Sassy Shifter Brides: Complete Series - BBW Paranormal Shapeshifter Mail-Order Romance (27 page)

Grumbling his agreement, Trey was already pulling on his work gloves. Tyler watched his brother – strong, quiet and grouchy as he was – preparing to throw himself into a day of backbreaking labor without an ounce of rage obvious in him. Unlike Tyler, Trey had always kept everything inside while the fun-loving and open Tyler couldn’t keep a thing to himself, whether happy or sad. In that sense they made an off Alpha pair – usually, Alpha-born twins were uniquely alike, both in character and disposition. While the Warfang brothers certainly shared some family resemblance, both being tall, imposing, green-eyed and wide-shouldered men, then that was about as far as similarities went. Tyler had sandy-blonde hair and a mischievous smile with a body built for speed and agility. He was quick to anger and equally as fast to calm down and crack a joke. Trey, dark-haired and decidedly stern-looking, was a man who looked like he could plow through brick walls without blinking an eye. Trey rarely smiled, was serious to a fault and took everything with a grain of salt. If they hadn’t been brothers, one would have never assumed the men had anything in common at all.

Yet, despite their constant bickering and grumbling, they worked together as an unbeatable team. Trey’s careful, calculated approach smoothed out Tyler’s rashness, while Tyler’s active nature pulled Trey along when the other would have got stuck plotting and scheming. Though untraditional, they had all the makings of becoming the most powerful werewolf Alphas in the region. And there lay most of their problems.

A pair of Alpha twins needed a third, it was as simple as that. They needed a woman, a mate to bond them together and smooth out their rough edges, so they could really harness their powers. While they were strong together, they would be unbeatable with a mate. But so far in life, the Warfang brothers had remained as decisive bachelors. Not so much because they didn’t love women, oh lord did they ever, but there never seemed to be a woman, who could match both of them. It had to be one special kind of woman, who could love Trey’s darkness as much as she loved Tyler’s light, and as far as Tyler was concerned, he had found just the woman for them. He was willing to bet that Trey was going to find a hundred things wrong with her, as he always did.

Tyler pulled on his gloves as well and set to work clearing the rubble from the foundation. Weeks of work, all destroyed. Dark thoughts swirled in his head, all pointing back to the Blacktooth brothers and how he could make their lives miserable. The Blacktooth brothers, Sam and Sawyer, were werewolf twins who lived not far from Shifter Grove. They’d moved to the area some time after Shifter Grove was founded, and instead of trying to live peacefully next to the Warfang brothers and the other werewolves in the area, the Blacktooths were adamant about being complete dicks about the whole thing. Just the mere thought of one of the blonde-haired, blue-eyed grinning bastards sent Tyler into a murderous rage. The Blacktooths had planned to set up their pack in Idaho. Tyler and Trey had nothing against it, but as the only other Alpha pair in the region, they were immediate natural rivals to the Blacktooths – a point that only the Blacktooths themselves seemed to be determined to stick to.

After the first time they’d met, and Sam and Sawyer had been more than clear about how much they wanted to see the Warfangs pack up and leave, there was no love lost between the two families. Tyler and Trey had kept their noses down, focusing on the life they were building in Shifter Grove, trying to ignore the mutts yelping and snipping at their heels. Sam and Sawyer had done everything in their power to discredit the Warfangs but had been met with roaring laughter and mockery when they tried to spread their lies in Shifter Grove. As time went by, their petty pranks grew into vandalism and now, the situation was reaching a boiling point. A few missing tools and broken down tractors were nothing compared to outright destruction. It wasn’t just the Warfangs’ livelihood the men were messing with, but the entire town. Tyler had a bad feeling about the whole thing.

“You know, they’re not going to stop before we get a mate,” Tyler said, hauling a heavy T-beam off the site with Trey’s help.

“Or before they get a mate,” Trey noted absentmindedly, gritting his teeth as they flung the massive piece of wood into a pile.

“They’d just get more impossible then. They’re annoying now, though I doubt they could beat us if it ever came down to tooth and claw fight, but with a mate to complete the trifecta… I don’t know, they could be legitimate contenders,” Tyler mused as they went to fetch another of the massive central beams.

