AllFreeNovel
Share Us
When Shannon had finally recovered from her orgasm, Tanner used the tip of his cock to clean up the dribbles on her cheek. Then he offered it to her to suck clean. She did so without hesitation.”
“That’s right, little one. Don’t let any of it go to waste.”
Shannon licked her lips and gave him a naughty look.
“It’s not going to make any babies in my stomach, you know.”
“I know. But it will help the babies in your womb grow big and strong.”
Shannon arched an eyebrow. “You sure about that, cowboy?”
“It’s what I’ve heard. Probably just an old wives’ tale, but I like the sound of it just the same.”
“An old omegas’ tale,” Shannon said, stroking him. “I like the sound of it too. My days of taking the suppressant are behind me. I’ve got a new elixir now, and I’m going to need plenty of it.”
“Your mates will gladly supply as much as you need,” Tanner said.
Logan and Rufus rumbled in agreement.
EPILOGUE 1
Shannon sat on the front porch of the adobe ranch house, enjoying the coolness of the shade and the splendid view of the Arizona landscape. White clouds sat on the horizon like piled up cream, but the sky above was clear and blue. Around the foot of the porch, little desert marigolds lifted their yellow faces to feast on the sun. Farther off, on the dusty trail that led into town, a trio riders were approaching. Shannon watched them as they came.
She was not alone in her watching.
Her mates were with her. Logan sat beside her, dressed in his favorite buckskin britches and loose linen shirt. A crimson bandana kept his long hair away from his dark and watchful eyes. Rufus was sitting on the other side, dressed in a new set of cowboy clothes which had not yet had a chance to get broken in. Earlier, Shannon had teased him for looking like a dude who had just stepped off a train from the east. That had made the shifter a little grumpy, but Shannon had quickly cheered him up again in her own special way. The taste of him still lingered on her tongue.
As for Tanner, the flaxen-haired alpha was standing up, leaning against one of the rough-hewn wooden posts of the porch, quietly puffing on a cigarette. His steely eyes looked out from beneath the brim of his new hat, watching the riders approach.
The three horses came up to the foot of the porch and stopped.
The man on the first horse was the sheriff of Lamentation, a stocky fellow with a barrel chest, bow legs, and a bushy gray mustache that completely covered his mouth. The second was a lawyer, who wore a pair of spectacles so thick they made his eyes look twice as big as they really were. The last rider was Rosie Redbottom, looking a bit like the Wife of Bath in her scarlet dress and wide-brimmed hat. She flashed Shannon a big smile as she swung down out of the saddle.
The trio of visitors tied the horses to the railing, then climbed the steps up to the porch and exchanged pleasantries with Shannon and her mates, who had risen from their seats to greet them.
“Well,” the sheriff said after a minute. “I reckon we ought to get down to business here.”
“Reckon so,” Tanner agreed.
At this, the bespectacled lawyer reached into his coat and brought out a piece of paper, which he ceremoniously unfolded and handed to Tanner. The alpha didn’t even glance at the paper, he just passed it to Shannon and waited for her to read it.
The document was a deed transferring the legal ownership of Duffy Ranch from Shannon to her three mates and business partners, Tanner McBain, Logan Summerhill, and Rufus Redwolf. Shannon perused the deed and, finding all of the details to be in order, nodded to Tanner.
“One of you fellas got a pen on you?” Tanner asked.
The lawyer reached into his coat again and produced a shiny Waterman fountain pen, a relatively new invention, and handed it to Shannon. Rosie offered her wide back as a writing surface, and Shannon signed her name at the bottom of the deed, followed by Tanner, Logan, and Rufus. The sheriff witnessed it.
“Well, that about does ’er,” the sheriff said. “You gentlemen are now the proud owners of Duffy Ranch. A fine piece of property it is. A fine piece of property indeed…”
He turned toward Shannon.
“I must admit, Miss Duffy, I was a mite surprised to learn you were an omega. For the life of me, I can’t figure how you kept it hid from Samuel all those years. Technically speaking, your ownership of the ranch weren’t never legal, but…” he shrugged, and his mustache lifted in what might have been a smile. “Aw heck, I reckon we can overlook that little technicality.”
The spectacled lawyer nodded in silent agreement.
It was Rosie who had persuaded the two men to do their overlooking. Both of them had been frequent visitors at Miss Redbottom’s brothel, and both were eager to keep their little escapades a secret in order to protect their reputations. Rosie even sweetened the deal by offering both men free credits at her establishment, just so neither of them would feel sore about it.
Of course, the sheriff had another reason not to be sore. Ned Flarity had no children, and he hadn’t named any heirs in his will, out of fear that it would give them an incentive to hasten his demise. As a result, all the man’s property had been turned over to the government of Lamentation to be auctioned off to the public. The sheriff had gotten a nice piece of the pie for a very modest price.
