“That could work. You’re not too far from my parents’ place. If our schedules work out, I might even come back to take them. Otherwise, I’ll try to find someone to recommend.”
“I’ll make the schedules work.” There was something in his tone I couldn’t quite read. He focused his intense gaze on me. “For now, I’ll show you to your room and you can get cleaned up. Tomorrow is soon enough to take pictures.”
I followed him to the farmhouse, my gaze catching on the way his jeans fit him perfectly as he climbed the stairs to the wide front porch. Apparently, I had a thing for cowboys. Or maybe it was just this cowboy. I certainly appreciated the view his brothers made, but they didn’t get my blood pumping like Declan did.
The front door opened, revealing a tiny white-haired woman wearing a floral dress. Despite her dainty appearance, I was certain she had a spine of steel. She peered around Declan, her mouth falling open when her eyes landed on me.
“Oh my. What happened? Never mind, I don’t want to know. It must have been those boys.” She clicked her tongue and stepped back, making room for us to enter. “I have fresh towels in your bedroom, and the bathroom near you is off limits to the boys while you’re here. If you need anything, dear, just ask me. I’m Mae, and I run this house. Don’t let them tell you otherwise.”
“No one would dare.” Declan gave the woman a soft smile. It transformed his face, smoothing out the edges of his rigid appearance. It was gone so fast, I may have imagined it. But imagination or not, it had my knees wobbling and my eyes wide. Good thing he didn’t seem the type to smile a lot. If he did, my heart might actually be in danger.
Declan led me upstairs. He pointed out the bathroom Mae had reserved for my use and then opened the door next to it. After putting my backpack on the bed, he stepped back, giving me room to enter the cozy guest bedroom. The decorations weremore feminine than I’d expected, with a matching floral pattern on the curtains and bedspread. Lace doilies graced the top of the dresser and under a lamp on the bedside table.
“Tomorrow, I’ll give you a tour of the ranch. Do you ride?”
“A little, but not very well.” The last time I’d been on a horse, I’d clung tightly to the saddle as it climbed a very narrow trail up a mountainside. The guides had laughed at thegringa, but I hadn’t minded. I was sure I was a sight. Heights normally didn’t bother me, but I wasn’t confident enough on horseback to feel comfortable as I swayed back and forth on the sturdy animal. I’d ended up walking most of the trail, feeling much steadier on my own feet.
“We’ll fix that soon enough.” Declan tipped his hat and left the room, not giving me a chance to refute his words. I wouldn’t be here long enough to gain any real skill on horseback, and I could take pictures better from the ground, anyway.
I showered and changed before checking to make sure my cloud backup was working. My camera automatically backed up my images to online storage, ensuring I never lost my work. It cost me more than I earned from my first job, but was worth it for the peace of mind it gave me. As I flipped through the images I’d taken today, I wished I’d gotten a shot of Declan, so I could study it without anyone knowing.
I sucked in a sharp breath, realizing I was headed down a dangerous path. He was not a man I could flirt with and come out unscathed. I needed to shut down this attraction, and fast. Before it went too far. He had a mate out there, and it wasn’t me.
THREE
Declan
I woke later than normal after a night of restless sleep. My bear didn’t understand why we weren’t with our mate. Unfortunately, there was no reasoning with our animal halves. They operated on instinct, and instinct told him our mate should be with us. He didn’t understand she was human and needed a gentler approach.
It helped that she was familiar with shifters and knew about fated mates. But I didn’t know how she felt about the topic. She might disapprove of her sister being mated to a bear. I’d need to feel her out, try to get her talking about the subject. Then I’d know how to bring up that she was my mate.
I threw on my clothes and went to the kitchen to grab food and coffee. I needed to get some chores done before Chloe woke up. Then I’d dedicate the rest of the day to helping her learn how to ride properly and showing her around the ranch. I wanted her to see my home. What I hoped would soon be her home.
Mae pulled a plate covered in tinfoil out of the oven and slid it onto the table for me before grabbing a mug to fill with coffee. “Got a late start, I see. Mason and the boys are already out in the barn.”
Although we were all fully grown men, Mae insisted on calling Ethan, Gabriel, Austin, and Luke boys. Said she’d call it like she saw it. Only Mason and I escaped the label. Me because I’d always been the responsible one. Mason, because he came back from the army changed. It wasn’t just the limp that had never healed, despite his shifter healing. It was the shadows in his eyes that said he’d seen and experienced things the rest of us hadn’t.
“After Chloe wakes up and eats, send her to the barn ready to ride. I’m going to teach her to ride Tank. He’s the steadiest of all the horses we have.” I shoveled my breakfast in my mouth before draining my coffee. I was in a rush to get started.
“She’s already up.”
Mae’s words had me turning to her. “What?”
“She headed out before sunrise with her camera. Said she wanted to get the lay of the land.” Mae dried a plate and put it away, unconcerned that my mate was out there alone. “She was the first one up. Isn’t used to our time zone yet, apparently.”
I shoved my chair back and rushed outside. Hopefully, she’d stuck to the yard and barn. I didn’t like thinking of my mate by herself, unfamiliar with the ranch. But when I reached the barn, I didn’t see her and only smelled the faint scent of her, telling me she’d been here but not recently. I checked the stalls, relieved when I saw none of the horses were missing.
“Not often we get to call you out for being late.” Ethan leaned against the door of his horse’s stall. The gray horse, Storm, hung his head over my brother’s shoulder. Storm was like his rider. A bit of a mischief maker, but steady under it all.
“Have you seen Chloe?”
“Nope. But the keys for the second ATV are gone.” He pushed away from the stall. “Figured you were out with her. Want me to go find her?”
“No. I will.” I grabbed Thunder’s saddle and got him ready to ride. “Call me if she finds her way back.”
“Will do.”
I led Thunder out of the barn and swung up into the saddle, my eyes on the ground as I approached where we kept the spare ATV, near where the hose connected to the barn. I was suddenly thankful for the water fight yesterday, as it made the area muddy enough to create a track for me to follow.
