Page 28 of In Plain Sight

To their credit, Austin and Emmett kept their mouths shut until Bran and Wyatt had left the building. Before they could even finish their first thought, I kicked Austin hard under the table, stood up, grabbed my plate and stormed off.

I had worked hard to earn my place amongst the men. I had taken more shit than any of them over the years and I deserved the position of authority I was now in. That wasn’t something that was just handed to me as an Alpha’s kid. I’d made it a point never to show weakness or femininity around the ranch. Sure, I had messed around with a few of them over the years, but always after hours with a strict policy that it never bled over to the work day. So why did I just kiss Bran in front of all of them?

I knew the answer—because he was my mate. It was really that simple. He was different. He was the exception. I wasn’t going to sit there and hear Austin and Emmett belittle that or tease me about it, but it was a truth I needed to deal with. Bran and I were working together, maybe not in the same position, and I was glad Thomas hadn’t assigned him to work in the dairy under me, but the ranch was one big family, and my mate was a part of that now.

By the time I got back to Mellie, I had come to terms with it all. It was going to be fine. Plus, Bran was teaching me to fight and if anyone had crap to say about it, I’d just kick his ass. I was grinning evilly when Mr. Draper looked up and shook his head.

“Whatever you’re thinking can’t be good. I know that look too well.”

I laughed. “It’s fine.”

Clay wandered in. “What’s fine?”

Mr. Draper shrugged. “Your guess is as good as mine. I’m going to leave you two and go check on my horses now.”

“Thanks for all your help today,” I told him.

“So what’s fine?”

“Everything,” I told him. “I’m guessing you saw me kiss Bran at lunch.”

“He’s your mate, isn’t he? There’s nothing wrong with that, Ruby,” he said.

“I know. It’s just . . .”

“You’ve worked hard at being a badass and trying to fit in with the boys all these years. I know, Ruby. But truth is, you’ve always stood out and no one would ever truly consider you one of the guys.” He held up his hand when I started to protest. “I’m not saying we don’t see you as an equal. You’ve more than earned that respect around here, but as one of the guys? Never. Though everyone pretends so for your benefit, until you turn around and they all start checking out your ass.”

“Clay,” I growled, smacking him on the arm.

He gave me a sly grin. “What? You know you have a great ass.”

Clay stayed with me for a while then excused himself to check on the shift change with the dairy cows. Mellie wasn’t progressing quickly, and I found myself dozing off on a bale of hay as I watched her.

Bran shook me awake some time later.

“Hey,” I said in a groggy voice.

“Hey yourself. Are you sure you don’t want to go up and take a real nap? I can stay with the cow if you’re worried,” he offered.

“I’m fine,” I insisted. “Plus, I just had a nap. Are you done with work already?”

I nodded. “Yeah, and Wyatt’s bringing dinner over in a couple hours after the rush at the diner. He warned me we could be pulling an all-nighter, so I didn’t think you’d mind a late dinner.”

“No, that’s perfect. Thank you.” I kissed him. “You’re perfect,” I mumbled against his lips before deepening the kiss.

A throat clearing interrupted us. I looked up with a scowl.

“Oh, hey, doc. Are you coming to check on Mellie?” I asked, surprised to see him. Doc usually tended to the shifters, not the animals. We had a vet on call for that.

“Yes, Davidson and I have been alternating weeks for on call to give him a break until the two new vets are up and ready to work on their own.”

I frowned. “Clara’s home. Should I call her in to assist?”

Doc laughed. “Ruby, I assure you, I’m perfectly capable of delivering the calf. It really isn’t that much different than any human or shifter delivery,” he pointed out.

“Calves,” I reminded him. “Mellie’s carrying two.”

“Oh dear, he didn’t mention that in his report. That could cause some complications.”

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