by Kim Fox
“I know,” he says, laughing into the phone as I creep toward the open window.
He knows what? God, this is torture.
“I’ve been wanting to call you ever since you left,” he says with a laugh. “I know the standard is to wait at least two days, but I was dying after one.”
My stomach hardens when I picture her on the other end of the line with those adorable cheeks turning red as she listens with a smile on her face.
“I was thinking we could go on that picnic we were talking about.”
Picnic? What picnic? Ronin didn’t say anything about a picnic.
“I’ll prepare two of the horses and we can ride out to the lake and go swimming. Then we can ride to this great spot and have dinner while watching the sunset.”
Oh, no. She’s going to like him way better than me. I was planning on taking her bowling.
“Of course,” he says, laughing. “You can definitely take Sporty Spice. I’ll take Ginger.”
He laughs again. And then again.
This is killing me. I know that she has to love him as well if the triad is going to work, but do they have to get along this freaking well?
“You bet,” he says. I can hear the smile in his voice. Ugh. “When are you free?”
I lean in and listen. My breaths are coming out coarser and faster with every passing second.
“Tomorrow it is.”
I spot the phone line attached to the house and the devil on my shoulder takes control. Without thinking, I grab it and yank it out of the wall.
“Zoe? Hello, Zoe?”
I gulp as I drop the ripped phone line and hurry away as quietly as I can.
“Tito!” he shouts. “Did you pay the phone bill?”
I keep running until I’m hidden in the forest. My mind is racing with all of the plans that I’m making.
A romantic horse ride. A steamy lake swim. A dreamy picnic while watching the beautiful sunset.
I grin evilly as my hand squeezes into a fist.
Not if I can help it.
Five
Ronin
“Wow, Zoe, you look beautiful.”
My sexy date smiles shyly as I lean down and kiss her on both cheeks.
She looks more than beautiful. She looks damn spectacular in her beige riding pants, a white blouse that’s showing a little cleavage, a leather bag strapped over her shoulder, and her brown cowboy boots. I’ve always found girls in cowboy boots to be irresistible.
“So, where are we headed?” she asks, looking excited as she glances at the horse stables.
I’ve planned this day perfectly. It’s the ultimate romantic first date and I can’t wait to share it with Zoe.
It feels a little strange not doing this with Tito here too, but if this is the only way that Zoe is going to feel comfortable, then it’s okay with me. She’ll get to know us both separately and then maybe we can convince her to help us complete the triad. It sounds like a long shot, but if she is our true fated mate, then it will all work out in the end.
And besides, it does feel like Tito is here in spirit. He was nice enough to help me plan this perfect date. He helped me plan out the day, pack my bag, ready the horses, and he even made the sandwiches for our picnic.
I was expecting him to be a little bit jealous, but he’s proven himself to be quite mature about it all. It’s been a welcome surprise.
“Come,” I say, waving her to walk with me. “Let’s get on our horses and I’ll show you.”
She smiles as she starts walking in step beside me. I study her gorgeous face as she looks around the ranch. Her black hair is pulled back in a braid and hanging over her shoulder. She has beautiful brown eyes that have a constant sparkle and I spot for the first time an adorable birthmark under her right eye.
“So, how many people live on this ranch?” she asks as she looks at the tiny log cabins scattered around. “Are they your family?”
“My crew. There are six of us grizzly bear shifters and three of them have mates, so three women and six men.”
“I’ve never dated a shifter before,” she says, looking up at me with sparkling eyes and a mischievous grin. “Is there anything I need to know?”
I grin back at her. “Carry a lint brush on you at all times to get the bear fur off your clothes.”
She laughs. “Good to know. I’ve heard that shifters take on one woman for their whole lives. Is that true?”
“When we find our mate we do. The core of our essence will bond with the woman’s and we’ll be united in love and connected for the rest of our lives.”
She looks a little worried as she looks up at me. “I thought we were just going for a picnic?” she says with a nervous laugh.
“Don’t worry,” I say with a chuckle. “I don’t have any bonding planned.”
Not without Tito here.
“Well, what do you have planned?” she says, looking excited. She taps the bag that’s strapped over her shoulder and hanging by her hip. “I brought my bathing suit like you said.”
“Good,” I say as we arrive at the stables. I open the door for her and let her in. “Then let’s get The Spice Girls.”
I take out Sporty and Ginger and strap the saddles on them. I’m pleasantly surprised to see that Zoe is a real natural on a horse, but I guess that most native-born Montanans are. She hops up on the horse easily and strokes the mare’s beige hair as she whispers something into her ear.
I take Ginger and we start to ride across the meadow, crushing the purple wildflowers as we go. My heart hurts when I see her start to pick up the pace, bouncing on the horse as they trot then gallop through the meadow. Her ponytail is bouncing on her back, her eyes wide with excitement, but her smile… I’ve never seen anything so beautiful.
But it’s bittersweet. I wish Tito was here beside me to share in this perfect sight.
With a squeeze of my legs, Ginger and I race across the meadow to catch up to her. The afternoon sun is shining today over the spectacular mountains around us. The wind is blowing against our hot skin, cooling us off perfectly. Who knew that horses could have air conditioning?
