I slid across the red vinyl booth and picked up the menu, eager for some decent food. It was part of why I agreed to my upcoming job so quickly. Real cooking, as opposed to the backpacking meals I’d been making for myself the last month as I hiked a remote mountain to get shots for a travel magazine.
I was due for a break, but I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to spend time on a ranch run by shifters. Ever since my sister, Sophie, married her bear shifter mate, my fascination with shifters had grown. Despite all the traveling we’d done as children, we’d still only spent time among humans. Shifters were mysterious, living separately. An unknown.
A petite blonde waitress walked over and put a glass of water in front of me. Her name tag readHannah.
“What can I get you?”
“I’ll take a cheeseburger with everything on it, fries, and a chocolate milkshake. Extra chocolaty, if possible, Hannah.” I gave her a grin as I folded my hands in a praying position.
She laughed and took my menu. “I’ll do what I can.”
I pulled out my phone and looked at the map. Jasper had sent me a pin for the ranch’s location, which was about thirty minutes away. I could have gone straight through, but this was the closest town, and I wanted to look around first. I never missed a chance to explore. Life was too short and too uncertain.
When I was twelve, I got sick, forcing my family to stop their travels and settle in one place. I was healthy again, but it taught me never to take life for granted. As soon as I was able, I took off on my adventures, my camera giving me the freedom to go where I wanted. It also gave me a unique view of the world.
I ran a web search on dude ranches and checked out a few websites to see the pictures used. It looked to be straightforward, with photos of happy guests, and gorgeous landscapes. But the ranch I was photographing wasn’t operating as a dude ranch yet, so I couldn’t get photos with guests enjoying themselves. I’d have to make sure my shots looked enticing for potential customers.
Hannah came back and slid my plate onto the table. My mouth watered at the sight and smell of the burger, but it was nothing compared to the thick, dark milkshake she pulled out from behind her back. She may have gone overboard on the chocolate, but I wasn’t complaining. She’d even topped it with whipped cream and chocolate syrup.
“Hannah, you are a goddess.”
“It’s my pleasure.” Her dimples flashed. “Haven’t seen you around here before. Are you passing through?”
I took a long sip of the cold milkshake, moaning with pleasure as the chocolate hit my tongue. “I’m a photographer. Shifter Ranch hired me to take photos for their new dude ranch.”
She tilted her head. “You’re not a shifter. Don’t they make you nervous?”
“No. My brother-in-law is a shifter. Nice guy, and treats my sister like she’s his world.” I didn’t tell her about the mates thing.That was a longer conversation, and not something she needed to know. “I’d think you would be used to shifters, with their ranch being so close.”
“They don’t come to town often. And when they do, it’s just to grab supplies.” She sat on the bench across from me when I gestured for her to join me. I’d come in between mealtimes, so she didn’t appear to be busy. “It used to be the parents until they died last year. Now it’s mostly just the eldest brother and their housekeeper.”
I took a bite of my burger. Definitely better than my camping food. “It seems odd they’d open a dude ranch when they’re not social.”
“Rumor has it the ranch is in trouble.” She snuck a fry off my plate. “They’ve had a string of bad luck with equipment repairs and things like that. Other ranches are circling, waiting for them to have to sell their land. It’s prime real estate.”
“Sounds like I need to take some amazing photos.”
The clatter of dishes and scraping of a chair on the floor had me turning toward the counter. A tall, thin man wearing a faded blue ball cap threw money down before stalking out of the diner, his food half-eaten. My photographer’s eye automatically took in his profile as he raised his cell phone to his ear, lips drawn into a tight line. Hannah quickly moved to clear his table before returning to sit across from me.
We chatted while I finished my food. She filled me in on local gossip, what not to miss in the area, and everything she knew about Shifter Ranch, which wasn’t much. Mostly how the brothers were all hot but intimidating, as most shifters seemed to be. But she hadn’t met any of them herself. I wasn’t sure how long I’d be staying, but we exchanged numbers and made tentative plans for a girls’ night before I left.
Now I was turning off the main highway onto a dirt road with a sign for the ranch. I planned to return for a picture of the metalsign but wanted to suggest they plant some flowers to dress it up and make it more welcoming. After parking in front of a two-and-a-half-story house, I stepped out of my car, immediately hearing shouts and laughter coming from around back.
On instinct, I grabbed my camera and headed for the noise, grinning when I saw three grown men having a water fight. I lifted my camera and started shooting. They were shirtless, and two were wrestling while the third shot them with water from a garden hose. As my shutter clicked, a fourth came running out of the barn, carrying a couple of fluorescent water guns. I crouched, taking shots from different angles.
I moved closer, choking back my own laughter, not wanting to interrupt their fun. But I forgot they were shifters, with shifter senses. The blond holding the hose spun around and shot me full on with a blast of cold water, which made me slip and fall into a puddle of mud. Their laughter faded, and I heard someone curse as they traded embarrassed looks.
After checking to make sure my camera was okay, I got to my feet and walked to the barn, keeping my expression stern. I hung my camera just inside the open door before turning and sprinting toward the brown-haired guy with the water guns. I grabbed the biggest one and aimed straight for the blond’s face, hitting him right on the nose.
“Nice shot.” The guy I took the gun from laughed. But I was an equal-opportunity water fighter and quickly turned on him, catching him in the mouth with another stream.
Then it was on. The water fight devolved into a mud fight as we slipped and slid across the wet ground. I threw my head back and laughed after a handful of mud met its target on someone’s chest.
A movement out of the corner of my eye had me turning toward the barn. A tall, scowling, bearded man stood with arms crossed over his massive chest, shirt clinging to his damp skin.Under the brim of his hat, his dark gaze focused on me. He was all coiled energy, waiting to strike. But at what, I didn’t know.
All I knew was I couldn’t tear my eyes off of him.
TWO
