Page 22 of The Buck Stops Hare

The chickens obeyed, clucking among themselves.If rooster says so. I listen. Our rooster is small but he does not rip our feathers out when he shakes tail on our backs.

I stared. I didn’t necessarily think being told he was too small to reach thewet spotwas a compliment, but hey, the hens seemed happy.

Vida cooed from Buck’s arms and earned a few kisses to her downy head. Watching him fawn over the little one made a pang of guilt and jealousy burn in me. I had to assess for a moment if I was jealous of an infant, but quickly realized I was no such thing. I was jealous that it wasn’tmybaby in his arms.Ours.

Ew.Nah. Nope. Not ever. Never. Mostly ever. Maybe… Someday?I shook my head when my cheeks burned. Fuck whatever hormones these were. I’d never had thoughts like that before.

“Ooh, someone’s jelly,” Rayne snickered, and I glared at him.

“Remember when you were nine, and you got that mini toy car stuck up—” I started, and Rayne screeched.

“No! I don’t remember any such thing. Shoo. Discussion over. Now gimme my baby.” Rayne took Vida back from Buck with a squawk of protest. “When’s Eve coming?”

I shrugged. “Whenever she’s done teaching Grimmy a few lessons, I guess.”

Rayne blanched and sighed. “Well, might as well invite River… He wants baby time too, I assume, and to meet the new aspect.”

“River?” I understood he spoke of another god, one even Grim feared.

“Oh, don’t let the old gods scare you. River is a kookie little peach.” Rayne waved me off as he pulled out his phone and dialed. Three rings in, he canted his head, shoulder pinching the device to his ear. “Yeah, it’s me. Who else you have named Rayne in your phone? Well, check caller ID before you answer it.”

Rayne rolled his eyes and sighed, listening to the other end. “Then have Brook check it.”

Whatever Rayne heard in response soured his face. “Oh, my god! I didn’t need to know that. Okay! I regret calling. Wait, are you two still—”

Ew.

“I was going to invite you over to meet my brother as he’s Buck’s mate, apparently, and spend some time with Vida, but I dunno if I want your nasty asses here, now.” Rayne huffed and sneered at whatever was said. “Just come over. If we’re not here, we’ll be down the pack land.”

He hung up and gave me a sideways sneer before packing his phone away into a pocket. As his shirt rucked up, I noticed his stomach, while flat as it had always been, bore a few dark stretch marks over the sides. “You’ll meet Drowning River and Whispering Brook. They’re mates. River is insane, but he’s good people.”

I dunno if that made me feel better or not.

Chapter Eleven

Buck

“River’s coming, then?” I stared Rayne down, torn between slight annoyance and amusement. I’d only just gotten my mate, and the little devil of a god would seize any opportunity to be annoying…or steal Vida. I was torn between what I’d bet more on.

“And miss an opportunity to harass a new omega and steal Vida for a minute?” He coughed in a little spat of amusement. “He’s just got to finish with Brook before they leave.”

“Do I wanna know?” I raised an eyebrow and Cliff’s ruddy blush and the half conversation I heard gave me some explicit ideas. All par for the course where River was concerned.

“I don’t know, but I put money it wasn’t canast.” Rayne waved his phone before pocketing it.

“I have every idea. I’m not deaf.” Storm’s soured face made me blanch. “I heard something about him saying, ‘I’m Revere for the next ten minutes and it isn’t the British that are coming!’” Storm made air quotes with his fingers as Jacque gave me a second glance and wriggled, thumping his feet in the air as if to tell me I wasn’t allowed to hold Vida.

“Trade you?” I glanced over at Storm who, aided by Rayne, helped me swap out their little one for the anxious hare. In the process, he gave Vida a tentative sniff and bunny kiss.

Baby.His thoughts garbled the singular word through the static, which made me unreasonably happy. Vida seemed happy, too, giving a little squeal of some sort of positive emotion that made Storm’s features soften.

“Holy sh—oot,” Cliff said, stumbling on the swear. Rayne gave him a nod of gratefulness for the catch as Jacque rolledonto his back and held his flat feet in the air to relax. “That’s right. Baby.”

I laughed and offered to give Cliff his hare, but Jacque seemed more interested in getting down, and so he did, petering about in the grass to piddle and fertilize the earth. He did so politely, ducking behind a thatch of grass before popping out and cleaning his face with dainty paws.

As I scented the wind and the light musk of wolf hit my senses, it reminded me of my promise to protect Jacque. As if comprehending my desire, Jacque hopped toward me and stood on his hind legs, meeting my hand as I leaned down to pat his head. Upon him, I left my blessing, a mark of sorts that told predators of the land he had my protection, and all other creatures he was in my favor. And if so, a female were to show interest, she would understand that despite hisdifferences,he was blessed. Not that I thought he’d find another hare to mate with, not in that part of the world. He might find a black-tailed jackrabbit or a snowshoe, both hares, but if my mate’s little guy produced a litter, I’d be highly amused. At the least, no wolf would touch him.

“Let’s all get cleaned up and head out. River travels slower than me or Storm.” Rayne waved his brother and me over, and I followed dutifully as Storm patted over his cradled baby’s behind. Rayne eyed the gesture and reached back. “Want me to handle the diaper, babe?”

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