Wrong Girl, Right Alpha novel · Chapter 23 of 48

Chapter 23: The Family Table

Ronan opened the bathroom door a hand's width, wearing a towel and a look of deep patience.

Tilly stood in the hall in her flannel, hopping from foot to foot.

"I know who it is," she said.

"Who what is?" I called from the tub.

"My mate! I smelled him in the hall tonight when everybody howled. It knocked me flat, Nora. It's the south sentry."

"Which one?"

"The one who got hit from behind on the pine path."

Ronan closed his eyes.

"Tilly," he said, "it is the middle of the night."

"He has a lump on his head, and he blushed when I looked at him, and I want it on record that I'm happy."

She was crying again.

I climbed out of the tub in a towel and hugged her dripping wet.

"It's on record," I said.

The next Sunday, the pack house kitchen served dinner for the first time without Celia in it.

I had wanted a long table, so Ronan had the carpenters bring up the benches from the hall.

It ran the length of the dining room, with the widows at the head, because I had put them there.

The old one who had told me to wipe my feet sat in the best chair and criticized the gravy.

"Too much pepper," she said. "Who's responsible?"

"Me," Tilly said, from the stove.

"It's very good pepper."

"Thank you."

"I didn't say that."

Down the table sat the south sentry with a bandage still taped to the back of his head.

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