by Zoe Chant
She was aware of the irony. Their fight had been about almost exactly this: Lincoln refusing to leave her side, and insisting he be there to protect her.
Now, the shoe was very much on the other foot.
No, not quite, Faye told herself. If Lincoln didn’t want to come, then she’d accept his decision. It would pain her, but she’d accept it.
Perhaps Lincoln would feel that he needed to be here, on his own lands at a time like this.
But she very much hoped that he’d want to be with his mate.
Lincoln still hadn’t said anything. He was looking down at his food.
“Please, think about it,” Faye blurted, before she could think. “I want… I need to look after you. As your… your mate. It’s my responsibility. And I want to do it.”
Finally, Lincoln looked up at her, his gray eyes piercing. “I wouldn’t want to get in your way. You’ll have a thousand things to do up there. I wouldn’t… I wouldn’t want to be a burden.”
His voice was gruff, and for a moment, Faye stared at him.
“A burden?” she echoed, uncomprehending. Then, she shook her head, smiling. “Lincoln, that is the last thing you would be. You’re my mate. How could you ever think that?”
“I won’t be able to help with the work,” Lincoln said.
Faye sighed, squeezing his hand. “No, you won’t – because I won’t let you. You need to rest. Half the reason I’m asking you this is because the second I turn my back I just know you’ll be hobbling around the ranch, trying to find stuff to do.”
Lincoln at least had the decency to look a little sheepish at her words, and she knew she’d hit the nail right on the head. He’d definitely been considering work he might be able to get done, even with his injured leg.
“Please,” she said. “You won’t be a burden. I want to do it. Let me care for you?”
Lincoln didn’t answer for a long time.
Faye waited, barely daring to breathe.
But then, he finally turned to her, his hand finding hers once again, and the faintest of smiles pulling at the corners of his lips.
“All right,” he said. “I’ll come.”
Chapter Thirteen
Lincoln
Lincoln watched out of the window as Faye pulled up outside the old Campion place. It had only been a week or so since work had started on it – but it was already virtually unrecognizable, behind its framework of scaffolding and dark plastic waterproofing. The crew she’d hired must have been as good as she said they were: they’d clearly gotten on with the job while she was away at the ranch, taking care of him.
The ranch.
Lincoln swallowed.
It was the first time he’d be away from his lands for such a long period of time – well, since he’d become alpha, anyway.
When he’d turned eighteen he’d been sent by his father to stay with some distant relatives in the mountains for a few months, to test him and make sure he was capable of becoming alpha. It had been a tough time – full of trials of strength and endurance – but he had come out the better for it. At least, for the type of alpha it had been necessary for him to become at the time: physically strong, and an uncompromising leader.
That had been the longest he’d ever been away. Naturally, he’d left for a few days at a time before, to go to equipment fairs or to visit relatives. But since he’d become alpha, that had been it.
The idea of leaving for a few weeks was something he’d never considered before – and he wondered whether he ever would have, if things hadn’t turned out this way.
He recalled the conversation he’d had with Joe this morning, before he’d climbed into the truck to leave.
Things will be okay, Dad, Joe had said, nodding. I can take care of it.
It wasn’t that Lincoln doubted it. Joe was everything he had hoped his son and heir to his title would become. Strong, kind, and fair.
And more willing to listen to others than Lincoln had been at his age – or perhaps had ever been.
If anyone was capable of taking care of the pridelands while he recovered, it was Joe. And he’d have Mason, Heath and Casey to help him, just in case of any trouble.
But still, he couldn’t quite let go.
“Penny for your thoughts?”
He looked across at where Faye sat next to him, a small smile playing across her lips. Lincoln returned it, before shaking his head.
“Nothing. Just… thinking.”
Faye was still a moment, before reaching across the cab and taking his hand.
“It’s hard to let go sometimes. I know.”
Lincoln blinked at her in surprise – it was like she’d read his mind.
But then again, she is my mate.
Finding his mate at this stage of his life, after he’d already been married once, was proving to be full of surprises, despite the fact he knew, intellectually, what the mating bond entailed. He’d seen the way his own parents had been with each other: the way his mother had always seemed to know exactly what his father had needed, and the way he’d been able to guess her emotions before she’d had to say a thing.
Actually experiencing it for himself was something else altogether, though.
And part of that is Faye, too, he thought to himself. The mated bond could explain part of it – but it was also Faye herself, with her quick eye, her sense of humor, and her perceptiveness.
She’s perfect.
Lincoln stroked his thumb over the soft skin of her hand, watching as she shivered at his touch.
“Come on,” she said after a moment. “We should get to unpacking.”
Lincoln let go of her hand and opened the car door, before maneuvering himself awkwardly onto the ground. His leg wouldn’t take his entire weight yet – and he occasionally had to take painkillers so he could get to sleep, which he didn’t enjoy.
