by Meg Ripley
“I reckon it’s possible to find a version of it, one way or another,” Mr. O’Rourke replied as he stood up and took a cookie from the tray.
“Maybe.” Damn it. He’d gone over there to repair a tractor, not to discuss his love life—or lack thereof. “I’m not sure it would even be fair to whatever girl I tried to be in a relationship with anyway. Between the ranch and work, I’m not home much.” Of course, Vance hadn’t told Jim about his involvement with the Force. He’d glossed over it, explaining he was the operations manager for a small company contracted by the military. That’d been enough to satisfy the old farmer, who knew better than to ask nosey questions about anything that had to do with the government.
“Sounds like an excuse to me,” Mr. O’Rourke teased. “You just think on it, okay? And if you decide you’d like to meet my niece, then you just let me know. In the meantime, I reckon we’re about ready to get this put back together.”
With the lines fixed and the hydraulic fluid topped off, the two men worked amicably to put the bucket back on the machine and test it out. Vance was glad for the work. Having something to do with his hands was always better than standing around idly. Between the visit from Gabe and the lecture from Jim, he’d been given too much to think about and it was nice to just concentrate on the task at hand.
When he headed home, however, he could hear the farmer’s words echoing in his mind as he showered and made a sandwich. It would be a pain to have a woman there with him. She’d be complaining about his muddy boots on the floor. She’d get upset when the food would get cold because he didn’t head in for dinner on time. Or maybe she’d be so busy working that it wouldn’t be like having anyone there at all, and then what would be the point? He was a cougar, after all. He needed a single, peaceful life.
On the other hand, his human mind knew there could be some benefits. Vance certainly wouldn’t mind the soft warmth of a woman next to him in bed, someone he could wrap his arms around in the middle of the night just to hear her breathing. And on the weekends, it could be nice to spend time getting to know the same woman instead of having random hookups all the time.
He shook his head as he locked the house before going to bed. As he tossed and turned, he realized he was letting Jim’s words get to him. Vance just wasn’t the settling type. He dated. He flirted. He went out with a woman once and decided she wasn’t worth it, and then he never called again. It was the way things had been for Vance his entire life, and there was no point in changing now.
To keep reading, you can find Baby For The Soldier Cougar HERE. Available with Kindle Unlimited.
Books available in the Special Ops Shifters: Dallas Force series:
Rescued By The Soldier Bear
Protected By The Soldier Tiger
Fated To The Soldier Fox
Baby For The Soldier Cougar
Also Available In Meg Ripley’s Shifter Nation Universe
Read With Kindle Unlimited!
Special Ops Shifters Box Set
(Featuring the original D.C. Force)
Werebears of Big Bend Box Set
Werebears of Glacier Bay Box Set
Werebears of the Everglades Box Set
Werebears of Acadia Box Set
Also Available From Meg Ripley
Read With Kindle Unlimited!
Forever Fated Mates Box Set
Shifter Daddies Box Set
Daddy Dragon Guardians: The Complete Series Box Set
Shifters Between Worlds: The Complete Collection
Beverly Hills Dragons: The Complete Collection
Dragons Of The Darkblood Secret Society Box Set
Dragons Of Sin City Box Set
Marked By Werewolves: Packs of the Pacific Northwest Series Box Set
Reverse Harem Romances Co-Written With Lark Sterling
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Shifters Of The Elements Series
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Meg Ripley is an author of sizzling shifter romances. A Seattle native, Meg can often be found curled up in a local coffee house with her laptop.
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