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The Gray Ranch 14
ANN POV I return to the front desk with a smile. Ms. Phillips is indeed pregnant and so happy with the news that she seemed to forget I was giving her stitches. I pick up the phone to call the pharmacy about her prescription and a shadow falls over me. I look up and my breath catches in my throat as I lock eyes with Mr. Gray's concerned gaze. He looks so breathtakingly beautiful I want to dissolve into a puddle. His chiseled jawline and kissable lips are calling my name. If only he was a single man. "Excuse me? Is Carmen alright? It has been a while," he says and I nod. "She is all stitched up. I am placing an order for her at the pharmacy now. The doctor is currently speaking with her, so she will be out soon," I say with a smile, and he exhales loudly before smiling. "That's a relief. Thank you... (he goes to walk away but pauses and turns back toward me) I apologize for my rudeness earlier. I understand you were doing your job. I was just worried about her... She is umm. She
The Gray Ranch 15
FINLEY POV I smile as I spot Carmen staring at her flat stomach. She has been quiet since we got in the truck, but the silence has been one of happiness not discomfort. She is obviously overjoyed about the fact she is pregnant, but still processing the exciting news."You all knew," she whispers to confirm the look she gave me in the room.I nod. We had all known for about two weeks, but we decided Carmen should find out on her own time. She has gone through so much and we all know she likes to take extra time coming to terms with things."Yes. Mike knew before leaving for the camera run. I promised to keep you safe and let you find out on your own," I reply and she smiles before holding up her hand."So if I were to blame you for my kitchen knife incident...," she asks mischievously and I smirk.The familiar flicker of happiness I used to get from light-hearted jokes comes to life within me. I missed my family so much. They are the only ones who can pull the old me back to the surfa
The Gray Ranch 16
ANN POV "Yeah, I'm free tonight. I am actually off today and tomorrow," I reply as I close the fridge and reposition my cell phone. "Awesome, we are having a BBQ to celebrate my pregnancy and the new additions to our family. I would love for you to join us. The other wives would also like to meet you," Carmen says excitedly and I grow nervous as the unknown number of strangers begins to loom in my head. "How many people will be there? I have no problem with crowds, but I will only know you... and Mr. Gray " I say as he creeps to the front of my mind yet again. "I am sorry. Let me give you a breakdown so you don't get overwhelmed when you join us tonight. There's me and Mike, then Samantha and Daniel. They have two kids. Angelica and Andrew. Then Tabitha and Stanley. They have a newborn named Grace, after Tabitha's late mother. Then there is Mariah and Benji. They have an adopted son named Trevor, and their newborn is the youngest. Her name is Makenzie. Then there is Boyd, Lewis, a
The Gray Ranch 17
FINLEY POV "I am so happy you came. We have a bunch of food and the patio has a great sound system. When we move out there to eat we will turn on music. The guys also set up some games for us to play," Carmen says as she leads Ann and her friend into the living room with a big smile.Samantha and Tabitha immediately move toward the newcomers with welcoming expressions, but Ann doesn't look happy yo be here. I can see the fear in her blue eyes clearly as she looks around at us. She looks as if she wants to turn back around and run away."Welcome to Gray Ranch. I'm Sam," Samantha says as she shakes both of their hands. I see Ann relax a little and I smirk. I would bet my pay check Samantha used her Luna influence on her while shaking her hand.Tabitha introduces herself next and out of the corner of my eye I see Lewis move forward. His straight back and focused gaze draw my attention completely.Normally Lewis sits back. His role in the pack is one of submission. He never steps forw
The Gray Ranch 18
ANN POV"Come on, Ann. It will be fun. We haven't gotten to do anything fun recently," Claire begs again, and I sigh before looking at her.She has been hounding me for hours about going on the triple date Carmen somehow arranged, but I keep refusing. I don't want anyone forcing Finley to go out with me. I have some pride. I am a decent looking woman. I don't need a man giving me some kind of pity date his friend organized."We went to a pretty cool BBQ three days ago, I would call that recently," I say to be snarky, and she glares at me for a second before responding."It's going to be fun. Work has been our life for months... Plus, I am nervous, and I would like my best friend to have my back on this one," Claire says, pulling out the big guns. We have a quick and silent stare-down, but she knows she won. I won't go against her needing me. This is her first official date with Lewis, and if she says she needs me there, I will be there."Fine. But for me tonight isn't a date. Finley
The Gray Ranch 19
FINLEY POVShe swings her arm stiffly and turns bright red when her ball heads straight for the gutter. I want to laugh, but I also would hate hurting her feelings. She looks so nervous tonight and she already had the embarrassing moment with her shoes when I sat down next to her. I should keep a straight face. She waits impatiently for her ball to return and manages to knock down four pins on her second attempt. I smile at her as she returns to her seat next to me, but she doesn't smile back. My admission about being behind tonight seems to have shocked her a little and I am not surprised. When I saw her at the gym, I had made it clear to her I wasn't looking for a relationship, and here I am telling her I set up this date."I thought you were forced to come tonight," Ann says softly after Carmen takes her turn and I chuckle a little. I look into her curious blue eyes and the same feelings I got when I saw her laughing with my family come rushing back. "Not at all," I reply and her
