Norrin yawned, squirmed in his sleep, and I listened to the silence as my pups went quietly off to dreamland. Closing the door, and locking it, I headed out to see what my big, strong boys were up to.
Tommy, of course, had his father's ear. Hudson knelt, nodding as the boy chattered up a storm. He looked tired, but I expected that. "Any update on the site for the new factory?"
Hudson shook his head and picked Tommy up, the boy tucking himself against his chest. "No. The museum's team is supposed to be out there soon, but I guess some big storm stuck them in an airport. You're really sure we have to pay for paleontologists to dig up everything?"
"They aren't all paleontologists, my love. Some of them are aging experts and others are construction workers," I said, draping my arms around his neck. "It gets worse and worse as I go along. You want me to stop here?"
He shuddered. "All I hear is the museum saying 'cha-ching'. There's really no way to buy them off? We don't even know if that fossil is important."
"If they think it is, it is. You know how it works," I said, giving him a peck on the lips. "I know it's just a footprint, some kind of claw or something, but they say they've never seen it before."
"I wish them mud and endless rain," Gabe muttered, sitting on the wide deck at the back of the cabin.
I snorted. "Just takes longer to build the factory thattaways, you know it does."
My alpha shook his head. "It's a pain in the ass, is all."
"I do know a way to take your minds off it," I murmured.
Xavion, perched on the deck next to Gabe, looked up at me like I'd offered him a steak. Leo leaned against the railing, smiled, and closed his eyes. It was Hudson who nipped the nape of my neck, making me jump. "You tease us and you're going to get carried inside."
"Who says I'm teasing?" I grinned.
Tommy frowned between us, clearly disgusted with the lack of attention on him. "I wanna play video games."
Gabe, who had been prowling up on me from behind, peered over my shoulder and blinked. "Oh wow, buddy. I wanna play video games, too."
Kids. The perfect cockblock, but you can't hate them for it. Besides, his bedtime was in an hour and I knew that the longer my alphas had to wait, the more claw marks I'd leave in the headboard of our bed.
We spent the next hour entertaining the little guy, making sure he finished his supper, and watching the sun go down over the freshly budded trees and the frostless, muddy landscape. There were plans to start seeding pastures over the next month and I looked forward to the hours in the sun, watching my men strip naked to the waist, sweating and straining to grow grass for the livestock that had come along from the rescue.
I mean, what woman wouldn't want to see her man out there getting dirty, hot, grinding and plucking his way through the fields? Maybe they'd need to dump some water on themselves, get all wet and-
Whew. My mind was occupied with the most imaginative, incredible images I could possess as I put the dishes in the dishwasher. Hudson took Tommy up to bed and I spent a little time on the couch, alone, going over tomorrow's proposals for a new, sponsored veterinary practice and rescue combination that wanted to get ankle-deep in Fontaine's new philanthropy.
Over the past year, we'd sponsored over five hundred veterinary clinics, rescues, or local shelters around the world. We were still expanding, but it was a good start and I was proud of what I'd done. As it was, it also made sense to the finance guys that worked the floor down below me. They could take our charitable donations and apply it to taxes, something I'd never done when I ran my own rescue.
It meant huge savings that we could pass on to our customers and the farms that we worked with, always trying to grow and expand. We didn't want to take over the pet food industry, we just hoped that our policies would nudge it in a better direction; a direction that meant a happier life and lifestyle for everyone involved.
But the guys still tasted every new recipe and, to be honest, I did, too. Sometimes we brought a little home to Tommy to make sure that even picky dogs would eat it; because no one is pickier than a four-and-a-half-year-old. Of course, then we had to keep Tommy out of the food we kept around for the rescue dogs. It wasn't as if anyone saw him popping a kibble or two into his mouth and, to be honest, it wasn't out of place for little kids to do that now and then anyway.
We just preferred he didn't.
You know, just in case he decided to tell his new schoolmates later in the year.
Hudson snuggled down against the back of the couch, peeking at what I was reading. "Whatcha doin’?"
"Planning an extremely hostile takeover of the rescue industry, shutting them all down, buying them all out, and working to see if I can do the same to you," I said, smiling and looking back at him.
He grinned and shook his head. "Sounds sinister."
"Oh, it is. I'm a bad, bad girl."
His eyes narrowed and something dark touched his expression. "Do I need to put you in your place?"
I lifted my chin, kissing him and dropping the folder. He picked me up and carried me off to my pack, waiting in our bedroom as the last few rays of sunshine disappeared over the horizon.
I craved their attention and they were more than pleased
