Page 64 of Meant for Her

“I’ll be happy to look, but why would you want to know where she is?”

That was a good question. “Of the two, I think Ryan might like some closure. The mom left without any explanation. Luke is bitter because he feels she should have come back to see her kids.”

“Ouch,” Mason said. “I see his point. This will take me a while. I’ll work it in when I have a moment.”

“I owe you big time.”

“Don’t worry about it.” He then disconnected.

A hand rested on her shoulder, and Malia jerked. It was David. “You scared me.”

“Sorry. We need you. Three people came in sicker than a dog.”

Happy to keep busy, she smiled and followed her cousin to the main room.

* * *

Once Malia finished her shift, she wanted to stop by her parents’ house to learn what their reaction was to the men. Or rather, she wanted to hear her mom’s opinion. Her father’s was obvious.

Instead of dropping in this time, she decided to call ahead in case they were busy doing one of their charity events. It was the weekend, after all. After sliding into her car, she started the engine and turned on the heat. While she waited for it to warm, she called her mom.

“Malia. Is everything all right?”

Why would she think something was wrong? It wasn’t as if she never called home. “Everything’s fine. I just got off work and wondered if you were home so I could stop by.”

“You’re always welcome, but we are out of your way. Are you calling to rehash last night’s dinner?”

Darn. Her mom always could see right through her. “Actually, yes. What did you think?”

“Your men are very handsome.”

While true, it wasn’t what she wanted to hear. “I agree. Did Dad say anything?”

Her mom huffed. “You know him. He’ll think anyone you bring home isn’t good enough.”

She was afraid of that. “Mom, the men were dealt a bad hand in life. They are my mates. It’s not like I had a choice.”

“If you say so.”

Her mom was fully human and never would have experienced that werewolf draw. “These men are hardworking and honest. And they treat me well.”

Okay, Luke started off being cold and then hot, but he’d come around.

“Are you happy?”

“Very happy, but I’ll be even happier when the men get their cattle back so they can continue to improve the ranch. They are hoping that once they pay off their father’s debts that they can buy some land back from the ranchers their dad sold the land to.”

Her mom didn’t say anything for a moment. “You don’t think these land owners had anything to do with the cattle rustling, do you?”

That had never crossed her mind. “No, why?”

“If the bank forecloses on Luke and Ryan’s ranch, someone could pick it up for very little.”

Oh, crap.“That is something we hadn’t considered. I’ll definitely bring it up to the men.”

“Just a thought, dear.”

The car was finally warming up. “I was talking to Mason, and he gave me an idea.”