A dream that had died without a word spoken.
Brooke
“Those shifters aren’t half bad.” The older waitress was haggard, face lined from what I suspected was a lifetime of smoking if the scent on her clothes was anything to go by. “They come into town every now and again. More than they used to before they turned the place into a dude ranch and art gallery. Easy on the eyes, that’s for sure.”
I lifted my mug to take a sip of coffee as I considered her words, adding the confirmation that Mason was a shifter to the little information I’d gathered on him. The army hadn’t been forthcoming with details about my twin brother’s squad,only telling me that both men I was searching for had been discharged from military service with honors.
“And Vince?” I dropped the question casually, as if it didn’t matter to me. I knew what I’d read in the newspapers at the local library. He was wanted for questioning about an attempted murder and regarding the sabotage of Shifter Ranch.
The woman frowned, eyes darkening. “That was a surprise. His family was a pillar of the community. Took over the family ranch when his daddy had a stroke. Never saw that mess coming. Heard he even poisoned his father to keep him sick longer.”
That was a piece that didn’t fit the puzzle I was building. But beyond what the military had told me, all I had was my brother’s final email that only mentioned Mason and Vince in passing. I got the sense they were friends, not just squad mates, but maybe I was wrong.
Still, it was all I had.
“How do you know those two, anyway?” The waitress eyed me curiously. That was the problem with gossips. They inevitably tried to turn it around to get more fodder for the rumor mill.
It wasn’t my first time doing this, though. I’d been a private detective for five years now and had experience weaving my way through conversations.
“I read a newspaper article and was curious.” I shrugged, keeping it vague. “Not every day you hear about shifters in human territory. But you’ve got an eye for detail. I’m sure you’ve seen a little bit of everything.”
She preened a little at my compliment, not picking up on my redirect.
I laid down a five-dollar bill to cover my coffee and tip and nodded to her. “Thanks for the coffee. I have some errands to run this afternoon.”
I grabbed my bag and left the diner. Though I hadn’t gotten much information, it was better than going into Shifter Ranch blind. I’d reserved a cabin for a week, but I hoped it wouldn’t take that long to discover what had happened to my brother. Mason might hesitate to share if it was classified, but I could be persuasive.
I wasn’t planning on publishing the information. I just wanted the truth. The army had called it a training accident, but my brother and I had used codes to communicate. He was special ops, meaning everything he did was classified, but he always notified me about missions. He didn’t want me to worry if I didn’t hear from him for a while. The last email I received had used our code words.
I wanted—no, Ineededto know how my brother died. I had paused my life the moment the military delivered that folded flag.
There were other ways to get the information using my skills, but they weren’t legal, and I wasn’t quite desperate enough to risk prison time. Yet.
So I’d settled on paying a visit to Shifter Ranch.
I slid behind the wheel of my rental car and entered the ranch into my phone’s map. It was about a half-hour drive from here. The scenery was pretty, but I wasn’t here for the hills and trees. I resisted the temptation to speed. Now that I was close to an answer, it was difficult to be patient.
I hadn’t decided how to approach Mason. Would he be there to greet guests, or was he the cowboy-riding-a-horse kind of guy? Should I rush in firing questions, asking for him, or hang back and scope out the situation?
The turn to the ranch came before I made my decision. The gravel drive crunched beneath my tires as I approached the large sage-green farmhouse. A tall, bearded man stepped onto the front porch, a woman with a riot of red curls right behind him.She practically skipped down the steps as she crossed over to where I parked. The man followed her closely.
“Hi. You must be Brooke. I’m Chloe, this is my mate Declan.” The redhead grinned, holding her hand out to shake. Her grip was surprisingly strong, though I probably should have expected it, since we were on a working dude ranch. “You’re the last to arrive, but you’ve got the best cabin, if you ask me.”
“Welcome to Shifter Ranch.” Declan slid his arm around Chloe’s waist. “Hope you had a good drive.”
I wasn’t entirely sure what they meant by mate, but it was pretty obvious they were a couple. “Thanks. It took me a couple days, but I saw lots of the country on my way.”
Chloe elbowed Declan. “Get her bag. I’ll show her to the cabin.” She turned to me. “Dinner is in an hour. We serve it buffet style in the pavilion behind the main house.”
Did I want to meet Mason in front of everyone, guests included? I didn’t trust myself to hold back once I saw him. With only their first names, it had taken me years to find them. And the majority of my time had been spent learning the necessary skills. That was why I trained as a private detective instead of finishing my computer science degree.
I blew out a breath, deciding to jump right in. “I actually came here to see Mason.”
Declan and Chloe’s gazes both whipped to me before they exchanged a complicated look. It was Declan who finally responded. “How do you know Mason?”
“He was… a friend of my brother.” I hesitated to describe him as a friend, because it was a guess but went with my gut. “They served in the army together.”
Surprise lit his face. He studied me as if gauging my character. Whatever he saw must have satisfied him, because he said, “He’s in his workshop. Would you like to settle in first or go straight to Mason?”
