Page 122 of Roping Her Alien Ranchers

He laughed, the sound bubbling up like his precious coffee brewing. It was that kind of laughter that made my heart swell—so genuine, so unrestrained. He stepped closer, still holding the mug out of reach, his tentacles flicking with playful mischief as if daring me to challenge him. “It’ll cost you,” he breathed out.

“I have morning breath” I scowled at him.

His head ducked closer, human nostrils flaring. “Hmmm, you do.”

“Hey!” I slapped out, palm striking his chest. “Are you really trying to get on my bad side this morning?”

Kalith offered me a cocky grin and then quickly kissed me before relenting, finally handing over the mug.

“You’re on my naughty list for the entire day now, just so you know.”

He was already turning around, padding back over to clean up the prep items. “Feel free to punish me later,” he quipped teasingly.

I yawned loudly before taking the first sip of pale coffee. It was delicious, per usual.

Vantor turned, his human features rearranging themselves into that mixture of protectiveness and desire that never failed to make my insides twist with want. “You should have slept longer,” he said, crossing the space between us to wrap an arm around my waist.

“She was worried about Sassafras,” Cyro guessed, extending a tentacle in my direction and tracing its tip down my cheek. “You have to relax, Tammy. The gestation period is proceeding exactly as predicted in all three reference models.”

“Telling your mate to relax rarely helps anything,” I reminded him. It was something I’d had to point out repeatedly. Calm down. It will all be fine. Just breathe. Those kinds of statements made me want to scream when I was stressed. “But I’m not worried,” I lied, taking a sip that warmed me from the inside out. “Not with you three around.”

“That is a deception,” Vantor mumbled affectionately, shrinking his height so he could easily press his forehead against mine. “But I will allow you to pretend if it helps you.”

“Allow me?” I quirked an eyebrow.

Vantor pulled back and scrunched his face, thinking. “I will not point out your obvious falsehood so you can continue to live in your delusion.”

“That’s… not any better,” I said, unable to fight the way the corners of my mouth turned up, or the note of laughter in my words. “I’m going out to the porch,” I announced, unnecessarily. It was my habit and had become theirs. Coffee on the porch, early morning light glowing across the rebuilt ranch, the scent of sunflowers in the air. They followed me, carrying their own untouched coffees.

Outside, we settled into our favorite positions—me in the center of the swing, Vantor’s massive frame beside me, Kalith perched on the railing, and Cyro leaning against the porch support, his face turned toward the sunrise with scientific appreciation.

From this vantage point, Sunflower Hills spread before us in all its glory—a dramatic transformation from the derelict property I’d bought from the bank. The main house gleamed with fresh white paint, the porch rebuilt with wood that matched the newly repaired barn. Beyond them stretched modernized stables with subtle upgrades that any human would mistake for cutting-edge agricultural technology rather than the product of intergalactic engineering. In the pastures, the horses were roaming. I didn’t worry about stabling them every night, not now that Kalith had created a sort of force field around that area to keep them safe at all times.

Sassafras meandered over to Mystery, who nuzzled her neck. She was so large now and doing so well thanks to the supportive belt circling her middle. It had helped her body expand and adapt to the growing twins. It monitored her vitals, even releasing different medicines into her body if needed, like when her Prostaglandins spiked and we were terrified she might lose the twins.

Then there was my old man, Artie. He had a little more pep in his step now. I loved the moments he’d frolic like a young pony.

I’d stood here every morning since my alien mates had decided to stay, and the sight of how they’d changed my life still made me teary.

“You’re crying again,” Cyro observed, his silver eyes flashing. A tentacle, I wasn’t sure whose because I couldn’t take my gaze off our home, darted to my cheek and claimed the first tear that slipped down from my right eye. “Why? What do you see?”

I knew Cyro. He was searching for what had changed today, versus yesterday, to make me once again become so emotional.

I took another sip of coffee, letting the question settle. What did I see? Not just a ranch anymore. Not just a business I was struggling to save. “Just home,” I said finally, the word feeling perfect on my tongue. “I see our home.”

They moved to touch me then. With hands. Tentacles. God, I loved this life now.

“Do you think the auction will go well?” I was worried not only about Sassafras’ pregnancy, but the way we’d chosen to pre-sale her foals at the big livestock auction next week. It wasn’t that we hadn’t found reputable buyers ready to take a chance, but instead that we wanted to make our mark on the breeding community in a memorable way. Getting top dollar in a public forum like that would launch Sunflower Hills into the community. Word spread like wildfire in our business.

A breeding ranch basically raised from the dead paying out the nose for a prime pre-auction display booth to create buzz… on Derek’s turf… seemed like a good idea in the heat of the moment. Now? I had all the regrets.

“I am confident it will yield a lucrative result,” Cyro nodded, as if he could somehow magically measure the readiness of unknown buyers participating in something as traditionally unpredictable as a live auction.

But I chose to believe him, because it was easier right now to have blind hope than keep drowning in fake worst-case scenarios and manufacture fears.

44

TAMMY