“Hey, Tina, Lana. Good thing you’re here,” Ty said.

  Yeah, Lana’s wink said. Good thing we’re here.

  “Where do you reckon is the best place to put the new pump house?”

  Tina blinked. From the sounds of it, the men hadn’t been on the verge of a territorial dispute. More like an amicable business talk.

  “The new pump house?” she mumbled.

  “Why operate two leaky pump houses when we can share one? A new, efficient one,” Rick chimed in, and both men looked up, waiting for her reaction.

  Lana waited, too, and Tina warmed all over. Maybe Good Old Tina wasn’t just a quiet supporter. Maybe she was a leader in her own right.

  Rick squeezed her hand, and Lana gave her a wry smile as if she’d known it all along.

  “Um… The spot just west of where the old one stood seems like a good one, and it was on Stef’s list of recommended sites,” she managed.

  “Exactly what I was thinking.” Rick nodded.

  Ty nodded, too. “Just need to work out the details. Fifty-fifty split of costs and water?” He looked at Rick.

  “Sounds good to me.”

  “Just don’t get greedy and talk about increasing the volume,” Lana warned.

  Ty waved a hand. “No way.”

  Rick dipped his head in agreement. “Not going there.”

  “Hey, everyone, dig in!” Cody announced from across the hall. The feast was on.

  The children scampered over, along with all the young men of the pack who seemed to inhale food the way they inhaled air. The old curmudgeons leaned back and waited at their table, waxing poetic about the good old days.

  Good old days? Tina sighed and looked around. More like good new days. The ranch was prospering, the kids happy and healthy. Christmas was right around the corner, and it would be a truly special one.

  She couldn’t help it. She leaned over and kissed Rick, full on the lips. Hung on to that kiss and lost herself in her mate’s taste. She let it go a little deeper. Slid her hands down his shoulders and slowly settled into his lap.

  What did it matter if Cody cleared his throat in an amused hint, or that the little girls giggled, or the old ladies sighed dreamily? Nothing was going to make her break that kiss. She deserved that kiss. She deserved Rick.

  At long, long last, she had her mate.

  When she finally pulled back and rested her forehead on his, she whispered. “Mine. Mate.” Inside, her wolf swished its tail in long, dreamy strokes.

  Rick’s face glowed like he’d just swung his way into the Baseball Hall of Fame. “Mine,” he echoed, even louder, letting the whole world hear. “Mate.”

  * * *

  Tina and Rick make many encore appearances in the rest of the Twin Moon Ranch and Blue Moon Saloon series. Turn the page for an exclusive story devoted just to them: Happily Mated After, a sexy, steamy bonus epilogue to Desert Heart.

  Bonus Scene: Happily Mated After

  Now that Tina and Rick have conquered the odds that once kept them apart, they can enjoy their new life on Seymour Ranch. But there’s one final obstacle to achieving their happily “furever” after as a mated pair...

  This steamy bonus epilogue takes place three months after the conclusion of Desert Heart.

  * * *

  Work, work, work. Her inner wolf sighed.

  Tina silenced the beast and went right on clicking the keys of her laptop. Let me concentrate.

  She checked the scrawled entries in the ledger then entered them on her spreadsheet. What she could make of the entries, at least. Seymour Ranch had always been run as a tight ship, but things had gone downhill in the couple of years since old Henry and Lucy Seymour passed away, and the records were a mess.

  The wolf yawned. Mate. Want my mate.

  We can’t spend every hour of every day shagging, you know, she reminded the beast.

  Why not?

  Shush! She sighed and squinted at the scribble. Thank God there were only a few ledgers left to work her way through. Then she’d have the records up to date and could look forward, not back. With Seymour Ranch in the capable hands of her mate these days, the future looked bright.

  The very capable hands, her wolf agreed.

  She could feel the beast purring, swiping its tail in long, lusty strokes.

  Capable hands, her wolf purred dreamily. Capable lips. And that tongue…

  She shook her head, trying to settle the beast down. Surely after three months of happily mated after, the wolf could get over this constant lust?

