Page 1 of Austin's Answer
ONE
Austin
Havoc pawed at the ground, his head lowered and his eyes fixed on me as I approached the feed chute. Daring me to enter his pen. My tiger rose under my skin, pushing to get out and answer the challenge, but the former rodeo clown in me knew better. Havoc was not a bull to play around with.
“He wants a piece of you.” Luke shook his head and turned on the water system to fill the reservoir. “He can sense you’re the biggest threat here.”
“I wouldn’t want to test my threat level against him.” I poured Havoc’s food into the chute. “I’ve danced with some wicked bulls in the rodeo, but nothing like Havoc. He’s too mean even to be a rodeo bull.”
“Definitely best to only deal with him as a group.” Luke studied the bull. “My wolf wants nothing to do with him.”
My brother was a wolf shifter, and though I’d gladly have him by my side in a fight, he wouldn’t stand a chance alone against Havoc. His strength lay more in his unswerving loyalty.
Luke and I were the only brothers who weren’t bear shifters. It wasn’t common for adoptions to happen outside of shifter species, but our parents had big hearts and welcomed both ofus into the fold. Luke was sixteen when he joined the family. I was only two. I remembered little of my birth parents, but Mom and Dad had been their close friends and had made sure I never forgot them.
Luke swiped the back of his hand across his forehead. “It’s going to be a hot one today. We’ll need to make sure everyone has water for the trail ride.”
“You want to take the lead or the trail position today?” I nudged Luke as we walked back toward the main barn. We’d built a second one when we added more guest cabins last month. We also got a new batch of horses that I needed to prepare for guests. “I know you’re dying for a chance to talk to the guests.”
He snorted. “Put me in the lead and it’ll be a quiet ride.”
After our parents died, we discovered the family ranch was having financial difficulties. Declan, our oldest brother and the only one not adopted, suggested we start a dude ranch to make more money. The road to opening had been rocky, as we’d dealt with saboteurs at several stages, but we were now operating successfully.
We still didn’t know who was ultimately responsible for the sabotage. All we knew was someone had hired the saboteurs we’d caught. Someone who was still out there. Even though we’d seen no hint of sabotage since the fire that burned down the art gallery, I knew none of us had truly settled.
“You should give it a try,” I offered. “Come out of your shell a little.”
I grinned at Luke’s look of disgust. He may have been loyal to family, but he wasn’t a fan of outsiders. His life before coming here hadn’t taught him to trust. He didn’t talk about it much, but it still impacted him twelve years later. I gave a mock sigh of frustration. “Fine.I’ll do the talking. But I won’t enjoy it.”
Luke muttered under his breath, “Then you should try not talking one of these days.”
I chuckled, not taking offense. My brothers gave me the jobs that involved interacting with guests. I enjoyed talking to people and getting to know them. “If I didn’t do it, who would? You? Mason?”
He rolled his eyes. “Good luck getting him out of his workshop. I swear, at this point he’s making up equipment repairs that need doing just to get out of dealing with the guests.”
Mason wasn’t as grumpy as Luke, but he’d turned into more of a loner since returning from his time in the army. He and his best friend, Vince Miller, had joined up at eighteen, but all we knew about his years away were that they left him with a leg injury too deep for even his shifter healing to fix and a broken friendship with Vince.
My chest tightened. I didn’t like to think about Vince, because it inevitably brought up memories of his sister, Emily. She and I had been close once too. But I knew exactly why we weren’t talking, and it was all my fault. Though it was probably for the best.
I brushed aside the gloomy thoughts. I needed to get over the girl next door. Shifters had fated mates. They became our everything, our match in every way, and it wasn’t fair to my mate that I still harbored feelings for Emily. It’s why I left home for the rodeo. I thought I’d get over my childhood crush if there was distance between us. But she remained in my mind and heart.
I whipped my hat off, slapping it against my thigh in frustration. “Can you handle the horses in the main barn? I need to check the new arrivals.”
Luke gave me a sideways glance, his eyebrow raised. “Sure. If I need help, I’ll grab Gabriel.”
I strode off without another word. The new horses were staying in the smaller barn, as I wanted to keep them separate while they settled into the ranch. There were six of them, selected specifically to be mounts for the guests.
I threw open the door and headed to the first stall. A morning spent shoveling manure and feeding the horses would distract me.
“Hey, Molly. How you doing, girl?”
The usually friendly horse didn’t respond. My brow furrowed as I studied the chestnut mare. She was listless and drooling. Her tail drooped, and as I watched, a tremor ran through her muscles. I moved to the next stall, quickly making a round of the barn. All the horses had similar symptoms.
I grabbed my cell and found Doc Johnson’s number. The older man was the only local vet who treated large animals and was also comfortable working for shifters. He found our shifter auras, which made some humans nervous, fascinating. He was one of the few humans who’d met my tiger.
The call connected. “Hey, Doc. I need your help.”
Emily
