Chapter Twenty-Six
Rowe
“Rowe, I need to talk to you after you’re done.”
He glanced over at Cheryl in surprise at the announcement. “Sure.”
Cheryl gave him a tight smile and left the barn behind.
“Well, let’s go then,” he said, motioning to the laborers in front of him.
They were working on the hay bale lift, trying to repair it. The entire system had been sabotaged, though it hadn’t been discovered until they got around to replacing the platform and rope.
“We’ll be all right here, Rowe.” That was James. The same lead hand who had been responsible for the accident that had nearly killed Cheryl had insisted on being the one to fix it. According to him he wouldn’t rest properly if he couldn’t certify that it was done “well above code.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah, me and the boys have got this. Go see what Miss Payne wants. It sounded urgent.”
Rowe doubted that, but they were already working late, the end-of-day hour having come and gone. The job had taken on a sort of special status to James and the crew, and they’d decided to put in some extra time so it could be repaired ahead of schedule. All of the workers were eager to show that they wanted to be there.
It was a remarkable change from the way things had been headed leading up to their vacation, as it was now being called. He still marveled at the fact that of all the workers they’d had to temporarily let go, all but one had come back. Not that Rowe would have returned to a job after winning the lottery either if he were in the human’s position.
In the two weeks since they had sounded the recall, a lot of work had gotten done. Snow had fallen however, and it was here to stay, so all the work had now turned indoors. The barns were being repaired, the silos cleaned, and other buildings being emptied for the first time in what was probably decades.
All of it was being done under the watchful supervision of his mate, who was truly coming into her own. Somehow the crucible of being drawn into a situation between the shifters had driven away any of her fears about failing. Cheryl was a force to be reckoned with now, and all the men loved her.
He loved her.
Rowe sighed, the sound touched with a bit of wistfulness as he exited the barn and headed back toward the ranch house. He couldn’t see her, but her scent was on the air, and he followed it with ease.
Love. He’d told her how he felt, before the confrontation with the wolves went down. Just in case things had gone south, he’d wanted her to know how he truly felt. No surprises, nothing left unspoken. It had felt good, but he’d yet to be lucky enough to hear her say the words to him.
“Cheryl?” he called, closing the front door behind him.
“Boo!” She leapt out from around the corner.
Rowe jumped. He’d been so wrapped up in thoughts of love and their relationship that he hadn’t even heard her move.
“I got you!” she crowed victoriously. “Finally, after all this time, I got you!” She danced around, arms pumping, head nodding, doing her version of a victory dance. The sway of her strawberry blonde hair was mesmerizing.
Shit.
Her trying to get the jump on him had become a game between them. Cheryl would try and sneak up on him, and Rowe would call her out before she could scare him. Every time. He’d honestly thought she was starting to tire of the game, but it seemed she’d just been lulling him into a false sense of complacency.
“You realize what this means now?”
She stopped her dance, head turning slowly to look up at him. “What?” she asked cautiously.
“Now it’s my turn.” He grinned maniacally.
“Oh no…” she backed away, waving her arms in front of her. “That is not how it works. I’m still trying to even things up from before.”
Rowe slipped out of his boots and advanced on her, hands in front, fingers curled. “I’m gonna get you,” he whispered.
“Not fair!” she shrieked, taking off at a run as he went after her, laughing in a fake bass tone.
They ran around the house. For a thick woman she was surprisingly nimble, and managed to evade his efforts to capture her not once, but twice. It was the height difference. He had to reach down for her, and she ducked even lower, thwarting him.
Rowe finally caught her on the stairs, taking them three at a time to close the gap.
“Stooopppp!” she shouted through the laughter as his fingers ran swiftly up her sides and into her armpits. “No. Please. No! I give. I give! Mercy!”
He continued for another few seconds. “Who’s the greatest of them all?”
“You are! Now please stop!”
Sagging down next to her, he stopped tickling his mate, opting instead to hold her tight to him. Almost immediately Cheryl snuggled in against his body. Neither of them cared they were on the stairs. All that mattered was being close to one another.
There was no doubt in his mind that Cheryl cared about him a great deal. The signs of that were everywhere and he believed them. It still didn’t stop him from craving to hear one particular phrase more than anything else. He’d not put any pressure on her, even doing his best to refrain using the word “love” when he told her he cared, though it hurt him a little to do so.
“Rowe, I have a question for you.”
“You’re my mate. You can ask me anything.”
She smiled. “A dragon’s mate. I never would have predicted being that a decade ago. None of my classmates certainly did. I was voted most likely to graduate college a year early.”
He grinned. “So they appreciated the smarts I see in you.”
“Stoppp. That’s not my question.”
“It’s not a question at all,” he observed, earning him a pout. “Go on.”
“Thank you.” She fidgeted for a second. “I was thinking. Things are going well now.”
“They are,” he agreed, wondering what all the buildup was about.
“Well, it got me to thinking about what happens next.” She glanced up at his big round eyes, searching. “And I realized I didn’t have an answer, Rowe. I don’t know what to do after this.”
“That decision is yours, and yours alone. Just know that I will be there with you, no matter what you choose. You have my support.”
“Thank you.” She snuggled in tighter to him. “I was wondering though. Could I maybe stay here? With you and the others?” She started to blush. “I kind of like it here. It’s peaceful, in a way.”
He grinned. “Absolutely. You are more than welcome to stay. Maybe in the future if one of the nearby properties goes up for sale we could buy that. Start a mini dragon-farming community out here.”
They laughed.
“You’re so good to me, Rowe. I don’t feel like I deserve it.”
“Well, you are wrong on that front. You deserve everything I can give you, and then some.”
Cheryl reached up and grabbed his arm, pulling it over her like a blanket so she could cuddle up to it for a moment. Then she sat up, grabbed his hand, and pulled him after her into the bedroom.
He hesitated, mainly because he wanted to shower first. But she stopped in the middle of the room and faced him.
“I’ve been meaning to tell you this for a few days, and I couldn’t think of the best way to do so, so I’m just going to do it.” She inhaled sharply. “I love you, Rowe.”
“I love you too, Cheryl.” He lifted her into an embrace, holding her around his waist, covering her lips with his.
There was only one more thing that needed to be said, and he delayed that as long as possible, but once her hands started to roam his body, he had to pause.
“Cheryl, Cheryl,” he said, setting her down and lifting her hands from his body.
“What is it? Is something wrong?” She groaned. “Do dragons have a rule you can’t fuck for some period of time after you both say I love you?”
He laughed heartily. “Absolutely not. We’re far more practical than that. No, it’s simply that I need to shower first.”
She nodded. “Yeah, you kind of do. Sorry.”
“Well now I’m not self-conscious at all.”
His mate giggled. “Come on,” she said, stripping her own clothes with efficient practicality. “Let’s go.”
“You smell fine.”
“I know. But I’m going to wash you down. I’m feeling romantic.”
A sponge bath? Sweet!
“After you, my love,” he said, gesturing to the huge shower.
“You just want to look at my butt,” she teased.
“Damn straight.”
He smacked it.