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“Seriously? She raised Thatcher. How does someone who makes awesome chocolate chip cookies raise the devil's spawn?”
“She also raised Rafe after his parents died.”
“Oh.”
“She’s great. You’ll like her.” Elliot stopped the truck in front of a wooden cabin.
Four steps led up to a white door. A woman waved from inside the window to the left of the door before turning her attention back to what Callum assumed was a sink. On the small porch, a wooden swing hung from the overhang, and on the opposite side, a white wicker armchair. Matching baskets overflowing with purple and white flowers hung from each corner of the porch roof.
As they reached the cabin, she rushed out the front door and down the steps to greet them, drying her hands on an apron, before gathering Elliot into a hug and kissing both his cheeks.
“You boys have breakfast yet?” She reached over and grabbed Callum for a hug.
“Yes, Anna,” Elliot chuckled.
“Good.” She released Callum and stood back to examine him. He took a moment to do the same. She was on the short side, for a shifter. Her hair was mostly gray, with a few streaks of black. Kind eyes and a bright smile had Callum smiling, too. “You must be Callum. Rafe and Elliot have told me all about you. You can call me Anna.”
“Hi Anna.” Callum smiled at her. “Seems I’m your laborer today.”
“Excellent. The rest of the ladies will be very pleased.” She gave him a once over, clearly hinting that he’d be eye-candy.
Callum leaned over, and in a half-joking whisper, told Elliot, “Why do I get the feeling I’m going to be slugging a bunch of stuff around while her friends are in recliners sipping lemonade?”
“Not a bad idea!” Anna tapped her finger against her chin before winking at him. “You’ll likely be too hot in that shirt, though. It’ll probably need to come off.” Laughing, she turned away and started up the stairs. “Come on, then.”
Smirking, Callum asked, “Is it safe for you to leave me with her?”
“I’m not sure.” Elliot laughed, before calling toward the cabin, “He’ll be in one piece when I pick him up?”
Anna popped her head back out. “No promises!”
“I gotta go.” Elliot, grinning, said his goodbyes and left Callum at the cabin.
Glancing up, he followed Anna inside, but before he made it to the screen door, she re-emerged, this time with no apron, and wearing a big sun hat flopping over her forehead. After locking her front door, she heaved a purse onto her shoulder and dropped a cooler on the porch.
“What can I carry?”
She smiled at him, the hat bending as she moved. “Come with me. We have tools to grab from the shed.”
Behind the cabin was a tiny shed smelling of dirt and grease. A few spiders scurried away when they tugged the door open.
Callum helped her pull out a bag of gardening hand tools, a few empty pails, a wheelbarrow, and several rakes, hoes and shovels. He glanced at the pile of items. “Looks like it’ll be a fun day.”
“Atta boy.” She grabbed as much as she could carry, and Callum did the same. Once the tools lay next to the porch, she applied sunscreen to her arms and face, insisting he do the same.
Soon, Rafe pulled up with a much newer SUV and helped them load everything up. Apparently, Callum wasn’t the only laborer/eye-candy who had been voluntold to help.
Callum took a back seat while Anna sat on the passenger side, and Rafe drove them to their destination.
He spent the day working side by side with Rafe and Anna. The work wasn’t too difficult, but it was constant. The only breaks came when the ladies debated over what exactly was going where, and when Anna demanded they break for water and lunch.
Working in the sun all day had been pleasant, but the highlight of his day had been when he’d caught her scent.
His mate.
It was sweet and lovely and stirred his blood like nothing he’d ever experienced before.
Glancing around, he searched for the source, but it had been fleeting, a whiff on the passing breeze. He paused, with his hoe in hand, and Rafe, who was following behind dropping carrot seeds, almost ran into him.
