I turned off the highway and onto the ranch’s drive. A bed of colorful flowers was at the base of a metal sign for Shifter Ranch. I suspected the flowers were Chloe’s doing. I doubted a bunch of bachelor cowboys had thought to plant them. But it made a cheerful welcome.
“We’re almost there, Jonah.” I shut the radio off as we approached a two-and-a-half story house. Jonah huffed out an annoyed breath, but shut off his tablet.
Beyond the sage-green farmhouse was a big, matching barn and a few smaller outbuildings also painted with the pale-green color. Farther away, to the right of the barn, a row of partially built cabins was barely visible.
I pulled the SUV around the house and parked next to an old truck. I opened the door and was immediately greeted by construction sounds from the cabins.
A bang drew my attention to the house, where Chloe had thrown open the back door. She bounded down the steps, her wide grin causing her hazel eyes to sparkle. Her red hair curled wildly around her face, getting into her mouth as she said,“Perfect timing. Mae was just about to rope me into learning to cook again. The woman has no quit in her. She’s determined I can be taught.”
Her gaze shifted past me and landed on Jonah with a wink. “There are chocolate chip cookies fresh out of the oven inside. You can probably convince Mae to give you some. Don’t worry, I had no part in making them.”
Jonah looked at me, and I gave him a nod. He raced up the steps, leaving Chloe and me alone.
“The guys are all out working right now, but Gabriel and Ethan should be back soon from checking the fences. We’ll get them to move your things to the closest cabin. It’s ready for you two.”
“That’s not necessary. I can unload. They’ll be tired when they get back.” I sighed when she shot me a pointed look. “I don’t want to bother anyone. It’s enough you all gave me this job and a place to live.”
“They’re shifters, which comes with shifter strength and stamina. Your boxes will be easy work for them.” Chloe gestured for me to follow her as she led me over to the cabins. “And the job isn’t charity. Mae is ready to slow down and could use the help. And with the trouble we had a few months ago, we didn’t want to hire someone unknown. You did us a favor by taking the position.”
“I guess it worked out for everyone, then.” I tried to smile, but the thoughts of what led to my being here kept it from reaching my eyes.
Her own smile was sympathetic, but not in a condescending way. “Is the investigation finished yet?”
“Sheriff Danvers closed it. He said Cassie was at fault.” My lips tightened. “Supposedly distracted driving caused her to suddenly speed up, leading to the accident.”
But I knew my sister, and she was a careful driver. She didn’t even like to talk when she drove, and her cell was always in her purse. The Sheriff said they’d found her phone in the car’s footwell, suggesting she’d been using it while driving. I didn’t believe that.
Until her car was released, I couldn’t do anything about it. Sheriff Danvers wasn’t taking my calls anymore. The last time we spoke, all he did was recommend I speak to a grief counselor. As if there was no other reason for me to reject the investigation’s conclusion. But once he released Cassie’s car, I was going to pay someone to inspect it. Something had to be wrong with the vehicle.
Chloe stepped onto the front porch of the nearest cabin and waved to the men working on the one next door. I followed her in, shooting a quick glance over my shoulder as I felt someone watching me. But I didn’t see anyone looking my way. I tried to brush it off but couldn’t quite get rid of the unease in my gut, even as Chloe showed me around the cozy two-bedroom cabin that was my new home.
TWO
Ethan
I slipped out of Storm’s stall after I finished grooming him and headed to the house with Gabriel to clean up. An unfamiliar SUV was parked next to our work truck. I peeked in the windows as I walked by, noticing it was filled to the brim with boxes. Chloe’s friend must have arrived.
We entered the kitchen to find a young boy at the table eating cookies. His gaze was curious when it fell on us, but he just shoved another cookie in his mouth. Mae, the elderly fox shifter who helped raise us, turned from the stove where she was stirring something in a pot. “Chloe’s waiting for you two. She wants you to unload Hannah and Jonah’s things and move them to the cabin they’ll be staying in.”
“Do we get a cookie first?” I sidled over to Mae, reaching for the cooling rack where the cookies were.
She batted my hand away and made a shooing gesture. “You’ll spoil your supper. Besides, I made these for our guests.”
“Aw, come on. Just one?” I shot a wink at the boy. “I’m sure Jonah won’t mind.”
Mae’s stern glare showed no signs of softening. “Not for you.”
Jonah grinned around a big bite of cookie, his eyes laughing at me. Something pinged in my brain. A familiarity I couldn’t quite put my finger on.
I heaved a dramatic sigh and pretended to pout. “Fine. Keep your cookies.”
Mae shook her head at my theatrics. “Hannah’s vehicle is unlocked. She and Chloe are at the cabin. Supper’s in an hour.”
“Yes, ma’am.” I nodded at her before turning to Gabriel. “Last one to the cabin has to muck out the stalls tomorrow.”
I pushed past him and raced down the steps to grab a box from the SUV, Gabriel on my heels. We ran across the yard, jockeying for position. He tried to steer me into a tree, but I dodged around it, sprinting to catch back up. By the time we reached the cabin, I had a slight lead. I leaped onto the porch, ignoring the steps, and barreled towards the front door—straight into someone soft and warm.
The box tumbled from my arms, a tangle of headphones and books spilling across the porch. “Whoa!” I caught her before she could fall, my hands instinctively circling her waist. The scent of vanilla and lilac wrapped around me, dizzying. My heart hammered.
