I took a swig, then followed her to the comfortable seating area on her huge deck. She dropped into a cushioned couch beside her mate, Ben, and leaned against him. He was big and broad, and Shelby fit perfectly beside him.
“No problem,” I replied, thinking of the huge piece of furniture I’d brought from Marne’s small house near Wolf Ranch to her new place here in West Springs.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if she wants to be buried in it,” Shelby added. I knew all about how sentimental Marne was for the thing. I’d heard the story about how she’d come to own it on our six-hour drive down from Montana.
The armoire was big enough to hold a body. Or two. It had been in the woman’s bedroom, taking up one entire wall. Rand had helped me separate the two pieces and carry them out to my truck.
Marne, who lived here in West Springs now as well, had flown up to Cooper Valley as her house had finally sold. The large armoire had to be moved out. Instead of Shelby’s mates leaving their pack here in Wyoming—Gibson was alpha and Ben was the enforcer—Rob Wolf had asked if I’d drive Marne and her prized piece of furniture to West Springs.
I’d grown up with both women within the Wolf Ranch pack. It was strange to see Shelby mated and settled in West Springs. She’d been so involved in our pack, and was missed, but everyone was glad she’d found her two mates. Two! For a while, she’d been the talk of the pack, but now that I was here among the Two Marks pack, it didn’t seem unusual at all.
As for Marne, she’d worked hard for years after her mate had walked out on her and Shelby, and it was good to see her settled as well—retired, and most likely waiting for grandpups. Gibson came outside, dropped down on Shelby’s other side, and kissed her. She ruffled his salt and pepper hair. Yeah, I figured it wouldn’t be long before Marne had several.
“I’m just glad I had help lifting it off the trailer. I might be shifter strong, but my back can’t handle that kind of bulk solo.” I was a carpenter and appreciated fine craftsmanship, but the armoire weighed a ton.
Ben laughed. “Your work is done. Put your feet up and relax.” He pointed to the low table between us. I smiled, kicked back, and did as he said.
I had a beer in my hands, the scent of grilling meat in the air, and old and new friends surrounding me. All of the Two Marks pack had been invited to the alpha’s house for a barbeque. While the reason was supposedly my visit, I had a feeling they had get-togethers often. Just like at Wolf Ranch. No reason needed. They were a tight pack.
While the weather was cooler, it was a beautiful fall day. There were heaters on the deck to keep the chill off, but pack members fanned out across the deck and onto the large backyard. Some played horseshoes, others had fun at corn hole, the bean bag tossing game. Gibson’s brother, Landry, was manning the grill. I’d learned he and his scent match, Wade, recently found their human mate. A wolf biologist, of all things.
I wasn’t surprised, since the most recent matches at Wolf Ranch had been shifters mating with humans. Fate seemed to be interested in diversifying shifter genes.
“How are the babies?” Shelby asked.
I turned my gaze from the yard back to her. Audrey and Boyd had a little girl, Lizzie. Clint and Becky had Lily. I couldn’t help but smile thinking of those two. “They’re not babies as much as toddlers now. Both are walking every which way.”
Those new matches were making their own families. Something I never had. No, that wasn’t right. It was an insult to my grandparents, who raised me. They’d been older when I’d been left with them, and they’d died a few years ago—one after the other because as mates, they couldn’t live apart.
I couldn’t imagine being mated and having kids. I had no idea what to do. My grandparents had given me a loving home, but it wasn’t the same as having a mom and a dad.
Shelby laughed. “I can only imagine what Boyd and Clint are going to be like when they start having males sniffing around their daughters.”
My smile fell away. They weren’t my little girls, but the idea of any guy even looking at them funny made my inner wolf snap. “Never gonna happen.”
She laughed even harder. “What about you?”
I pointed to myself. “Me? Babies?” I’d never once considered myself ready to have kids. An uncle who gifted my friends’ kids with noisy, destructive toys? Definitely.
“No. You. Mating,” she clarified, rolling her eyes.
Gibson set his hand on her jean-clad thigh, and Ben had his arm around her shoulder. There was something about the three of them together that was appealing to me. Something… elemental. Rand, my best friend and partner in our construction business, had found his mate the previous summer. Fuck, it had been intense to watch. Rand was a possessive guy. To the extreme. Natalie seemed to like it, and they’d been hot and heavy ever since. But even that… intensity between them hadn’t been a draw for me.