Free My Estranged Lover (Middlemarch Shifters Book 5) by Shelley Munro Page B

expression turned grim. “Did you get money?”
    “Not yet, but don’t worry. I will. I’ll wear down my father. You’d better not pack anything else into the car yet since we’re going to the Mitchells for dinner. We’ll finish packing once we get home.” He picked up the landline phone and rang Cam. A few minutes later, he hung up and went to find Caroline. “Cam said our cottage is ready for us now. It’s no trouble if we arrive tomorrow.” One problem fixed. Marsh swallowed hard. Time to move on to the more pressing one of money. “Have you started packing our room yet?”
    “No, not yet.”
    “I’ll make a start. Shout if you need me for anything.”
    In their bedroom, Marsh pulled out his cell phone, his shoulders slumping momentarily before he straightened with determination. They needed money. He sucked in a quick breath to calm his racing pulse and hit speed dial.
    * * * * *
    The following day, road trip to the Mackenzie
    “Are we there yet?” James asked from the rear seat.
    Marsh grinned at Caroline before replying. “Not long now, kiddo. We’ll stop at Lake Tekapo to let you run off energy. I think we can spring for a coffee for us and milkshakes since we won’t be near a café for a few weeks.”
    “Can we afford it?” Caroline asked.
    Marsh coughed. “The—yes.” He sucked in a quick breath as if he required fortification then spoke fast. “Saber loaned me five hundred dollars when I asked him. I—we—are paying it back at twenty dollars per week. Dad refused—I felt embarrassed, and I should have told you when it happened. Dad…I’m sorry.”
    Caroline watched the ruddy color creep into the tips of his ears and understood his reluctance to inform her of this latest debacle with his parents. It can’t have been easy dealing with the crap his parents had pulled this week. The rumors. The nastiness. She reached over and placed her hand on his left where it rested on the steering wheel. “We’ve had a stressful week, so I’ll give you a pass this time. If I can make items to sell at the market, we should pay the money back soon enough. I gave Isabella several kids’ shirts and dresses I’ve made. Most are secondhand, but she said she’d try to sell them at the upcoming market. I figured it was better to sell them than leave them in storage.”
    “That was a good idea.” Marsh’s glance held gratefulness for her easy acceptance. “Thanks.”
    “Don’t forget to tell me stuff again. You don’t get a second pass.”
    “Noted. James, if you look closely, you should be able to see Lake Tekapo soon.”
    “I see it, Daddy.”
    “Me too. Me too,” Ricky cried.
    Caroline smiled, taken by the vibrant glacier blue of the lake. “It’s beautiful. I don’t remember the lake being such a pretty blue although it’s fifteen years since I came here with my parents for a holiday.”
    “I want to draw it,” James said.
    “Not today,” Marsh said. “We’re having a quick stop, but we’ll come back to visit. We can swim in the hot pools, and if it’s cold enough, we can try ice skating.”
    “I’ll take photos and you can draw from those,” Caroline suggested. “Do you think you have crayons the right color blue?”
    James frowned in concentration, and she saw Marsh in him then. Marsh drew his brows together in that way when he was pondering a weighty problem.
    “Why don’t I take Ricky to buy the coffee and milkshakes while you and James take photos? Once we get back we can sit by the lake for a while.”
    “Sounds good.” She and James set off to find the perfect spot to take photos, and she turned to find Marsh ogling her butt. Her mouth dropped open. Heat rushed to her cheeks followed by pleasure that she’d caught him looking. Instinct had her winking. “Later, Mr. Rutherford.”
    “Count on it, Mrs. Rutherford.”
    “Can we go across that bridge?” James asked, pointing to a footbridge spanning a river that ran into the lake. On the other side, tourists in