Page 11 of Shifting Winds
I highly doubted it. “I hope so,” was all I said.
Moira left me to close the shop, and I was busy sweeping plant remnants from the floor when a soft knock on the window startled me.
Rowan stood there, holding a box and a tray of coffee. My spirits lifted as I hurried to open the door.
The Shifter Lord breezed in. I took the tray from him and watched as he went to the worktable and set the box down.
“I hope you brought me goodies,” I said.
Rowan was insanely good looking. His hair was a little shaggier than the last time I’d seen him, and his hazel eyes were bright as he turned to smile at me.
“I’d never show up to a beautiful woman’s abode without goodies,” he said solemnly.
“Flirt,” I accused with a laugh.
He took the coffee I offered him and gestured for me to stand beside him.
I peered into the box and gasped. “Is that a fuchsia?”
Bright purple and white blooms hung heavy from glossy green leaves. “What kind is it?”
Rowan lifted the plant from the box. “A kind no one else has.”
I touched the soil, feeling Rowan’s magical signature beating. He was like me, but also something completely different. “You created this?”
“An accidental experiment in the greenhouse.”
I gasped. “It’s triple bloomed!”
Rowan grinned. “That’s the accident part.”
“You could make a fortune off this!”
The Lord waved a hand. “I’ve got enough money. Trust me.”
But I shook my head. “At minimum, you need to get this registered as a new variety. That way some asshat doesn’t steal a cutting and take it for themselves.”
“You think someone would steal from a Lord?”
The look on his face, so bewildered, made me laugh.
“There’s always an idiot out there looking to make a buck. Trust me. You want to register this with the Ag department. I can show you how to do it.”
Rowan grimaced. “I don’t want anyone sniffing around my Keep. Especially not the human government.”
“Hmm.” I touched the silky soft petals. “How about I do it for you? I’ll need to get some information from you about how you bred the new cultivar and probably some other things, but I can register it in your name.”
He shook his head. “Register it in yours.”
My jaw dropped. “Rowan. That’s?—”
“I insist. My name can’t be tied to this, but you’re right. I’d rather it belongs to someone I trust than someone looking to get rich.”
I stared down at the plant. “Something this stunning deserves to be shared. What do you think about me carrying these in the shop?”
Something flashed in Rowan’s eyes a moment before a smile tugged his lips up. “I wish we’d met first.”
My heart did a little flip. “We do make a good team,” I acknowledged.
