Desert Heart (The Wolves of Twin Moon Ranch Book 4) (20 page)

“Happy Thanksgiving, Axel,” she murmured, trying to make her thanks seep into every word.

“Happy Thanksgiving,” the burly man croaked in his deep, earthy voice.

“Brought you cookies,” she said.

“My favorite,” Axel rumbled, hitting a seven or eight on the Richter scale with his deep voice. He smiled as he always did, no matter what kind of cookies they were. She’d baked enough for him in the past weeks to feed an army. Visited him daily as he recuperated, too, though it still would never seem like enough.

Javelinas were tough—and the amiable Axel doubly so—but they healed slowly. The young boar had a long road ahead of him to recovery. The least Twin Moon Ranch could do was host him while he convalesced. When the time came, he could head back to the nomadic life of his kind.

Not that the modest javelina shifter looked ready to rush off anytime soon. Not with those injuries, and certainly not with half the pack’s single females doting on his every move. The poor guy didn’t have the energy to evade them even if he wanted to.

Uh-oh.
An urgent murmur sounded in Tina’s mind.

She spun to see Lana tilting her head toward the head table, where Ty and Rick sat in animated conversation. Uh-oh, indeed.

Not good,
Lana warned, already striding over on long legs, ready to rein Ty in.

Tina handed Sammie to Aunt Jean, steeled herself for trouble, and race-walked over. Alpha males who hadn’t yet fully established their respective ranks had a way of jumping straight from conversation into all-out war. Tina and Lana reached the table at exactly the same moment, and each slid a placating hand over her mate’s shoulder. Lana had a lot of practice with the gesture, and though it was new to Tina, she felt like she’d been doing it all her life.

Rick’s hand found hers, and as always, his touch was a bridge that connected their souls.

“Hey, Tina, Lana. Good thing you’re here,” Ty said.

Yeah,
Lana’s wink said.
Good thing we’re here.

“Where do you reckon is the best place to put the new pump house?”

Tina blinked. From the sounds of it, the men hadn’t been on the verge of a territorial dispute. More like an amicable business talk.

“The new pump house?” she mumbled.

“Why operate two leaky pump houses when we can share one? A new, efficient one,” Rick chimed in, and both men looked up, waiting for her reaction.

Lana waited, too, and Tina warmed all over. Maybe Good Old Tina wasn’t just a quiet supporter. Maybe she was a leader in her own right.

Rick squeezed her hand, and Lana gave her a wry smile as if she’d known it all along.

“Um… The spot just west of where the old one stood seems like a good one, and it was on Stef’s list of recommended sites,” she managed.

“Exactly what I was thinking.” Rick nodded.

Ty nodded, too. “Just need to work out the details. Fifty-fifty split of costs and water?” He looked at Rick.

“Sounds good to me.”

“Just don’t get greedy and talk about increasing the volume,” Lana warned.

Ty waved a hand. “No way.”

Rick dipped his head in agreement. “Not going there.”

“Hey, everyone, dig in!” Cody announced from across the hall. The feast was on.

The children scampered over, along with all the young men of the pack who seemed to inhale food the way they inhaled air. The old curmudgeons leaned back and waited at their table, waxing poetic about the good old days.

Good old days? Tina sighed and looked around. More like good new days. The ranch was prospering, the kids happy and healthy. Christmas was right around the corner, and it would be a truly special one.

She couldn’t help it. She leaned over and kissed Rick, full on the lips. Hung on to that kiss and lost herself in her mate’s taste. She let it go a little deeper. Slid her hands down his shoulders and slowly settled into his lap.

What did it matter if Cody cleared his throat in an amused hint, or that the little girls giggled, or the old ladies sighed dreamily? Nothing was going to make her break that kiss. She deserved that kiss. She deserved Rick.

At long, long last, she had her mate.

When she finally pulled back and rested her forehead on his, she whispered. “Mine. Mate.” Inside, her wolf swished its tail in long, dreamy strokes.

Rick’s face glowed like he’d just swung his way into the Baseball Hall of Fame. “Mine,” he echoed, even louder, letting the whole world hear. “Mate.”

