by Zoe Chant
“Already done it,” Joe said, wiping up some egg yolk with a piece of cornbread. “After Isaiah dropped it ‘round yesterday. Thought it would be best to get it done.”
Joe’s voice was utterly neutral, but it still made the piece of bacon Lincoln was swallowing get stuck in his throat.
It was true – he’d blown off his responsibilities on the ranch to be with Faye. At the time, it had made sense: she was his mate, and he had finally come to realize it after so many years of separation. He couldn’t have left her, even if he’d wanted to. But he’d also left work that needed doing unattended. That was no way to run a ranch – or a pride.
It was true that Joe’s mate, Sasha – a true country girl if ever Lincoln had met one – had begun to help out with a lot of the strenuous work around the ranch since she’d come to live with them, but now that she was pregnant she was having to take it somewhat easier. He couldn’t be running off at a time like this. There was work that needed to be done – and no one else was going to do it.
The silence that fell over them was somewhat awkward. Lincoln could see Mason glancing curiously at Joe from across the table. He supposed Mason hadn’t known about him getting Isaiah to make the drop-off yesterday; by itself, it was nothing much, but combined with their near-argument last night, Lincoln knew Mason’s sheriff side was putting two and two together – and likely coming up with five.
Except it’s not five at all, Lincoln thought to himself sourly as he sipped his coffee to hide his expression. He’s right. I shouldn’t be acting this way. An alpha can’t have conflicting loyalties like this.
Half of him wanted to be nowhere else but by Faye’s side. But the other half of him needed to be here on the ranch. There was always a mountain of work that needed doing, and without him, there wouldn’t be enough people to get it done.
Ask Faye to come live here, with us, his lion immediately suggested. We’re her mate. She’d understand. She wants to be with her mate, too.
That might be true. But Faye had also just bought the Campion place, and would be overseeing the renovations and then running a business from there. It had always been her dream. She wouldn’t give that up, even if Lincoln asked her to.
“Hmmm, you boys are becoming regular breakfast experts, by the smell of things.”
Lincoln was jerked out of his musings by the sound of Charity’s voice behind him. He turned to see both her and Sasha emerging from the hall, still looking sleepy, and wrapped up in bathrobes against the chill of the early spring morning.
Charity took a seat next to Mason and tucked right into some sausage, but Sasha, blanching a little, covered her nose and went to stand by the far wall.
Joe was standing and by her side in a moment. “Everything all right?”
Sasha waved a hand, shaking her head. “Yeah, everything’s fine. Just… you know. Apparently bacon-smell does nothing for my stomach these days.”
“Can I get you anything else?” Joe wrapped a hand around his mate’s shoulders, his other hand slipping to her belly, where the faintest of bumps was beginning to show.
Sasha shook her head. “No, I’ll be fine in a moment. I’ll just make myself some toast.”
“I’ll handle that for you,” Charity said, standing. “Believe me – been there, done that. You just take a seat.”
Sasha nodded gratefully, before Joe helped her onto one of the spacious lounges. Sasha shook her head, laughing a little. “C’mon, I’m not made of china. I can sit by myself, you know.”
“I know,” Joe said. “It’s just that… I want to make sure…”
“Oh, hush,” Sasha said. “Get out of here before I swat you. Don’t you have work to do?”
Joe laughed softly. “All right, honey. I get the message.”
Watching as his son leaned down to kiss his mate on the top of her head, Lincoln felt his heart warm. It was the best thing he could have ever hoped for. His son, his heir as alpha of the pride had found his mate, and together they were carrying on the pride.
A shifter needs his mate, his lion broke in smugly. You need your mate.
Enough, he told it, pushing the thought from his mind.
“Sasha’s right,” he said, standing. “The cattle won’t herd themselves. Let’s get to it.”
Mason and Joe stood, turning to follow him out the door.
You can’t just push it aside forever, his lion said again as they went out into the crisp spring air. You’ll have to deal with this sometime.
Later, Lincoln thought. There’ll be time later.
But even as he thought it, his lion’s voice spoke up again: That’s what you always said. You always told yourself you could find out whether Faye was your mate later – and then, suddenly, she wasn’t there anymore. Do you really want it to happen again?
Lincoln swallowed. He felt trapped: his lion was right. If he didn’t act on his feelings now that he’d been given a second chance, then he didn’t deserve to have Faye as his mate. He’d lost her once before because he’d been too immature to recognize a mated bond.
But at the same time, she’d asked for space to think. If he didn’t give it to her, he might lose her anyway.
It was a dilemma he could see no clear way out of.
All his alpha instincts were telling him to act, to do something – but he could only reply with, But what?
Chapter Six
Faye
Faye felt like her life was spiraling out of control – and the worst of it was, she knew she only had herself to blame.
She had intended to be up and about well before her crew arrived, but instead, after a mostly-sleepless night spent tossing and turning, she’d slept in, and was only just now splashing some cold water over her face and hurriedly eating a piece of bread with raspberry jelly, the only breakfast she’d have time for.
