Monty claimed his mouth, lips devouring his in an ardent kiss that melted his legs. He wiggled out of Rue’s arms and spun, heading to the office.
“It does now,” he quipped.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Monty
Hearing movement and some frantic whispered words in the room next door, Monty glanced up from his laptop. Rue had gone to speak to Oakland and they’d left the house thirty minutes ago with Brier, leaving Monty alone with the omegas. Rue had said to call him when they woke up, but from what he could hear, he felt like they might not want to see an alpha just yet.
He placed his laptop down and, rubbing suddenly damp palms down his thighs, he walked into the hallway and tapped on the door. It was a jar, except Monty didn’t step inside. He waited for an invitation. He hadn’t heard all of what had happened when Rue had left him after calling his dad, and he’d concluded it wasn’t good.
“Who is it?” Cace called out after some whispered conversation.
“It’s Monty… can I come in?”
The door opened, and it took considerable effort not to react to the state of the men in the room and the smell of horse shit. They looked like they had a fight in the mud and shit, some faring better than others. Monty glanced at the bed Ivo, Otis and Eric were in and quickly decided the sheets needed putting in the trash, judging by the color of them. And if they smelled as bad as Cace, then most definitely.
Cace stood silently, wringing his hands.
“I wondered if you guys wanted to go get something to eat… you know, up at the bunkhouse?”
Cace looked at the others, indecision pouring off all of them.
“I was going, so y’all could come with me? Oh, and if you like, we could visit with Cass. He’s got these most amazing chickens.” He giggled in such a way to suggest he was sharing a big secret, trying to recall how far the men had ventured since they’d arrived on the ranch. “They all have names, and some wear these cute handmade outfits!”
Ivo came to the edge of the bed. “They do?” he exclaimed, signalling they’d yet to venture that far. It was a slow process, but Monty got why.
He nodded enthusiastically. “They do! Some even have tutus on.”
“Really?” Eric asked sceptically.
“Totally, I’ll show you.”
More eagerly than Monty had hoped for, they got off the bed. Monty wondered about mentioning that they should shower first but in the end, he kept his mouth shut. They’d lived in awful squalor, so potentially they weren’t bothered by a little horse shit. If they weren’t, then Monty could suck it up.
Sitting at the end of the bed, they tugged on their sneakers. The quiet in the room was unnatural and a little unnerving. It had been the same any time Monty spent time with them.
“Can we go see the chickens first?” Eric gave him a hopeful half smile.
It was a total win in Monty’s book, when the omega hadn’t smiled in front of him before. “Yep. It might even be feeding time for them. They can get loud, but they are so cute.” Monty kept up the litany as they left the house with him.
If he noticed how watchful they were of those going about their business, Monty didn’t draw attention to it.
He could hear the chicks and Cassidy’s laughter before the coops came into view.
“Wow!” Eric exclaimed and, for a moment, seemed to forget he was scared as he rushed to the fence, peering over.
Ivo and Otis were right behind him but Cace remained close to Monty. He was most definitely the more timid of the bunch.
“I promise they won’t peck at you,” Monty reassured, uncertain if that was Cace’s issue as he hung back.
Cassidy glanced up from where he was crouched, and his gentle smile said he knew who the men were. “Hey y’all, I’m Cass. Have ya come to meet my girls?”
The girls in question rushed to the fence in the same way they had greeted Monty when he’d first met them. He held back a giggle at how Eric took a step back, putting his hands behind his back.
Cassidy rose, his gaze on where he walked so as not to tread on any of the Seramas chicks, Monty figured. They were so small, no bigger than the size of a Coke can. He opened the gate.
“Now, girls, let's show a bit of decorum.” He smiled widely at the men as they crept a little closer.
