Page 23 of Cowboy Devil's Embrace

My phone buzzed annoyingly, and I pulled it out of my pocket, frowning at the blasted thing.

“No. Well, sometimes. But you’re thinking about hay,” Emmet explained while Zeke rolled his eyes.

“Well, what the fuck is the difference?” I asked, not really paying attention as I read the message on my phone twice.

What? He can’t be serious. This motherfucker.

Max’s mouth curled, and a dark snarl erupted from his lips.

“And that is what you need to learn,” Emmet said, brows furrowing when I loosed that angry sound. “What is it? Bad news?”

“You could say that. Apparently, I didn’t do my share of the workload this week and as of this morning my grandmother’s lawyer has deducted a fine from my account.”

“A fine? How much—sixty thousand dollars?Holy fuck! Mr. Leeds, I do believe you swindled me when we negotiated my salary,” Emmet said, and whistled.

“Swindled you? Ha! Your salary is highway robbery. Didn’t even teach me the difference between straw and hay,” I muttered, annoyed but somehow lighter even after losing that money.

“Not if you can afford to lose that chunk of change,” Dante, the Bear Shifter rumbled.

“Yes, well, that is an unfortunate consequence of this little arrangement.”

“What exactly is your arrangement?” Kian asked.

“Okay, how about I explain it all over a dinner of, I don’t know, fucking peanut butter sandwiches since I don’t have enough bologna for you all?” I asked.

No, I had no idea what I was doing. But for some reason, my inner Devil was more excited than I could ever recall him being.

The other Shifters all looked at each other. And I wondered if maybe they were communicating in some way I couldn’t understand.

“We’ll do you one better,” Emmet said with a grin.

“Yeah, we’ll grill some fresh meat and vegetables, and you can see to the beer and dessert. Sound good?” Dante asked.

“We’ll have some dinner and establish a plan for getting this place solvent,” Emmet added.

“Um. Sure. I can do that,” I told them, surprised at how good it actually sounded.

Hope sprung eternal, wasn’t that what they said?

Well, for the first time in forever, I felt hope. Right in that moment.

The men all nodded and dipped their chins, walking out the door, and I followed, feeling elated.

I cast my gaze around the property, taking in the low afternoon sun.

It seemed to caress the landscape like loving hands, and a sense of pride filled me.

The Wolf nodded, following my gaze, maybe even seeing the promise I did when I looked at my land. He offered his hand as the others walked off and I took it.

“I’m gonna start the fire going,” Emmet told him.

“Guess I’m going to search for some pastry shops,” I replied.

“I think Mrs. O’Hare might’ve taken care of that for you. Check your email,” Emmet said with a grin.

I frowned and rubbed the back of my neck.

I opened my email and sure enough there was a message with a reminder to pick up an order that had been placed under the name MCR tonight at six—which was in twenty-three minutes.

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