<<< >>>

Thank you for reading
Desert Heart
! Read on for a sneak peek at the bonus epilogue to this story,
Happily Mated After
, a short story that peeks into Tina and Rick’s new life together, two months after the events of this book.
Happily Mated After
is exclusively available in the
Wicked Alphas, Wilder Nights
collection, available
here
. You can also see more of the happy couple in
Desert Yule
, a Twin Moon Ranch Christmas story, available
here
!

Thank you for reading
Desert Heart
! I hope you enjoyed it and will consider leaving a review on
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Read on for a sneak peek at the bonus epilogue to this story,
Happily Mated After
, a short story that peeks into Tina and Rick’s new life together, two months after the events of this book, or click here to grab a copy of
Desert Yule
, a Christmas story that revisits all the characters you’ve grown to know and love in the Twin Moon Ranch series, including Tina, Rick, and many more!

It wasn’t too long ago that Tina Hawthorne was desperately fighting her attraction to Rick Rivera, the irresistible human who could never, ever be her mate. Now, months after Tina and Rick conquered the odds, they find themselves with one final obstacle to happily “furever” after as a mated pair.

Order your copy today as part of the
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Work, work, work
. Her inner wolf sighed.

Tina silenced the beast and went right on clicking the keys of her laptop.
Let me concentrate
.

She checked the scrawled entries in the ledger then entered them on her spreadsheet. What she could make of the entries, at least. Seymour Ranch had always been run as a tight ship, but things had gone downhill in the couple of years since old Henry and Lucy Seymour passed away, and the records were a mess.

The wolf yawned.
Mate. Want my mate.

We can’t spend every hour of every day shagging, you know,
she reminded the beast.

Why not?

Shush!
She sighed and squinted at the scribble. Thank God there were only a few ledgers left to work her way through. Then she’d have the records up to date and could look forward, not back. With Seymour Ranch in the capable hands of her mate these days, the future looked bright.

The
very
capable hands,
her wolf agreed.

She could feel the beast purring, swiping its tail in long, lusty strokes.

Capable hands
, her wolf purred dreamily.
Capable lips. And that tongue…

She shook her head, trying to settle the beast down. Surely after three months of happily mated after, the wolf could get over this constant lust?

Hey!
the inner voice protested. We’ve got a lot of lost time to make up for.

Back to work, already.
She forced herself to focus on the ledgers. The keys clicked under her fingers. One by one, she turned the pages of the ledger. In another week or so, she’d be all caught up.

All work and no play…

She ignored the wolf’s grumble. What did a wolf know about accounting, anyway?

A husky whisper came from the doorway. “What are you smiling at, beautiful?”

She glanced up and there he stood. Rick’s dark eyes shone as if he might shift into a dragon instead of a wolf. A dragon regarding the most precious jewel in the world.

Her. She was the jewel. His jewel.

Her wolf immediately started purring and wagging its tail.

She gulped and beckoned him over. “How long have you been standing there?”

He clomped across the floor in his work boots and hugged her from behind, trapping her in the chair.

“Two minutes? Twenty?” He shrugged, lifting her shoulders along with his. “I could watch you all day.” Strong fingers smoothed her black locks as his lips closed over hers.

She closed her eyes and succumbed to the warm whirlpool that sucked her in every time they kissed. Crisp winter air clung to his flannel shirt, but his skin was warm. Bit by bit, everything melted away: the room, the ledgers, the lazy crackle of flames in the fireplace. Everything but her mate. His chest was a blanket, keeping her warm. His cheek was a pillow, inviting her to rest. His heartbeat was a drum, thumping strong and steady against her back.

He broke the kiss and snuggled closer.

Her whole soul sighed.
Mine. Mate.

The pulse in his neck quickened when she twisted in the chair and kissed him. She slid a hand over his jaw, guiding his head to one side. One kiss for the tiny scar on his chin; another on his throat…

<<< >>>

Grab your copy of
Happily Mated After
, part of the
Wicked Alphas, Wilder Nights
collection, today!

Check out the other side of Anna Lowe with a series even die-hard paranormal fans rave about: the Serendipity Adventure Romance series. You can try it FREE with
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