Page 24 of Combust
Like his brothers, Evan was tall, dark-haired, and hazel-eyed. He continued, “I’m not talking just one or two trees here, Mary. Heck, you know as well as I do that pretty much anyone can get a Christmas tree cutting permit around here. We may have to do that ourselves this year, if we can’t find enough suitable trees on our property. Butthesepoachers are cutting down entire stands of spruce and fir, probably to sell.”
“I’ve heard about that,” Mary said. “And I’ve told Kenny, Annika, and Roy to keep their eyes peeled for anyone suspicious.” She sighed. “But we’ve got a lot of territory to cover, and we can’t be everywhere at once.”
“Because of the drought, I heard that good Christmas trees are selling for a lot of money this year, like four to five hundred apiece, in the cities,” Mark, the lawyer brother, chimed in.
The conversation continued, but Cade let his attention wander. He didn’t give a shit about Christmas trees, to tell the truth.
He scanned the fancy living room, seeking out Maggie. She’d arrived while he was discussing ranch business with his boss and his boss’s brother.
The vivacious, curvy brunette was currently at the opposite end of the room, and busy talking to a gaggle of young women who looked like her kinfolk.
He tried and failed to catch her eye.
That riled up his bear.Court her,it commanded.I want her for our mate.
Mate? Are you shitting me?Cade asked, though the notion was mighty appealing.She’s the boss’s daughter, and right now, she ain’t even giving us the time o’ day.
He couldn’t deny that he’d spent a fair amount of time today thinking about her. Working on fencing had left his thoughts free to contemplate what a tempting, cuddly armful she’d make. And with her temperament, he just knew that bedding her would be like habanero pepper jelly, fiery but oh-so-sweet.
All right. I’m gonna ask her out once this dinner is over and done with, he decided.
She was attracted to him. He’d sensed that much beneath her prickly exterior.And I’ll treat her a whole lot better than Ol’ Stuffed Shirt did.
Then Elle Swanson’s mate turned up just before dinner was announced, and you could’ve knocked Cade over with a turkey feather.
Justin Long was an honest-to-Godsabertoothshifter.
Cade had encountered a sabertooth shifter once, while working on a ranch in the Texas Hill Country, near Austin. The guy had been about as friendly as a bramble bush, confirming all the rumors that Cade had ever heard about sabertooths being a bunch of ornery ol’ cats.
But Justin seemed different. He was a silver-haired man with a weathered, deeply tanned face and striking blue-green eyes. He was soft-spoken, affable, and apparently well-liked by Dane and the other clan members. And it was clear that Justin and Elle were crazy about one another.
If sabertooth cats and wolves can find a home in this clan, maybe a clanless bear could find a permanent place here, too.
Cade shook his head to clear away the seductive notion. He reminded himself that hope was dangerous. Poisonous, even.
Because if you let it sprout and flower, when it died it would kill you, too.
He’d learned that lesson early on.
* * *
At dinner in Grandma Elle’s newly-expanded dining room, Maggie found herself seated across from Cade.
The younger clan members ferried bowls and platters heaped with food out of the kitchen, and the adults seated at the main table began passing them around.
Or at least that was the usual plan. Tonight, Maggie watched with appalled fascination as the usually-smooth passage of the serving dishes around the dinner table turned into a traffic jam, all of it piled up around Cade’s plate.
From his expression, he seemed overwhelmed with the abundance of good, home-cooked food.
As each dish was passed to him, he helped himself…and didn’t pass the plate on.
Meanwhile, the mound of food on his plate grew.
Maybe he’s greedy,thought Maggie, watching him dig in before everyone else had served themselves, or thanks had been given.And he’s certainly clueless.
The rest of the family watched him with amusement, but no one said anything. Maggie didn’t want to be the first to speak up. But if no one spoke up, her half of the table would go hungry.
Her stomach growled as she watched Cade fork up a generous helping of tender roast elk back-strap slices.
