Her Tiger To Take Read Online Free PDF

would have accepted him no matter what. Like I said, we
recognized a kindred spirit.”
    “What did he do for you?”
    The bell over the door jingled and a young
woman walked in with a toddler in tow. She waved at Jane and the
shop’s owner before moving toward one side of the shop where some
old toys were shelved. The toddler squealed in delight. Tiana
grinned at the little girl. When she looked back, Jane was watching
the two with the same sort of fond expression she got when talking
about the town.
    “You really love it here, don’t you?” she
asked.
    Jane raised her brows. “First home I’ve ever
had. Best home I’ve ever had. These people are like family. And I’m
protective of family.” On the last sentence, her smile dropped away
and she held Tiana’s gaze.
    “I’m protective of family, too. Believe me. I
understand.”
    “You want kids?”
    “More than I can tell you.”
    “They’re hard. Every stage is tough.”
    “I know. I have six siblings, four younger
than me.”
    “Not the same as having a kid of your
own.”
    “Fair enough. I’m prepared for the
tough.”
    “You’re young.”
    Tiana smiled. “Not that young.”
    Tigers aged a little differently than humans
and their life spans were much longer. It wasn’t unusual for humans
to misjudge a tiger’s age. At twenty-eight, she was young
for both species, but not a girl who didn’t understand how the
world worked. As she held Jane’s gaze, she realized Jane probably
knew “how the world worked” at a much, much younger age. Suddenly,
Tiana felt a pang of protectiveness for the woman, an urge to take
away any pain she might have experienced. The incongruity of that
would probably make Jane laugh.
    “They are worth it,” Jane said in a soft
tone. “Kids. They’ll break your heart in so many ways. But it’s all
worth it.”
    Tiana raised her mug in a toast. Jane
followed suit. They sat quietly for a few minutes, drinking their
tea.
    Then Tiana said, “I don’t want to take Nick
away from the place he feels comfortable. I just want to share it
with him.”
    Jane nodded. “Good. In that case, I won’t
warn him off you.”
    “You would have done that?”
    Jane stood, leaving a few dollars on the
table. “Of course. Why do you think I’m here?” She waved to the
mother, toddler, and shop owner, all standing around the old toys
now, then she turned toward the door. “Just don’t break his heart,”
she said on her way out of the shop. “None of us will take kindly
to that.”
    Tiana remained where she was for a bit
longer, mulling over what Jane had told her.
    Island of misfit toys.
    That sounded…perfect.
     
     
     

CHAPTER FIVE
     
    Nick knew the minute Tatiana walked into his
diner. He’d felt her wandering around his town all afternoon, and
it was all he could do not to go after her and drag her back to his
house. Having a job to do, customers to make happy, helped. The
diner was a lot of work. There was always something he had to do.
But even that distraction wasn’t enough to keep his thoughts off
her.
    He was the only one cooking tonight, so he
didn’t go out to her right away. Since he’d taken over the diner,
the place was rarely quiet during meal times. Finding this town,
this business, had been a blessing for him. And outside of that one
early negotiation with the alpha of the local werewolf pack, he’d
been able to live here quietly for all these years.
    He was afraid to break that peace, terrified
his mind would snap like his father’s—just like all the other
tigers thought—if he did anything to change the status quo.
    Tatiana was asking him to risk that. She
didn’t know what she was courting by shaking up his world. He
couldn’t face driving her down the same hole his mother had fallen
in to. If he let himself fall in love, he risked history repeating
itself.
    As he cooked and plated up each order, he
reminded himself again and again, his caution was for Tatiana’s own
good. He’d just have to make