Three Shifters for Sarah (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) (22 page)

“Are Ryan and his friends shape-shifters?” he asked her.

“What did you say?” Sarah thought surely she had not heard him right.

“I liked Ryan when I first met him because I thought he was a good man.” He froze Sarah with his look. “But also because I scented that he was probably a shifter.”

Sarah’s world turned upside down. “How did you know that about him?”

“Have a seat, honey.”

Feeling like a chastened child, Sarah returned to her chair and sat.

“When you first met Ryan and his buddies, did you feel drawn to them as if by magic, like you couldn’t take your eyes off them?”

“They were cowboys, and they were attractive men. I was really interested in them.”

“And did they tell you that they think you are their mate?”

Sarah nodded.

He pointed to her shoulder. “I noticed Ryan already put his mating mark on you.”

“I got very angry with him for doing that, but then later forgave him.”

“And the other two men? Do they want to mark you, too?”

“That’s what they say.”

He sat down on the arm of her chair, and his voice was kind when he spoke. “You see the reason for all of that is because you’re a shape-shifter, too, Sarah.”

Her father had become very logical as he explained things to her, but occasionally there was a reference to his past life, and he became whimsical. Clearly he had kept a lot bottled up inside him for a number of years and was now letting it out.

“I didn’t know if I would ever have this talk with you. I wasn’t for sure it was a burden a young girl would want to carry in her life.”

It was all starting to hit Sarah like a ton of falling bricks. “Dad!” she stopped him. “You mean you turn into a wolf, too?”

He gave a laugh and shook his head. “No. But there were plenty of times in my life I wished I could have.” The floorboards of the old building squeaked as he paced in front of her chair. “It’s a latent gene passed down from my mother’s side of the family. Now your great-uncle Albert—he was a full-blooded shifter. I watched him change form out in the mountains many times when I was growing up as a boy.”

“So you knew what Ryan was when I brought him by your house? And you knew about my mark?”

“I can’t change into a wolf, but my sense of smell is better than any regular person I’ve ever met. It’s been years since I scented another one of us. Back here in the east we don’t have too many of them. But when I shook Ryan’s hand, I was pretty sure I had just met one of our own kind.”

“One of
our
own kind?” Sarah repeated his words. There was a tidal wave of emotion that was about to break in her, but she had to hold it back until her father told her more.

“Honey, you’re my daughter,” he told her proudly. “You inherited my genes. That makes you a shifter just like Ryan and his men. Hell, just like everyone in his wolf pack.”

“I’m one of them?” Sarah couldn’t believe it and wanted to keep hearing her father say the words.

“Now you’re not full blooded,” he warned her. “Your mother was a regular, ordinary human being just like everyone else. My father was human, too. But I wouldn’t worry too much about it. Shifters don’t care any for bloodlines.”

“That’s why the mating mark stayed on me,” Sarah said, remembering the night she ordered TJ to try and get rid of it. “That’s why Ryan was able to come inside of my dreams.” The images of them making love in her dream world came to mind.

“If these men are what you want, then I’m happy for you, honey.”

Sarah didn’t even have to think twice. She jumped up from the chair and threw her arms around her father, giving him a big hug. “I want them more than anything I’ve ever wanted in my life, Dad. Thank you so much for telling me this.”

“I’m sorry I kept it from you as long as I did.”

Sarah wanted to shout for joy. Her world had just come full circle. All of her problems that had started that terrible night she had seen the men change into wolves now made sense. Everything suddenly had fallen into place in her life.

“You are the best dad in the world.” She couldn’t restrain herself and shouted for joy. The neighbors in the next apartment surely heard, but she didn’t care.

Suddenly Sarah had a future to look forward to.

“Aren’t you going to call your fellows and let them in on the little secret?” her dad asked her.

Sarah shook her head, knowing she was going to take devilish delight in the surprise she had planned for her three shifter cowboys. For the first time since she had met them, she felt like they really belonged to her, and it was the best feeling in the world.

They were her men, and she was one of them. She never would have guessed that she was a shifter, too. Now all she had to do is go out there to Montana and claim what was hers.

It was Lance’s turn to ride the wild Appaloosa that day. The crowd loved this free-spirited beast. As yet untamed, it bucked, and it pitched, and ended by throwing every cowboy who tried to ride him.

A healthy-sized crowd was gathered around the corral to watch the three cowboys. Ryan and TJ were riding their gentle bays along the side, ready to back Lance up with the Appaloosa should he need it.

Lance stayed on top of the bronco and refused to be bucked off its back. The audience became enthusiastic and cheered him on. He was well on his way to showing the wild stallion who was boss when disaster struck.

The flank cinch broke. The saddle was rendered useless, and Lance was thrown high in the air. Sailing a good ten feet, he hit the dirt with a heavy thud.

“Are you all right?” Ryan called down from on top of his bay.

Lance groaned but was still in one piece when he rolled over. “Just got the wind knocked out of me.”

“We’ll handle it from here!” TJ shouted and rode off to best the out-of-control Appaloosa.

Ryan galloped after him, and together they got the stallion lassoed and escorted into a feeder corral where a half dozen of their hands took control.

When Lance stood up and dusted himself off the shout of the crowd could be heard halfway across the prairie. Ryan and TJ dismounted and came up to check him out.

“Sure you’re all right, Brother?” TJ inquired.

“Just embarrassed and angry. I had that bad boy right where I wanted him.”

“Better take inventory of our bronc saddles,” Ryan told them. “We might need to buy some new ones.”

