Page 5 of Admiring His Omega (Hobson Hills Omegas #12)

“ T hank you, Mr. Hart,” Mal said as he folded the signed agreement and slid it into his pocket. “I’ll share if I find any good spots.”

Rueban gave him a brisk nod, clearly uncomfortable to be speaking to a stranger. The large man usually let his husband do the talking for him, but Ernie was busy.

“Are you sure he’s alright?” Ernie asked, pacing the floor as he talked on the phone. He carried one of the couple’s young children in his arms while the other two watched from their play area. “The footage was clear as day. Bigfoot got him, Carter. He carried poor Cain away.”

Rueban rolled his eyes and Mal fought not to laugh. Best prank ever , he thought.

“Yes, that was Bigfoot.” Ernie stopped pacing and stomped his foot like a toddler.

“Carter, I know what I saw. You need to interview Cain about the encounter. He may know where Bigfoot is now.” He paused for a moment.

“Carter Benson, if you’ve ever cared for our friendship at all you will facetime your brother and ask him where Bigfoot is. ”

“Carter Benson,” the toddler in Ernie’s arms called out, waving an arm in outrage.

“Carter Benson,” the other toddler called from the play area, giggling.

The youngest ignored his two older siblings and leaned against the large husky lying next to them.

“Do you hear that?” Ernie asked, smug. “The twins are in full agreement with me. You know your job, Carter. Do it now and report back to me.”

“Please, ignore him,” Rueban said, deep voice full of laughter.

“That is impossible, and you know it. Anyway, I’ll get going.” Mal smiled sweetly. “Nice meeting you. I’ll tell everyone I see about Ernie’s tantrum, but you probably know that too.”

Rueban sighed and nodded.

“Have a good day.” Mal hurried toward the truck, cackling.

“What did you do in there?” Bianca asked him when he climbed in.

Her curly brown hair was pulled into a messy bun on the top of her head.

She was dressed cozy in an oversized sweater and leggings.

The weather had turned again a few days ago, and the air was a little too crisp for Mal’s comfort. He wished he had brought a sweater too.

“Why do you think I did something?” he asked, turning up the heat.

“It’s the smile.” She sighed and shook her head. “Plus, you made me go put baby bonnets on alpacas while you were inside. Why do you enjoy teasing the Wilsons so much?”

He shrugged. “It brings me joy. So, what do you want to do today?”

“Try to take over the world,” she replied in a solemn voice.

Mal laughed. “Oh, I do love you.”

“I’m glad to hear that because I made plans for us.”

“How mysterious.” He wiggled his brows. “What are we doing?”

One of his favorite things about visiting Hobson Hills was spending time with Bianca. Van worked a lot, so Mal and Bianca were left to their own devices most of the time when she wasn’t in school or working.

The teenager cleared her throat and pulled out her phone. “First, we’ll have breakfast at Honey Buns in town.”

“Coffee and pastries.” He nodded. “I approve.”

“Then, we’ll stop at the bookstore so I can pick up a graphic novel I ordered.”

“Nice. Supporting small businesses.”

“Of course.” Bianca gave him a curt nod.

“Then, after that, we’ll go to the thrift store to look for decorative fruit and veggies.

When the Wilsons’ gardens start growing this year, we’ll trade the plastic ones for a few of the real ones.

That should be a surprise, right? We can hit most of them in one night. ”

He stared at her for a moment, amazed at the angel beside him. “I’m so proud of you. Van and I raised you right.”

She grinned. “After the thrift store, we’ll go to the animal sanctuary outside of town. There’s someone I want you to meet.”

“Person or animal?” he asked.

“Animal.”

“I’ll allow it.”

“Then, since it’s raining, we’ll go back to your RV and binge What We Do in the Shadows .”

“You’ll finally watch my favorite show?” He narrowed his eyes and gave her a quick look as he backed out of Ernie and Rueban’s driveway. “Wait, why are we doing so many things I like? Are you secretly taking me to the dentist or something? Oh god, do you have bad news to give me? Is Van dying?”

Bianca shook her head. “No, I just missed you.”

“Damn it, kid. I missed you too.”

“Plus, I invited Paula and her dad to dinner at the RV tonight. He wants to meet you before he’ll let Paula come mushroom hunting with us. Can you make your vegetarian enchiladas? Paula swears they sound gross, but I know she’ll love them.”