He wasn’t used to his body feeling pain like this. He wasn’t used to having to take medication for anything.
And he hated the way he limped now. He realized that all his life he’d taken his strength and good health for granted. He’d never thought about it – tossing bales of hay around and lifting fence posts had been second nature to him. The idea that it might be a hassle just to walk from point A to point B was unthinkable.
I won’t make that mistake again, Lincoln thought grimly as he hobbled his way toward the porch. If – when – I get better, I’ll be properly thankful for what I have.
Faye, wheeling a suitcase with some of his clothes in it, came to walk beside him as they made their way up the path. She slowed her steps to match his, but she didn’t try to help him – she knew him well enough to know that there were some things he needed to do by himself.
As they approached the porch, the door opened, and a sturdy woman with long blonde hair pulled up in a ponytail emerged from the house.
“Charlie!” Faye called, smiling. “Everything going all right?”
Lincoln blinked. Charlie…?
This was the Charlie he’d been getting so stupidly jealous about the day of the storm?
He almost shook his head at himself. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Faye grinning at him, clearly remembering the incident.
“So, you thought you’d just let me make a fool out of myself?” he asked, his lip twitching.
Faye laughed quietly. “Well, I can’t make everything easy for you, can I?”
Her laugh was infectious. Lincoln couldn’t help but join in.
What a fool I’ve been.
“Everything’s fine, boss,” Charlie said as she came down the porch steps toward them. “Last of the demolition is done. New lath has gone in where you wanted authentic walls, and drywall where we felt we could do it without compromising the look. So far the deliveries have been arriving without a hitch. I’ve been checking them against the inventory and the samples you gave me to make sure they’re correct. Once you take a look at what we’ve done, we can get started on the painting and whatnot.”
Lincoln w
as impressed. Charlie was clearly straight to the point and knew her business.
“Sounds great,” Faye said. “I’ll look things over. I’ll be here from now on until the build is finished.”
Charlie nodded, before turning her attention to Lincoln.
“Bring on some more help?” she asked, holding out her hand for him to shake. “Charlie Thompkins.”
“Lincoln Whittaker.” He took her hand. She had a strong handshake. “And no, I’m afraid not – I’ll just be here to get under your feet.”
Faye exhaled, a little exasperated. “Not even remotely true,” she said, rolling her eyes. “Lincoln’s got a busted leg, and I’m the designated nurse until he can get around on his own.”
“Ahhh.” Charlie nodded, a knowing twinkle in her eye. “Well, I’m sure we can find something for you to do, if you’re inclined. Anyway, come on. I want you to see what we’ve done.”
Faye smiled up at him as Charlie turned to lead them into the house. Reaching up, she slid her hand into the crook of his elbow, squeezing gently. He made his way up the porch steps slowly and painfully – but he didn’t let himself get frustrated.
Easy does it. The slower I go, the faster I’ll heal.
It was going to be a hard mantra to keep in mind. But with Faye by his side, Lincoln felt ready to embrace it – or at least, readier than he might otherwise have been.
Inside, the old mansion couldn’t have looked more different from what he remembered from his childhood. He’d snuck in there on several occasions, sometimes with Faye, and sometimes with other friends. It had been the perfect place to scare themselves silly with ghost stories: musty, dark, old, and rotting to pieces in places. There’d been stains on the floor that they’d only half-jokingly convinced each other were blood stains from the countless murders that had been carried out here, while the ghosts of the victims waited to take revenge on the living.
Only Faye could have seen the potential in a place like that, Lincoln thought as he looked around at the transformation. The walls of the front two rooms had been taken down to make a huge front reception area, while the stained floorboards had been sanded back to reveal the clean wood underneath.
There were workmen restoring the magnificent old staircase, while others were rolling fresh paint onto the walls, and a plasterer had restored the intricate moldings that patterned the ceiling.
The change was astounding.
He glanced down at Faye, who was smiling and nodding as Charlie detailed where they were at, and what they wanted to get done over the next few days, gesticulating enthusiastically.
Lincoln couldn’t stop his smile at the bright excitement in her eyes. With his heightened shifter senses, he could detect the swift beat of her heart and the way she radiated happiness and excitement.
I guess it makes her happy to take broken-down old things and make them new again, he thought, before quickly chastising himself.
Self-pity wasn’t an attractive look on anyone.
“I want to show you what we’ve done in the kitchens,” Charlie said. “I’d like to start tiling today, and I want to make sure you’re happy with what you picked out. Sometimes it can look a little different when it’s actually on the floor.”
Faye grinned. “Sure – I’d love to.” She glanced up at Lincoln. “You want to come?”
He did – but he was painfully aware of his leg. He smiled down at her, shaking his head. “No, I think I’m just going to sit for a moment – but if there’s anything I can help with, let me know. I’ll die of boredom if I have to sit around all day like a sack of flour.”
