Page 23 of The First Day of Breeding Season (Wildfire Ranch #4)

brYNN

By the time Theo and Benji bring up the next two bulls three days later, completing the summer breeding program roll out, I have all my trail cameras in place.

Drew takes both horses down to the road to meet them, while I stay at the campsite to catch up on some of my notes transcription.

That also allows him to load Ace up with more supplies, which means we can stay up here for another week—or maybe two.

I know at some point we’ll head back to the ranch.

The cows don’t need us to watch them all summer long.

But I’m not ready to return to real life. Not yet.

Once I finish my work, I check the camera feeds on my phone. There are some heifers with Ten Gallon not that far away, and if I remember correctly, there are wild raspberries along that tree line.

I grab my hat, text Drew a quick note that I’ll be right back, and hit the path.

Picking wild raspberries as I dictate observation notes about Drew’s herd, while my body is still zinging from back to back orgasms in his arms this morning, is just about as perfect an afternoon as I could ever imagine.

Better than, really, because I never imagined myself having all this goodness at once. All this incredibly sexy sweetness.

Once I’ve eaten enough berries for myself, I hold the hem of my shirt, making a little cradle so I can pick some for Drew, too.

And then I race back down the hill, eager to get back to my…mentor. My…lover.

My Drew.

When I get back to camp, he’s returned.

But he’s not alone.

“Hi…” I say, skidding to a stop in front of a whole pile of people.

It’s not just Theo and Benji, who give polite nods but otherwise avert their eyes.

It’s also Dr. Lowry and his wife Paisley, who I know from school. Plus their oldest brother Trick, and his son is in the arms of a pretty blonde woman, who gives me a warm smile.

“I’m Sinclaire,” she says.

“I’m Zane,” says the tallest of the bunch, with the biggest smile. “And this is my wife, Daisy.”

Drew pushes through all of them to get to me. “Brynn, my family showed up.”

“I can see that.” I hold out my curled up shirt hem. “Raspberries?”

Daisy leaps forward. “Absolutely.”

Paisley joins us, and under her breath, she whispers, “So… You and Drew?”

“Mm-hmm.” I shove a raspberry in my mouth.

She nods. “Nice.”

From behind me, I feel Drew exhale in relief, which makes me laugh. “Mm-hmm.”

Sinclaire steps forward. “We brought you a picnic dinner from Inez.”

“That’s so sweet, thank you.”

“It’s a dinner for two.” She winks. “We’re all leaving again soon.”

Even better. “And thank you for that, too.”

I didn’t realize just how much I wanted—needed—more alone time with Drew until it was suddenly cut short.

The girls, and Sinclaire’s toddler, finish the raspberries while they pepper me with questions about my project. That’s a surprise, too, that after the initial question from Paisley, they don’t have any more questions about Drew.

But looking at them all next to their husbands, it’s clear that the Lowry brothers have all found young brides. These women might not be in exactly the same shoes as me, but they know what it’s like to fall for an older man.

And in Paisley’s situation, Dr. Lowry was even more off-limits than Drew is for me.

I turn and search for him as I have that thought. He’s holding his nephew on his hip, and my heart skips at the sweetness in that cuddle.

Over the little one’s head, he catches my gaze and smiles.

Hi , I mouth.

Hi , he whispers back.

And even though he’s all the way across the campsite, I hear it warm and sure against my skin.

“Your family is lovely,” I say once we’re alone, and we’re eating the amazing picnic dinner.

Fresh food after a few days of camp eating is so good.

“They like you.”

“I like them.”

He shifts closer. “I really like you.”

I smile. “And I really like you.”

“Are you wearing blue panties today?”

“Mm-hmm.”

“You have a little rip in your jeans, on the seam on your hip. It’s been distracting me all day. I really like blue panties.”

“Is that so?”

“I thought they would never leave. And then you looked the picnic like it was the best thing you’ve ever seen, and since you might be eating for two…”

I laugh out loud at that. “Not yet.”

“Maybe not. But just in case.” He tumbles me onto my back. “I want to take good care of you.”

“You’re much more thoughtful than the average bull,” I say, deadpanning. But I mean it.

“That’s because you’re a lot more than just a heifer to me.”

“I know,” I say. And I do. This thing between us isn't just physical. It’s the ink that binds us together. It’s the way he takes care of me, and holds me when I cry. It’s how we fit together, perfectly, every time. Immediately and forever.

We twist together, kissing and sharing sweet breathes, little whispers.

I shove off his Filston shirt. He unzips my jeans.

Boots go flying, and then I’m down to those blue panties he noticed earlier.

“Yes, I like these so much,” he says, his voice full of lust as he gazes down at me.

He ducks his head and kisses my belly.

I imagine him doing that as it swells, and my head spins with the fierceness I feel. Love, protectiveness, desire.

With a growl, he catches the cotton with his teeth and tugs.

I lift my hips to help, and then I’m bare for him, the panties flung somewhere in the direction of the picnic basket.

Drew catches me by the hips and holds me still beneath him as he tests that I’m ready, then slides home in an urgent thrust.

“Tip your hips up for me, sweetheart. Show me how much you want Daddy’s cock.”

I wrap my legs around his hips and moan at the new angle.

“That’s my best girl,” he praises. “Making it so easy for me to mount you, aren’t you? Always ready to get bred. I’m not gonna let you off this mountain until your fertile womb is stuffed full of my babies.”

I believe him.

And it’s wonderful.

“You’re mine,” he says as we climb higher. “Every beautiful part of you. Mine to breed. Mine to keep.”

“Drew…”

“Forever, Brynn. Forever.”

And then he thunders home, carrying me with him to the climax that I dreamed of all day.