“Aha! That’s what you’re really after.”

Bianca laughed. “I really did miss you. I figure you and I are going to hang a lot this summer, and I’ll want Paula to come sometimes. This way, her dad can get to know you.”

“Does your friend really want to forage with us?” he asked. “Not that I doubt how awesome we are, but not everyone is a mycophile like us.”

Bianca snorted. “Seriously. I don’t understand why, but she wants to come with us. Likes nature and all that.”

“Alright,” he said, still feeling doubtful. “Your mom will be home for dinner too, so I’ll need to cook for five. Six if Cain stops by.”

Mal’s new friend was back in town for the weekend and had promised to come by when he was able. It had only been a week since they’d met, but Mal was already eager to see him again.

“Cain?”

“A friend.”

“A friend?” Bianca looked interested. “What kind of friend?”

“The kind that lets me carry him over my shoulder while I’m dressed like Chewbacca.”

“TMI.” She squeezed her eyes shut and looked like she was about to throw up. “I don’t need to know about your sex life.”

He laughed, not bothering to correct her. “I’ll plan for six.”

“Homemade tortillas?” Bianca asked hopefully, eyes still closed.

“Who do you think I am?” He scoffed. “Of course, we’ll use homemade tortillas.” He eyed her again. “If you tell me who you’re dating.”

She smirked. “What a shame. You already taught me how to make the tortillas myself. Guess I’ll have to make them.”

An hour later, Mal savored his third cup of coffee, practically vibrating in place, as he stared down at the sow and piglets in front of him. Bianca knelt in the straw and pet one of the piglets.

Teague, the owner of the sanctuary, watched them from outside the stall.

“A hobby farmer a few towns over passed away. He had no family, so the state surrendered his animals here. This is one of six Kunekune pigs he had. Fortunately, she was the only pregnant one. Her name is Daisy. The piglets are weaned and ready to find their forever homes.”

“Six? Why was he raising so many of them?”

“For meat,” Teague answered, shrugging. “They’re easier to handle then larger breeds.”

Mal winced. “Poor piggies.”

“Bacon comes from somewhere.” Teague smiled innocently when Mal glared at him.

“Pigs are really smart,” Bianca said, looking at him hopefully. “You could save one from becoming bacon by training her to search for truffles.”

“I’m sure these piggies aren’t going to become bacon. Plus, Maine doesn’t really have the right weather for truffles to grow.”

“Train her to search for mushrooms then. That would be a big help, right? You could find a lot more in a shorter amount of time.”

“I live in an RV,” Mal said, laughing.

“That’s okay.” Bianca waved his concerns away. “Betty could stay with me when you’re not in Hobson Hills. We have a big yard. Teague said he would help me create an area for her to live in.”

“Betty?”

Bianca smiled sweetly and held a small, tricolor piglet up. “This is Betty. She’s very smart. She’s already leash trained. I’m sure we could train her to find mushrooms in no time. She would be a working girl, so she’ll pay for herself.”

“What does your mom think about this?” he asked, arching a brow. He seriously doubted Van wanted a pet when she was always away from home.

“She said that if I could convince you to adopt Betty, she’d buy a sidecar for my Vespa and clean the bathroom for a year. She obviously wants Betty.”

He snorted. “You mean she said, ‘If you manage to convince Mal to adopt a pig, I’ll buy you that sidecar you’ve been wanting and clean the bathroom for a whole year. Ha ha ha. Sarcastic tone, blah, blah, blah.’”

Bianca gave him an innocent look. “That’s basically what I said, right?”

Van clearly underestimated what he would do for Bianca. “What’s the adoption process?”

Teague’s smile resembled that of a shark.

“Come to my office and we’ll start the paperwork.

Note Daisy’s size. Piglets don’t stay tiny forever.

I’ll show you the daddy pig too. The enclosure I’ll help Bianca build will be good for her, but she’ll need a lot of attention.

Bianca says you spend most of your time outdoors and will take Betty with you. Is that accurate?”

“Yes.” He sighed. “Truffle is going to be mad at me.”

“Truffle?”

“My cat.”

Teague snorted. “Truffle the cat? I like it. That means there’s at least one truffle in Maine. These pigs are already used to cats, so there shouldn’t be a problem on Betty’s end.”

“Truffle likes other animals too.” Mal bent and scratched under the piglet’s chin. Kunekune pigs were hairy and had the cutest, forward-facing ears. Betty’s coat was a silky mix of black, white, and brown.