Faye hadn’t known what to think when she’d swept aside the old blanket she was using as a curtain and looked out to see Lincoln’s beat-up old truck still sitting out by the curb.
Part of her had been annoyed – Why hasn’t he left yet? Does he think this is romantic, parking outside my place like this? What the hell? – but another part of her…
… Had been anything but annoyed.
That part of her had wanted her to go outside, run down her front step and ask him to come back into the house, to kiss her like he’d kissed her before, to touch her, caress her, take her, make her his…
Since the first moment she’d laid eyes on Lincoln Whittaker at the hardware store, everything had been such a jumble – a bittersweet tangle of emotions that Faye still wasn’t sure how to deal with.
She’d never thought she’d be in such a position – she was a grown woman, dammit! She should’ve been too old for this kind of nonsense. They both should’ve been.
But Faye was aware that getting into bed with a shifter was a more complex proposition than it seemed – especially an alpha, and especially if, as Lincoln had said, she was really his mate.
She shivered as she remembered the low throb in his voice as he’d told her what they were to each other: A mate is the person you’re made for. Destiny, fate – I don’t know. But whatever it is, you can feel it in your bones.
Faye might have only just found out about mates yesterday, but she already felt she knew what Lincoln was talking about. A strong sense of yearning seemed to have settled into the core of her being, and for all the hours she’d spent sleepless on her bedroll last night, most of them had been spent imagining his arms around her, his warm breath against her cheek…
Faye swallowed, splashing some more water over her face. There was no time to be thinking of that right now.
As if on cue, she heard the sound of a truck rolling up outside. Tossing on a sweater against the brisk air of spring, Faye picked up her bucket and went to the front door, opening it just as her renovation crew were beginning to get out of their vehicles.
Charlie, the leader of the work crew she’d hired, bounded up the steps to wrap up her hand in
an enthusiastic shake.
“Faye,” Charlie said, with a huge grin. “It’s so good to see you again.”
Faye returned the smile, completely genuinely. She knew Charlie was perfect for this build – reliable, smart, and completely on board with Faye’s vision for the renovation. She hadn’t had to utter a word of a lie to Lincoln when she’d told him he had nothing to worry about.
What Faye hadn’t mentioned to Lincoln, of course, was that Charlie was short for Charlene – it was just like a man like Lincoln, old school to the bone, to assume that a building crew would be entirely made up of men, and that each and every one of them would just be falling over themselves to rip her off.
Faye trusted Charlie – they’d talked extensively about her plans, and it was clear she knew her stuff.
“Seems like you got this place cleaned up really nice,” Charlie said appreciatively, as they walked inside the building together. “When you texted me the photos, I was worried we were going to arrive to a bomb site, and have to spend the whole first day clearing it up.”
Faye laughed, but she felt a little sheepish. Which is exactly what would’ve happened if Lincoln hadn’t helped me out, she thought, as Charlie strolled through the massive space of the reception area.
“I’ll have to do some checking, of course, but a lot of what’s here seems like it’s sound,” Charlie said. “You’re right – we have to do everything we can to try to keep these beams. They’re magic.”
“I knew you’d understand,” Faye said, feeling excited delight tingle in her stomach. My dreams are finally coming true! “I don’t want to go completely modern – it has to be cozy, homey. But still with a touch of glamor.”
Charlie nodded, her eyes sparkling. “I get you. I can see it already – we can open up this space here, like we talked about with the architect. I’ll get Chase to have a look at that staircase, and see if we can’t save it – it’s too beautiful to just replace. And have you thought about your lighting fixtures yet? We could always –”
Faye let herself be carried away by Charlie’s excited chatter. This was why she’d hired her: every one of her previous clients had said that she treated their projects with enthusiasm and care, as if they were her own.
“We’ll spend the first half of the day putting up scaffolding,” Charlie explained. “And doing some checks to see if any parts of the site are unsafe, and then fixing them if they are. If you have any questions about what we’re doing, then feel free to ask. I don’t waste a client’s time or money, and I want you to be clear on what’s going on and why. Sound good?”
Faye nodded. It did sound good. And not just because Charlie was clearly efficient and open.
It felt good to be doing something clear-cut and fully planned; something she could get her hands on and know exactly how it was supposed to go.
Everything that this… thing with Lincoln wasn’t.
There was nothing planned about that. And she had no idea exactly what was supposed to happen next – whether he’d come back, or whether she should go to him. She had practically thrown him out, after all – and, despite his tough, taciturn demeanor, Faye had seen the hurt in his eyes before he’d left. As if he didn’t understand exactly what was happening, or why.
Maybe he’s as confused as I am, Faye thought, biting her lip. Lincoln had said, after all, that he felt he was too old to be making such a confession now, at his age.
Lincoln had always seemed so cool and in charge, even when he’d been a child. He’d never lost his head or done anything stupid in the entire time she’d known him.
Well, there was that one time…
Faye swallowed.
