Perfect Tales of the Were - Bianca D'Arc Page 0,11

was silent for a moment. “Of course, it doesn’t hurt to have an ally of the Pack on our border. If we can’t own the land outright, at least we’ll know it won’t belong to an enemy, and one day, your pups may bring that ranch into the Pack proper.”

Cody hadn’t even thought of that. Pups. His children. His and Cassie’s. And they’d be heirs to this ranch. Joe was thinking twelve steps ahead, as usual, and he’d just floored Cody with a vision of the future.

“Scuttlebutt’s wrong again. You’re not the least bit of a megalomaniac.” Cody felt easy enough with Joe by now to tease him.

“Hey, what I do, I do for the Pack. Including long-term planning. I won’t always be here to look after them,” Joe reminded him, though he wouldn’t be even close to retiring for another century or more. Shifters were very long-lived. “It’s good to have a friendly buffer zone between the Pack’s heart and the rest of the world. That ranch is just one more piece of that safety zone, and it’s a relief to me that it’s owned by someone who will be part of our Pack, once you explain things to her.”

If only it were that easy. “We still have to make the place safe and run off whoever’s messing around on that empty acreage.”

“You do that, and when it’s done, I’ll be looking around for something we could maybe use that empty land for that would prevent anybody from encroaching ever again. Maybe the Pack could lease it for farming or something,” Joe said, surprising Cody again, with his long-range plans. But that’s why he was Alpha of one of the most powerful Packs in the country. He was just that good.

“So, are you going to color-code Cassie’s ranch on that big map of the area you’re rumored to have?”

“Just getting out my crayons now,” Joe teased back.

Chapter Four

The morning dawned bright and clear. Cody was gone when Cassandra woke, but she had expected that. He was probably up before dawn, heading back to the bunkhouse so he could get to work with the others, seeing to the horses. It had been nice of him to let her sleep in a bit.

She tried to comfort herself with that thought as she took a shower, got dressed, and started her day. Much to her disappointment, it became clear that Cody wasn’t on the property. When she asked casually, Rich told her he’d sent Cody into town for a few hours to pick up some things from the feed store.

By the time dinner rolled around, he still hadn’t returned, and Emma and Rich were due for dinner at the big house. Cassandra had invited them a day or two before, promising she’d cook one of her specialties for them. She enjoyed the comforting feel of her kitchen—and the new, raunchy memories a certain corner of her cooking island elicited.

They shared the news of the day and talked about the ranch all through a lovely dinner. Rich and Emma were two of her favorite people, and Cassandra enjoyed their company. Rich had big ideas for the horse training and breeding programs he was creating.

He was an entrepreneur, just about to break out on his own…with her help. She’d recognized that about him from almost the moment they’d met when he’d applied for the job as foreman. Cassandra hadn’t really been planning to put her barns to work the way Rich envisioned, but once he’d shared his dreams and goals with her, she couldn’t see why they shouldn’t at least try.

She’d taken a chance on her first bakery a decade ago and had made her dreams a reality. She felt good about helping Rich do the same. And it really would be a shame to let the barns get even further dilapidated. This way, she helped a business get off the ground, and Rich saw to it that her ranch outbuildings got repaired and put to work again. It was really a win-win.

They talked about his and Emma’s plans all through dinner. Emma was overseeing and working with the small carpentry crew who were rebuilding everything. They’d redone the bunkhouse first, and it was fantastic. Emma was the brains behind the design, and she was also pretty handy with power tools and woodworking, which impressed Cassandra greatly.

As a couple, they were interesting to talk to and fun to be around. Cassandra was so glad they’d agreed to come live at the ranch. She knew