Zoe lets out a beautiful laugh as her and Sporty slow to a trot as the fluffy clouds drift across the blue sky overhead. “It’s been too long since I’ve done that. I miss riding.”
“Sporty is here waiting for you whenever you’re in the mood.”
She smiles shyly at me. “I might have to take you up on that.”
I grin, hoping she does.
We chat easily as we trot through the rest of the meadow, and stop to laugh at a busy gopher who’s shaking his butt as he digs up a hole. He disappears inside it as we pass.
She tells me about her job as a veterinarian and all of the farms she visits. “I love seeing animals in safe and free environments,” she says as we ride past the cattle grazing in the field. One by one they look up at us, watching with disinterest. “When I was training to be a vet, I had to work in a zoo. It was awful. I hate zoos. Every day it broke my heart. Beautiful wild lions laying on concrete, elephants that can travel fifty miles in a day stuck in a pen half the size of a football field, and intelligent chimpanzees who are provided no mental stimulation forced to stare at walls for fourteen hours a day. It really made me question what I was doing.”
“And now?”
She takes a deep breath of the fresh air and exhales long and hard. “I’m happy now. This is where animals belong. Not in city zoos where they slowly go crazy, pacing around for hours a day. I volunteer for a group that helps keep zoos accountable for the conditions the animals live in.”
Zoe tells me more about the foundation and the amazing work she’s done for animals with it. I listen with interest, wanting to know everything about her.
We continue along until we arrive at the base of a gently sloped mountain. “I thought we could go swimming at the lake,” I say. “There’s a beautiful sandy beach and the water is always so crisp and clear.”
“That sounds perfect,” she says with
a smile.
“We can take a shortcut and cut around the forest or take the long way up the mountain trail,” I say, hoping she’ll pick the mountain trail. I want to spend as much time with this girl as I can.
She looks up at the mountain and grins. “Lead the way, cowboy.”
I smile to myself as I turn Ginger and head up the trail. It’s narrow so we ride single file with Zoe following me. The sun is on our back and the cool breeze is in our face as we go.
She starts asking me about my life and I tell her about how I was born and raised in Oregon. My parents were engineers and when Tito and I were teenagers, they put us in boarding school and moved to Mongolia to build a bridge. They’ve been there ever since, and we see them about once every two years. As you can imagine, we’re not very close.
“When did you two move—oh.”
I turn around and see her face all scrunched up as she waves a hand in front of her nose.
“Ginger is smelling a little spicy,” she says with an uncomfortable swallow.
It’s then that I smell it, and hear it. Ginger’s tail jerks up as she lets another one rip. And another one. And another one.
My heart sinks when I see Zoe leaning back on her horse as she holds her breath. There’s nowhere to escape. We can’t turn around on the narrow trail and Zoe’s horse can’t pass mine.
“I’m so sorry,” I say, starting to panic as Ginger lets out another loud one. It rips through the peaceful afternoon, soiling the beautiful ride. “She only gets like this when she eats…” No. He didn’t.
Did he?
Tito was the one who fed Ginger this morning. In fact, he made sure he was the one to feed her.
“When she eats what?”
“Broccoli.”
Now that I’m thinking about it, I did see Tito rummaging around the fridges in the outdoor kitchen before feeding the horses. And I would bet there is no more freaking broccoli left in there.
“Oh, God,” she says, shaking her head as her eyes water. “It’s so bad!”
My cheeks burn with humiliation and shame as we ride the rest of the way to the sound of an orchestra of trumpets. Poor Zoe looks ready to faint by the time we finally arrive at the lake.
“On the way back,” she says as she steps off the horse with woozy legs, “I’m in front.”
I’m wondering what other nice surprises Tito has in store for us as Zoe walks into the woods to change into her bathing suit.
I quickly change into mine and check the lake for sharks, submarines, or piranhas. So far, it looks okay.
My breath catches in my throat when Zoe returns in a tight turquoise bikini. Every curve has my body tingling as she approaches.
“I can’t believe you have your own private lake,” she says as she steps into the water. “It’s so serene.”
I can barely talk as I watch her curvy ass while she walks into the water up to her knees.
“How’s the water?”
She looks at me over her shoulder and grins. “Nice and refreshing.”
“Cold?”
She laughs. “A little bit.”
Without hesitation she runs and dives in, sliding under the water in one quick second. “Woo!” she shouts when she pops back up. Her eyes are wide and her smile wider as she turns to me. “Cold, but it feels really nice.”
I run in and dive into the water as well, feeling my whole body come alive as the cool water hits my hot sweaty skin.
She smiles when I pop up next to her.
“It smells better over here,” I say with a nervous laugh. “Sorry again about my horse.”
She just laughs. “I’m a veterinarian. I’ve seen, smelled, touched, and heard a lot worse from animals before.”
I laugh, even though I don’t believe her. Ginger’s gas is the worst.
We have a fun time as we hang out in the secluded lake, chatting and watching the ducks glide on the water.
