Aedan: Harrison Ambush – Erotic Tiger Shapeshifter Romance by Kathi S. Barton Page A

ahead. But tell me which one sent you out here. She told him no one, she’d been out and about and saw him and decided to have a nice sit down . Did Mac tell you I found my mate? Or she found me, I guess.
    “Yes. I heard about it.” She leaned against him and closed her eyes. “I saw the doctor today. He said that I’m doing just fine. He also gave me a book to read. I had no idea what to expect when I saw the cover. But I read it. I think it made me have more questions than it answered anything. It’s mostly about the changes in my body that will be going on over the next several months.”
    Mom will be able to help you if you don’t want to ask the doctor . She said she’d think on it. You can’t be doing this for a while, walking around without protection. There are some people out there trying to kill Nikki. That’s her name…my mate is Nikki Neal.
    “I know. I have a gun, but I kinda of knew that you’d be out here. I heard that you had left your house and figured you’d be here.” He wanted to snap at her that he didn’t like people talking about him behind his back, but he only lay there. He wasn’t even sure what he was angry about really. He couldn’t care less if he was the topic of conversation usually. “I was trying to think what to get Mac for Christmas. Your mom said that anything I got him would be great. But I want it to be special. This is our first Christmas together, and I want it to be memorable.”
    I think I can help you with that. Did you know that Mac collects pottery? She said that she had seen his collection. My mom said that he was having it moved to your home after the holidays. I guess it’s grown quite a bit since he was living with us all. I know that he takes a great deal of pride in it.
    “We’re having a room set up for it in the back of the house. I mean, we’re having one built off the back of the house. As if the house isn’t big enough for me to get lost in. Anyway, he said that he started collecting when he was about nine, when your mom picked him up a piece when they were on vacation somewhere.” He told her that they’d been in the Smokey Mountains. “That’s right. It was made by a local potter, I guess, and he loved it so she got it for him.”
    The man let him play on the wheel. I don’t think Mac ever got the hang of it, but he did enjoy the form and the way it had to be done. I remember the older man being very patient with him too. I’m not sure, but I think Mac might have taken a few lessons when he was older. In college, I think. Andi said that he had. What I was getting at is that there is this potter that he loves. His name is Rickson, I think. He’s from someplace down south. Anyway, this potter has this beautiful raku stuff that Mac’s been coveting for years. I think he has one or two pieces by the artist. I don’t know why he’s never gotten any more of it, but you might try looking for that. She said that she would look.
    They sat there for a little while longer, neither of them saying anything else, listening to the creek as it made its way to something larger and deeper. Aedan felt at peace for the first time in a long while.
    “Will it be so bad?” He knew what she was asking him, and since he was feeling pretty good, he told her it would. “I see. Because of your plans.”
    Do you know how hard it is to juggle this work and that of the family business and keep them going? What I’m doing right now is all I can handle for the moment. Do you know how much everyone is going to be looking into every single part of my life from now on? She said that she didn’t, but imagined that he would be just fine and get it all done. Yes, I will, but it will take me longer now that I have someone to watch out for. It’s messing with my timeline, having someone like a mate come along.
    “You think you will? Have to watch out for her, I mean. I heard from Stormy that this woman is a highly decorated officer, and has been asked several times to