Max took Olivia back to the guest house as Addison got Riley settled in. Olivia was fussing, rubbing at her eyes, clearly ready for her nap. Swaying her in his arms, Max stared down at his daughter, with her light brown eyes and tiny button nose.

“Shh, let’s get you to bed,” he murmured, walking through the house as Olivia slowly calmed down.

Grabbing her favorite stuffed toy, a pink elephant that Olivia’s mother had to have gotten for her, Max went to work tucking his daughter in. She squirmed a little at first, tugging at the elephant’s ears, but soon enough, her eyes were fluttering shut.

Max stayed a while, until her breathing became deep and calm. Her little face looked utterly peaceful, her round cheeks a healthy pink. Slowly, Max backed out of the room, leaving the door to the bedroom slightly ajar.

As he turned to pacing around in the living room, he could sense a restless growl building in his chest. His thoughts drifting from Olivia to Riley, he couldn’t help but be conflicted.

The way Riley had captured the attention of both him and his bear was hard to misinterpret. Even the scent of her skin seemed tailor-made for his senses, not to mention there was a deep, primal sense of possessiveness that ran through him every time he pictured her face in his mind.

This was no ordinary attraction. He could feel it in his bones. A longing ached inside him, unlike anything he had ever felt. There could only be one explanation – she was his mate.

Max sunk into the worn couch in the living room, trying to ignore the nervous energy flooding his system. This was a big deal. Not every shifter was even lucky enough to meet their soul mate, and here she was, right in his path, staying at the same ranch at the same time as him.

Unbelievable.

He had never really been preoccupied with finding his mate as some shifters were, but he would be lying if he said he hadn’t given the topic more thought than usual lately. Family in general had been on the forefront of his mind, which was why he had returned to Black Oak in the first place.

But he hadn’t really expected to meet anyone, and especially not so quickly. He was still getting adjusted to his role as a father, settling back in to life in Black Oak, and he didn’t even have a permanent residence yet.

Max had been thrown for a loop, that much he had to admit. But there was still one thing he was sure of – his daughter had to come first.

He was pulled out of his thoughts when he heard a vehicle approach. It had to be Gage. Getting up, Max moved to the window, just in time to see Gage get out of his truck and start to unhook the trailer attached to the back.

Ace was led out of it a moment later, his brown coat glistening in the sunlight. The limp the horse had seemed much less prominent as Gage took him over to the stables. As if knowing he was being watched, Gage’s gaze snapped to the guest house, and Max gave his friend a wave.

Gage nodded and jerked his head toward the house, before disappearing out of sight. Max read the gesture to convey Gage would be by after he had tended to Ace, and meandered into the small kitchen nook, putting on a pot of coffee.

The smell of a fresh brew filled the house soon after. It wasn’t long before there was a knock at the door, and Max opened it, unsurprised to find Gage there.

“How’s Ace?” Max asked, as Gage stepped inside.

“Better,” he replied. “Expected to make a full recovery.”

Slightly taller than Max, which was saying something, with dark eyes that verged on black, Gage looked a lot more intimidating than he actually was. Not one for idle talk and having had to grow up fast after both his parents passed away when he was still in high school, Gage could come across severe, but underneath it all was a deeply caring man who would gladly give you the shirt off his back.

And he had become markedly more open and animated after meeting Addison.

“That’s good,” Max nodded. “Coffee?”

“Sure,” Gage said, and they got settled in behind the small table in the kitchen. “How did it go today? With the house hunting?”

“Not that great,” Max admitted, giving him a brief rundown of the difficulties.

“I get it,” Gage replied. “You’re looking for a family home, but at the same time, it’s just the two of you.”

“That’s pretty much it,” Max said. “But don’t worry, I’ll figure something out.”

“I’m not worried,” Gage chuckled. “I haven’t had a worker as efficient as you in ages. And Addison has fallen in love with your little girl. We like having you here, brother, you and Olivia. Everyone does. Black Oak is your home.”

Gage said it all matter-of-factly, with nothing but sober honesty. But his words had a deep impact with Max. He had to admit, he had missed being close to his clan, and his brothers and sisters in it.

In the back of his mind, though, he had always known he could come home, and be welcomed just as warmly as he had been.

“Thank you,” Max said. “That means a lot.”

“Just telling it like it is,” Gage replied with a shrug.

“Your other visitor has arrived, by the way,” Max said. “Riley. I picked her up from the airfield.”

“Yeah, I thought I smelled someone unfamiliar,” Gage replied. “Addison was excited to see her. The two of them have been tight since college, I gathered.”

“She seems… nice,” Max offered.

As soon as the words left his mouth, he knew it had been a mistake. There had been just a fraction of a second of hesitation, and he knew he had tried a little too hard to keep his expression neutral.

The sly smirk tugging at Gage’s mouth told Max he had revealed more than he had intended. Leaning back in his chair, Gage folded his arms in front of him, taking his time as he studied Max.

“Max Lewis,” he said. “Don’t tell me you’ve got the hots for my mate’s friend.”

“Here we go,” Max groaned, shaking his head.

“Hey, I’m not the one you have to worry about. Once Addison gets wind of this… She’s already been telling me you need to get back out there after… you know.”

He knew.

Eve.

The name brought up feelings he would rather avoid. The woman had given him the greatest gift, his beautiful baby girl, and he would always be thankful for that. But other than that, Eve had no place in his life, or in his thoughts.

“So you’ve been talking about my dating life,” Max said, arching a brow at Gage.

“I mainly just listen,” Gage replied, chuckling.

“I just said the woman was nice,” Max sighed. “No reason to make a big deal out of it.”

But he sounded defensive even to his own ears, and just like when they had been in highs school, Gage caught it immediately. The grin was gone as he leaned forward, narrowing his eyes, as if he could somehow stare the truth out of Max.

“Wait a minute…” he started, but Max cut him off.

He was not ready to hear what Gage was probably going to say out loud. It was too soon, and his feelings too confusing. He had only just met Riley, and he needed time to get his head back on straight.

“No, no, whatever you were going to say, you can just hold on to it,” he said.

Gage looked at him for another long moment, but finally backed off.

“All right,” he raised his hands.

But Max knew that wasn’t going to be the end of it.