by V. A. Dold
One by one, the van and cars drove down the long driveway and out of sight. Isaac tightened his arm around Emma as he glanced down and noticed a single tear rolling down her cheek. She always cried when her boys left on an adventure, but she never complained.
“Who’s ready for a barbecue?” He’d figured out a long time ago that if he planned a family gathering the night one of the boys left, Emma recovered from the loss more quickly.
Happy shouts of people prepared for a party echoed around the yard.
“Meet us on the back deck at three p.m. for sweet tea and cocktails,” Isaac shouted. Reaching for Emma, he walked hand and hand with the love of his life back to the house so she could collect herself in private.
Krystal sat the last box of kitchen glassware on the granite countertop and stretched her back. That was the last of the breakables she had moved herself.
Now they needed food and household supplies. It had been a long drive to the ranch, but groceries weren’t going to buy themselves.
“Julia, are you up to going to the store with me? Mother Hubbard’s cupboards are bare, and I think it may take two carts to stock the kitchen.”
“Sure. I noticed Emma hid steaks and potato salad in the bottom of the cooler for dinner, but I won’t survive without coffee in the morning. Plus, I don’t even want to think about things like using the bathroom and finding there’s no toilet paper.”
“Let’s tell the guys where we’re going and head out before it gets dark. Lucas would never let me hear the end of it if I got lost on these country back roads and he had to call him to come find us.”
“I can hear him now,” Julia said, rolling her eyes.
Lucas and Thomas waved as the women left, then continued unloading the truck. They wanted to come along, but someone needed to stay at the ranch. The movers were scheduled to arrive this afternoon, and they would need instructions on where to place the furniture.
Lucas had lucked out, not only did he manage to find a large, usable cattle ranch for sale, but the existing dude ranch on the next spread was also for sale. So, he bought both and had a website designed. Everyone had been shocked when reservations began to pour in. Now, they only had four short weeks to prepare the main house and guest cabins before people started arriving at the dude ranch. Not to mention hiring cowboys, buying horses, and stocking the ranch with a herd.
Julia’s eyes grew wide as she read over the grocery list Krystal had written. It filled the entire page of a legal pad. “It’s astonishing how much stuff people routinely have in their pantry and refrigerator that they take for granted. When you have to start from scratch, it’s a bit mind-boggling.”
“And that list is only what I need for the main house. Tomorrow we will start a list of items we need for the guest cabins. We don’t even have beds or dressers in them.”
Julia gaped open-mouthed at her sister. “It’s a dang good thing we came along to help.”
“You have no idea,” Krystal laughed.
They each grabbed a shopping cart from the cart room as they entered the local grocery. If they worked the store row by row and kept moving, they would make it home in time to have cocktails with the guys and barbecue the steaks.
Krystal was studying the yogurt options when two women parked a cart close to her and started discussing cottage cheese choices.
She glanced at them, ready to introduce herself when she noticed the aura of the taller of the two. How interesting, the colors and pattern were identical to Lucas’s aura. As she examined the fluctuating colors more closely, the woman’s spirit guide stepped forward.
Kensie Brown is your cousin, Lucas’s, soul mate. Please help her.
Krystal gave the spirit guide a slight nod. She was careful no one saw her talking to an invisible entity. Few people knew her secret, not only could she see and read auras, but she could see everyone’s spirit guides and speak to them.
Her breath caught in her throat. She could hardly believe it! Lucas’s mate was standing not three feet from her.
Shaking off the shock, she cleared her throat. “Hello, my name is Krystal. I just moved to town. Do you live around here?”
The younger woman, the one with dark brown hair and large blue eyes, smiled brightly. “Hi! Yes, I do, and it’s nice to meet you. I’m Jolene, but my friends call me Jojo, and this is my big sister, Kensie. I’m fairly new, too. I only moved here myself about six months ago. You’re going to love it here. Everyone I’ve met is very friendly.”
