Page 18 of In Plain Sight

"I'm sorry about that. They can be a little much. I hope Thomas didn't grill you too badly. We were all pretty brutal to Gage when he first arrived. I may have been the main cause of that. Karma can be a real bitch and I just hope they don't gang up on you like we did him."

"Do I even want to ask?"

"No, probably not," Ruby admitted.

"Life with you will never be boring, will it, mate?"

She wrapped her arms around my neck and kissed my lips softly. "No, it definitely won't be," she admitted.

Ruby

Chapter 8

The next morning, I awoke with the sun before my alarm clock even went off. I had wanted to show Bran around and let him see what it was that I do, but he was still sleeping soundly, and I'd heard Thomas mention he would come by and talk to him about work today, so I left the bed as quietly as I could and headed straight for the bathroom.

After a quick shower and an even faster breakfast, I was ready to head out the door. I walked my short commute down the stairs and was surprised to see Clay already checking on the cows.

"Good morning," he said as I approached.

"What are you doing here? I thought you had a run to make today."

"I do, but we're not leaving until ten, so I thought I'd get a jumpstart on the day. You ready to return?"

"Yes, I was more than ready yesterday," I mumbled under my breath.

"What? Life isn't all peachy in Ruby-land with the new mate?" Clay asked.

I sighed. "Bran is wonderful. It'll just take some getting used to having someone up in my space all the time."

"Poor guy," Clay said solemnly.

I punched him in the arm. "Poor guy? What the hell's that supposed to mean?"

Clay gave me a look. "Ruby. I love you, you know that, but you are a stubborn bitch, not to mention a micro-managing control freak. That poor guy doesn't stand a chance."

I frowned. I had no comeback to that because we both knew it was true.

I chose instead to just change the subject. “How’re my babies? Everyone doing okay? Any issues I should be aware of?”

Clay shook his head. “Nope. Nothing exciting to report. Mellie’s still very pregnant. I would have sent someone after you if she’d started to go into labor, but she gets closer every day.”

I smiled, grateful I hadn’t missed the delivery of the twins. I never missed a new calf being born.

“Hey, thanks for holding down the fort for me,” I told Clay.

He nodded, not one to push the subject. As Austin entered the barn, I knew that was a whole different story.

“Ruby Red, why I never.”

“Never what, Austin?” I asked.

He gave me a boyish grin that I’m sure would have some ladies go weak in the knees, but all it did was piss me off. “Why, I never thought in a million years you’d fall so quickly. Look at that, you’re not even bothering to hide the mark.”

My hands flew to my neck where Bran’s mating mark was, and I knew my cheeks burned as red as my hair.

“Wow, I’ve never seen you turn quite that red,” Clay commented. I gave him a shove with my free hand.

“So the rumors are clearly true. And I guess it’s too late now to point out the obvious, like what the hell is he doing here? Guy just shows up in our territory and you instantly mate him. What the hell, Ruby? You’re smarter than that,” Austin said.

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