  Hey! the inner voice protested. We’ve got a lot of lost time to make up for.

  That part, she had to agree with. She’d known her destined mate from the time they were kids on neighboring ranches. Got to know him even better—

  Got to know him intimately, her wolf interjected.

  —as a teen, when they’d stolen off to clandestine meetings because they just couldn’t keep away from each other. Rick had even asked her to leave Arizona with him when his baseball career took off, but she’d had to let him go.

  It still hurt to think about that awful part of the past. To replay the moment she’d shaken her head and forced herself to say no. He was human; she was wolf. A relationship doomed never to work.

  Just shows how little you know, her wolf smirked.

  Tina rocked herself on the chair, thinking about everything that had happened. It had taken a brush with death—a full-on tango with death, actually—to bring her and Rick together for good. He’d almost been killed by a hellhound, then barely survived the transformation to wolf.

  Thank God he made it. Thank God. She reminded herself of that miracle every hour, every day. She’d remind herself for the rest of her life, because it had been that close: a hairsbreadth away from a lifetime spent bitter and alone.

  Back to work, already. She forced herself to focus on the ledgers. If sorting through sloppy records was the biggest frustration in her life, she should feel lucky. Damn lucky.

  The keys clicked under her fingers. One by one, she turned the pages of the ledger. In another week or so, she’d be all caught up.

  All work and no play…

  She ignored the wolf’s grumble. What did a wolf know about accounting, anyway? Running the books for two ranches was a big job. A good thing Twin Moon Ranch, her home until a few months ago, was thriving, and the books were in good shape. She knew; she’d been the accountant there her whole adult life. Seymour Ranch, on the other hand, had a long road to financial recovery after a few ruinous years. Things were on the upswing under the direction of its new owner, but the ranch still had a long way to go.

  Her lips quirked into a smile, because the new owner was Rick, her mate, who’d made it clear the ranch was just as much hers as it was his. Yeah, they had a way to go, but the ranch was coming along nicely. Very nicely, indeed.

  A husky whisper came from the doorway. “What are you smiling at, beautiful?”

  She glanced up and there he stood. Rick’s dark eyes shone as if he might shift into a dragon instead of a wolf. A dragon regarding the most precious jewel in the world.

  Her. She was the jewel. His jewel.

  Her wolf immediately started purring and wagging its tail.

  Every time I think of you, I smile. Tina nearly said it aloud, but she couldn’t quite get the words past the lump in her throat. God, she was lucky. So, so lucky.

  Rick smiled that special smile—the one that started on the right and worked its way around to the left like a flame licking across a log.

  Sweet didn’t begin to describe the man who brought her coffee every morning and massaged her neck every night. Sensual didn’t even come close to describing those lips or the way he stroked a thumb slowly across his chest. And smoking hot didn’t even scratch the surface of the pro-athlete body that had only gotten harder and stronger since he’d turned wolf.

  Mate, he half hummed, half growled, gazing into her eyes. She could hear his baritone resonate in her bones. Mine.

  Mine, her wolf sang back. Mate.

  She gulped and beckoned him over. “How long have you been standing there?”

  He clomped across the floor in his work boots and hugged her from behind, trapping her in the chair.

  “Two minutes? Twenty?” He shrugged, lifting her shoulders along with his. “I could watch you all day.” Strong fingers smoothed her black locks as his lips closed over hers.

  She closed her eyes and succumbed to the warm whirlpool that sucked her in every time they kissed. Crisp winter air clung to his flannel shirt, but his skin was warm. Bit by bit, everything melted away: the room, the ledgers, the lazy crackle of flames in the fireplace. Everything but her mate. His chest was a blanket, keeping her warm. His cheek was a pillow, inviting her to rest. His heartbeat was a drum, thumping strong and steady against her back.

  He broke the kiss and snuggled closer.

  Her whole soul sighed. Mine. Mate.

  “How’s it going?” Rick tilted his head at the desk.

  “The usual. The records are a mess.” She sighed. But what did that matter? She had her mate.