“It won’t all be on you either. Bianca and Van have both been volunteering here since we opened.

I trust that they’ll take good care of Betty when you’re out of town.

Don’t let them fool you. They have been planning on adopting a pet for a while.

Bianca clearly picked Betty with you in mind, but she’s ready for a full-time pet. ”

“See? I’m not that bad, Mal.” Bianca laughed and took his coffee cup so she could hand him the piglet. “I really think you’ll like her though.”

Teague patted his shoulder. “I’m sure she’ll be a valuable truffle pig in no time.”

“Maine doesn’t have non-cat truffles.” Mal grumbled and climbed out of the stall to follow the other man, Betty held safely in his arms. “Damn, I need another coffee.”

A few hours later, Bianca and Paula sat on his sofa with Truffle the cat, eyes glued to the television. Instead of What They Do in the Shadows , a reality show was on. It was for the best, though. Once he started watching his favorite show, he couldn’t stop.

Paula’s dad, Mark, sat at the table, chopping and deseeding peppers while Cain stood at a counter, carefully cutting baby bella mushrooms. Both men had arrived at Mal’s at the same time and seemed to get on well.

“There are a lot of houses for sale close to the lake where your parents live.” Mark glanced at Cain over his shoulder. “If you want, I can line some up for you to view. No pressure, though.”

“I haven’t told anyone else I’m moving here yet,” Cain said. “Can you keep it on the down low?”

“Absolutely. I’ll leave you my card and you can email me when you’re ready.”

Cain gave Mal a look. “I hadn’t realized I would get to talk to a realtor tonight.”

“Serendipitous.” Mal stirred the enchilada sauce, then flipped the tortillas in the skillet.

The kitchen was a mess from rolling out the dough, but it smelled deliciously spicy.

The girls had already extended the RV’s canopy and set the outdoor table up.

The rain still fell but the outdoor curtains and small patio heater he’d pulled out of storage kept the space cozy.

For the first time in years, Mal regretted not having a dining room.

He also wasn’t sure he had enough plates but figured he could borrow some from Van if they needed more.

Betty danced around his feet, grunting softly. The piglet had completely abandoned Bianca in favor of Mal. He blamed it on the bits of food he occasionally dropped while cooking, but Bianca was convinced Mal and Betty were soulmates.

“By the way, Carter called me again this morning to ask who was on Ernie’s trail cam.” Cain scooped up mushroom slices and placed them in a bowl. “Do you know how hard it is to dodge his questions? He even had Mom call me.”

Mark’s eyes rounded comically. “Please tell me that was you, Mal. Ernie has been telling everyone who will listen about Bigfoot carrying Cain Benson off to his lair. The video’s been uploaded to the town’s community board. Ernie wants to create a Bigfoot festival for next year.”

Mal cackled evilly. “Best. Prank. Ever.”

“Okay, I’ll trust Van’s taste in found family.” Mark nodded. “You may take my daughter mushroom hunting.”

“Another mycophile?” Cain asked, shaking his head. “You’re a bad influence, Mal. What will the younger generation become?”

Betty nibbled on Mal’s toes, her short nose tickling his bare feet and making him giggle. “Betty, really. Will you stop that?”

“Where did the pig come from anyway?” Cain asked, tossing Betty a small piece of mushroom. “I thought you only had a cat.”

“The daughter of my heart decided we needed a truffle pig.”

Mark and Cain both eyed Betty doubtfully.

“Hey, I can train her,” Mal said defensively. “Bia ensures me that Betty is very smart.”

The two men quietly watched Betty zoom in circles around Mal.

“Are you sure?” Cain asked, wincing when Betty tripped and rolled a couple of times before jumping back up to continue circling her favorite person.

“Eh, at least she’s cute.” Mal shrugged and removed the last tortilla from the skillet. Bianca was supposed to be doing this part, but she looked so happy sitting with her friend. “Am I the soft parent?”

The door opened suddenly, banging against the wall and startling everyone. Van looked around wildly before her eyes settled on Betty. “Damn you, Mal. I can’t believe you let her get the pig. I have to buy her a freaking sidecar now.”

“And clean the bathroom for a year,” Bianca called out from the couch, attention still on the television. “Love you, Mom.”

“Yes,” Cain answered promptly. “You are definitely the soft parent.”