All I know is that the next Call will be someone to the ranch. I can’t imagine Red falling in love with anyone else though. He was and always will be a one-woman guy, and that lucky girl was Anna. The sun rose and set with her, and as far as I know, he’s never looked at another woman since.
I used to be worried about him being alone all the time, raising Wy on the road and then on the ranch when they left the tour. But he's assured me many times that he’s OK with his lot, so I've always just left it alone.
“Did the book come through?” Red asks, glancing my way before focusing back on the road.
“I’ve got an email from Aster so yep,” I say, a smile tugging at my lips as I bounce in my seat. “I can’t wait to dive in.”
“I’ve always been curious about her books. Did you know that men at the ranch have all read them?”
“Oh yeah,” I reply. “Tobes even gets Dee to read them to him.”
He arches his brow. “Eventheirstory?”
“Oh yeah. Butthatis where I should stop this conversation because I don’t think you’ll want to know the details…”
Red’s eyes sparkle with understanding. “MaybeIshould start readin’ them one of these days.”
I eye him curiously. “You sure you can handle all of the sweet, swoony romance?”
His responding laugh warms my insides. “I’m sure I’ll manage. I already know about the Call from the others.”
“And what do you think about it?” I ask.
"It’s sounds a lot like a fairytale."
“They kind of are in a way,” I reply. “then again, I think we’ve all believed in fairytales at least once in our lives–or wished they were real.”
“Only once?”
I grin. “Okay, maybe more than once. Ihavebeen married a few times, after all. But we’ll just keep that to ourselves.”
He chuckles and uses his hand to gesture locking his lips. “Your secret’s safe with me, Mags. I’ve gotta tell ya though, almost everyone in town knows you’re a hopeless romantic.”
Sighing, I roll my eyes. “Back to the Call. Do you know that the mountain spirit is activated on one mountain at a time?”
"Yep. And the prophecy started with the Cooper family on Moose Mountain and has followed the bloodline in one way or another ever since. Bull Mountain came after Eagle, and that was only because Lee moved to the ranch with Colt,” he says.
“That’s right. Do you know anythin’ else about it?” I ask, fully invested in the conversation now. Red has never shown that much of an interest in the Call or the prophesy, but I’m not about to question why he’s so intrigued now.
“I know that there’s a Seer for every mountain and they are chosen by the spirit to be the person she communicates with inorder to those hearin’ the Call navigate the journey toward each other.”
“Wow. I’m impressed,” I say. “For someone who hasn’t read the books, you sure do pay attention.”
“Idothink I should start readin’ them though,” he adds.
Suddenly I’m confused. “Why? Do you think you’re next in line to hear the Call, Red?” I tease half-heartedly because just saying those words has my heart leaping into my throat. I push that feeling away though. “Cause if you are, give your best friend a head’s up so that I can put in a bet and win me some money.”
Red shoots me a wink. “I’ll always have your back, darlin’.” He nods toward the e-book reader in my lap. “Just so I know what to look out for, how does someone know they’re hearin’ the Call?”
My brows knit together. “Wait. Are you tellin’ me that after years of sayin’ you weren’t ever goin’ to hear it, now you’re suddenly open to it?”
His soft warm eyes meet mine. “Humor me, darlin’. Just this once…”
My spider senses and women’s intuition are pinging now.Does Red think he’s heard the Call? And if so, who’s his One?
Why does the idea of that not sit well with me? I want my best friend to be happy. Iwanthim to live his best life and fall in love again. Out of everyone I know, Red Grayson deserves that more than anyone. A man like him—a good, honest, hardworking man—should not live the rest of his life alone.
“It’s different for everyone but a lot of the time, there are physical signs like a thumpin’ heart, feelin’ like you want to crawlout of your skin, and that flutterin’ feelin’ in your stomach, like there’s a thousand butterflies in there.”
