Page 31 of Midlife Shifter Unexpected

Matheus lived in a converted small barn on somebody’s back road ranch on the outskirts of Cougar Creek, which basically meant he lived absolutely ground zero in the middle of nowhere. I didn’t mind. it was nice to ride down the flat curving roads that ran out amongst the ranches. I had always loved this part of the region, where the farms melted into the hills before they ran into the sea. It felt like the world was created with a fluid motion of a loving, abundant creator’s hand.

It turned out Matheus’s converted barn was on the old Smalley ranch. The Smalley’s had moved off the property when I had been in my twenties, and they’d sold to a young city couple who had decided they wanted to try taking up ranching and raising their kids in the country. They had taken some of the smaller houses and parts of barns and converted them into rental units. It was clever. It supplemented their income, so they didn’t have to work so much for their mortgage.

I had known all that in principle, because of course I heard things around town, but what I didn’t know was that Matheus, my favorite bartender and all of Cougar Creek’s, was living out there.

We dismounted the bike and he bent over and gave me a quick peck on the cheek. It was quite charming, but I was a little confused. “What’s going on?”

“Well, I know things have been a little crazy lately for you and I just wanted to make sure you knew that I’m still digging you.”

My skin burned bright red. I wanted to tell him I was still digging him too, but how obvious was that? I mean, who wouldn’t dig him? So instead, I just sort of turned away. “Is this your place?” I changed the subject.

“Yeah, I rent it from the Beckwiths.”

“That’s the name of the family that bought this place?” I asked. Their kids had been just ahead of Dante in school. He hadn’t liked them very much, but I’d put that mostly down to childhood politics.

“Yeah, they’re an older couple,” he said.

I rolled my eyes. I couldn’t help it. “They’re a little older than me.”

“They have grandkids.” He ran his hand through his hair, shaking his head. “You can’t catch me out with your age-related hang ups. I’m not buying it.”

“You like kids. You want them?”

“Maybe I already have some.” He grinned at me, folding his arms over his chest.

My eyes opened wide. I had not expected that response. “Do you?”

“A man never knows for sure.” His smile didn’t budge an inch.

What was I doing? He was baiting me, and I was buying it hook, line, and sinker. I needed to back slowly away from the hot mess this guy was going to make me. Cancel that. I needed to run screaming from him.

“I won’t keep you long. I just want to show you something.” He walked around the bike and led me toward the small barn that had been converted into his living quarters. He pushed his weight against the barn door. It slid open revealing an open plan living area with a small staircase leading up the side, to what looked like a sleeping quarters loft area above. He closed the door, leaving us inside the dimly lit modernized barn.

He stood looking at me.

“You’re special,” he said.

“Why are we here?” I asked, trying not to feel awkward, but the truth was, I was starting to. It wasn’t because I was alone with a man in his private quarters. It was because I was alone with him, and even though I shouldn’t think about him like this…I did.

I wanted him.

There was probably very little he was going to do or say that was going to stop me from having those feelings about him.

“Now this is going to come as a shock to you. I’m not trying to freak you out. I told you the other day I wanted you to take me seriously, but then I realized there’s all this stuff about me I’m not telling you. I thought it would be good for me to show you who I am. Maybe that will help you take me seriously.”

“Why do we have to take everything seriously?” I asked. “Didn’t we just have something serious happen today? I think that’s enough seriousness for one day.”

“You don’t understand. I want to protect you. I want to help you because I know things are going crazy right now. There’s no way I can do what I need to do without you knowing everything about who I am.” He reached down, grabbed the shirt around his waist and pulled it up, revealing the most perfect set of abs I had ever seen in my entire life, topped with bulging pecs and flexing biceps.

“Oh, for God’s sake man, would you put your shirt back on?” I said in exasperation. “You want me to take you seriously and you take your shirt off? That’s just not fair. It’s basically illegal.”

I turned my back to him as I heard a zipper fly down. Had he undone his pants?

“Not fair,” I said. “I think this is straight up cheating.”

“Turn around,” he said. His voice was low and commanding, compelling me to do as he asked. I turned around to face him, and my jaw dropped.

“No way,” I said, my voice low in shock.

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