“Motherfucking ball sack!” J.D. McNamara cursed as a big glob of oil hit her on the cheek. Of course, oil, dirt, and grime were all part of being a mechanic and working with cars. But still, it was annoying as fuck.
Her inner animal didn’t like it either. The feline sniffed at her distastefully, whipping its short tail around.
Damn prissy little thing.
Her inner feline yowled in protest.
Oh, J.D. knew her animal was fierce. It was dubbed as the deadliest cat in the world after all. But its small stature didn’t exactly do them any favors, especially when compared to the other shifters in town.
While the population of Blackstone, Colorado, was made up of a variety of shifter animals, most were inevitably predators like bears, large cats, and wolves. However, she was none of those. In fact, she was a very rare shifter—an African black-footed cat, one of the smallest wildcats in the world. Few people knew who she was because … well, it was hard to explain exactly, and inevitably, people would think she was just a cat.
“You all right there, J.D.?” came a familiar voice from above.
Finishing up the repair, she slid out from under the Toyota she’d been working on and looked up at Gabriel Russel’s grinning face. “Yeah, yeah,” she sighed.
“You didn’t sound like you were all right,” he teased, but offered her a hand.
She took it and allowed him to pull her up. “Yeah, well next time, why don’t you get a money shot on the fucking face, Russel, and see if you like it.”
“I’d tell you to act like a lady, but you’d probably knee me in the balls,” he chuckled.
“Damn right.” She grabbed a rag and wiped the oil from her face. “Besides, people who cuss are smart as fuck. It’s a scientific fact.” She threw the dirty rag at him playfully, but he blocked it with a hand.
“Whoa, watch the hair!” He shook his head, making his long, dark golden locks shimmer. It was almost comical and very apt—Gabriel was a lion shifter, after all, and was as proud of his human mane as he was of his animal’s. “Just because you don’t care about what you look like, doesn’t mean some of us don’t.”
“Some meaning you.” Taking her trucker cap off the hook from the wall, she placed it on top of her head. It was the only way she could cover her mop of unruly blonde curls. If she spent time on trying to tame it every morning to have it perfect the way Gabriel did, she’d have to wake up at five every day. “So, to what do I owe this pleasure, Russel?” Not that Gabriel needed an occasion to show up at her garage. They had been best friends since grade school after all.
“Oh yeah.” He held up his hand, lifting up a white box. “Temperance wanted you to have this. Ginger pumpkin streusel pie. Her first Thanksgiving creation.”
“Ooh!” Taking the box from him, she took in a sniff. The smell of ginger, pumpkin, and spices tickled her nose. “I’m honored, but what’s it for?”
“For not charging her for the tune-up and oil change.”
“Of course. You know what Pop always said. Family—”
“Don’t pay,” Gabriel finished with a fond smile on his face. “It means a lot to me. That you consider her family too.”
“Like I wouldn’t. She’s your mate and soon-to-be wife, so of course she’s family. Besides, anyone who can put up with you deserves more than free service,” she said with a chuckle.
“Oh, ha ha, funny, McNamara, you should go on tour.” Gabriel rolled his eyes. “Anyway, there’s another reason I came here. Damon asked me to invite you to the Blackstone Ranger Thanksgiving party tomorrow.”
“He did?” J.D. blinked. Damon was their other best friend, who was also chief of the Blackstone Rangers. Gabriel had been a ranger himself the past five years, but recently he’d quit so he could go into business with his mate to take over the local pie shop, Rosie’s Bakery and Cafe. “I’ve never been asked before. I thought it was an event for rangers and their families?”
“Yeah, well, you’re family, J.D.,” Gabriel declared with a warm smile.
She stared at him, stunned, her throat closing up at the declaration.
Gabriel and Damon had been her best friends since she was ten years old, when she and her father had moved to Blackstone from Brooklyn. She’d been the new girl in town, which already made her a target for bullies, and