“I’m not sure there’s a woman in the world, who could put up with those hyenas,” Trey remarked sourly.

“I’m sure there is. I could name a few from our last pack, who would bite at the chance to become a third to an Alpha trifecta. You and I both know that.”

“And what are you suggesting, little brother?” Trey asked, garnering a grumble from Tyler. Trey never let go of the fact that he was born four minutes ahead of Tyler.

He’s never going to let me live that down.

“I’m suggesting we take another crack at finding a mate. Now, before you say anything, hear me out,” Tyler said quickly, knowing the kind of response Trey was going to give him at the mention of finding a mate. The last time they’d tried, it had been a disaster. The wolf they chose, seeming perfect for their needs at first, had broken Trey’s heart and left them both questioning whether they could ever complete the trifecta, or if they even wanted to. She hadn’t been their fated mate, even Trey could attest to that, but she’d left wounds behind that were not quick to heal. Talking Trey into trying again would take finesse and careful political savvy – both things that Tyler completely lacked.

“I’m listening,” Trey said with a sigh, already looking less than enthused about the whole thing. Tyler perked up a bit though, grinning. He had entirely expected to have a hammer flying in the general direction of his head at the mention of a bride, so this was progress.

“I’ve met a woman over SassyDate, that app that seems to be marrying everybody off lately.” It was no joke either. Warren and Kacey had been the first ones, and Deacon and Aubrey were set to marry soon as well. Slate’s girl was pregnant so Tyler was expecting to get an order to build a nice wedding arch any day now, and Rake was running around like a happy kitten ever since Liza showed up in his life. “Her name’s Sabra. She’s exactly what we like. Curvy, tanned skin, hot as the Texas summer and smart. You don’t even know, brother. She makes me think of pups and settling down every time I talk to her. Anyway,” Tyler sped up, seeing the look of sadness waft over Trey’s expression.

“I’ve invited her to come help out for the month. You know we were going to start with a new crew next week because of the ranch house that snow leopard shifter ordered, and now that the kindergarten needs to be started from scratch, I think we can use all the help we can get. She’s a construction project manager, one of those people who can keep an eye on all the things we can’t if the operation gets too big – logistics, etc. She said yes today, and Slate’s flying her over on Tuesday.”

“So you’re not suggesting finding a mate, you’re telling me you’ve found one, and you’re bringing her over to audition? Is that your idea of romance?” Trey asked, pushing back his wide-brimmed cowboy hat as they heaved another beam off to the side. Tyler put his hands on his hips, grinning a little.

“I wouldn’t call it an audition. I mean, it’s not like she’s going to be leaving after she takes one look at you and I.”

“Does this woman, this Sabra, even know that we’re an Alpha pair? What she’s getting herself into if she comes here?” Trey asked, always with the hard questions.

“She knows I have a twin, and she knows about werewolves. Supposedly she used to date one. I figured we could iron things out when she gets here. After all, I can’t know if she’s the one before I’ve really met her, you know? If she’s right, she’s right. If she isn’t then at least we’ll get someone capable helping out for a while so we can finish these projects. I called around a bit, and her credentials check out. She’s a hard worker and can probably teach you and I a few things. And her company wasn’t opposed to renting out her services for a while. Apparently she riled up some foreman in Florida, and it’s best if she lays low for a little while.”

At that, Tyler only received a noncommittal harrumph from his twin. It was the best he could hope for, considering the situation. He grinned, wiping sweat from his forehead. Okay, so several weeks of work had been burnt down by two maniacs and the said numbskulls were biting at the chance to kick his and Trey’s asses, and the woman he was head over heels in love with wasn’t exactly clued in on everything she was going to have to deal with when she showed up in Shifter Grove, but it was all going to work out, right? It had to! He was in love after all, dammit!

