Free The Cougar's Trade by Holley Trent

whispered words.
    The cougar part of his brain seemed to believe that was signal enough for Hank to get the woman on her back as soon as possible and try to make a cub.
Do it. Right now
, it said.
Look how pretty and sweet she is
. The more ordered part of his brain, however, while impressed, wasn’t as swayed. Falling for her was an impractical luxury he couldn’t afford.
    “Listen, there might be one other option,” he said. “I think Jamie knows my mother, and she’d take her for the time being. She’s licensed. Her notes probably say not to call, but they’re old. She might take one child.”
    The social worker furrowed her brow and turned to Jamie. “Do you know him?”
    Jamie gave the tiniest nod. “Kinda. That’s Fabio.”
    Hank pinched the bridge of his nose.
For fuck’s sake.
He’d grown out his hair after high school to cover a scar on the back of his head, and then he’d just gotten used to not cutting it. He wasn’t sure who’d started the “Fabio” barb, but he had a sneaking suspicion the perpetrator had the last name “Foye.”
    “Let’s go inside, out of the heat, and work it out,” the social worker said. “If we can avoid putting so many kids in one home, we try to do it.”
    “Unavoidable sometimes,” Miles said, and now he knew for sure from the catch in her voice she wasn’t just speaking in hypotheticals. She was drawing on something else.
    He hoped it wasn’t what he thought, but he really didn’t know anything about her at all. He’d been spending the last month doing all he could to not even look at her. Now he didn’t have a choice. She’d already stuck her nose into glaring business, and he wouldn’t be able to pull her back without damaging relationships. They needed stronger relationships in the glaring, not more strain. He’d deal with the strain in his own relationship later, if that was what it even was.

CHAPTER FIVE
    By the time they returned to the ranch and got Jamie settled in with Glenda, it was dark. Quiet.
Blessedly
quiet. If they were lucky, there wouldn’t be any demons flying up out of the hellmouth and they could all get a good night’s sleep. Not that Miles thought she’d be getting much sleep, and when she saw Ellery streaking across the yards with her arms thrown open and a big grin on her face, Miles couldn’t help but find her second wind.
    Ellery pulled her into a hug that all but knocked the wind out of her.
    “I’m okay,” Miles said with a laugh.
    “How’s freedom feeling?”
    Miles cut her gaze to the looming Cougar at her left and shrugged the best she could inside Ellery’s grip.
    “Hank, don’t you have someplace to be?” Ellery propped her hands on her hips and narrowed her eyes.
    “At the moment, no. I was just about to take Miles to my house.”
    “She’ll meet you there.”
    Hank folded his arms over his chest.
    “Mason! Come get your brother,” Ellery shouted through Glenda’s screen door. Mason had been peppering Jamie with questions when Miles had been informed by broody Hank that it was time for them to go. Miles hadn’t been looking forward to leaving, not only because she’d wanted to see Ellery before bed, but also because she wasn’t particularly looking forward to hearing whatever Hank had on the tip of his tongue to say. She had the feeling he was holding something in waiting and simply needed the right time and place to spit it out.
    “That’s cold,” Hank muttered.
    “I play dirty,” Ellery said. “You should know that by now.”
    Mason stepped into the doorway with Nick on his hip. “Hello, witchy love of mine. How was work?”
    Ellery pressed her palms to the small of her back and cracked her spine. “Grueling. No easy first day for this chick. Listen, didn’t you have something you needed to confer with Hank about?” Her gaze flitted pointedly toward Woodworks, which Sean probably couldn’t see from his position.
    Miles stifled a laugh.
    “Oh. Yeah, actually, I did.” Mason descended