Maddie peered through a window watching her handsome visitor’s truck pull away as she logged into her business call. That was one sexy cowboy, but no matter how hard he had her purring, she had decided to completely write him off and wipe any trace of him from her thoughts if he’d shoved the cats in the bed of the truck without tying down the cage. He surprised me. I’d never have expected him to let them ride up front. She used her hand to fan her face. How had it gotten so hot so quickly? Nervous energy swirled in her stomach. She tapped her index finger against her bottom lip. Oh, Davis, why did you send that man my way?
Chapter Two
Abram poured cat food into a couple of medium sized, plastic bowls and filled a larger bowl with water. He scooted the crate closer to the food before opening it. At first, the silly bastards cowered inside the kennel, but he hung back long enough that one of them couldn’t resist approaching the food. She padded out and began to eat and soon enough the others followed suit. “Alright, good riddance to you all. Me or somebody else will be leaving food for you once a day. Go kill some mice.”
After hosing off the kennel, Abram went to the office and asked Becky where Davis usually kept it. She looked over the top of her round-lensed glasses as she pushed the eraser end of a pencil into her gray-tinged red curls. “You can leave it in the barn for now. The feed store delivered some palates the boss wants you to unload and put away.”
“Sure thing.” He saluted her playfully and left.
After he put everything in its proper place, Abram worked on his current project, refurbishing and modifying a small carriage for Nugget, one of the farm’s two miniature horses.
Abram loved working with his hands, particularly when he could make something old and unused beautiful and workable again. The seat cushion had mildewed and worn away, and the wood underneath had rotted. He needed to make a new bench. As he worked, the saw roared, buzzing through thick pine and leaving the smell of fresh sawdust permeating the air.
Davis appeared in the doorway and waved while holding up a small paper sack in his other hand. Abram turned off the saw. “How ‘bout you lose the apron and safety gear and let’s sit down for lunch.”
“Alright.” He tidied up a bit and washed his hands before meeting up with his cousin at one of the picnic tables by the lake. He sat at the other side where a bottle of water and two sandwiches wrapped in foil had been set out for him. “What’d we get?”
“Gram sent us some avocado and bell pepper sandwiches. They’re tasty.”
“Thanks for bringing me food. It’s nice of Gram to feed us but are you sure it’s not too much for her?”
“Actually, not too long ago, she refused to leave her cabin except for special occasions, but since you came back home, she seems to have caught her second wind.”
Abram pursed his lips in reflection. “I’m not sure I’m worth all the trouble, but the lunches she sends for us every day make it easier to conform to the vegetarian lifestyle you guys live.”
Davis curled his lips in disgust. “I can’t believe you ate meat.”
“I didn’t grow up on Horse Mountain with two equine-shifter parents, and after dad got sick, well, mom was human. She loved a good steak. So do I.”
His cousin crinkled his nose while chewing with his mouth closed. “Just the smell of it cooking makes my stomach turn. I guess I better get used to it though. I don’t see Scarlett giving up fried chicken or bacon anytime soon.”
“I understand how she feels. I miss cheeseburgers.” He sighed, picturing a big, juicy, ground-beef patty dripping in cheese served up in a sesame seed bun with pickles, mustard, and ketchup. “I can’t be the only shifter in the world who eats meat.”
“Naw but you might be the only equine variety who isn’t a vegetarian. Abram watched as his cousin’s expression turned grave. “I walked into Scarlett’s cabin the other day and the stench of something she’d cooked was still in the air. I had to get out of there quick.”
Abram noticed the creases on Davis’s forehead and the way he looked off into the distance. I guess he’s worried. As much as his cousin loved Scarlett, surely, a little thing like dietary differences wouldn’t come between them. “You two are the perfect couple. “Y'all will work it out. If you like, I can help you with desensitizing yourself to meat and the gut-tempting smells of it cooking.”
Davis’s lower eyelids contracted as his face lit up with a smile. “Thanks, man.”
“We’re family, right?”
He nodded. “Gram was more than a little pissed off about your mom not bringing you back here to be raised.” He took another bite.
Abram shrugged. “My mom wanted to be the one to take care of me without a lot of interference.”
Davis swallowed before throwing him a poignant look. “How’d that work out for you?”
Abram’s eyes narrowed. “What do you mean?”
“It’s an honest question.”
He didn’t meet Davis’s gaze as he answered. “It was okay. I turned out alright.”
“Was it brutal? I mean puberty is hard enough as it is, but I’d have thought I was losing my mind if I’d been the only one I knew going through the awakening. How did you handle it?”
“I’d had my first shift before dad died. I seem to remember thinking it was fun, but without my father, it didn’t feel right. I just stopped until the awakening made it impossible to avoid.”
“Did you freak out?”
“Nah. Mom prepared me for it. Told me
