“Dating can be terrible,” Kathy said. “No argument. But are you sure you’re ready for this?”
Hope knew it was a fair question. But she’d eaten too many dinners by herself in her apartment, with only the TV or a book for company. Her life was in a rut, and the only way to shake it up was to do something drastic.
“It’s just a date. It doesn’t have to lead to anything else. And besides, I’m tired of being alone. You’re a great friend, but—”
“It’s not the same as having a boyfriend. Or a husband.”
“Exactly,” Hope said.
“I’m going to miss the hell out of you, you know,” Kathy said softly.
“Even if I move, I’m not stuck there forever,” she reassured Kathy. “I might cut back on my work travel, but I have no intention of giving it up.”
“Here’s another big question,” Kathy said. “What are you going to do if they match you with a shifter?”
Hope fiddled with the empty packets of sweetener, stalling for time. In truth, she didn’t know how she’d react, so she’d left her options open. “I’d be lying if I said it didn’t intrigue me a little,” she admitted.
“Wait until you fall in love with a guy and he turns out to be a skunk. Literally.” Kathy’s brown eyes sparkled with mischief.
Hope had to laugh at the idea of waking up one morning to find the guy in her bed had turned into something small and furry. It couldn’t be worse than a few of her more terrible dates.
Kathy kept going. “I heard from my cousin that shifters know immediately when they meet the person they’re destined to be with. Like swans or something.”
“Oh, come on, Kathy. It’s not like they’re animals. They’re people, just like you and me.”
“Great. In that case, you’ll meet this guy, he’ll promise to call, and you’ll never hear from him again.”
“Stop being such a cynic. This is why you never see a guy more than once.”
“Nah,” Kathy said. “I just enjoy playing the field too much. I’d get bored with one person. I like having a variety pack.”
Hope knew Kathy didn’t understand. Maybe you had to grow up like Hope had, on a cattle ranch in Colorado. She’d gone away to college and spent several years establishing her career as a writer. She had a good income, a retirement plan, and a collection of sensible shoes.
Now—she was ready to find a man.
Or maybe someone who was a little more than a man.
***
Josh lengthened his gait, easily outpacing the blue roan that had been running at his side. He heard Connor snort and could almost hear the words: you’re showing off! Maybe he was, but what was the point of being the herd’s head stallion if you couldn’t stretch your muscles out and throw your weight around occasionally?
&
nbsp; The wind rippled through the chestnut mane and tail that streamed behind him like fiery streaks. When he sighted the fence that marked the ranch’s property line, he pulled up and stood, sides heaving, waiting for Connor to catch up.
In retaliation, Connor thundered up to him and skidded to a halt at the last possible moment. They both reared, pawing at the air with their forelegs, then dropped back down to earth. Josh shifted and dodged just in time to avoid a playful kick from Connor.
“Hey, watch it! Your mom will have my head if I let you hurt either one of us.”
Connor shifted, becoming a lanky twenty-four-year old with a faded scar over one eye. “She still thinks I’m a kid.”
“She still thinks I’m a kid, and I turned thirty last month.” That was the problem with a big family, Josh thought; there was always someone around who remembered when you’d been in diapers.
He loved it, though. Having lost both parents in a car wreck at an early age, he’d depended on his aunts and uncles for everything. And he still did.
“Any sign of a break in the fence?” he asked Connor.
“Nope.”