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The older Witch was a real piece of work.She’d left Max for a few weeks when he came to take over the ranch, forcing the somewhat spoiled Jersey Devil to stand on his own two feet,er, hooves—whatever.

The point was, having learned my lesson when I accidentally crossed a Witch back when I was just a Pup, I was always polite to the woman.She nodded in approval as I wiped my feet on the outside mat before stepping over the threshold and directly onto the rubber mat she kept for me and the boys in the foyer.

“Emmet, look at this,” Max snarled, slapping a tablet into my hand.

I read the headline and smirked, shaking my head as my eyes ran over the print.It was from theDry Creek Herald, an online weekly paper that held all the gossip and rumors of the small Northern New Jersey town, including all talk of the monthly rodeo held at the county fairgrounds.

“Let’s see,Motley Crewd Ranch is just another dude ranch in disguise where city slicker Max Leeds is trying his luck at goat herding.A few lucky wins mean nothing compared to the blood, sweat, tears, and countless hours many of our hometown heroes invest in this monthly contest, and I wonder if the Motley Crewd boys will tough it out.Only time can tell.Maybe Max and his minions should go back to the bright lights instead.Shit, Boss.It’s just some pencil pusher speaking out his ass,” I said, handing him back the tablet.

But I could see ol’ Max was surely riled as his skin started to turn a mottled red color, which meant his Devil was on the verge of breaking through.

“Oh no.Do you know who this guy is?He is the nephew of Tyson Peaks-Mill, the owner of Orchard Mill Ranch.This little shit is throwing the gauntlet down and it is our duty as a Crew to pick it up and accept the challenge!”

“Max, I don’t think that’s a good idea,” I warned, but I knew my reservations were falling on deaf ears.

“Why not?You won last time.We can win again.We can build up our brand and get more business.It’s a win-win, Emmet,” he said, and I just sighed.

A Devil with an idea was worse than a Wolf with a bone.

“You get fined this month?”I asked, noting with pleasure the way Max’s lips tightened.

“Yeah, but I was close to the sixty percent, I just know it,” he said, and I grinned, handing him my gloves.

Part of Max’s deal with his grandmother was that he had to personally see to sixty percent of all the physical labor on the place.For a supernatural, it was not asking a lot.But for a man who’d never done much of anything his entire life, I imagined it was life altering.

Either way, he’d already proved himself to me and the boys.It was why he was our Alpha, and why Demon felt more grounded than ever before.

True, I owed Max a lot for giving me this second chance.Now that I met Jezebel, I appreciated it even more.

I was determined to see him succeed.So, I came up with a plan on the fly.

“Get on out there, Boss Man.You help the boys take down the rest of that fence while I swing by Jed’s to bring the feed.Then I’ll run down to the lumberyard to pick up our order so we can get started on the rebuild.Need to get the posts in before the ground freezes,” I told him.

“Fine.But I am signing you up for two events,” he said, giving me a glare before grabbing his boots.

“Penelope at the bakery?”I asked, wondering how our new Alpha fem was faring today.

“Yeah.She went in for a few hours.Why?”Max asked, grabbing a sherpa lined denim jacket from the hall closet.

“Nothing.It’s just very impressive how quickly she is learning to control her new, um, sensibilities,” I replied with no little amount of pride.

Penelope had gotten more than a mate for life when Max had claimed her beneath the last quarter moon before his fortieth birthday.In fact, I’d never heard of someone turning into a supe before, at least not unless they were a Tiger Shifter, and even then, it was rare.

But for whatever reason, maybe just the strength of their bond, Max had gifted Penelope with a Devil of her own.Now the little former human was one of the Crew and learning more about herself every single day.

Controlling the beast inside her in order to keep the supernatural secret was of the utmost importance.I had to admit, I was impressed with her level of control.

There were days when I still feared Demon would take over.I wasn’t proud of that fact, but at least, I could admit it.

“She’s a gem, isn’t she?”he asked, his dark eyes rimmed in the red of his Jersey Devil.

“I’m not going to answer that, Boss, but I am happy for you both,” I told him.

“By the way, I have a check for Jezebel,” Max said, handing it to me.

I frowned, and my Wolf snarled.

“Everything okay?”he asked, looking far too amused than was healthy for either of us.