Page 52 of Truth or Pack

One of the babies came up to me and rubbed on my leg.

"Mama, look at this," I smiled and checked to see if it was a bull or heifer. "Oh, she's trying to replace you, mama. You better get your ass up and show her who's boss."

She mooed and lifted herself up and finally stood on shaky legs. Daisy took a step towards me and her baby and bumped the baby with her head to get to me. I gave her all the pets she wanted until she moved to inspect her baby. Buck was back with the other one and he didn't enter the stable, just turned the baby in.

It bounded up to me but decided against it and went to Daisy instead.

She mooed at her babies and they both went to find some food. I didn't move until the twins were attached. I gave Daisy another pat before I joined the others on the outside of the gates.

Taryn's eyes were full of wonder and excited as I stopped to stand next to her, "She is beautiful. Do I have to be jealous?"

I kissed her on the forehead and laughed a ‘yes.’

This got a playful hit from her.

"Daisy going to be okay?" Mathias asked, leaning on the gate.

"Maybe. We have to keep an eye on her and make sure the twins are eating. But her up and nursing is the best we can hope for," I answered.

"Boss, I'm going to get some shuteye so I can take the night shift," Buck said with a tip of his cowboy hat.

Taryn went rigid beside me and I glanced down at her but she didn't say anything until Buck was out of the barn.

"Oh my god, he did the cowboy hat tip, that is a real thing? Not just something in books?" she squealed.

"Shh," I said to her. "The barn is a squeak-free zone."

"Oh, sorry. Did I scare the animals?" she questioned, looking around to see if any were afraid.

"No, just your alphas and beta," Mathias joked.

"So, what are we doing now? We aren't just going to stand here and stare at Daisy are we?" Ash asked.

"Nah, I'll come back in thirty to check on her. Let's show Taryn our home," I answered, holding out a hand for her.

The ranch was beautiful, but seeing Holt open up was even better. The way he dropped to his knees with the cow, talking so gently, told me that there were sides of him that I just hadn’t been given a chance to witness yet.

As we took the truck over to the packhouse, I was struck with how much I liked this. We weren’t far from the lakehouse, but this ranch was their home, and the others had a business here, too.

I couldn’t help but feel like I was monopolizing their time and forcing them to make changes they couldn't make easily.

Holt’s job was here. Seeing how much this place meant to him had me worried that I was making all the wrong choices.

Either way, the lakehouse was ours. It could still be a getaway, a place to unwind and stay on nights we didn’t have other responsibilities, but maybe it didn’t have to be home.

“Here it is,” Mathias said, giving my hand a squeeze. There were questions in his eyes but I just gave a smile, unsure what to truly say yet.

I needed to see this packhouse before I jumped the gun. What if it was gross and bare, with a mismatch of furniture like a true bachelor pad? Mattresses on the floor, gross bathrooms, maybe.

When I saw the gorgeous packhouse I knew I was wrong. It was beautiful. The grounds were pristine, with a small pond in front. The house was white and had a wraparound, covered porch. The pastures stretched around it with trees dotting the edges. It felt so serene and secluded.

The pretty navy shutters and dark-gray roof made the white stand out. They took care of their place, not a speck of discoloration in sight on it.

“I know what you’re thinking,” Ash said. “How is a badass guy like Ash, who works on dirty motorcycles, at home in a nice place like this?”

“I did wonder,” I teased, pausing and waiting for him to say more.

“It’s close to the animals for Holt’s work. Our shop is just down the main road, and it’s beautiful. Even a bad boy like me can see that.”

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