The Gray Ranch 20
FINLEY POV I jump up as soon as the doorknob jiggles. I have been waiting for three hours. I knew Lewis and Claire would probably be a while, but I had no idea it would be early morning before he got back home. He walks in looking proud and smelling of Claire. His mate match seems to be a good one and I am truly happy for him. He is a good male and he deserves a good partner. "Hey man, we need to talk," I say quickly and his smile drops off his face as he looks me over. "What's wrong," he asks and I shake my head a little. I said that way too forcefully. After everything that has happened to the pack I probably sent his blood pressure up by saying it like that. "I am probably freaking out more than I should about this, but I wasn't prepared for it... Claire and Ann know about shifters," I say and he looks surprised before taking a seat in one of our oversized chairs. "How do you know," he asks and I follow his lead and sit back down. Calmer feelings begin to course thr
The Gray Ranch 21
ANN POV"Well, in a nutshell, the hospital told us that there are beings known as shifters around this area. They told us shifters have heightened senses and the ability to shift into animal form. They said you tend to heal quickly and are healthier than most humans, but occasionally, you do require medical attention. They asked for us to treat you just like any typical human and keep our mouths closed. That wasn't the vocabulary used of course, but I am paraphrasing. Grab those bowls please," I say as I set Claire's cheese grater down on the counter. I begin to stir the noodles to hide the fact my hands are shaking a little. He silently moves to grab the bowls from next to the sink and I manage to take a deep breath to try and calm down. When he places the bowls on the counter next to the noodles, I keep my eyes on the food and sprinkle my favorite herbs over the top. He watches my face the whole time I do that and I try to act like my heart isn't racing.When Claire and I signed t
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The Gray Ranch 23
ANN POV (3 weeks later) I slide my hand into Finley's as love practically spills over in my chest. Watching my best friend say, "I do," to her mate has made me feel so lovey-dovey I don't think I have ever been happier. Fin smiles before bringing our hands to his lips and kissing the back of my hand. We share a look of happiness before we turn our attention back to Lewis and Claire. They look so perfect together as they spin around on the makeshift dance floor. In fact, everything about their little backyard ceremony has been perfect. From Claire's dress to Lewis's speech. When she first told me they were going to do a small backyard wedding I thought they were moving too fast, but then I thought about my relationship with Finley and how fast we have moved. Then I got sad because she would be moving into the Gray mansion, and I would be left in our small house by myself, missing her companionship, but those feelings passed quickly as well. My best friend has found her one true
The Gray Ranch 22
FINLEY POV I greedily slurp another forkful of pasta. This stuff is amazing. If I didn't watch how simple it was to make I would think Ann was a trained chef, not a nurse. "This is so good," I groan while spinning another bit onto my fork. Ann lets out a little laugh before nodding. "I saw a TikTok video where the person made this recipe. They used a lot more cheese and had homemade pasta, but my version is okay too... Claire and I try to take turns cooking when we have food in the house. We both use videos to help us since we aren't great cooks," she explains and I shake my head. "Keep doing what you are doing because this is amazing," I say as I scrap my plate clean. She chuckles again, but only slightly, and takes another bite. I watch her while picking up my glass of water. She has seemed rather subdued since we sat down at the table. At first, I thought it was because she was still embarrassed, but as we have eaten and talked, I can see an emotion in her eyes I don't
The Gray Ranch 21
ANN POV"Well, in a nutshell, the hospital told us that there are beings known as shifters around this area. They told us shifters have heightened senses and the ability to shift into animal form. They said you tend to heal quickly and are healthier than most humans, but occasionally, you do require medical attention. They asked for us to treat you just like any typical human and keep our mouths closed. That wasn't the vocabulary used of course, but I am paraphrasing. Grab those bowls please," I say as I set Claire's cheese grater down on the counter. I begin to stir the noodles to hide the fact my hands are shaking a little. He silently moves to grab the bowls from next to the sink and I manage to take a deep breath to try and calm down. When he places the bowls on the counter next to the noodles, I keep my eyes on the food and sprinkle my favorite herbs over the top. He watches my face the whole time I do that and I try to act like my heart isn't racing.When Claire and I signed t
The Gray Ranch 20
