by R. E. Butler
“I still want Sarah to deliver Peanut, though,” Scarlett said. “I don’t want to switch doctors so late in the pregnancy, if they even do deliveries there.”
“Us, too. It’s nice to know there’s a clinic that specializes in shifters, so we can take our kids there for anything they might need,” Wes said.
Lily returned with their food, including a bowl full of bacon cooked extra crispy the way Scarlett loved, and the three mates tucked into their meal as soon as they promised Lily they didn’t need anything else.
As Lily left, the Hall cousins walked into the diner. Wes waved at them and they strode over. “Aren’t you guys usually sleeping?” Ray asked, smiling as Scarlett waved with her fork but couldn’t say hello because her mouth was full of french toast.
Dylan covered his mouth as he yawned. “Perry asked us to come in early to help with inventory.”
Hunter looked around. “What smells so good?”
Ray glanced down at the table and up at his friend. “I don’t know, any of these plates?”
Hunter shook his head. “No, it smells like…I don’t know. Sunshine and tall grass.”
Ray arched his brow. “You can smell sunshine in here? That’s just totally weird. All I can smell is bacon.”
Scarlett crunched on a piece and grinned. “That’s because it’s awesome. Bacon is one of my four basic food groups.”
“You have your own food groups?” Chase asked.
“Absolutely. Bacon, of course, ice cream, barbecue ribs, and french fries. Ooh, where’s Lily? I want french fries.”
Ray laughed as Scarlett waved Lily over.
Wes said, “We’d offer to let you join us, but I don’t think there’s going to be room on the table for any more plates.”
“Hey, be nice to me, I’m carrying your Peanut,” Scarlett said, elbowing Wes.
“That’s okay,” Dylan said, smiling. “We’re just grabbing a quick bite before we head to Kickers. See you guys later.”
After Scarlett asked Lily for french fries and was disappointed to learn barbecue wasn’t on the lunch menu, Ray offered to let Scarlett have his home fries while she waited for her french fries, which she happily ate.
When the meal was over and Ray was helping Scarlett on with her coat, Cherie came out of the kitchen and gave Scarlett two boxes. When she opened the top one, there was a lemon meringue pie inside, which made Scarlett tear up as she hugged Cherie. “Thank you so much. You’re just the sweetest person.”
“I think that’s your mates, hon, but I’m glad to have someone appreciate my baking so much.”
“Everyone loves your baking,” Wes promised.
“Not as much as Scarlett,” Cherie said.
When the three mates walked back in through the doors of the boarding house, Scarlett insisted on sharing the pie with anyone who wanted a slice and it disappeared quickly. Ray gave his slice to his mate because he wasn’t a fan of lemon pie, but he was definitely a fan of his mate and her happiness.
The pride members sat around the table talking and laughing. With Scarlett between him and Wes, and their child growing inside her, Ray thought he’d never felt as much at home as he did then. He could live anywhere with Scarlett and be happy, but he was glad to be in the boarding house with the pride, where she was loved and protected, and one of the family.
There had been a time when he’d thought he’d be alone for his whole life, but then he’d had a taste of heaven in Scarlett’s arms and his life had been irrevocably changed. He never wanted to go back to a time when she wasn’t with them, and he’d do everything in his power to make sure she was safe and happy – and his and Wes’s – for the rest of their lives.
The End
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Contact the Author
Website: http://www.rebutlerauthor.com
Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @rebutlerauthor
Facebook: www.facebook.com/R.E.ButlerAuthorPage
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Also from R. E. Butler
Wiccan-Were-Bear Novella Series
A Curve of Claw
A Flash of Fang
A Price for a Princess
A Bond of Brothers
A Bead of Blood
A Twitch of Tail
A Promise on White Wings
A Slash of Savagery
The Wolf’s Mate Series
The Wolf’s Mate Book 1: Jason & Cadence
The Wolf’s Mate Book 2: Linus & The Angel
The Wolf’s Mate Book 3: Callie & The Cats
The Wolf’s Mate Book 4: Michael & Shyne
The Wolf’s Mate Book 5: Bo & Reika
The Wolf’s Mate Book 6: Logan & Jenna
The Wolf’s Mate Book 7: Lindy & The Wulfen
The Necklace Chronicles
The Tribe’s Bride
The Gigolo’s Bride
Ashland Pride Series
Seducing Samantha (Ashland Pride One)
Loving Lachlyn (Ashland Pride Two)
Marking Melody (Ashland Pride Three)
Redeeming Rue (Ashland Pride Four)
Saving Scarlett (Ashland Pride Five)
Hyena Heat Series
Every Night Forever (Hyena Heat One)
Every Dawn Forever (Hyena Heat Two)
Every Sunset Forever (Hyena Heat Three)
Wilde Creek Series
Mate of Her Heart (Book One)
The Alpha’s Heart (Book Two)
The Protector’s Heart (Book Three)
The Omega’s Heart (Book Four)
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Coming Soon...
Chasing Cristabel (Ashland Pride Six)
Lioness Cristabel Hardison would do just about anything to avoid going home to Kentucky, where her father, the king of their pride, wants to mate her to a male of his choosing. When her roommate is forced to vacate his condo, she takes her best friend, Lily, up on her offer to let her stay in Ashland until she can find another job and a new place to live. The small town of Ashland is mostly human, which Cris doesn’t mind, but the small population of mountain lions intrigues her.
Cousins Dylan, Chase, and Hunter Hall aren’t sure they’ll ever find a mate to share. Just because other lions have found their mates doesn’t mean that every male is meant to. Then one day at the town diner, they scent their mate, except no one knows who she is, and they only know that she smells like sunshine and tall grass. Their desire to find their mate takes over their lives and nothing – not even a pesky new waitress at Kickers Bar – is going to stop them from figuring out who their mate is and loving her forever.
When Cris meets her mates, sparks fly fast, and she finds herself at the center of their world. Her father isn’t happy, and when he sends an uninvited guest to crash her happiness, her own future may not be the only thing on the line.
This book contains three males who want to hold onto their lioness forever, a female with a target on her back, and a house full of lions who will protect their own. Expect plenty of loving, sexy growling, neck biting, and a female who can hold her own on a hunt. It wouldn’t be an Ashland Pride novel without shifting, torn clothes, and enough heat to melt the snow. Contains m/f/m/m interaction.
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