuck alone?”
    Nancy didn’t say anything, knowing that
pain could make a person say things they normally wouldn’t.
    “I want to just be left alone. Can’t you
make that other guy let me go to the jail? I won’t cause this household any more
problems.”
    Jail. Nancy had forgotten that Lou was
here because of circumstances that had nothing to do with Connor and being his
mate. Nancy looked down at the covered wound and saw the blood stains there. She’d
been up again. And hadn’t asked for help.
    Nancy looked up at her and realized that
she had no one to ask for help. Connor had left her here yesterday morning and
had only returned for lunch then left again. She tried to think if he had been
sleeping here. And she realized that he hadn’t. He’d left her here without
anything in the way of support.
    “What do you think will happen if you go
back to jail? Do you think you’ll have a bed to sleep in like this one? Do you
think you’ll have any pain medication if you need it?”
    “I’ve slept on the cold ground for more
than ten years, most of the time without a blanket or pillow. Most winters I have
little more than a jacket and no boots. Last summer I spent the entire time
sleeping in