Page 5 of Meant for Her

That was incredible. He had no idea a place like that existed. Her uncle must be very wealthy if he could put a surgery suite in his house.

As for shifting, it was great that he wouldn’t be found out, but before he did, he wanted to learn more. “How did we get here? I’m afraid I don’t remember much after I passed out.”

She told them how the sheriff had spotted their two horses. “He knew you wouldn’t be without them.”

“He was right about that.”

“You would have had a rather uncomfortable recovery had Sheriff Hanson not found you and called it in.”

“I’ll have to remember to thank him next time I see the sheriff.”

“From where he found you, I take it you couldn’t have shifted without being seen?” she asked.

“Not when those men came at us. We could see a portion of the road, which meant the people could have seen us. Even if we’d been hidden from view, all six of the thieves were werewolves. I’m betting we would have fared worse—a lot worse—if we’d fought them in our shifted form. I had the sense that they just wanted us to stand down, which is why their first few shots weren’t direct hits. They might not have known that Luke and I run the ranch by ourselves and couldn’t afford to lose that many—or any—cattle. It was why we were willing to fight to the death.”

Her eyes widened. “I’m glad it didn’t come to that. Being on your own, especially at your age, has to be hard.”

His age? He lifted a hand and patted a very swollen face. She probably couldn’t tell how old he was, though his large body should have indicated he wasn’t some teenager. “Luke and I are twenty-nine.”

“I know. The sheriff told me.”

“What are you? Twenty-six?”

The woman lowered her chin. “You don’t need to flatter me. I’m thirty-four.”

He wasn’t flattering her. She really looked that youthful. “Can I know the name of my savior? I’m Ryan, by the way.” As much as Ryan was trying to be flirtatious, he was sure he failed. His lip was having a hard time moving properly.

“Malia. And it was Dr. Weston who removed the bullets, not me.”

He didn’t care. He just wanted to know her name. Why? Because his inner wolf was doing some crazy shit right now. “I think I will take your advice and rest. You’ll be here when I wake up?”

“Yes. Someone has to drive you home.”

“Thank you, ma’am.” That was a little dig for her thinking he was a youngster.

He might be younger than her, but he and Luke had been taking care of themselves for a very long time. Having a father with a gambling addiction, together with a mother who left them when they were only eight, required them to grow up fast.

“Malia will do.” When she smiled, his heart raced. If the hair along his jawline thickened or his eyes changed color, he’d be quite embarrassed.

Could it be that Malia was his mate? Nah. That was wishful thinking. The fact she was there to take care of them probably made him imagine the two of them were connected. “Got it. Shifting now.”

Ryan shifted and almost immediately felt the stresses on his body began to relax.

“Luke, can you hear me?”he telepathed. Ryan had no idea if his brother could communicate if he was under anesthesia. When he didn’t answer, Ryan assumed he was still out.

* * *

Something was going on with her. At first, Malia thought it was the rush of adrenaline that had caused her pleasure center to be stimulated the moment Luke and Ryan had been wheeled into the hospital, but now she didn’t think that was the case. Standing over both men at her uncle’s place altered something inside her.

Could they be her mates? The attraction seemed to pull her equally toward both men. To be honest, she always assumed she’d end up with a doctor or someone interested in medicine—not a rancher like her father.

Her aunt was fully human, so she wouldn’t be able to say with any certainty what was going on with Malia and her unexpected reaction to the men. The only one who had mated in her immediate family was her brother Benson. She could talk to his human mate, Ariel, but it might be a little embarrassing to discuss her own brother’s sex life.

Then there was Tawny, one of her cousins. She was mated to two men who weren’t Grangers. That might be her best bet. Plus, Tawny’s brother had just mated. That twin duo might give her the soundest advice.

“I’m going to step outside,” she told David. “Or do you need me?”

“I’m done. Now it’s up to the men to do their thing. They’ll be fine. I just need to clean up. Why don’t you rest? Looks like you could use some.”

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