Page 41 of Hers to Call
Becca paused her stirring. “Well, I started by helping the old Alpha when he fell sick. Simon moved down a few months after I started working here.”
Calita made a noncommittal hum.
“Simon brought Miranda, which was his wife, down here with him. She didn’t take to country life. She used to be on the ‘front lines of the revolution’ she would brag. Sickening thing.” Becca lowered her voice as though she was telling a secret. “She left Simon not even six months after they’d arrived. I wonder sometimes if he still pines for her.”
Since he’d told her differently and in no uncertain terms, Calita merely snorted and continued her task.
“So, how are you finding our town? I heard you’re still living in the hotel, have you not made up your mind about staying?”
Calita peeked a look at the woman, but didn’t see any malice in her face, just open curiosity.
“I love it here. Complacency more than anything has kept me at the hotel.”
Becca nodded and they went back to silence. She wrapped the sandwiches, and hunted down plastic containers in the cabinets. Finding them, she filled them with fruit she found in the fridge and the sandwiches she made. Becca smiled and passed her a picnic basket and blanket. She murmured her thanks and searched the chart for Simon’s location.
“It says ‘barn work’, but we passed like, three different barns when we came here last night.”
Becca chuckled. “Simon only cares about his horses, so more than likely he’s helping clean their stalls. You can see the barn from the front porch.”
Nodding, Calita walked through the living room and out the front door. She sighed as she stepped out into the heat of day. It was a beautiful place. Green manicured grass stretched from the front porch far and wide, divided into different pastures by wooden fences. Becca was right. A large white wooden structure peeked from trees, just past the fence surrounding Simon’s house. There was a worn path that lead from the front steps, hopefully to that very building. She meandered down the walkway, her eyes taking in everything. Large trees scattered the property, not including the looming forests surrounding the place. She looked forward to exploring the whole ranch. As she neared closer to the barn her mouth dropped open. The building looked like a church, its size way bigger than she was expecting. The doors were open and rows of horse stalls stretched in front of her.
She spotted Simon in jeans, and shirtless, his curly hair pulled back into a bun. The skin of his chest was glistening with sweat, the jeans riding low enough to make her mouth water. She licked her lips and cradled the basket closer to her chest as if somehow that would keep her heart inside. He sensed her and looked up, their gazes clashing. Her breath stalled and long liquid heat tumbled through her stomach.
He pulled off the gloves he was wearing and closed the distance between them. He smelled of hay, sweat and something else wild and untamed on his skin as he slid his arm around her waist. The kiss he gave her curled her toes and made her dizzy with want. His tongue swept into her mouth, long lazy licks that had her sex throbbing.
“What was that for?” She asked once her senses rushed back.
“Something about my mate on my property just does it for me.”
Every time he called her his mate, excitement warred with trepidation in her mind. The more time she spent with him, the more she wanted to belong to him. Caution held her tight, though.
“Isn’t this whole town your property?”
His full lips turned up into a smile that made her breathless. “Alpha, though I may be, I don’t own the entire town.”
She held up the basket with her good wrist. “I brought you lunch, are you able to take a break?”
He nodded and turned to yell for someone to take over what he was doing. He pulled his shirt from his back pocket and pulled it over his head. Her eyes greedily traced his rippling muscles as he worked the shirt on over his sweaty skin.
He lifted the basket out of her hand and grabbed her other one. They started walking, the silence between them comfortable. They approached a lake that was set up with a lifeguard station, and picnic tables as well as lounge chairs. It was a beautiful spot.
“How do you feel about sharing your space with tourists?” His house was visible across the stretch of green grass.
He snorted. “My bears spend way more time here than the tourists do. Tourists come to ride horses and camp. There are some shifters who come to be in their skin without the restrictions most cities put on them, so they keep mostly to themselves. Plus, I dealt with a lot of humans when I lived in Atlanta, I’m used to them.”
She pulled out the blanket Becca had given her and spread it on the ground under a big shaded tree. There was a small breeze that blew through the forest behind them. She closed her eyes and lifted her face, enjoying the peace. When she opened them, he was staring at her.
“What?”
“You’re so beautiful, you take my breath away.”
She swallowed past the lump in her throat and looked away. “You’re so sweet.”
He grunted, rummaging through the food she’d brought. She looked up as a large guy came up to them. He grunted at Simon and Simon shrugged as he continued to pull out their lunch. They continued their conversation with her looking on in astonishment. There were maybe six actual words intermingled in their discussion. The rest was a series of different sounding grunts. She raised a brow at Simon as the guy lumbered off.
Simon grabbed a hand full of berries and put them in his mouth. He paused when he caught her look. “What?”
“What was that all about?”