“It’s wonderful to meet you both. So, you said you moved here, Jojo. Do you live somewhere else, Kensie?”
“Yes, I’m just visiting for a week, then I need to head back to Minnesota.”
“Oh, that’s too bad. I was going to invite you both to dinner once we get unpacked.”
“Thank you, but I only came to make sure Jojo was doing okay. I have patients waiting for me back home, so I can’t stay.”
“Yeah, Kensie is a famous doctor at the Mayo Clinic and has a waiting list about a mile long. I practically had to kidnap her to get her to take a few days off and come see me.”
“If you would like to come to dinner, Jojo, I would love to have you over.”
Jojo practically squealed. “I’d love to. Here’s my number. Just call me when you’re finished unpacking.”
Krystal took her information and said goodbye before she proceeded to the next aisle. Her excitement at meeting Lucas’s mate practically crackled in the air. She would have to come up with a plan to get Kensie to visit again so she could introduce her to Lucas.
Kensie was gorgeous, with her long red hair and large hazel eyes. Lucas had a thing for redheads, and she was going to knock him on his ass when he met her. Now, she just needed to figure out a way to get them together. How the heck was she going to accomplish that if the woman never took time off from her busy schedule?
Krystal tapped her pen on her chin as she puzzled it out. A call to Aunt Emma might be in order. She was the sneakiest person she knew and might have an idea how she could get Kensie to come to visit again. Texas was going to be much more interesting than she expected.
The End
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V.A. Dold
Continue reading for and Excerpt from
LUCAS.
LUCAS
Prelude to a K.I.S.S.
Le Beau Brothers
Book Five
Prologue: The Plan
Emma Le Beau did a little happy dance. It was a rare moment in the home of the shifter, King and Queen. The house was quiet. Before anyone could knock on her door, she snatched the perfect opportunity for her daily meditation.
With great care, she placed a purple satin cloth on the altar she consecrated to the Goddess Luperca almost two centuries before. The goddess created the wolf shifters long ago when she blessed a village of humans with wolf souls. They became the first shifters. Since then she had only blessed a handful of humans who were not destined mates for a born shifter.
Carefully, she smoothed every crease and wrinkle until the altar cloth was perfect. Next, she pulled two white candles from her prayer satchel and lit them.
Which crystals should I use today? Gently, she touched each of her sacred stones until she decided on amethyst, citrine, and clear quartz. With the greatest reverence, Emma placed them in a triangle on her altar.
She closed her eyes, centered her mind, and quieted her thoughts. Then opened herself to her spirit guides and to the goddess.
“Blessed be, my daughter,” Luperca greeted her in her soft, soothing voice.
“Blessed be, Mother. How may I be of service?”
“Two of my sons are about to meet their mates, Richie Majors, and your son, Lucas.�
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Emma gasped, then whispered wide-eyed, “Lucas?”
“There is a very special woman who waits for him in Texas. My daughter, Krystal, will be instrumental in bringing them together.”
“Is there anything you need me to do to help?”
“You must make sure Krystal leaves with Lucas when he moves. I have additional reasons for her move, but I will disclose them at a later date. Once they settle in Texas, I will speak with you again with detailed instructions to ensure Lucas meets Miss Kensie Brown.”
“Isaac and I will make sure his sister-in-law, Lucinda, doesn’t prevent her from leaving,” Emma promised. “This is very exciting! Two more of our men will finally meet their mates after such a long wait.”
The Goddess smiled lovingly. “I am very pleased, and I thank you for the assistance you have given me.”
“It is always my pleasure to be of service to you, Mother Goddess,” Emma said as she lowered her head in supplication.
“Take care, my daughter. Blessed be.”
“Thank you, Mother. Blessed be.”
She was about to burst with excitement. “Why does everyone have to be either asleep or away when I get news like this?”
She would just have to find something to distract herself until Isaac returned.
Cookies! She could make a batch or three.