Together the three cowboys walked from the corral, dusty and tired. Popular as ever on the ranch, the guests gathered around them and asked for autographs. Ryan patted TJ on the back because everyone knew how he liked to ham it up with the crowd.

“You take it from here,” he told his young Beta. “I’m taking Lance over to the pack doctor to make sure he didn’t bust something.”

Happy to comply, TJ tipped his Stetson to the crowd, got centered among their number, and reached for the first pen and paper to sign.

“I didn’t break anything,” Lance assured Ryan.

“I’d still feel better if we let the doc take a look at you. Besides, you’re in no condition to ride anymore today.”

Lance was limping and moving slow. He felt like he had just been down a waterfall in a barrel. He was about to make some argument as to why he didn’t need to see the doctor.

Then he stopped dead in his tracks. In the blink of an eye his life had changed for all time. No longer did he feel the pain of his fall, far from being stiff and sore, his body felt vibrant and alive.

He didn’t wait for Ryan or holler TJ back out of the corral. They would have their moments later. All he did was run, his boots kicking up prairie dust in the wind as he made his way across the west pasture.

* * * *

Sarah had stepped off her flight at the backwater airport and looked for a ride. Loaded down with luggage which contained all her worldly belongings, she was in no position to venture too far on her own until she got settled.

A cowboy at the airport knew exactly where she was going when she mentioned the Circle T. He told her to hop in his truck because he was headed in that direction. Polite as a cowhand should be, he helped her with her bags and got them loaded in the back of his truck.

An hour later she was back where it had all started on the Circle T. Leaving her luggage at the front desk of the main cabin she hustled across the pasture. She knew she would find her men out in the corral.

Lance was the first to see her. He looked dusty and disheveled, just like a hard-riding cowboy. She couldn’t hold back the smile that lit her face as he started to run across the prairie grass to her.

Sarah took off at a run, too. In a moment they were in each other’s arms. He picked her up off the ground and spun her around in the air as she held on for the ride.

“Could you use an extra cowhand?” she asked him breathlessly when he finally set her back down.

“Yes,” he told her with a twinkle in his eye. “But in your case, lady, it’ll be a lifetime contract.”

“Sounds good to me.”

He kissed her, his gloved hands pulling her body against him. She ran a hand down his face, felt his whiskers and the sweat on his brow. This was one of her mates, and held in his arms, the love she had for him just kept growing stronger.

TJ was the next man to see her. No longer caring about autograph seekers, he had disentangled himself from the crowd and was at her side. He took her out of Lance’s arms and into his own. Her boots left the ground again, and she wrapped her legs around his waist to hold on. His kiss was hot and burning, a promise of all that was to come.

“Sarah, I love you,” he whispered against her lips.

“I love you, too, TJ.”

Then Ryan was pulling her out of TJ’s grasp. The big Alpha took her up in a bear hug that was so tight she thought she would break. His need for her was powerfully evident in the embrace, and she returned his grip with equal fervor.

“You’ve come home, Sarah.” It was half statement, half desperate question.

“Yes, Ryan,” she answered him. “The Circle T is my home now.”

Six months later the purr of the furnace coming through the bedroom vent woke Sarah from a delightful sleep. The golden rays of dawn were flowing inside through the window curtains. In a moment the alarm would go off to herald a new day. But this was one of those perfect mornings where one asked for an extra ten minutes to sleep or simply let their mind drift before the demands of family and job intruded to make everything less peaceful. This morning Sarah decided to take her ten minutes and enjoy what she had under the covers of her bed with her.

There were two new mating marks on Sarah’s body. These had been added over the last six months. They were both tiny stars on her left shoulder. One belonged to Lance and one belonged to TJ.

Snuggling up closer to TJ, she stifled a yawn, not wanting to wake him. Their bodies were entangled with each other under the blanket of her bed, his arm lightly wrapped around her shoulder, her face resting against his chest where she had slept, and one leg hiked wantonly across his waist. The steady rise and fall of his chest beneath her cheek told her he was still in a deep sleep from the night before.

As she lay in TJ’s warm embrace, Sarah made a mental note of all the things she had to do that day. It started out as a short list, and then she kept adding to it. A smile curled her lips. It was nice to be busy.

The alarm clicked in and turned on the radio. The announcer was just giving the news. With a sigh TJ opened his eyes and reached across Sarah’s body to hit the snooze control.

“Who put that stupid thing on?” he asked in a groggy whisper.

“I did,” Sarah reminded him.

“This is my day off,” he protested.

“I know it is.” She gave him a kiss. “But I have to go to work.”

“Oh that’s right. They have you working overtime now.”

“It’s just for a little while, and I really enjoy it.”

He put his free hand to his face and tried to rub some sleep from his eyes. “Let me get you some breakfast, baby. I’ll get up.”

She shushed him back down with another kiss. “This is your only day to sleep. You stay put. I can get my own breakfast.”

TJ looked grateful. His head was already back on the pillow with one eye closed. “Are you sure?”

“Positive.” A wicked smile came over her face. She reddened and had to stifle a laugh.

“What?”

“I was just thinking that after your performance last night you need the rest a lot more than I do.”

“Did you like that?” His fingers stroked down her backside, sending tingles along her spine. He brought her down for a kiss, and she tasted him, fresh as always even in the morning. “I aim to please you, my lady.”

“You do please me.” She ran her palms across the ridged hardness of his chest, his skin so warm and soft she purred and nestled back into his arms for another few divine minutes of sack time.

He looked down at her. There was that naughty look out of his eyes that set a fire in her belly. “How much time you got, baby?” he asked, and she knew what he wanted.