FINLEY POV I jump up as soon as the doorknob jiggles. I have been waiting for three hours. I knew Lewis and Claire would probably be a while, but I had no idea it would be early morning before he got back home. He walks in looking proud and smelling of Claire. His mate match seems to be a good one and I am truly happy for him. He is a good male and he deserves a good partner. "Hey man, we need to talk," I say quickly and his smile drops off his face as he looks me over. "What's wrong," he asks and I shake my head a little. I said that way too forcefully. After everything that has happened to the pack I probably sent his blood pressure up by saying it like that. "I am probably freaking out more than I should about this, but I wasn't prepared for it... Claire and Ann know about shifters," I say and he looks surprised before taking a seat in one of our oversized chairs. "How do you know," he asks and I follow his lead and sit back down. Calmer feelings begin to course thr
The Gray Ranch 19
FINLEY POVShe swings her arm stiffly and turns bright red when her ball heads straight for the gutter. I want to laugh, but I also would hate hurting her feelings. She looks so nervous tonight and she already had the embarrassing moment with her shoes when I sat down next to her. I should keep a straight face. She waits impatiently for her ball to return and manages to knock down four pins on her second attempt. I smile at her as she returns to her seat next to me, but she doesn't smile back. My admission about being behind tonight seems to have shocked her a little and I am not surprised. When I saw her at the gym, I had made it clear to her I wasn't looking for a relationship, and here I am telling her I set up this date."I thought you were forced to come tonight," Ann says softly after Carmen takes her turn and I chuckle a little. I look into her curious blue eyes and the same feelings I got when I saw her laughing with my family come rushing back. "Not at all," I reply and her
The Gray Ranch 18
ANN POV"Come on, Ann. It will be fun. We haven't gotten to do anything fun recently," Claire begs again, and I sigh before looking at her.She has been hounding me for hours about going on the triple date Carmen somehow arranged, but I keep refusing. I don't want anyone forcing Finley to go out with me. I have some pride. I am a decent looking woman. I don't need a man giving me some kind of pity date his friend organized."We went to a pretty cool BBQ three days ago, I would call that recently," I say to be snarky, and she glares at me for a second before responding."It's going to be fun. Work has been our life for months... Plus, I am nervous, and I would like my best friend to have my back on this one," Claire says, pulling out the big guns. We have a quick and silent stare-down, but she knows she won. I won't go against her needing me. This is her first official date with Lewis, and if she says she needs me there, I will be there."Fine. But for me tonight isn't a date. Finley
The Gray Ranch 17
FINLEY POV "I am so happy you came. We have a bunch of food and the patio has a great sound system. When we move out there to eat we will turn on music. The guys also set up some games for us to play," Carmen says as she leads Ann and her friend into the living room with a big smile.Samantha and Tabitha immediately move toward the newcomers with welcoming expressions, but Ann doesn't look happy yo be here. I can see the fear in her blue eyes clearly as she looks around at us. She looks as if she wants to turn back around and run away."Welcome to Gray Ranch. I'm Sam," Samantha says as she shakes both of their hands. I see Ann relax a little and I smirk. I would bet my pay check Samantha used her Luna influence on her while shaking her hand.Tabitha introduces herself next and out of the corner of my eye I see Lewis move forward. His straight back and focused gaze draw my attention completely.Normally Lewis sits back. His role in the pack is one of submission. He never steps forw
The Gray Ranch 16
ANN POV "Yeah, I'm free tonight. I am actually off today and tomorrow," I reply as I close the fridge and reposition my cell phone. "Awesome, we are having a BBQ to celebrate my pregnancy and the new additions to our family. I would love for you to join us. The other wives would also like to meet you," Carmen says excitedly and I grow nervous as the unknown number of strangers begins to loom in my head. "How many people will be there? I have no problem with crowds, but I will only know you... and Mr. Gray " I say as he creeps to the front of my mind yet again. "I am sorry. Let me give you a breakdown so you don't get overwhelmed when you join us tonight. There's me and Mike, then Samantha and Daniel. They have two kids. Angelica and Andrew. Then Tabitha and Stanley. They have a newborn named Grace, after Tabitha's late mother. Then there is Mariah and Benji. They have an adopted son named Trevor, and their newborn is the youngest. Her name is Makenzie. Then there is Boyd, Lewis, a
The Gray Ranch 15
FINLEY POV I smile as I spot Carmen staring at her flat stomach. She has been quiet since we got in the truck, but the silence has been one of happiness not discomfort. She is obviously overjoyed about the fact she is pregnant, but still processing the exciting news."You all knew," she whispers to confirm the look she gave me in the room.I nod. We had all known for about two weeks, but we decided Carmen should find out on her own time. She has gone through so much and we all know she likes to take extra time coming to terms with things."Yes. Mike knew before leaving for the camera run. I promised to keep you safe and let you find out on your own," I reply and she smiles before holding up her hand."So if I were to blame you for my kitchen knife incident...," she asks mischievously and I smirk.The familiar flicker of happiness I used to get from light-hearted jokes comes to life within me. I missed my family so much. They are the only ones who can pull the old me back to the surfa