  The pulse in his neck quickened when she twisted in the chair and kissed him there. She slid a hand over his jaw, guiding his head to one side. One kiss for the tiny scar on his chin; another on his throat. Her lips tip-toed closer, deeper. Whatever it was that had seemed so important to her two minutes ago was gone. Now there was only joy. Only him.

  “Maybe we can fix that,” he murmured, slowly swiveling the chair so her body faced his. He stepped into the space between her knees and leaned in for another kiss.

  A kiss that went deeper and hotter as their tongues danced inside.

  “Wait a sec,” he mumbled, pulling back.

  A second? Who had a second? She wanted her mate!

  She tugged at his sleeves, but Rick only laughed his rich, oaky laugh. “I promise this will be better.”

  “I doubt it, cowboy. What can be better than—”

  His lips silenced hers as he lifted her effortlessly, rolled the chair aside with a foot, and settled her on the edge of the desk.

  “How about this?” With his chest crushed against hers, the words were more vibration than sound.

  She might have hummed something like, Oh, yes, if her body hadn’t been too busy melting against his. Her legs circled his waist and pulled him close. Close enough to feel the hard ridge of his erection pushing at the fabric of his jeans and into her dress.

  A dress she really, really wanted to lose. Pronto, because the buttons of his shirt pockets pressed against her breasts and stirred every nerve inside. She wanted him—needed him—skin-to-skin.

  Tongue-to-skin, her wolf added. Tongue-to-tongue. Tongue-to—

  She silenced the beast before its dirty mind roved too far down her body. Her imagination was already racing ahead instead of enjoying the prance of his fingers over her dress.

  “God, I love this dress,” he murmured, kissing her neck while his fingers freed another button.

  “Me, too,” she whispered, tilting her head back. His lips honed in on the hollow under her chin, closing in on the spot where he’d marked her as his mate a few months ago. The scar was like an on switch for her whole body; she tingled every time he touched it. Hell, she tingled whenever she thought about him touching it. And when they made love…

  Her body shivered in anticipation. His lips tickled the area around the faint scar, and every nerve in her body trembled with delight.

  God, I love that spot, her wolf sang.

  Me, too, his wolf hummed back.

  “I’ve had fantasies about this dress,” he mumbled into her skin.

  “Me, too.” Her voice slurred as desire crept into her bones. The calico dress had about four buttons per inch in one long, pearly row down the front.

  She slid down the zipper of his jeans while he popped another button, then another, and another. When he nudged closer, all her blood seemed to surge to her core.

  “What about Henry?” She glanced at the black-and-white pictures of the previous ranch owner on the wall. A witness, so to speak.

  Rick’s eyes scraped the wall. Some of the photos showed Henry in his ever-present Stetson, while others captured Lucy Seymour’s genuine smile. There were framed shots of the happy couple as young lovers all the way up through their golden years. Riding horses, working the garden, contemplating a fiery desert sunset. About the only thing the photos didn’t show were children, because the Seymours couldn’t have any of their own. Instead, they’d showered the neighbor kids with kindness and ultimately left their beloved ranch to the one they trusted most of all. Rick.

  “I think Henry would understand about a man needing his woman,” Rick said.

  His woman. The wolf in her let out a lusty growl.

  His fingers worked quickly, flicking another button open as he pushed her farther back.

  “You don’t think Henry would mind us fooling around on his desk?” She patted the wood beside her hip.

  A few months ago, they’d come close to having sex in this very spot, but they’d ended up moving the action to Rick’s bachelor pad above the barn out of respect for the Seymours. Tina and Rick had only moved in to the Seymour homestead a week ago, but that feeling of trespassing hadn’t entirely worn away yet.

  “My desk now,” Rick growled.

  A thick, muscled arm reached behind her and swept across the surface, sending everything — ledgers, pens, Henry Seymour’s bronze desk lamp — crashing to the floor.

  “Rick!” she squeaked. The wolf was taking over her mild-mannered sweetheart.

  Not that she minded. Not at a time like this. They’d woken that morning and made sweet, slow love. Now it was time to satisfy their wolf halves with the pace they preferred: fast and furious.

  Rick flicked one eyebrow up. “You did say the records are a mess.”