Faye looked like she was about to argue with him, but in the end, she let it go, squeezing his arm before following Charlie toward the back of the mansion.
Slowly, Lincoln made his way over to a bench and sat himself down on it, stretching his leg out in front of him. Around him, the workmen bustled, chatting to each other as they went about their work, quickly and efficiently.
Lincoln held back a sigh, looking down at his injured leg.
It’d heal, he told himself.
It might seem like it’d take forever, but that wasn’t the case.
For now, however, he just had to be patient.
You have your mate, he reminded himself. The most precious thing in the world. Be happy with that.
It was a timely reminder.
Contentment settled over him, his lion purring in his chest.
After so many years, and so much lost time, he and Faye were together.
He had spent so many years without his mate that he had stopped even thinking about the possibility of finding her.
But at last, it had happened.
They had a second chance.
And he knew he would never let her go again.
Epilogue
Faye
“All right, your ride to take you out to the ranch will be here in about three minutes, and then you’ll have a long day in the saddle ahead of you. Anyone want to back out now? No shame if you do – this won’t exactly be a walk in the park.”
Faye, standing on the porch of the fully restored Campion B&B, looked down at the small group of guests assembled in front of her. None of them moved to raise their hands to say they’d had second thoughts about heading out to Cedar Hill Ranch to get a taste of real country living. In fact, they all looked extremely excited by the prospect, their eyes shining in the faint pre-dawn light.
Even the teenagers, who were probably up way earlier than they wanted to be during their vacation time, were having a hard time containing their enthusiasm.
Faye grinned. “Great,” she said, when no one spoke up and asked to be left behind. “My advice for the next couple of minutes is to check the packs you’ve been provided with – make sure you have water, the lunch you requested, your cameras, phones, and anything else you want to take along. Just make sure it’s not too heavy. You bring it, you carry it!”
There was a light ripple of laughter through the small crowd of B&B guests, before they set to checking through the packs they’d been given at breakfast.
This had been Charity’s idea. Ever the shrewd businesswoman, she’d come up with a way of making Faye’s B&B a more attractive place to stay, while also raising money for the ranch: guests could buy a guided horseback tour of the lands around the ranch – some of the most beautiful in the state – as part of their stay.
A lot of the people who came out here were busy professionals from the city and their families, who loved the idea of getting back to nature and seeing how country America lived. The idea of a trip to a working ranch had seemed to appeal to some need for a rough’n’ready adventure – and the bookings for the tour had come thick and fast soon after they’d launched it.
Sure, it’d meant that Joe had had to hire a few extra hands to work as tour guides – friendly, good-looking country boys who could keep up a steady patter and charm the guests as well as provide accurate information about the ranch, but with the extra money the tours brought in, they could afford it easily.
They had started this sideline two years ago. The B&B had been open for almost three, and while business had been slow to begin with, things had picked up, and fast. Word of mouth had been her best asset, and once one suburban mom had told all her friends about the beautiful little gem they’d found, it had started a chain reaction that Faye sometimes thought she’d never be able to keep up with.
To tell the truth, however, she enjoyed the often frenetic activity of running the place. She was never bored, and she finished every day with the satisfied feeling of having given people a special experience: a vacation that was truly something to remember.
And besides, she thought to herself, a small smile on her lips, with a man like Lincoln at my side…
She didn’t need to finish the thought.
With a man like Lincoln at her side, nothing was too hard or too much to deal with. Sure, she could be scraping plates or scrubbing floors, but she knew Lincoln was always there, ready to roll
up his sleeves and help her out, no matter what. With him, even the dullest of jobs was… well, if not exactly pleasurable, it was a damn sight better than it would have been otherwise.
At the thought of Lincoln, Faye felt warmth beginning to gather in her belly. Even after all this time together, she still had the same reaction to him.
If anything, they had only grown closer over the intervening years.
Though naturally, they had still managed to surprise each other now and then.
The first time Faye had come home from a grocery run to find Lincoln up a ladder with a paintbrush in his hand, she’d frozen in surprise.
Lincoln? she’d asked, scared for a moment she might startle him – but he’d simply turned to her with a huge smile, and she’d relaxed immediately.
For the first few weeks, she’d been worried Lincoln would ignore all the advice he’d been given about simply staying put and allowing his body to do its work. She knew how stubborn he was, and how much he hated being confined. He’d been active all his life, and she couldn’t imagine how it must have felt to suddenly be told he had to sit on his ass and do nothing.
She’d been right about that – just not in the way she’d thought.
Lincoln had stuck to doctor’s orders. He’d rested his leg, and stayed off it as much as possible. He hadn’t moved much, unless he had to.
But instead of the hard work he was used to doing, he would read.
Never got much time for it, he’d told her. Tractor manuals and the accounts, that’s about the size of it. Every moment’s been taken up working the ranch.