Sighing, Mel took care of business, brushing her teeth, carefully combing out the worst of the tangles in her hair, gently washing her face, and using the necessary. Matt was waiting for her outside, his flannel shirt back in place and buttoned up. He helped her to bed and tucked her in. When she sighed in relief, he reached out to touch her hair, now spread out on the pillow.
“It’s like sunrise on the mountain after the first hard frost,” he said.
Mel smiled. “And you’re a songwriter. This hair has been the bane of my existence ever since I first started school.
“It’s beautiful,” he insisted.
“Thank you.”
He leaned down, kissed her softly on her brow, and turned out the bedside lamp.
“Matt?”
“Yeah?”
She hesitated. “I’m glad you stayed, but…”
“What is it?”
“It’s just that…Well…Do you really only…Shift…when you’re in danger?”
Matt smiled. “We can Shift any time. It’s just that sometimes, when things happen—like tonight—we Shift without thinkin’ about it as the survival instincts just kick in without warnin’.”
“Could you…I mean, would you…Shift…now? Just so I can see you…like that…when you’re not…angry?
Matt’s smile broadened into a grin, which slowly morphed into something more, and before she knew it, he was a great big bear. His coat, like his human hair, was mostly dark brown, though the shades ranged from dark chocolate on his legs and belly to a lighter beaver color on his back and ending with a warm, sandy color on his long snout. His nose was big and black and looked cold and wet.
Mel knew she should be afraid. Good heavens, there was a bear in her bedroom! But somehow she didn’t feel afraid, for the twinkle she had seen in Matt’s golden eyes hadn’t gone away when he’d Shifted into his bear form.
“Thank you,” she whispered, awed by this truly handsome beast.
She heard a low rumbling that she could have sworn was a chuckle, and Matt laid his snout on the edge of her bed, nudging her lightly. Mel smiled sleepily and reached out to gently caress his face. Matt licked her fingers then turned away to head for the hallway. He rose onto his powerful hindquarters at the doorway and moved the light switch with his nose.
“Good night, Matt,” she called softly.
Matt glanced over his shoulder and snuffled.
Mel giggled, and turning onto her side in order to relieve the pressure on the back of her head, she allowed herself to fall asleep.
6
Mel woke slowly and turned to look at her clock, only to moan when the back of her head connected with the pillow. She tried to lie still, waiting for the pain to pass, but after a time, she heard voices coming from the living room.
“Please tell me I didn’t leave the T.V. running all night,” she grumbled.
Then she registered the tone of those voices and froze.
They’re back!
Throwing aside her blankets, she struggled to a sitting position and waited for the world to stop spinning. It didn’t take as long as she’d expected, and she managed to make it into the bathroom. Twenty minutes later, she emerged from her bedroom, pulling a sweater on over the yellow camp shirt she had tucked into a pair of slender jeans.
“Hey there,” Matt said when she appeared in the kitchen.
“Good mornin’,” Luke said, making way for her at the table.
“I hope you don’t mind us borrowin’ your kitchen,” Bart said, as he flipped pancakes in one of her square frying pans.
“Not at all,” she said, surprised to find it was the truth.
“Uncle Bart’s famous for his flapjacks,” John assured her, reaching into her cabinet for another plate on which he placed some crispy bacon before handing the plate to Bart for some pancakes. He set the plate down in front of Mel.
“Uh, I don’t usually eat a big breakfast,” she said.
“Did you even take the time for dinner last night?” Bart asked.
Mel had to think about it. “I guess not.”
“Then eat up, darlin’,” he said. “We got a long day ahead of us, and you need feedin’ up for it.”
Mel couldn’t help but smile—until she noticed the kitchen clock.
“Oh, my God. I am so late.”
She tried to stand up too quickly, though, and Matt grabbed her before she could faint.”
“Easy, darlin’,” he said, carefully lowering her to her chair.
“You don’t understand. I’ll lose my job for sure, if I’m three hours late for work!”
“Now, how can you be goin’ into work, if you’re busy recruitin’ the Konstantine Talent Agency’s newest band?” Mark asked.
Mel looked around at all of them, a flicker of hope sparking as she saw they were serious.
“Do you mean it?” she asked.
“Well, there’re some stipulations that need to be met, before we sign any contract,” Bart said, lifting the last of the pancakes onto a plate and reaching to turn off the burner before joining her at the table with his own breakfast. “We’ve all seen what the ‘country western’ set has become, and the boys aren’t gonna go along with most of it.”
Mel swallowed her bite of pancake and eyed Bart closely.
“What do you mean?”