  She giggled in spite of herself. Yes, serious, responsible Tina was giggling. Having a damn good time even though office hours were technically still ticking away. Which only made her feel naughtier. Hungrier. Hotter.

  Her back touched down on the oak desk, and Rick kept coming, smothering her in a possessive, wolfy kiss.

  His fingers flew over the buttons, and a growl vibrated through his chest.

  “Patience, my love.” She tapped her fingers on his broad back. “Patience.”

  He glanced up, eyes simmering a warm yellow-brown. “Tell that to a wolf.”

  Her whole body went warm at his casual tone. A few months ago, she’d have laughed aloud at anybody who tried convincing her that a human would take so quickly to shapeshifter ways. But Rick was special. Her one-in-a-million man.

  Her chuckle turned into a moan when he pushed the open section of dress apart and kissed the soft flesh of her breast. One firm thumb pushed the cup of her bra aside and circled the bare skin. He leaned closer.

  Tina drew a shaky breath.

  Closer…

  The heat of his breath warmed her skin, and her nipple peaked.

  His lips closed over her tight bud, and her hips jerked off the table.

  “God, Rick…”

  She writhed when he nipped at the pink bead then soothed it with his tongue. Broad hands bunched up the soft flesh of her breast and kneaded just hard enough.

  Capable fingers, her wolf hummed in its daze. Capable tongue.

  Rick’s head jerked up, and the look on his face said he’d read ahead in her wolf’s script. One broad hand flattened on her belly.

  Here? He crooked an eyebrow, teasing her wolf.

  Lower, she moaned.

  His hand slid lower to cup her mound.

  Lower, her wolf begged as her human fingers flew over the remaining buttons of her dress. A second later, she’d wiggled out of her panties and bra under Rick’s hungry eyes. He leaned in to kiss her navel while his hand twisted to run down her folds.

  Here? His eyes gleamed when he tilted his head up.

  Her hips tried to jerk up, but his free hand held her down. The fluttering kisses went lower. Lower.

  Take me, my mate, her wolf whimpered. She spread her legs. Take me now.

  An unnecessary command, as it turned out, because he was already looping her legs over his shoulders and diving in.

  “Yes…” she mumbled as his tongue touched down, lightning to her most sensitive spot. She threaded her fingers through his hair and groaned as he circled her clit and sucked.

  “So good,” she cried, again and again.

  Maybe it was the interplay of fresh winter air and steaming hot skin, or the thrill of sex in a place that had once been off-limits. The sheer joy of knowing that finally, nothing was forbidden, and no one could tell them no. Whatever it was, she was about to be catapulted into an all-new high.

  He slid a finger inside her, then two, and started pumping in time with the movements of his tongue.

  Tina. He murmured her name again and again as if he were the one about to come. Clutching her so tightly, she knew he’d never, ever let her go.

  Her body coiled for an impossibly good high that came so fast and hard, she was caught in midbreath.

  “Rick!” Her nails raked his shoulders. Her cry filled the room, and she shuddered, then surfed away on a wave of ecstasy, losing track of everything but her mate’s touch as he held her close.

  Her heart thumped wildly. Her eyelids fluttered open. Slowly, she summoned the strength to lift her head. His lips climbed over her stomach, swept over her breasts, and finally met hers in a kiss that tasted of her. He smiled, an inch away from her face, and laid his cheek against hers. His cock throbbed between her legs, still trapped in his jeans. Crying for escape, for release. And just like that, every switch in her turned back on.

  “I think—” Rick started.

  She cut him off, sitting up into a kiss. Shoved his jeans down in double time and let his boxers follow suit. When his cock sprang free, she cupped it in both hands and stroked with her thumbs. Once, twice.

  “You were thinking…?” She managed a semblance of a tease.

  “Just stopped thinking,” he groaned, tugging her legs higher around his waist. Then he grinned. “Look at us.”

  She was thinking the same thing. A long time ago, they’d lost their virginity to each other, back when they’d had to sneak out to be together. Now they were naked in the front room of the house. In broad daylight, no less.