“Well, you’re missing out. You can run with me next time if you want,” I offer.
He still has his head down as he pulls potato after potato out of the ground. It’s more than we need, but if I tell him we have enough, he’ll be up and racing into the house before I can stop him.
Over his shoulder, my gaze connects with Ty, mid-conversation with Jackson. Both are looking at me, but it’s Ty who captures my full attention. The way he always does.
He lifts his brow, quietly asking if I’m okay.
I nod.
“My wolf is?—”
“Still just you,” I quietly interrupt Travis. “You won’t hurt me or any other woman here.”
He stops picking potatoes, though he doesn’t lift his head. “What if I do?”
“You won’t.”
“But I?—”
I pick up a small shriveled potato and toss it at him. It bounces off his shoulder. He wrenches his head up, eyes wide. “You?—”
I toss another potato at him. “I just ambushed you with potatoes. I’d imagine your wolf would have a problem with that. Wouldn’t you?”
He stares at me, brushing soil from his jersey. “My wolf doesn’t want to hurt you.”
“No.” I smile at him. “Honestly, if you saw the things my little sister did to me and that I did back, you’d wonder how our wolves didn’t kill each other. This is pack. You don’t hurt packmates.”
A slow smile tugs on the corner of his mouth. “You could have said all that without messing up my jersey.”
“Yup.” I nod for emphasis. “But a shriveled potato had an impact. Am I right or am I right?”
His smile grows. “You’re right.”
“So you’ll come to the next pack run? I might be convinced to let you beat me. It won’t be easy to run that slow, but I guess I could do it just this once.”
A flicker of challenge flickers in his eyes. “I’m fast.”
“Then prove it.” I arch a brow.
When footsteps move toward us, he glances over his shoulder, spots Ty heading this way and gets up. “I should go.”
“You don’t have to go.”
“He looks like he wants to talk to you,” Travis says.
“Well, maybe I want to talk to you instead of him,” I reply, brushing my hands clean on my apron.
Ty claps Travis on the back. “The trick with a woman is to limit your time with her. Too much, and she gets sick of you. Not enough, and she replaces you with a young college grad. If you ever work out how long that is, do me a favor and let me know. I never get it right.”
Travis blushes. “I didn’t actually graduate.”
“You will.” There’s not an ounce of doubt in Ty’s voice.
Regan said he was taking college credits. Once he’s gotten over his fear of accidentally hurting someone, he might eventually start classes at the local community college.
“Once you do, I’m not so sure I’d be happy with you spending all this time with my beautiful mate,” Ty says.
He says it with a grin, so Travis knows he’s only joking.