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offense on her behalf. “I’ll only be towing the equipment on a quad, not breaking my back while I lug it out on foot.”
    Annie’s face split and she let out a snicker. “Serves them right. Rome, get that thermos, will you?”
    Without a word, Rome reached for a cylinder container on the counter and handed it, along with a small cooler, to Ria. The objection died in her throat when he said in a low voice, “It’s best not to question or argue. Trust me on this.”
    “I remembered you’re not big on coffee, so that’s filled with my spiced chai tea latte.” Annie told her.
    Ria lifted bright eyes to the woman who was quickly becoming her most favorite person in the world. “Like what you gave me last time?”
    “Of course. Now that thermos is not to be shared, you hear me? That’s all yours. Same as the cooler. The others have their own.”
    “Thank you so much.” Ria’s lips curved in a wide, natural smile. This was beyond hospitality.
    Annie marched over to the sink. “Welcome. Mind you this won’t be an everyday occurrence so don’t be thinking you’ll have a packed lunch each morning. Starting tomorrow, if you want lunch, you’ll need to make it yourself. Same as the others in your group. I might be the cook, but I’m not their mother.”
    “Yes, ma’am.” Ria replied solemnly, her mouth already watering for a taste of the tea. She’d not found the same anywhere else, and she’d searched everywhere. Nothing had compared to her memory.
    The same problem she feared she had when it came to Santos.
    Tucking the thermos in the outside netted pocket of her backpack, Ria said her goodbyes and fled the homey kitchen. She’d worn a long-sleeved shirt over a t-shirt, and that over a tank top, knowing layers were key when it came to working in the field. The temperature had risen enough she didn’t require a jacket.
    Following a pretty flagstone pathway, she crossed behind the impressive garden and stepped off onto dirt. Trees flanked both sides of the crop shop, providing shade and a sudden chill. She walked quickly along one side of the metal building towards the rear entrance. It was the cursing that reached her ears first as she turned the corner and located the entrance provided by a set of open metal doors.
    “Stupid piece of shit. What’s wrong with you? You were working an hour ago.”
    She might have smiled at the clearly frustrated male tone if her belly didn’t suddenly quiver with excitement. Her nipples, already tight due to the cold, budded into even tighter points. The physical reaction made her pause in confusion, until she reached the threshold.
    It wasn’t Porter her eyes lighted on, but Santos. More specifically, his backside. Even though all the Felix males had dark hair and similar strong physique, Ria knew in that second she would be able to pick Santos out blindfolded. It was in the way her body responded to his presence, the increase of her heartbeat, the unsteady flow of air entering her lungs.
    It took a second for her to realize he hadn’t heard or scented her, an oddity in a shifter. Then again, maybe the herb cigarettes were working. Or it could be that the strange, sharp thumping noise intermixed with loud voices that carried through the far wall, the one shared with the processing center, or the crop shop, held his attention.
    “The dial needs to read 4500,” Santos straightened and yelled at the wall, confirming her thoughts.
    Taking advantage of the opportunity, Ria ogled the man in front of her. His head was down, face tilted as he focused on the happenings in the other room. Strong thighs, encased in jeans so worn they cupped his very delectable ass, were spread slightly for balance. Corded muscles rippled along his arm as he twirled a wrench in his right hand, his left on his hip. His dark hair was pulled back in a thick tail at the base of his neck and ended two inches lower, bisecting his back and drawing her eye to the way the dark t-shirt stretched over