Treasured by a Tiger (Mate Me Book 6)

1

Caroline leaned against the door to the backyard behind her inn. Liam ran around the back, chasing Daisy.

"Come get me, Liam!" Daisy yelled, running into the freshly built gazebo. She saw Preston Reese standing off to the side. He started helping her redo the guest house where she and Liam were living. The inn was doing well enough that she saved up for a home and hired a night manager. Originally she wanted to add a second floor to the house, but Preston told her the foundation wouldn't hold it. With that in mind, she decided it was time to move. The night manager would live in the guest house when she and Liam moved. She wanted to be closer to Georgia and Jordan now that they got married. Daisy had become Liam's best friend over the year they spent in preschool. Now they were headed to kindergarten in a month. How her baby was old enough for kindergarten shocked her. At thirty-one and a single mother, this was not how she wanted her life to be. The day her life changed would stay in her mind forever.

Watching her son take his first steps, Caroline couldn't contain her joy. She whipped out her phone and documented Liam's milestone. She would share the video with Jonas when they spoke next. The military deployed Jonas to the middle east fighting in another war that should have ended years ago. A knock sounded on her front door. Picking Liam up, she deposited him in the pack and play before answering the door. Her heart fell when she saw a young man in an army uniform.

"Are you Caroline Jefferson?" She nodded jerkily, fearing the worst

"I'm sorry to tell you. Major Jefferson died in a roadside bomb attack yesterday." Caroline didn't remember what happened after that, she'd crumpled to the floor crying.

A few years later she moved to White Valley, Virginia to care for the inn her Aunt June left her. A year and a half she worked hard to bring life into the place. A year and a half she watched Preston Reese renovate the Clover Leaf Inn. A year and a half she longed for him. Her friends and sister found mates around her at Josie's Mate Me events. Liam only freely spoke in front of two men. One her brother-in-law Jordan and the other Preston Reese. Georgia constantly asked why she wouldn't give the tiger shifter what they both wanted. Caroline knew why. She was scared. Scared that mates were not what she and Jonas had been. He hadn't even bothered to tell her what kind of shifter he was. She found it suspicious. Jordan and Marcus both confirmed Liam would be a tiger shifter when he became old enough to shift. Her craving for Preston wracked her constantly. His light brown hair and green eyes beckoned during the day and invaded her dreams at night.

"Caroline, are you listening?" Georgia waved her hand in Caroline's face.

"No, what?" No use pretending she'd been listening to her sister.

"Lunch with Myra on Saturday."

"What about it?"

"Are you going?" Georgia gave her an exasperated look.

"Yes. Jordan is watching Liam. He is excited to hang out. Apparently Jordan promised to shift so Liam could get a look at his jaguar."

"Ha ha, of course, that would make Liam happy. Liam talks a lot about Preston and his construction work. He's going to be at my house beginning Saturday to add an addition to the house for Jordan's study."

"Liam will love it even more. He's been pestering me about when he will see Preston again. It doesn't matter that Preston comes by regularly to help me fix up the guest house."

"When are you going to be happy again?" Another argument Georgia brought up repeatedly. This time Caroline told her the truth.

"I want to, but I'm scared. What I feel for Preston is ten times what I felt for Jonas. I never told you the truth about how Jonas and I met." Georgia gave her a surprised look and motioned with her hand for Caroline to continue.

"We met in Las Vegas when I was there for the weekend to celebrate Irene's engagement. He was on leave from the Army. We met Friday night, and by Sunday we'd mated and married in one of those cheap wedding chapels. I discovered I was pregnant a month later when Jonas had gone back. Everything happened so fast we barely talked. Most of our relationship was physical. I think I helped Jonas forget about the horrors of war." Caroline felt tears slip down her cheeks.

"Aww Caroline." Georgia pulled her in for a comforting hug.

"No one is telling you to jump into a marriage with Preston. Go on a date and get to know him. You're thirty-one and a mom. You won't rush into anything. Don't deny yourself what you want out of fear." Georgia's words made sense. The only problem was Preston had stopped asking her out. The last time he'd asked had been at a Mate Me event where Preston began dating Evelyn. Oh, she knew Evvy dated him to force Anderson to come to his senses. It still bothered her to see the two of them together.

"He hasn't asked me out in over a year," she complained, getting a raised eyebrow from Georgia.

"Why don't you ask him? Come back to my house on Saturday after lunch. Ask Preston to go on a date." Georgia made it seem so simple. Ask the man who haunted her dreams on a date.

"I'll think about it. At the moment I need to get back to running this place. We are doing well enough that I can hire another front desk person. This frees me up to work in the kitchen and clean."

"You should hire a maid first," Georgia countered, patting her hand.

"I enjoy cleaning the rooms, but the front desk person will help me run the laundry too."

"Good, what about a handyman?"

"I've been texting Preston to send someone over to help me."

"Texting, huh?" Georgia gave her a wink, making Caroline roll her eyes.

"Just for help on odd jobs."

"Does he come to do it for you? He never sends one of his guys, does he? I saw him out back when Daisy went running off to Liam."

"Yes, he comes to do odd jobs for me. I'll think about asking him out next week."

"Good. I want you to be happy like I am with Jordan and Myra is with Rob." Caroline smiled at her sister. Just a few weeks ago Myra came back from her trip to Little Creek, Texas mated to Rob, and the threat of Viper was gone.

"Everything happens for a reason, Georgia. Don't push me, please." She gave her sister a pleading look.

"Fine. I need to get Daisy home. Tomorrow is the open house for kindergarteners. Are you coming?"

"Yes. Liam and I will see you there." Georgia gave her sister a hug and called for Daisy.

"Daisy, we have to go. Tell Liam you will see him tomorrow. Bye Preston!" Georgia waved at Preston who still stood by the guest house watching the children. Caroline knew he'd become protective of the place after Jordan's brother Scott snuck onto the property twice. Preston waved and disappeared into the guest house once again.

"Bye Aunt Caroline, bye Liam!" Daisy called, running over to Georgia. She wrapped her arms around Caroline's waist, giving her a squeeze.

"See you tomorrow, sweetie." Caroline bid them goodbye and went to find her son.

"Liam!"

Let me know what you think about my newest story! If you find any mistakes let me know, I try my best to edit before it is published, but things always slip through.