Twin Wolves - Scarlett Grove Page 0,1

never would have believed it. With all the human tourists who came out to Fate Rock to hike and ski and ogle the backcountry shifter men, the twins had no end to female company. But the desire to find his fated mate had finally caught up with Cash, and it would never go away once it started.

“How are Cheyenne and the baby?” Molly asked, ringing up the last of their items.

“They’re doing well. Bobby is growing fast. He’s a big healthy boy.”

Molly rubbed her belly. “Mine’s a girl. We’re naming her Skye.”

“That’s beautiful,” Cal said, putting the women’s magazine back on the rack.

“Are you sure you don’t want that?” Molly asked.

“No, that’s okay. I already know how to do my eyeliner.”

She giggled as Cash ran the ranch credit card, and the bag boy put the last of the bags in the cart. Cal pushed the cart out into the parking lot while Cash opened up his candy bar. He stood with his back resting on the bed of the truck as Cal loaded the bags into the back seat of the crew cab.

“Can you help with this?” Cal asked.

“Yeah, sorry.” Cash put his candy bar on the dashboard and helped his brother load the groceries into the car.

“What’s got you thinking so hard?” Cal asked.

“It’s nothing.”

“I always know it’s something when you get that look on your face.”

“What look on my face?”

“That look like you’re chewing something over. Something that isn’t a candy bar.”

“I was just thinking about finding a mate. We still haven’t found ours yet. Sometimes I think we never will.

“I’m sure I’ll find mine. I don’t know if you’ll ever find yours,” Cal said, putting the last bag into the car.

“Thanks a lot,” Cash grumbled.

He took a bit of candy bar and turned on the car. Metallica’s “Enter Sandman” played through the speakers. He chewed his candy bar and pulled his phone out of his pocket.

“What are you doing?” Cal asked.

“I’m just checking something.”

“You’re checking Mate.com, aren’t you?”

“What if I am?”

“You know they send you a notification if they find your match,” Cal said.

“I know. Doesn’t mean I’m going to stop looking.”

“You’re pathetic.”

“You’re pathetic.”

“No, you,” Cal said, grabbing Cash’s phone. “Still nothing. Can we go home and get this over with? I’m starving. And there’s at least four Heinekens with my name on them.”

“Fine,” Cash said, pulling out of the parking space.

He was angry at his brother. But he also knew that Cal was right. The website would inform them when it found their mates. There was no use and checking all the time. But now that Cash wanted a mate, he couldn’t help himself. It felt like the most natural thing in the world to check every five minutes, even if he knew it was pointless.

Cash pulled onto the road. “How do you feel about not having found a mate yet?” he asked Cal as they drove through the last stoplight heading out of town.

“I don’t know,” Cal said in an uncharacteristic moment of thoughtfulness. “Sometimes I feel kind of sad.”

“You?” Cash asked.

“Yeah. Sometimes I feel lonely, all right?”

“I had no idea,” Cash teased.

“If you act like that, then I won’t tell you about this stuff anymore.”

“Okay, okay. I’m sorry. I never thought I would want a mate.”

”Neither did I,” Cal said. “It kinda came up on me all of a sudden.”

“I know what you mean. I didn’t expect it. It just sort of happened.”

“I only joined Mate.com to appease Austin and Heath. But now, every time I log in and still haven’t been matched, I admit, it hurts.”

They parked in front of the new intern house and carried the groceries inside. Cal popped the cap on the six-pack he’d bought at the store, and the two of them drank their beers while they finished up the chores at the house. They put all the laundry baskets into the bathrooms, stocked the toilet paper rolls, and made all the beds. By the time they were done, Cash was feeling more like a hotel maid than a rancher. But at least the work was done. Their brother Heath wouldn’t be getting on their case for not having done their duty on the ranch.

Cash didn’t want to get on Heath’s bad side as far as work and duty were concerned. Gunner had learned that one the hard way. But now that their younger brother was taking some college courses and getting off the ranch once in a while, Heath had gotten off Cash’s back. And Gunner was showing