Declan
She stood, soaking wet and covered in mud. Her red curls were pure chaos around her laughing face, and her clothes clung to her athletic body that had the perfect amount of curves.
When she caught me staring at her, her smile faded, and she stared back. I just made out the hazel color of her wide eyes from where I stood. Her scent, rich chocolate and tangy citrus, was barely noticeable over the mud masking it. But I still recognized her for what she was to me.
Mate.
My bear wanted out. He wanted to protect his mate. But she appeared a willing participant in the madness happening in front of me.
A roar slipped out when I spied Austin sneaking up behind her with a handful of mud. Everyone skidded to a stop and faced me. Guilty looks crossed my brothers’ faces as they surveyed the muddy mess they’d created.
Mason, the only brother to join me at the pond, rounded the corner to stand next to me, his limp more pronounced after the morning on horseback. “Thought we were supposed to clean up, not make a mess.”
“We were just having some fun.” Ethan tried to run his fingers through his hair, but the mud-caked locks got in his way. His grin was sheepish. “We may have gone a little overboard.”
My mate was still staring at me. I shoved down the urge to puff out my chest and posture for her, but I removed my hat so she could get a better look. I’d been told I was easy on the eyes—something I hoped my mate would agree with. When I spoke, a raspiness that wasn’t usually there colored my voice. “Not the usual way to welcome our company. You must be Chloe.”
My words seemed to jolt her out of her stare, and she flashed me a grin. “It was perfect. I got some great photos before I joined the fun.”
She walked over to the barn, her arm almost brushing mine as she passed. I wanted to reach out and touch her—feel her skin, even covered in mud as she was—but I resisted the pull. She didn’t know she was my mate and may not welcome my touch. Yet. My bear rumbled beneath the surface, and Mason glanced my way, a question in his eyes. I shook my head, not willing to tell him why my bear was acting out.
Chloe stepped closer to me, her gaze trained on her camera as she flipped through the shots she’d taken. She turned it toward me. “Check out this one. You want to draw guests in. This will help.”
The photo showed Gabriel and Luke wrestling while Austin sprayed them with the hose. All three were laughing. In the background, I could just make out Ethan approaching with those plastic water guns that he and Austin insisted we needed. I frowned. “We’re opening a dude ranch, not hosting a kid’s birthday party.”
“First, it shows the ranch is a place for fun. That will get some people excited.” She slid her gaze toward my mud-covered brothers and gave a slow grin. “Second, the shirtless man candy will bring in a demographic all on their own.”
Jealousy flared at her appreciative tone. I wanted my mate to only look that way at me. Austin strutted like he was on a runway and winked at Chloe, who laughed at his antics, eyes sparkling. I frowned, angry words coming out before I could rethink them.
“This is still a working ranch. We didn’t hire you to turn it into a circus.”
Her light dimmed, and her shoulders stiffened. I caught glares from my brothers and an eyebrow raise from Mason. My mate mumbled something about getting her things and stalked off toward the front of the house. I scrubbed my hand over my face. I was not off to a good start with her.
“I’ll go help her.” Ethan started to follow her, but I stopped him.
“You go get cleaned up. I’ll take care of it.” I shoved my hat back on my head. “This mess is mine to clean up.”
Chloe
I knew better than to get all fluttery over a shifter. It was a crush that would go nowhere. A woman couldn’t possibly compete against a fated mate—not that I’d ever try. I’d seen the bond between my sister and her mate, and I’d never want to get in the way of that. Besides, Mr. Tall, Dark, and Handsome was obviously a grump. Who cared if the mere sound of his voice sent shivers down my spine?
Now, if I had a crush on one of his brothers, that would have been different. I could see myself having a harmless flirtation with them. They were fun and not too serious. But they did nothing to make my knees weak or my heart beat faster.
I stomped over to my car, grumbling under my breath about my bad luck as I opened the trunk to pull out my backpack.Before I could grab it, a hand reached past me and lifted the packed bag with ease. I spun around, stepping back to press against the car when I realized how close the man I’d just been thinking about stood. The heat from his body radiated toward me, and his hat was back on, shielding us from the sun.
“Sorry for snapping at you.” His voice rumbled out of him, deep and low. I wondered what kind of shifter he was. Based on his size, I’d guess bear. But he was nothing like my sister’s bear shifter mate, who was charming and funny. This man was rigid, almost stern, in his delivery. He was apologizing, though. Few men would do that.
“It’s okay.” My words had a breathless quality to them, the nearness of him affecting even my vocal cords. “I made assumptions about the kind of pictures that would be good. I need to talk to Declan about what he wants.”
“I’m Declan.”
“Oh.” My mind whirled. This was who’d hired me. I should have known. He hadin chargewritten all over him. “Then I guess the water fight won’t make the cut.”
“To be honest, I never thought about what photos we need.” He rubbed his forehead, tipping his hat back. The sun shone on my face again, and I squinted my eyes against the bright light. Declan moved to the side, his large body shading me again. “I was hoping you’d know what we need.”
“I did some research on my way here.” I fiddled with my camera strap, giving him a grateful smile for the shadow he cast. “We’ll need to be creative, because you’re not in operation as a dude ranch yet. Unless you want to invite a bunch of fake guests for us to photograph.”
He grimaced. “I’d rather not have guests until it’s absolutely necessary. Maybe we can update with other photos after we open?”
