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He also looked at her with a caring expression. It was like he knew everything about her, even her darkest secrets, and still wanted her around. It made her feel special.
She shook her head, realizing she was zoning out. “Gerri, can you tell me a little more about this place? All that I’ll need to know.”
She wanted to keep her mind off Deimos. She couldn’t be swooning on day one. She needed to focus. She repeatedly told herself that, but that was going to be hard to do.
SIX
DEIMOS
Deimos would much rather go back to his ranch home after the long day he had. He wanted the peace and quiet and to just look over and watch his cows to make sure they were doing okay.
Okay, maybe I’m lying to myself, and I just want to go back because I know Hope is there. It doesn’t make me an animal. Anyone else would be excited after finding their mate.
In a way, it did make him an animal. He sighed as he unlocked his front door, stepping into his house. It was quiet, but it wasn’t the type he wanted. He could still hear the city and the noises that came with it.
He liked living out on the ranch, and while he knew people didn’t always agree with it, it was what made him happy. But his happiness wasn’t always what mattered.
The dragon clutch needed him to come back and handle business. It was like pulling teeth with everything else that was going on at the ranch.
And the fact that Hope is there. Hope’s over there, and I’m sitting here in my city home.
Deimos growled at himself while he slipped his shoes off and walked into the kitchen. He decided he would pull something out of his freezer since he was not in the mood for cooking. And there was no point going out when he didn’t intend on being in the city for that long.
While he knew he should stay longer, he wanted to get back to the ranch. He would take care of the business he needed to and go back to the ranch tomorrow.
And to Hope. You want to see Hope as well. Maybe a little more than the cows, but not by much.
He shook his head and walked toward his freezer. While he could continue to lie to himself, the truth was obvious. He wanted to see Hope again. Every fiber in his being was screaming for him to go back to be close to her.
Opening his freezer, he pulled out a premade meal. Deimos had a handful of them since he’d hardly been in the city for a while. He did most of his cooking out at the ranch.
Distracted, he popped it into the oven and glanced out the window. Outside, the city was shining brightly as the night carried on. He remembered how much he used to like it until everything started to pile up.
Letting loose a sigh, the sense of failure washed over him. He was out working on his dragons’ demands when he wasn’t at the ranch. And when he was at the ranch handling the cattle, he felt he wasn’t doing his dragon duties. He couldn’t seem to find a balance.
Deimos set the timer for his meal and went to shower. It was a good way to clear his head and maybe not smell like he’d run around all afternoon. Which was exactly what he had done.
He had endless phone calls to return and several dozen emails to respond to. He had to drive to three different areas to meet with others, and he felt the exhaustion deep in his bones.
Staying so busy at the ranch had led to him neglecting his duties, but it wasn’t because he didn’t care. It was the opposite.
Feeling confined in the bathroom with his thoughts, he finished his shower, then he sat at the table to eat. He looked over his home and sighed. He liked being at the ranch more.
Deimos ate his dinner and glanced at his phone, scanning over the emails once more. He continued to read more and more requests. More questions. And then a few texts from his friends asking about getting out there.
Laughter bubbled up in his chest, but it was humorless. If only they knew he had found his mate today. He could certainly shut them up quickly. No one had expected him to find his mate at the ranch, but there she was.
He should thank Gerri. It was interesting how she worked. He hoped he would catch her tomorrow so he could talk to her.
He wondered if finding his mate would lessen everything. Would he be able to finally find a balance between everything? He hoped that Hope could figure out what was going on with the cows because he was tired of them growing sick and dying. It made him look like he was incompetent, and he certainly wasn’t.
After he’d studied and researched on how to make this possible, he made it happen. He wasn’t going to throw his entire project aside. Instead, he was going to improve it. It was for everyone’s benefit in the end.
He finished eating and cleaned up, then got ready for bed. The quicker he fell asleep, the sooner he would be back out at his ranch.
Deimos crawled under the sheets and stared at the wall, but sleep didn’t come for him. His mind kept wandering back to Hope, wondering what she was doing. Was she asleep? Were she and Gerri talking late into the night? Was she watching the cattle?
He rolled over and stuffed his head into his pillow, hoping sleep would hit him soon enough. He would need the rest for tomorrow.