The time he’d flung himself into a raging river, right after she’d just done the same thing trying to save Laurie Sloane’s puppy. All three of them – herself, Lincoln, and the little dog – had been fine, but she’d known even then that that was more down to luck than their own sense. She’d coughed up what felt like a gallon of water as she’d sat on the bank beside Lincoln afterwards, the puppy shivering in her arms.
When she’d thought about it later, Faye had realized that if she had the sense God gave a goose she would’ve kissed him right there and then; but for whatever reason, she hadn’t, and later, it had felt like the chance had been lost.
Lincoln probably didn’t even remember it.
But then again…
He’d remembered her dreams of doing up this old place – and even her childish ramblings about making fun of the ghosts they had once believed lived here.
These days, Faye didn’t believe in ghosts.
Although, why not? she thought, as two members of Charlie’s crew walked by her, nodding in greeting, and carrying parts of the scaffolding they were erecting. If there’s such a things as shifters and fated mates and whatever else, then why not ghosts? Why not anything?
Why not a future for you and Lincoln?
The thought popped into her mind before she had a chance to shut it down.
Faye shook her head, as if trying to shake the idea out.
Was it possible?
Lincoln was the man she’d spent half her life, on and off, dreaming about. Before she’d gotten married, she’d firmly filed him into a mental folder marked ‘The One That Got Away’, and decided to forget about him.
But she never had – not fully. He’d always been there, in the back of her mind.
Nonetheless, a dream, a memory, was different from reality.
Especially when it turned out that reality was that Lincoln was a shifter, an alpha, and that this came with its own very particular set of baggage.
Like the fact he didn’t want to leave her alone, apparently at any time.
Like the fact he wanted her to accept him as her protector.
Like the fact that he came in a package deal with a lifelong bond that she wasn’t at all sure she understood, or knew how to handle.
Lincoln was a strong, forceful man, who was obviously used to getting his own way.
But she was no shrinking violet herself, and she’d grown to love her independence. Faye had never considered that maybe she would get into another serious relationship. It all seemed like too much trouble – too much work, and too much compromise.
Maybe I’ve become stubborn, Faye thought, and then had to hold back a laugh, just in case her newly arrived builders thought they’d been hired by a crazy lady who cackled to herself in quiet moments. Faye, you’ve always been stubborn!
But Lincoln was stubborn too – that much was clear.
Great – a stubborn, over-protective, hyper-masculine alpha lion, Faye thought – and tried to ignore the delicious shiver that ran through her core as she did so.
Clenching her fists, Faye set her jaw and turned to head out to the front yard. Maybe there was something she could help with that would take her mind off the memory of Lincoln’s hands on her body, his lips against her mouth – but she didn’t think so.
Chapter Seven
Lincoln
The sun was low in the sky by the time Lincoln rode his horse back to the stables. The cattle had been moved and grazed, and Mason and Joe had stayed out on the property to patrol the borders of their pridelands. It was something that needed to be done – more out of tradition than anything else, but Lincoln liked to know there was nothing out there that might encroach on their territory.
They usually did the job in lion form – another tradition. But there was very little out there, shifter or animal, that felt brave enough to take on a lion.
Lincoln enjoyed the time on horseback, alone for the first time that day. Joe and Mason, naturally, had said nothing about whatever suspicions they might have had about what was going on – but they all knew each other too well to let things go completely unnoticed.
They might not have said anything, but they didn’t have to. Lincoln could sense the way his son occasionally looked at him, mild concern on his features; and if his nephew thought he was oblivious to his occasional glances and raised
eyebrows, then he was sorely mistaken.
It was enough to make Lincoln more than a little irritated.
Showing it would only make the situation worse, however, and confirm whatever suspicions they thought they had.
But by the end of the day, the underlying tension in the air had grown all but unbearable.
It wasn’t just that, either.
Lincoln usually enjoyed the time out on the farm – tough, physical work suited him and soothed his lion. But today, his lion simply wouldn’t be soothed. It prowled about in his chest, scratching and snarling, asking why they weren’t with his mate.
You found her at last – after so many years! You found her! So why aren’t you by her side? There’s nowhere else you should be!
Lincoln smiled wryly. How could he explain to it that a human woman needed space? The simple answer was that he couldn’t. It’d be like trying to explain the moon landing to one of his heifers: a completely futile waste of time.
His restless lion was, just like his problems with Faye, something that he alone would have to deal with as best he could.
As he brought the horse down the track and into the outer buildings of the ranch, Lincoln could hear the sound of chickens scratching and clucking contentedly. Sure enough, as he rounded the corner of the barn and the coop came into view, he saw Joe’s mate, Sasha, balancing a bucket of feed on her hip with one hand, and scattering grain over the ground with the other.
She looked up as he approached, a smile on her face.
“Hey, Lincoln. Everything all right?”
Lincoln had hardly been in the mood to talk before – in fact, his mood had been downright foul. But the sight of his son’s pregnant mate brought a sudden sense of calm down over his lion – just as the sight of Faith had done the night before.
Cubs had that effect on shifters – at least, when there was obviously no danger around. But Sasha couldn’t have looked more comfortable right now.