Chapter Fourteen

Red

I swear I’m wearing a permanent blush or else it was stubble burn after several repeat performances demonstrating how much stamina my goat had. If anyone ever had insomnia, I could market my mate as a cure.

Gordon’s Sex Tonic: a cure for discerning Gentlemen with Insomnia.

Only I wasn’t sharing him, not with anyone… ever.

That’s right, my little rhubarb stalk. My goatiness is all yours.

He did sound amused by the sex tonic idea.

No one wants to share his goatiness, Tim pointed out. Although the tunes you sing when he’s—

Give over, Tim. Leave Red alone. Glass sounded amused and pissed at the same time.

It was becoming clear I really needed to work on keeping my thoughts to myself.

“Ignore them,” Leonidis muttered, rubbing his eyes and cracking his jaw as he walked to the counter where the coffee pot was. “They’re just jealous. I didn’t think anyone could compete with how loud Tim got.” He gave me a cheeky wink as he grabbed a mug. “It seems I was wrong.”

“We need to find a store that sells extra, extra, extra powerful sound canceling headphones. Mine aren’t working anymore.” Drew didn’t so much as pause on his way to the table where I was sitting. When he stopped next to me, he made a coughing noise and then something landed in my lap.

I nearly brushed it off in disgust. What the heck? Has he just spat on me?

Nah. Pick it up and see what it says , Gordon said with excitement.

My mate was in the garden digging us a nice bed, so how did he know what was on my leg?

Pick it up. You’ll see.

With more than a little ick factor going on inside me, I reached for what appeared to be a pale pink love heart… sweet! There, in the center of the heart, were the words embracing the stalk.

Now, isn’t that just fitting? I’d most definitely like to embrace my stalk. Thanks Drew.

Drew’s smile was part-sweet, part-leer. “You’re both welcome, even though your acrobatics could turn me into a drama llama. Just saying.”

I chuckled, hiding my new blush in the coffee cup that I’d grabbed after Gordon had gone outside with Maximus to figure out which part of their enormous yard out back would be best for my patch to get…

Why stop there?

Stop it. Everyone is looking at me! I exclaimed, because it was true. Those who had come down for breakfast were paying more interest in me.

“Breakfast. I took a deep breath and tried to recover my dignity. “Does anyone want me to make them some eggs? I make a mean vegetable omelet.”

“I won’t say no,” Tim muttered as he came into the kitchen, rubbing his protruding belly. “I need to feed these little tykes, as they are stealing all my energy to sing!”

“Let it continue,” muttered Burke, who was right behind him, his belly much the same as Tim’s, only he wore a top that strained across his bump.

“Is Doc Picker coming by today?” Drew asked as I got up, tucked the love heart into my sweats pocket and went to investigate what vegetables they had to add to the omelet as I listened to the conversation.

For the first time in weeks, I felt like I could breathe, and it didn’t hurt. The constant fear gnawing at me… wasn’t there now. I felt safe. My goat was right, being here surrounded by the noisy pride, it made a difference.

See, I told you. And can you save me some eggs? I’ll need some energy for when you join me in the soil.

Please…

“You two are definitely worse than Tim, Apollo and Burke, rolled into one!” Randy’s giggle sounded strained, and while I whisked the eggs, I watched him shuffle about the kitchen, a furrow digging deep between his brows.

His pink hair was longer than it had been when we’d first met. He brushed it back, the light from the kitchen window behind him making his hair appear like spun cotton candy.

“Who cuts your hair?” I asked, thinking about his animal form, too. Tartie was the best shearer in these parts, although he wasn’t around that much as he had to travel to find work.

“Oh crap, did I mention Tartie offered to give you a shearing?” Ricky, who’d been out the back, asked as he came through the door, covered in soil and little else.

“Mate of mine, I love you all stalky dirty, but could you maybe find something more to cover you than dirt when this lot is around?” Burke grumbled, whipping off his T-shirt and going to Ricky to wrap it around his hips.

“Someone stole my clothes,” Ricky murmured, nuzzling into Burke’s neck and transferring some of the dirt to Burke’s naked chest.

“What about Tartie? Maybe you did, I just can’t recall if you mentioned it?” Randy shrugged, appearing intrigued, or that’s what I picked up. “I mean, if he’s good with the shears, then I’d let him get his hands on me.” He waggled his brows. “I could do with a little action even if it’s only getting a shearer to fondle my—”

Ricky held up his hand. “Noooo, he’s my friend. I don’t wanna think about that!”

“We have to think about nothing else but that, when you guys get all… down and dirty!” Randy fired back, giggling. “I think it’s only fair to have turn around, if only for a minute.”

Ricky muttered under his breath as Burke led him to the door, trailing dirt with them.

“Where are you going?” Randy asked, back to frowning. “I thought you were gonna ask Tartie to shear me?”

“What…” Ricky’s gaze narrowed on Randy. “Right now? Can’t it wait till I showered off the dirt?”

“Let’s be clear. We can all read how Burke wants to clean you, and it isn’t with water,” Randy pointed out, laughing along with most everyone else.

“Whatever,” Burke muttered, not looking at all bothered.

The whisk flew out of the bowl at the peel of the doorbell.

Everyone in the room looked at me as the whisk bounced on the counter, splattering egg everywhere, and landed on the floor next to my sneakers. Ears buzzing from sudden fear, it took a second to hear Tim. “It’s Doc. You’re fine, Red. You’re safe. Breathe,”

The back door burst open and Gordon rushed in, wielding a pitchfork. Dirty and sweaty from digging, his eyes were fierce and his alpha power filled the room.

Even through the fear, a shiver of delight ran through me.

Oh my, look at my goat!