She took the last sheet of chocolate chip cookies from the oven as she felt Isaac return.
Not more than five minutes later, Emma walked into his waiting arms. He held her tightly before he claimed her lips in a toe-curling kiss.
“Have I told you today I adore you, and you are my world?” Isaac Le Beau murmured against his mate’s lips.
“No,” Emma panted as she caught her breath. “I don’t believe you have.”
“Well, you incredibly sexy woman, I do.” Isaac claimed her lips again until they were both dizzy from lack of oxygen.
“Keep that up, and I’ll forget my news.”
With love overflowing his heart, he brushed a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “What’s your news, cher?”
“The goddess came to me today and told me several things. I think you should get a scotch and sit with me in the great room.”
Isaac hesitated with a frown so deep it carved a crease in his brow. “It wasn’t bad news, was it?”
“No.” She shook her head and laughed. “She gave me wonderful news, but you may need to make a plan to handle Lucinda.”
“Good, I was worried for a second.”
With a scotch in hand, he got comfortable with his mate on the couch. “Snuggle up close and tell me what you know.”
“The goddess gave me another name.”
“Who?” Isaac asked, grinning at his mate’s excitement.
“I thought you would never ask. Lucas! Can you believe it? And Krystal will be instrumental in bringing them together. Our job is to make sure she moves to Texas with him.”
“We both know the only person who will try to stop her is her mother. I’ll handle Lucinda. If the situation requires it, I’ll simply talk privately with Charles and then force her hand with a royal decree demanding she allow Krystal to move to Texas with Lucas. In all reality, she has no actual say in her adult children’s lives, but she’s bullied them so terribly they’re afraid to go against her.”
Emma shook her head sadly. “I’ve seen her manipulation too many times, especially with the girls. And I’m concerned about her mental health.”
Absently Isaac stroked her gorgeous hair. “She hasn’t been right since Armand.”
“I know, but this has been a problem long enough and something needs to be done.”
“I’ll talk to Charles again, but to deny his mate anything is very hard for him.”
“I know, mon amour, I know.”
Emma smiled and giggled like a schoolgirl to lighten the suddenly gloomy mood. “I love matchmaking our sons.”
“So do I, as long as we aren’t caught.” Isaac chuckled. “This is very exciting! Lucas.” Isaac shook his head. “That’s just wonderful.”
He hummed happily to himself and lounged with Emma in their great room as he sipped his scotch and reminisced. He and his mate successfully arranged for their sons to ‘accidentally’ meet their mates for over a year. So far, Cade, Simon, Stefan, and Thomas were all mated. In addition, they received a bonus when Thomas’s mate turned out to be Julia, his brother Charles’s daughter. And the icing on this mating game cake was they now had a grandchild due any day. Life was pretty dang good.
He was very proud of the way he had gotten Emma, his exotically beautiful combination of Romanian gypsy and voodoo priestess, to petition the wolf goddess, Luperca. Emma asked the goddess to disclose the names of their sons’ mates. Since the goddess first revealed Anna as Cade’s mate and where she would be on a specific day at a specific time, the names of additional mates were steadily revealed.
So far, all of their sons followed in his footsteps and mated beautiful, curvaceous women. After two centuries, his Emma’s exotic, sparkling dark eyes, and compact, soft, killer curves still left him breathless. Isaac couldn’t be more thrilled his sons were as blissfully happy as he was.
Chapter One
For the past ten years, Lucas Le Beau searched for the perfect cattle ranch. Today, he would finally move in. To own a ranch and spend his days on the back of a horse had been his dream since he was a child. He spent the past ten long years working ranches in South America and the United States to learn the business from the ground up. Today, his dream was finally a reality.
With the grace of his wolf, he leapt into the back of the moving van one last time to make sure they packed everything. A quick scan of the boxes and furnishings, and he was satisfied. Lucas rubbed his aching jaw. His face hurt from the permanent smile he’d sported all morning. He couldn’t help himself. He hadn’t been this excited in decades. For the final time, he closed the large doors of the van and locked them. Much of their furniture and household items would be professionally moved, but some things Lucas didn’t trust to the movers. Like his prized custom saddle and bridle. Those he wanted to handle personally.