CHAPTER THREE

Oh my god, I can’t believe I’m actually going through with this,
Sabra thought to herself, wringing the corner of her shirt between her fingers. The little airplane in which she was the only passenger was beginning to make its descent, and every second that passed brought her closer to meeting Tyler for the first time. Her stomach was in knots, and even the dashing, good-natured smile of the handsome pilot didn’t do much to calm her nerves. If all the men in Shifter Grove were as cute as Tyler and Slate, the pilot, then she was in for a hell of a month! Even though she was fairly certain that noticing anyone aside from Tyler was going to be difficult at best. The more she thought about it, the more amazed she was at how quickly things had moved. She’d started chatting with Tyler a few weeks ago and they’d hit it off immediately. Then, not long after, she got a message from Tyler and a call from corporate, essentially telling her that she was going to get to spend time with the hunky werewolf
and
get away from Joe, the impossible contractor, all at once. Could her life get any better?

When the plane touched down, Sabra let out a breath she didn’t know she had been keeping in. A small smile spread across her lips. It wasn’t going to be long now!

“Just a few more minutes! I see Tyler’s truck already parked at the end of the runway. I bet you’re dying to see him,” Slate teased. Sabra didn’t know what to say to that. Did the whole town know she was coming to meet him?

Probably. Small town gossip must be the same everywhere, no matter if it’s humans or shifters doing the talking,
Sabra mused to herself, not letting it dim her smile. To hell with it, if they wanted to talk, they could talk. She’d dealt with being the only woman in a male-centered business for years now and dealing with a bit of friendly chatter would barely register as a blip on her radar.

“Could be,” Sabra replied noncommittally, drawing a chuckle from Slate. It was a loud, purring noise that immediately made her feel at ease. Dammit, shifter men were all so inexplicably pleasant to be around. Slate had helped her into the plane, and she could see all the locals being like that – hat-tipping, cordial and real down to earth people. Just her crowd. Why hadn’t she considered dating shifters earlier?

Oh, right, because she hadn’t considered dating at all in a real long while. Brushing the sudden gloomy memories out of her mind, Sabra got up as Slate hopped out of the pilot’s chair and opened the door. He let down the ramp and offered his hand to make sure she got down safe. When Sabra stepped into the sunlight, she was met with a face happier than the blazing sun itself. Tyler took off his hat, reaching a hand up to her – she took it gladly. The first touch sent a jolt of heat through her. He was even more gorgeous than his pictures had led her to believe. Tall, strong and with a smile that made her knees go weak, Tyler was the epitome of a country man.

“Hey,” she said, coming down the stairs.

“Hey to you too,” Tyler offered, his hat in his other hand. As soon as she got down on the ground, Tyler pulled her against him in a warm hug, enveloping her curvy frame in his big arms. Her face rested against his chest, and she could feel his heart pounding a mile a minute. She could only assume hers was doing the same. He had a peculiar effect on her, making her tingle all over and smile like nothing could ever go wrong. Being against his hard muscles made her mind quickly traipse down all the possible paths of what she could do with his body, and she wasn’t even ashamed about it. The man was
hot
, no doubt about it, and Sabra thoroughly enjoyed the immediate effect he had on her.

“C’mon now, no time to waste,” another voice called, breaking Sabra’s breathless focus on the drop dead gorgeous werewolf. Tyler let her go and put his hat back on, snorting at the sudden intrusion.

“I believe you’re just jealous that the lady has not greeted you yet, Trey. Sabra Adams, meet Trey Warfang. My brother and the other half of Warfang Construction.”

“Pleased to meet you, ma’am,” said the werewolf with the same kind of striking green eyes as Tyler’s. He reached his hand out to her, taking off his black cowboy hat, and she shook it automatically, still a bit flustered by being in Tyler’s arms just a second ago.

“Likewise,” she said, her hand disappearing in his huge paw. Sabra gasped as heat radiated from where he touched her, sending a shot coursing through her veins and desperate need pulsing in her core. She stared at him dumbfounded. While Tyler made her think naughty thoughts and want to giggle like a schoolgirl, Trey’s touch sent a wild, desperate throb through her unlike anything she’d ever felt.

They must have been standing there for longer than they should have, because Slate’s purring chuckle shook Sabra from her revelry, and Trey quickly let go of her hand. She tossed a look at the weretiger standing at the hatch and leaning against the frame with a knowing smile on his lips.