Katlyn (M/F/M red-hot menage shifter romance) Standalone (Shadow Creek Shifters Book 1) by Madison Johns Read Free Book Online Page B

you, Katlyn, it would be noon before we’d be out the door.”
    “Paige was hoping that there would be class tomorrow,” Angus said. “I usually protect the herd, but Paige is having a few of the most trusted ranch hands do that job today since Brendan and Chase will be fixing the roof.”
    Tessa sank to a chair opposite Katlyn and invited Angus to sit.
    “Protect the herd how?” Katlyn asked in curiosity.
    “Well ... there’ve been problems. We’ve had some vandalism of late.”
    “Way out here in Wyoming?”
    “A few sections of fencing have been torn down, but I’m sure you ladies aren’t interested in talking about that.”
    “Not so. I’m very interested in ranch life,” Katlyn said. “Who would mess with the fences?”
    “Well, our neighbors are all sheep herders and Brendan suspects they’ve been messing with the fences so that their sheep can graze on Shadow Creek’s land.”
    “So cattle and sheep ranchers really don’t get along?”
    “Not at all. We haven’t had problems before, but Jonathan, our neighbor, isn’t the smartest of the lot. He took over the ranch after his dad passed and he doesn’t have a clue how to manage his sheep or how to move them to other pastures.”
    “So why not buy them something else to eat?”
    “It’s way cheaper to let them graze, but sheep eat like seven hours a day, and with so little rainfall some of the pastures most likely haven’t had the chance to regrow properly.”
    “I see. That seems like a real problem.”
    “I sure hope Jonathan isn’t behind the fence problems. Brendan and Chase won’t stand for anyone vandalizing their property.”
    They finished their breakfast and Katlyn did the dishes, informing Angus that he had done far too much already. When they made their way outside, there was a utility vehicle, similar to an ATV. It was hooked up to a trailer, loaded with cleaning supplies and wood.
    “There’re only two seats,” Katlyn said. “How is that going to work?”
    “I’ll be riding horseback. You can follow me.” He then instructed Katlyn how to operate the vehicle, which turned out to be easy enough.
    Katlyn followed Angus and his horse from a safe distance, worrying about scaring the horse. She remembered all too well her own ride on horseback. She secretly vowed to never ride another horse.
    The terrain was quite smooth, with green as far as the eye could see, from pasture to pasture. Katlyn wondered what all the fuss was about since it looked like the cattle had plenty to places to graze, but it was wrong for someone to be tampering with the fences.
    When the schoolhouse came into view, Chase was inspecting the roof and Brendan greeted Katlyn and Tessa by way of tipping his cowboy hat at them. He carried the boards they brought, climbed a ladder, and handed them to Chase.
    Angus led them inside, carrying a load of supplies. Katlyn stood there, wondering where to begin, as Angus hauled out broken desks and chairs outside. Tessa jumped right in and helped him while Katlyn found the broom and began to sweep as they cleared an area.
    Katlyn found a closet with running water and she filled buckets, adding pine cleaner. She also found rags and began working on cleaning the desks and chairs that weren’t broken. She wrinkled her nose at the fragrance of the pine, but kept on task. She needed this to be done today, too. Then she could go back to teaching, the only job she loved.
    Katlyn gazed up at the roof, but Chase was quickly filling the hole with boards and she could even see Brendan up there now. She tried not to stare at their rippling muscles as they pounded the boards into place. She quickly looked away when Brendan’s eyes met hers.
    * * *
    Hours later, Angus announced it was time for lunch. By then, Katlyn and Tessa had gotten half the schoolroom cleaned and boy, was Katlyn ever ready for a break. She felt completely drenched with sweat and it didn’t take a genius to know that she stunk to high heaven.
    When Katlyn