Page 11 of Austin’s Answer (Shifter Ranch Mates #4)

Austin

I tugged Emily closer to my side and pressed a kiss to the top of her head.

Her hair smelled like apples, a scent I recognized from our shower that morning when she washed her hair.

She smiled up at me before turning back to her conversation with Hannah, who was holding her newborn daughter.

Ethan was hovering behind Hannah, keeping a close eye on both his girls.

Declan manned the barbecue as Mae and Chloe laid out the side dishes.

Mason nursed a beer in the corner. He still struggled with the revelation that Vince was the saboteur.

Gabriel and Sierra chatted with Emily’s father, whose speech had mostly returned.

He was recovered enough to oversee the new manager at his ranch, allowing Emily and me to move into a cottage at Shifter Ranch.

Luke stood beside me, trying to convince me to do the airport run the next day to pick up the new guests. “You like talking to people. People like talking to you. It’s a perfect match.”

“You lost the bet fair and square.” I grinned, remembering the look on his face when I tracked a missing cow faster than him. I would have done it for bragging rights alone but couldn’t resist making him handle pickups for a week. “You can use this time to practice your people skills.”

He glowered. “I don’t need people skills.”

“You will when you find your mate. Otherwise, what are you going to do? Glare at her until she falls for you?”

“Don’t plan on looking for my mate.” He stared out at the pasture next to us. “I’m not much of a catch.”

I frowned, dropping a hand on his shoulder. “You’re a great catch. Any woman would be lucky to have you.”

He shrugged but didn’t agree. “What do you plan to do with your time off this week?”

I let the change of subject slide but filed it away to talk to Emily about later.

She might have some ideas about how I could change Luke’s mind.

“Em and I are going riding. The gate between the Miller’s spread and ours is installed now, and we’re going to test out the new trail. Make sure it’s safe for guests.”

“It’s nice of Emily’s dad to let us use their land.”

“It is. They have this one hill that has a view of our entire ranch. We plotted the trail to include that as a stop.”

“Dinner’s ready!” Declan called out, carrying a plate of steaks to the long table overflowing with food. “Ladies first.”

We always let the women go first because with our shifter appetites, food disappeared quickly. Ethan was the lone man as he filled a plate for Hannah, who sat nursing the baby.

The party continued until after sunset. It was officially to welcome Ethan and Hannah’s daughter home, but we didn’t need a reason to gather as a family.

Despite turning our family home into a dude ranch, we kept time for just us, not wanting to lose our connection to each other—and also to build connections with the new members of our family.

Only Luke and Mason still needed to find their mates, and I hoped fate would put the women in their path, because I doubted either would go looking. So far, fate had treated us well, a fact I was incredibly grateful for.

Emily and I walked to our cabin beneath the moonlight, fingers laced as we gazed at the sky full of stars and listened to the crickets sing. I found as much contentment in our moments of silence as I did when we talked. Just being with her soothed me, smoothing out the restless edges of me.

We reached the cabin, and Emily hopped onto the deck, turning to face me. Standing there put her height about equal to mine. She skimmed her fingers across my shoulders before grabbing my hat and plopping it on her head. “So, cowboy. I was thinking… how does a midnight ride sound?”

My brows furrowed. “You want to saddle up our horses and ride in the dark?”

She propped her hand on her hip and stared at me, a small smile playing with the corner of her mouth. “I had a different sort of ride in mind.”

My lips spread slowly as my mind filled in the blanks. “Well, now, little lady. I might be able to help you with that.” I winked and lifted her into my arms as she wrapped her legs around my waist. “Now, hold on tight.”

She kissed me. “Don’t worry. I’m never letting you go. You’re stuck with me now.”

“Like crazy glue.” I kissed her. “And let’s add duct tape for good measure.” I kissed her again. “And rope. Oh yeah, definitely gotta involve some rope.”

Her laughter rang out as I proceeded to demonstrate just how good I was with being stuck with her. And I’d gladly show her over and over and over again, for the rest of our lives. Because she was my answer to everything good in my life.