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After looking at them both pretty hard, Misty seemed to accept that.
“Are you okay, sweetheart? You’re not afraid after today, are you? You know that we’ll do anything to keep you safe.” Taylee took her sandwich and sat down at the table by Misty. They’d had to explain to Misty what was going on, but had kept it to the absolute minimum.
The girl’s eyes were absolutely huge. “I’m not scared. I know everyone here will keep me safe. I wasn’t scared at all.” She frowned and picked at the little bit of cheese left on her plate. “I’m mad at that guy, though. He’s not nice. He’s a bad guy. He frightened you.”
“I’m alright.”
“And he scared Onyx.”
“He’s never going to be able to scare either of them again,” Kier cut in. “We’re going to find him and make sure that he…gets some help.”
“What kind of help?”
The beginning of an idea started to form in Taylee’s mind. When Clay had told her about Emma being abducted by a member of their own clan as a warning when her mom Glendy moved to Greenacre and started dating a Greenacre shifter, he’d also told them how Sam and Clarence had started a program for anyone in the clan who needed somewhere to go and talk things out. It was good for them, because it also explained to her why they’d moved from Texas. Troubled shifters going out in the world was never a recipe for anything good. People deserved to live in peace inside as well as in their environment.
“He’s clearly troubled. Sometimes, people do bad things because bad things have been done to them. Often, since they were kids. They didn’t have a chance to have a good life. ” Kier said, and it was like he was speaking the words right from Taylee’s heart.
“Sometimes people are mad,” Misty whispered. “That’s what makes them bullies.”
“Yes. That’s exactly right.” Kier munched the rest of the pickle.
Taylee hadn’t touched her sandwich yet. She was too busy thinking. Trying to put a plan together in her head.
People might call her crazy. Her brothers wouldn’t understand. There were people from Pinefall who wouldn’t understand either, but forgiveness was so much harder than anything else. Harder to understand, harder to find, harder to practice and live.
“Are you okay?” Misty asked. “You look funny.”
Tay wrinkled her nose, held up two olives in front of her eyes and stuck out her tongue. “I’m absolutely okay, honey. Just fine.”
Misty roared with laughter before she remembered Onyx sleeping and quickly bit down her bottom lip.
Tonight, Tay would sleep here, in Kier’s house, for the first time ever. It might not have been how she once imagined it would be, but they were safe. She believed in the clan’s protection. She had Kier here not far away, in his room, and his presence was comforting. She had Misty and Onyx, and they were healthy and safe. This morning, she’d been afraid that everything she loved would be taken from her, but here she was, more blessed than she’d ever known. Tonight, she was here.
Tomorrow, she’d go to Clarence and discuss her idea for the man who had threatened all of them.
If he could be found, maybe he wasn’t beyond redemption.
Chapter 9
Taylee
“Surprise!”
Misty gaped at everyone gathered in the small Greenacre community hall building. Situated at the end of the main street, with the big square fake frontage in the classic western style of every town hall from every small town everywhere, it was designed to be the focal point of the village.
They had originally planned to have breakfast at the school gym, but it was actually smaller than the town hall and Sam had suggested using it instead. Plus, it was already set up with a fully functioning kitchen for events, which made churning out dozens and pancakes, sausages, and hashbrowns so much easier.
Rows of tables were set up with the typical folding chairs on either side, but almost no one was sitting.
There was a big cheer and then it seemed like the whole town converged on them.
There was Sam, with his arm around Lily. Her little pregnant belly was so freaking adorable in the sweater dress she had on—she was almost seven months, but her small dancer’s build made it difficult to tell. Their boys were off with the other kids, streaking blurs in full motion around the room. Glendy and Thaddius stood to the left, Emma in front of them and their new baby in Glendy’s arms. January and Tavish were closet to them, their little boy bundled up in his arms, face resting on his shoulder, he was the same age as Onyx, and Taylee wondered if they’d become friends. Even the clinic was closed down for a few hours so that Trace and Josephine, as well as their twin boys, who must have been off tearing around the place equally as fast as Sam’s kids, could come and enjoy the celebration.
Taylee also recognized Rory, the butcher, and his son. She didn’t know very many other people, and the majority of the room was men, but it was filled with smiling faces. The shifters of Greenacre were overwhelming huge, but those men didn’t look like brutes. They looked like the kind of men who thought that it was important to come out and be a community, a family, and celebrate a little girl.
Kier told her about the idea of bringing a scientist to the party, because Misty loved science so much, and so she wasn’t surprised to see an entire table set up at the back of the room filled with beakers and burners and all sorts of things.
“Kier!” Misty tugged at his hand and pointed eagerly. “Look!”