It does feel a little bit empty without Tito, but I’m really happy that we’re getting along so well. It would be nice if she liked me the best out of both of us.
Everything goes perfectly until we walk out of the lake to dry off on the sand.
“Umm,” she says, swallowing hard as she looks down at my bathing suit.
“Shit!” I shout when I see my whole package exposed. There’s a wide open flap hanging down, giving Zoe a front row view of my little bear. And I say little because that water was freezing! There’s major shrinkage!
I quickly turn and pull up the flap, feeling my heart pounding. Somebody—probably somebody whose name rhymes with mosquito—cut most of the stitching, so that when the water got the fabric heavy it pulled it right down, exposing everything.
“Well then,” Zoe says, hiding behind her towel. “Usually guys wait until after dinner to whip it out.”
I apologize a million times, but luckily Zoe has a good sense of humor and starts laughing about it.
Fucking Tito. I know he did that one.
It becomes clear that he’s trying to sabotage our date when we sit down for dinner. After having a nice time at the lake, we get back on the horses and ride the rest of the way to a nice spot near the top of the mountain where we can watch the gorgeous sun as it sets over the stunning horizon. Kneecap showed me this place, and it definitely has the best views I’ve ever seen.
Forests and meadows and valleys and mountains stretch out for miles below us. You can even see the town of Redemption Creek in the distance.
“This is incredible,” she says as she admires the view. “This whole day has been incredible.”
“Would you like to do it again sometime?” I ask, hoping more than anything that she’ll say yes.
She smiles up at me and nods. “What are you doing tomorrow?” she asks.
“Nothing,” I say, “but you’re going on a date with my brother.”
Her eyes drop to the ground and she lets out an uncomfortable sigh. “I’ll cancel.”
“No,” I say, tucking a strand of her black hair behind her ear. “Don’t do that. He really likes you too.”
“But I can’t be with both of you,” she says, “and I really like you.”
I want to tell her that she can have both of us, that if this works, she will have both of us, but I don’t want to scare her off too soon. We’re still in the getting to know you phase, and I think it’s too soon to jump into the let’s have a threesome phase.
We sit down on the blanket and I set up the picnic. Wine, sandwiches, two salads, and some chocolate chip cookies that Jessie made for us.
I bite into the sandwich before Zoe does and gulp as the inside of my mouth blazes. It feels like I’ve just bit into a flaming charcoal briquette.
I spit it out and gasp for air as I grab the water bottle and chug it. It’s like throwing an ice cube into a volcano. It does nothing.
“Are you okay?” Zoe asks, looking at me funny. “You’re so red. And you’re sweating so much.”
I can’t breathe, let alone talk, so I just point to my open mouth as my tongue burns.
Suddenly, she starts to look worried. “Do you need help?”
I need to kill my brother.
After a few minutes of severe burning, I can finally talk again.
“There are way too many hot peppers in the sandwiches,” I say, taking gulps of air in between gulps of water.
She laughs as she leans back on the blanket. “I’m a vegetarian anyway.”
“Really?” I ask.
She shrugs. “I’m a veterinarian. It seems kind of hypocritical to try to save animals and then eat them after.”
I laugh. “I can see your point.”
“I’ll stick with the wine,” she says with a smile as she leans back on the blanket.
Luckily, we have a lot of that.
We talk for the next hour and it seems to fly by in minutes. It’s going well. And it’s not just about her beauty or the initial attraction anymore. I really like her and she seems to like me.
As we talk, w
e slowly turn our bodies until we’re no longer facing the view and instead are facing each other.
She begins to open up about her past and her family, and I lean forward while I listen, wanting to know everything about this amazing girl.
“What’s your background?” I ask her.
“I’m half-American, half-Vietnamese.”
“And all perfection.”
She laughs as she playfully hits my shoulder.
“Was your father born here?”
She shakes her head. “No, my father emigrated to America from Vietnam. It was before the war.”
When she starts to get choked up, I place my hand on hers. She takes it and holds it.
“I’m sorry,” she says with a sniff. “It was a very sad part of my family history. My father was a very sweet, quiet man. He was a true gentle soul. When he was ten years old, his uncle brought him to America and he became a citizen. Unfortunately, that meant he was eligible to be drafted into the army and he got drafted to go to the war in Vietnam when he turned eighteen.”
“He had to go back to his home country and fight?”
She nods. “It was the first time he returned, only this time he was returning with a gun in his hand. He was supposed to attack the country where his parents and friends still lived.”
My pulse races as I listen to her.
“In a horrible coincidence,” she continues, “he got sent to his home village where he had to watch as soldiers killed the boys who were once his friends. He never pulled the trigger once.”
“Oh, no.” I can’t imagine how horrific that must have been for him.
“And he watched the school that he went to years before burn down in front of him.”
“That’s horrible,” I say, squeezing her hand.
She squeezes mine back. “I hate war. It’s so pointless.”
I shift on the blanket and wrap my arm around her as we turn back to the setting sun. It’s lighting the sky up in a blaze of pink and purple hues as it starts to descend behind a far off mountain.
“I’ve never told anybody that before,” she says softly as she curls up beside me. “Even my best friend.”
