Chapter 3
By the time she and Avi had finished his chores, harvesting and tending to the crops, she was fully smitten.
He wasn’t just sexy, he was the sweetest guy. Funny and genuine, he had a way of looking at her with his pretty blue eyes that made her feel like the most important person in the world.
She’d had a bit of a meltdown earlier on the bench, but the tears had been more cathartic than anything.
Not like the night before, when she’d cried out of frustration and fear.
It had felt so good to be in Avi’s arms and to hear the soft, reassuring whinny of his stallion as she pressed her ear to his chest.
It was that little meltdown that had been a bit of a breakthrough for her.
After her tears had dried, they sat next to each other on the bench and talked about the farm and their lives.
He’d lost his mom and been adrift for a while before settling in Little River with the herd.
There had been some turmoil and the herd had disbanded and reformed with Crew as the alpha.
More trouble had loomed recently, when Avi’s cousin, Colton, had appeared out of the blue asking for sanctuary but had secretly been planning to take out Crew and take over the herd and farm.
Colton had attempted to harm Zara, who’d been part of his herd before she mated Crew, and had also abducted Tatum from the library.
After Tatum’s rescue, Colton had lost one of his males and he and the rest of his herd had been driven out of town.
The attacks explained why the farm was so serious about security, which was why the park alphas believed Fallon would be safe there.
Plus, there was the added benefit of them essentially driving her right into her soulmate’s arms.
It was the bright spot in the shitty situation she’d been in.
But no matter how much she liked Avi—and she liked him a whole lot—she couldn’t shake the worry that Otto was lurking out there somewhere and would eventually figure out where she was. She was worried about her mom and Sunny being harmed as Otto tried to find her.
She wished he’d never found them in the first place.
After the last chore was done, Tris invited Fallon to the front porch to sit with her and Zara and enjoy an afternoon snack of blackberry iced tea and crisp sugar cookies.
Avi had smiled at Fallon and said he’d catch up to her in a while, and she climbed the steps and sat between the two females on white-painted rocking chairs and watched her soulmate as he headed toward the barn.
He sure was sexy.
She was tempted to follow him and forego the tea and cookies.
Very tempted.
“Someone got struck by Cupid’s arrow, huh?” Zara asked with a chuckle.
“Something like that,” Fallon said. She settled back in the chair and it creaked a bit as she pushed her foot against the porch to rock. Taking a sip of the sweet tea, she said, “It’s really beautiful here. Very peaceful.”
“Little River is a quiet town,” Tris said. “But the farm is special for sure. How do you like it so far?”
“I like it a lot. It’s the first time in a while that I’ve actually felt comfortable.”
“You didn’t feel comfortable at the park?” Zara asked.
“Not really.” She set her glass down on a small table and picked up a sugar cookie, taking a bite.
“I always felt like I was just waiting for the other shoe to drop, you know? When would someone from the prowl come for me or harm my mom or Sunny to get to me? It was stressful. I couldn’t really relax. ”
“That’s so awful,” Tris said.
“Well, stallions might not be predators like jaguars, but I have to tell you that no one takes the safety of their soulmates more seriously than our guys. Crew would burn the world down for me, and I know that Khyle would for Tris. It’s easy to see that Avi already wants to ensure you’re safe and happy. ”
Fallon looked toward the barn where he’d disappeared.
“I want that for him too.”
“He just needs you,” Zara said. “All the stallions want is their soulmate by their side.”
“Do jaguars believe in soulmates? My old alpha thought waiting for soulmates was a waste of time. He thought wolves should mate and have babies and grow the pack. Anything else was nonsense to him,” Tris said.
“Ugh,” Fallon said, wrinkling her nose. “He sounds like a jackass.”
Tris grinned. “He sure was.”
“Jaguars believe in soulmates, but many didn’t believe in waiting for them. Our people were pretty isolated, so someone might wait their whole lives and never meet their soulmate.”
“My pack was like that,” Tris said.
“My herd too,” Zara said. “You might still feel like things are up in the air for you, but you’re already part of the herd now, whether you and Avi are fully mated or not. You’re under not only Avi’s protection, but the whole herd’s. Keeping you safe keeps all of us safe.”
“I appreciate that so much.” She finished the cookie and lifted another off the plate. “Enough about me, though. Tell me more about you two.”
Zara and Tris shared a glance, and then Tris said, “I’ll go first, since my story starts with me planning to go into an arranged mating with a wolf from the safari park.”