His family was always ready to pitch in and today was no exception. Everyone gathered to load the van and say goodbye. The entire family was here to wish Lucas and Krystal well. His heart filled with love, as he looked at those dearest to him. They stood around the van, and assorted cars ready to caravan to the new ranch in the Texas hill country. Well, all except Krystal’s mother, Lucinda, who refused to come. But he didn’t like her much anyway. She was dead set against Krystal’s move and tried to force her to stay in Louisiana. In the end, Isaac, his father, who also happened to be Krystal’s uncle and the king of the shifters, stepped in. The act of his decree, which overruled Lucinda, earned him a bitter enemy in the family. Thankfully, Charles didn’t see things the way his wife did, and he joined the group to kiss his baby girl goodbye and wish her well.
One by one, parents and siblings hugged them. They acted like he and Krystal were moving to the other side of the world instead of eight hours away. Finally, Emma, his mother stepped forward—she waited at the back of the crowd until all the farewells were said.
“Lucas, you’ve always taken care of Krystal like she was your sister. No doubt you’ll watch over her now. I packed lunch and snacks for both of you as well as drinks in the cooler. Please drive safely, and call me when you get there. I love you, son.”
Tears swam in his eyes. He missed his parents terribly during his long absences and the short time he had been home hadn’t been enough. His brothers still teased him about being a momma’s boy. He didn’t care. They were just too stupid and macho to show their feelings. “I will, Mama, and I love you, too. Oh, and don’t worry, I’ll keep Thomas and Julia out of trouble, as well.” With a thumb over his shoulder, he indicated the couple behind him, and then stage-whispered, “You know how trouble tends to find them.”
Thomas chuc
kled as he whacked Lucas’s Stetson off his head. “I think I’ll be the one to keep you out of trouble with the local ranchers when you break their daughters’ hearts.”
Lucas was relieved when Thomas and Julia asked permission to come with him and stay for a week or two. After the attack at The Backwater, they needed a vacation and some alone time. They tried to hide their stress and guilt, but they both needed to come to terms with Thomas’s father and what the swampers had done.
The help Lucas and Krystal would receive unpacking and organizing the ranch was simply a bonus. A little change of scenery would do them both good and give them a chance to enjoy being newly mated without the day-to-day pressures of parents and Thomas’s security responsibilities.
One by one, the van and cars drove down the long driveway until the main house was out of sight. Lucas’s heart lurched one last time as the thread, which held him there was cut. Sure, he would visit often, but the Texas ranch was home now.
His cell phone pulled him from his reminiscing. “Hey, Krystal.”
“You all right, cuz? That was a pretty emotional farewell.”
“Yeah, I’m okay.” He chuckled. “Gotta cut Momma’s apron strings sometime.”
“At least her and your father will visit us right away to help out. I’m sure she will have the main house feeling like home in no time.”
“You got that right. My mother can’t help herself. She’ll hang pictures and place furniture faster than we can unload them.”
“I know you worked hard for this ranch, and you’re ready for this move, but if you need to talk, you know my number.”
“Thanks, darlin’. I may take you up on that in about four hours when white line fever sets in. Drive safely, and I’ll see you at the first stop.”
“You too, Lucas. Bye now.”
Krystal was Lucas’s favorite person in the world. Not only was she a strong psychic with the ability to read people, she was also empathic and incredibly sweet. Unlike him, she couldn’t wait to move away from her controlling mother. Lucinda was a real piece of work and shopped her daughters around to all the local and not so local natural born shifters. The entire affair was disgusting, and he, along with his father, put an end to her behavior. For the first time in her life, Krystal was truly free. He planned to keep her that way. At least until her mate came along.