I shifted in the saddle, Storm picking up on my unease and sidestepping. I reined him in and shook out my muscles, relaxing the tension in my body. “Just not in the mood today. Like I said earlier, we have lots to do.”
His eyes stayed trained on me. His intense stare felt like he could see things others missed. He always could. “Is it the mate thing?”
“Huh?”
“After Declan found Chloe, you were eager to find yours.”
“Still am. But not much I can do about it right now.”
Shifters had fated mates. Someone who would fit with us in ways no one else ever would. Watching Declan and Chloe reminded me constantly how great finding my own would be, but we had few chances to meet potential mates on the ranch. I hoped that would change once the dude ranch opened.
“If it’s not about your mate, then what’s on your mind?”
I debated telling Gabriel about the reporter I was working with. I didn’t know why I hadn’t told my brothers. Maybe I was worried they would tell me to stop. I was the youngest at twenty-three, and I liked to have a good time, which meant they didn’t always take me seriously. I wanted to show them I was more than just the mischief and jokes they expected from me.
Gabriel would keep my secret if I asked him to. But I needed to do this on my own. Prove to everyone, including me, that I could. So instead of answering him, I pointed at a section of fence. “Look okay to you?”
He raised a brow after he surveyed the perfect stretch of wire but stopped pushing me for answers, and we fell back into silence as we continued inspecting the fence line.
But my mind never settled. Gabriel’s questions had stirred up thoughts of my mate, which mixed in with my worries about my contact. Two people I needed to find. And I had no idea where to start.
Hannah
I taped up the final box and surveyed the living room of the little house I’d called home for six years. Anything unnecessary was being donated; I needed room for Cassie’s possessions. Jonah had been through too much in the last few weeks, and I wouldn’t get rid of his mother’s things.
Jonah, my ten-year-old nephew, was sulking in his bedroom. He didn’t want to leave. I couldn’t blame him. This was the only home he knew. I’d moved in with my sister after our mom passed away when I was sixteen. Our dad wasn’t in the picture, and neither was Jonah’s. Apparently, lousy taste in men ran in the family. I’d avoided it, but that was probably more because I turned down anyone who invited me out.
A glint of something under the sofa caught my eye. I bent down and picked up a silver earring, recognizing it as one Cassie had been looking for in the days before her fatal car accident. Tears rose, and I wiped them away. I couldn’t break down now. Jonah needed me to be strong.
I grabbed the box and hauled it to my SUV. Wedging it into the almost full trunk took some work, but with a few adjustments, I got the door closed. My suitcase could go in the front, and Jonah’s would fit next to him in the backseat. Ichecked my watch, relieved to see I was still on time. My friend Chloe was expecting us to arrive at the ranch before supper.
I met Chloe when she arrived in town several months ago to take photographs at a local ranch run by shifters. She ended up staying for the eldest brother, Declan. Apparently, they were mates. She’d tried to explain about shifters and their fated mates, but the concept was strange to me. A nice one, but hard to believe. I wasn’t used to men sticking around.
Chloe’s offer of a job at the ranch had come at the perfect time. Cassie and I had juggled Jonah’s care between us and our jobs, but after her accident, I’d had to do it all myself. I thought my boss at the diner would be more understanding, but the jerk had found it easier to hire a new waitress than to accommodate my circumstances.
I knocked on Jonah’s door. “It’s time to go.”
I heard shuffling from his room, but the door stayed closed. I knocked again. “Jonah, I’m coming in.”
I pushed open the door and peeked inside, but except for the bed and desk, it was empty. I crossed the bedroom and opened the closet door. Huddled in the corner was my nephew, eyes red and puffy. I joined him on the floor and wrapped my arm around his shoulder. “I don’t want to leave either. I’m sorry, Jonah.”
He wiped his eyes with his arm but said nothing.
“I think you’ll like the ranch. Chloe said Declan and his brothers will teach you how to ride a horse. And there’s a pond for swimming.”
He trained his eyes on the floor in front of him. “Can we get a dog? Mom always said if we moved, it would be somewhere that allowed dogs.”
“I don’t know. After we settle in, I’ll ask.”
“Promise?”
“I promise.”
His eyes were wet, but he stood, and we headed to the living room to grab our suitcases. I pulled the front door of the house closed, locking it one last time as Jonah got in the vehicle. I jogged next door to the landlord’s house to drop off the key, and she gave me a tight hug. I avoided her gaze and the pity I knew I’d see there, making my excuses to leave quickly.
Then I slid into the front seat of my SUV and pulled out of the driveway. I turned the radio on low as Jonah played on his tablet. Normally, when we drove anywhere, we’d play car games, but I doubted he was any more in the mood than I was.
I sang along with the radio, trying to keep my thoughts from wandering. Lately, it had been hard to stop them. Worries about how I would take care of Jonah on my own. Missing Cassie. And the ever-present question about what had actually happened.