“What? Do tell!” Fallon said.
“So, his name is Auden and he was cute as a button. Not sexy like a certain stallion, mind you, but cute all the same…”
* * *
“Hi,” Fallon said after finding Avi in the barn working on a tractor with Ford. She’d spent over an hour with Tris and Zara and had a wonderful time with them. They were the nicest females and made her feel really welcome in the herd.
“Hi, yourself,” he said. He straightened from where he was leaning over the engine and set a tool down in a nearby box. “How was your break?”
“Perfect. They’re really sweet.”
“I’m glad you enjoyed yourself. I came in here to organize the garden tools and Ford drafted me to help him.”
“I appreciate it,” he said gruffly.
Avi smiled. “Hey, would you like to go on a date with me? Tonight?”
Before she could answer, Ford said, “I have plans.”
Fallon laughed as Avi growled with a chuckle. “How about we talk about this outside?”
She followed him to the bench outside the barn and sat with him, and he continued, “It’s not really a great idea for us to leave the farm right now since things are still up in the air with you and your situation.
Plus, we’re always watching out for my asshole cousins, Colton and his brother Weston, for whatever fuckery they’re getting up to trying to take over the farm.
But, we can have a nice date here on the farm. ”
“I’d like that. What did you have in mind?”
“Leave it to me. I’ll come get you at the apartment at five.”
“That’s perfect. It’ll give me time to clean up and find something to wear.”
“It’s supposed to get chilly once the sun sets, so bring a jacket.”
“Sounds good.”
He walked her to the apartment in the barn and said goodbye, promising to return in a little over an hour.
She’d never really dated anyone. Jaguars didn’t date; they hooked up when they felt like it and either asked the alpha to arrange a mating or chose someone to mate with.
So this was her very first date.
And it was with her soulmate.
She sent a quick message to Sunny on her cell to let her know the good news of finding her soulmate and going on a date with him. Sunny’s return messages gushed with well-wishes. Fallon asked her to share a message with her mom on her behalf.
You bet, bestie. What do you want me to tell her?
Tell her that Avi is really sweet and I hope she can meet him someday soon. And that I miss her so much and I hope she’s safe. And don’t forget to say that I love her.
You got it. I’ll send a message off to her right now. I’ll let you know if she responds.
Thanks, bestie.
Let’s make plans to chat soon, I want all the tea from your first date. I miss you!
You got it. And I miss you too.
She put her phone down and got into the shower. Her first date was going to start soon and she wanted to look her best.
When there was a knock on the door an hour later, Fallon took one last look at herself in the bathroom mirror.
She’d twisted the sides of her long, dark hair up and curled the ends with a curling iron that she found in the bathroom cabinet.
Then she dressed in a jean skirt and a long-sleeved top that showed just the right amount of cleavage.
With a little bit of makeup and a pair of navy-blue loafers, she felt ready for her date with Avi, and a little bit nervous and a lot excited.
Opening the door to the apartment, she found him wearing jeans and a dark dress shirt, holding a bouquet of wildflowers.
“You look beautiful, sweetheart,” Avi said, kissing her cheek.
He smelled so good! All male and leather and sunshine.
And he looked incredible. Had he gotten more good-looking while they’d been apart? He was freshly shaved, and his dark hair was casually styled. He looked effortlessly sexy and made her whole body warm.
“You look great too. Thank you for the flowers, they’re so pretty.”
“They’re from the woods. I picked them myself and only lost one of them to Daisy when she chased after me earlier.”
She grinned. Daisy the goat was a character.
“So,” she said as she took the flowers into the kitchenette and put them in a glass with water. “This is my first date.”
“Our first date?” he asked, his brow lifted.
“Yes, but I mean it’s mine. My actual first-ever date.”
Both brows lifted and then he smiled. “Well, that’s awesome! I have something really special planned, and it starts on the back porch of the farmhouse. Now that I know it’s your very first-ever date—and our first date—I’m going to knock your socks off.”
Yes, please.
Silencing the part of her mind that wanted to head right to bed, she said, “I can’t wait.”
What a difference a day made.
When she’d come to the farm, she’d been scared and upset.
After spending the day with Avi and the herd, she was still a little scared about what Otto might do, but she felt safer than she had since Dario took over the prowl. And it was all thanks to her sexy soulmate.
Wherever the night took them, she definitely wanted to find out if his lips were as soft as they looked.
She bet they were.