by Meg Ripley
“Now, here’s the most important thing you need to know,” the realtor said as he headed down toward the fence, bringing Ash’s attention back to him. “The owners are retiring, like I said. They want the simple life in the city, where someone else comes and digs them out of their driveway in the winter and they only have to walk around the corner to get their groceries. But they really care about this place, and they want it to go into the right hands. They’re willing to stick around and teach you anything you need to know, from operating the tractors so you can grow your own hay, to fixing fencing and birthing calves.”
Ash raised an eyebrow, intrigued. “And how much extra is that going to cost me?”
“Just a little bit of time, really,” Mr. Larson replied, and for once, he didn’t sound like he was trying to get a job as a travel blogger. “This is really important to them. They’ve spent their entire lives creating this place and they don’t want to see it all go to waste.”
“I’ll think about it,” Ash said with a nod.
The realtor heaved a deep sigh. “Look, Mr. Cunningham, I’ve got to be honest with you. This ranch hasn’t been on the market all that long, but I don’t think it’s going to stay on the market long, either. Now, I know what you’re thinking.” He held up a hand to stop Ash from arguing with him. “Realtors say that all the time, and you’re probably right. But this truly is a great place, and if you ask me, it’s a bargain. I’ve shown you big farms with little houses and little farms with big houses. I’ve shown you places close to town and far from town, places near the mountains and places near the water. At every single one of them, you just sort of frown and say you’ll think about it. I understand you want something perfect, but I’m starting to wonder if you’re going to find it.” His amber eyes challenged his client.
He could argue with the man and explain that even as great of a place this was, there was still something that didn’t quite fit. But Ash didn’t feel the need to waste his energy making a stranger understand his reasoning. He just gave a small shrug. “Like I said, I’ll think about it.”
As he headed back to his rental, Ash chuckled to himself. Mr. Larson might not see a difference between now and all the other times he’d said those words, but this time, it wasn’t just his way of being polite. He really was going to think about it.
“Well?” Old Jim demanded as soon as Ash walked back into the building.
“It’s a nice place,” Ash admitted with a smile. “I just might buy it.”
The old man bobbed his head in approval. “Big place?”
“A few hundred acres,” he admitted, his lips splitting in a grin he didn’t expect. “It’s a great ranch. It’s got everything I could ever want and more. I think I might buy it.”
“When you need yourself a ranch hand, you give me a holler. I need something to do all day besides just sitting here on my rump.”
Ash smiled warmly. “I’ll keep that in mind, Jim.” He headed up the stairs to his apartment, feeling good about his decision. Sure, it was a big step, but that was what he’d come there for in the first place. He was ready to get away from the wandering life of a serviceman and settle down. The ranch seemed like a world completely of its own, far enough away from everyone else that he could pretend he was the last man on Earth. He hadn’t been sure at first, but now he knew it was the right choice.
As he drew his cell from his pocket and prepared to dial Mr. Larson—and to hear the elated and verbose response from the man—it rang. The caller ID flashed ‘Restricted’ on the screen and Ash frowned at it. No one should’ve had his number, since he was always careful who he’d given it to. He glared at it another second before answering it harshly. “Yeah?”
“Is this the great Ash Cunningham I’m speaking to?”
Instinctively, Ash began scanning his apartment for the slightest thing out of place. He didn’t recognize the voice on the other end of the line. Had someone been watching him? There were a number of terrorist groups that would’ve liked to see his head on a pike. “Depends on who’s asking.”
The man laughed casually. His voice was gravelly and slow, like he had all the time in the world. “The Special Ops Shifter Force. My name’s Flint Myers.”
“All right.” He wasn’t going to allow this strange caller to lead him into offering any information, not even his own name. “What do you want?”
“I take it you’ve heard of us?”
A shiver of energy thrilled up Ash’s spine. Of course he’d heard of the SOS Force. They were an elite group of shifters, all of them trained as Special Ops soldiers. They’d taken the task of handling unusual missions involving shifters of all kinds, all across the U.S. At first, Ash hadn’t been completely certain they’d existed. It sounded like too much of an urban legend, the kind of thing someone made up because it sounded cool or they were trying to come up with a new television show. But another man Ash had served with on Delta Force had told him the team had come and solved a dispute in his home clan’s territory. “Maybe. Not sure if you're real, though.”
“Oh, we’re fucking real alright. And the fact that you and plenty of others have heard of us,” he said pointedly, “is exactly why we need you.”
* * *
To keep reading, you can find Rescued By The Soldier Bear HERE. Available with Kindle Unlimited.
Also Available In Meg Ripley’s Shifter Nation Universe
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Special Ops Shifters Box Set
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Werebears of Big Bend Box Set
Werebears of Glacier Bay Box Set
Werebears of the Everglades Box Set
Werebears of Acadia Box Set
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Shifter Daddies Anthology
Daddy Dragon Guardians: The Complete Series Box Set
Shifters Between Worlds: The Complete Collection
Beverly Hills Dragons: The Complete Collection
Dragons Of The Darkblood Secret Society Box Set
Dragons Of Sin City Box Set
Marked By Werewolves: Packs of the Pacific Northwest Series Box Set
Reverse Harem Romances Co-Written With Lark Sterling
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Shifters Of The Elements Series
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Meg Ripley is an author of sizzling shifter romances. A Seattle native, Meg can often be found curled up in a local coffee house with her laptop.
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