Page 11 of Secret Heart
I clear my throat. “No, yeah, going home sounds good. I just… haven’t been back in a long time.”
Nineteen months. Not that anyone is counting.
“Not sure they’ll appreciate it if I bring a mob of fans and paparazzi.”
It’s why I didn’t go back last summer, no matter how much I wanted to. Though the Baileys would probably eat it up, especially Jessica. She’s always champing at the bit for the next bit of gossip to rile up the town.
Lance chuckles, but there’s not much humor in the sound.
“I can put in a call with the ranch you worked at while we were still on the semi circuit if you’d like. Can’t guarantee anything, of course, but that could help keep your going back quiet enough it’ll take a while for the groupies to find out. And by then, you’ll be toward the end of your respite.”
Irina puts down the phone and moves to the end of the bed, her arms crossed. I just want to sleep again. Is that part of the drop recovery? I don’t know, but I’ll pay whatever fee the Haven wants to charge so I can just take another day in here.
I force myself to focus on Lance. “Not sure being a ranch hand counts as taking a break.”
He only snorts. “For you, it is. Out on the pasture with only a couple people around you? No cameras, no suits, no buckle bunnies hounding you?” He arches one eyebrow. “Definitely a break.”
Irina quietly agrees. “It certainly sounds like what you need right now. Especially since you have to come off the suppressors until your next heat because of the Drop.”
Fuck.
I lean my head back against the wooden headboard and sigh.
“Yeah, if you could give Ethan a call, that would be helpful.”
Chapter Seven
BEAU
“Last half dozen, Pierce!” Jake calls from across the barn just as I get the square straw bale situated.
We’ve spent the morning in the second of the large barns Monroe Ranch uses to overwinter the larger Hereford herd, organizing the delivery from yesterday from one of the farms south of Creek Falls. I take the momentary break to wipe my forehead and readjust my hat, lowering the bill until the high noon sun cutting through the large open doors doesn’t burn quite so much. Then I stretch my arms above my head, loosening my back.
Watching Ethan have Naomi last month has been so heartwarming, but I cannot wait until he’s back from his paternity leave and I can go back to beingjusta ranch hand. The planning and organizing and keeping all the different calendars straight? It makes my head ache. I’d much rather be in a fencing truck prepping a pasture deep in the mountains or moving bales like today than sorting through when those deliveries are coming or which days Jake will be gone and I need to adjust what projects are reasonable.
Alphas love being in charge, and I’m happy to leave them to it. Especially Ethan. He’s damn good at running this ranch. It’s been a few years since Ethan had to hire anyone new—not since Triston left. We all love working here, and Ethan makes it worth it. Not just our pay, though it’s better than most ranches this size in the state, but also how he approaches every need and event. He’s methodical, confident, and compassionate, a combination that’s surprisingly difficult to find.
“Yo, Pierce!” Kyle’s voice cuts across the space. “We taking lunch after this?”
I roll back my shoulders and nod once. It’s a bit early, but we’ve been out here since seven working to get these straw bales put away.
“Lunch already? Seriously, Kyle?” Ethan’s voice is full of humor. “I’m only gone for a month, and you’re trying to get Beau to adjust the workday?”
“He already has, man!” Kyle shrugs and grabs one of the final bales, using his thighs to take some of the weight as he crosses the barn toward me. “He has us out earlier than you!”
“Besides,” Paul says, grinning as he grabs a broom from the storage room, “you’re the one that had a kid right in the middle of calving season!”
“Damn right I did. Learned it from you,” Ethan jokes, his voice warm.
Paul scoffs. “Early March is a whole lot different than early April, and you know it.”
Ethan laughs. “At least I didn’t wait until we were trying to get fencing done like Beau.”
“Don’t remind me,” Jake laughs, shaking his head. “Twelve months in the year, and all three of you picked the worst for having babies. Feels like a set up, honestly.”
Ethan just laughs, and I roll my eyes.
It’s not like Emily and I were trying to get pregnant. We’d gone to lengths to make sure our summer of fundidn’tend up with a baby in the mix. Not that it mattered in the end. And Ethan mentioned Brielle getting pregnant was a surprise, too—though that wasn’t something they’d told anyone else. A perk of being really close friends of an Alpha whose natural personality is pretty damn reserved is getting to know the inner workings of their mind. I’m not going to complain about the trust, that’s for damn sure.
