Page 2 of Mate for the Space Cowboy (Match Made in Space #3)
Chapter Two
HUNTER
I rest my hand on my horse’s neck, smoothing over her shimmering fur. “Thank you,” I say.
My mount has been with me since I was a boy. Our horses live as long as we do. They are similar to Earth horses but have shimmering fur and thin tails with barbed tips. They can also fly.
Our people’s prince glances over to me as he dismounts. “Good work. Are you ready to lead the team to investigate?”
“Of course,” I say as if there could be any other answer.
Prince Asher, a longtime friend, claps my shoulder. “Excellent. Talk with Kayden about it and make plans. In the meantime, I hope you’ll come tonight to the matching gathering.”
My eyes narrow. “Do you think that’s wise since I will often be leaving for work?”
Asher studies me for a beat. “Yes, it will give you a reason to come home. Many of our people travel for work.”
Our planet has dealt with some unrest lately. For the most part, we are considered one of the most peaceful planets in the galaxy. We are a democracy, but we also have a royal family who leads us. On the other side of our planet, a small group within one of our towns has been protesting the royal family and even kidnapped our new princess. We rescued her, but the aftermath has amped up the stress and concern around their actions. For good reason, of course.
Their dispute is about the royal family succession. I snort to myself whenever I think of it because they want to be the royal family.
As a member of the security team for the royal family and one of the spies for our government, I will lead the efforts to infiltrate their group. Working in espionage, I’ve always been in the background, and I like it that way.
I hold Asher’s gaze and slowly nod. “If you think I should, but the women they brought have been here for a while now. If I wanted to mate with one of them, I think I’d know by now.”
“Have you even met them all?” Asher asks, a knowing glint in his eyes.
Kayden, another bodyguard and a good friend, approaches. “You have not,” he replies. “You’ve been busy avoiding them.”
“If I can,” I say dryly.
Kayden’s brows arch up. “You must give them a chance.”
“You found the infinity pulse,” I counter. “I don’t know that I will, and I don’t think it’s worth marrying unless I do.”
“Fair point,” Kayden agrees. “Yet you won’t know unless you meet them all.”
“I think you can find the infinity pulse. Give it a chance and come to the gathering tonight,” Asher insists.
Although I have my doubts, I can’t turn down the invitation. While Asher is a friend, he’s also our prince. If he asks me to attend, I shall.
When I walk into the gathering that evening, I encounter Princess Jane almost immediately. Her eyes sparkle when she smiles at me.
I dip my head. “Hello, Princess.”
She rolls her eyes. “Hunter, you don’t need to call me princess. You know better than I do that we don’t stand on ceremony.”
I grin. Asher’s approaching, and when he stops in front of us, I make a show of bowing to him.
When I straighten, his brows hitch up. “Friend, that’s ridiculous, and you know it.” He cuffs me lightly on the shoulder.
“We must put on a show. That’s the point, isn’t it?” I tease.
Jane narrows her eyes. “The point tonight is for you to find a mate. We only have a small group of women from Earth so far. That’s not even close to replacing the number of women who died here. The women who have come want to feel safe, so we must welcome them.” Jane’s gaze sobers.
Several years prior, our planet was hit with an abrupt and destructive space storm during our annual festival to honor women. Many women died. So many that it’s threatening our ability to procreate.
Our leadership came up with the idea of bringing women here from Earth since our people have mated with humans for centuries. “I’ve been to Earth,” I say. “It’s not a fun place to live.”
The leadership on Earth is splintering because they realize they need to do better. They can’t cut off intergalactic travel because they’re so poor and desperate. They rely on the largesse from other planets for resources and to survive.
We have mated with humans on our planet since cowboys from the American West and France traveled here, making our species strong as a result. Species from most planets mate with other species. Human women aren’t our only option, but they are genetically closest to us. We’ve also discovered that human women become wildly fertile once they come to our planet, and their pregnancies are much shorter. As such, it’s the perfect plan to help our people rebuild for future generations.
Some men are thrilled with this, even grumbling that the human women need to get here faster. All the while, Jane insists on screening them. Life on another planet isn’t for everyone, even if the planet they leave behind is unpleasant.
Jane nudges me with her elbow. “What’s your story?” she asks. “Asher tells me you’re not sure infinity pulse exists. He says you like to travel, and that’s why you don’t want to marry.”
I smile at her, winking at Asher as I do. “That’s exactly it. I’m a simple man, Jane. It’s not complicated. You know that not everyone on our planet experiences the pulse. My parents didn’t. They’re still married, and I think they’re content, but neither one ever met someone with the pulse. They’re well past when they could find it.”
Our people believe a force called infinity pulse links couples powerfully and deeply. Some couples find it, and some don’t. My parents are content. It is also true that I love to travel, as does my father. He raised me with the understanding that since our family’s line is involved in espionage here—and on other planets if needed—it may be best that we don’t experience infinity pulse.
Jane is drawn away into conversation with one of the human women. Jane herself is human. Asher and I chat a bit about dealing with the uprising in the other town. As we are talking, Kayden approaches with his new mate, Nadine. His tail flicks possessively around her when they stop beside us. He’s gaga over her. She is lovely, but I feel nothing but an objective appreciation for Nadine, as well as Jane.
“Have you met Romi?” Jane asks from my side.
Following her gaze, I glance over to see another human woman with long dark hair twisted into a braid atop her head. She’s lovely, but it’s a purely objective appreciation on my part. I smile and have a polite conversation with her, but it’s obvious to Jane there is no infinity pulse for us. She moves along, introducing Romi to others.
I glance at Asher, commenting under my breath. “It’s not that I won’t mate with any of these women, but I don’t feel the pulse. If you’d like, just choose one for me.”
Nadine happens to overhear. Her brows furrow with worry, and her mouth presses in a line. “Hunter, you must try.”
Kayden glances from Nadine to me. “Sweetheart, you can’t try to experience infinity pulse. It exists, or it doesn’t. You know that.”
Nadine looks up at him, and I’m surprised sparks don’t fly around them; the emotion between them is so intense.
She looks at me apologetically. “He’s right. You can’t force it, but I want all of my friends who came here from Earth to experience it. Earth is just…” She lets out a little sigh. “It’s awful. I want them to have everything that is good here.”
Just then, I feel something, an almost electric jolt inside. I glance around, but I don’t see anyone. Conversation carries along. A little while later, I feel that same sizzle. This time, it’s like a bolt of lightning up my spine. I spin around, searching the room. My eyes lock on a woman. She’s standing with Nadine and Kayden. The moment I see her, it feels as if a cord made of fire connects us.
I approach, and Nadine introduces us. I go through the motions of it, but there’s static in my brain. All I can think is I need to be alone with this woman.