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  “You bonded to that man. Gave him your heart, and you care for his, too.” Amber leaned forward and squeezed her shoulder. “Train Wreck is a good one. He saved so many at such a big risk to himself. He could’ve gone about his life, gone for the big money again, focused on bucking, but he spent his off-season fixing something awful. What he did was raise the bar on how we’re allowed to be treated as shifters. The media is losing its mind.”

  Oh, she’d seen the coverage with the girls as she’d stayed up all night in the hospital, worrying over Wreck, flipping channels from news station to news station.

  Cheyenne pulled into the parking lot of a hotel and parked in front of a room on the very corner, right between a row of bushes and Quickdraw’s truck.

  Excitement and worry and a mass of emotions she didn’t understand took over her entire body, and she stumbled out of the truck before Cheyenne even had the chance to turn off the engine.

  Two Shots and Quickdraw were sitting beside the door of the corner room on two camp chairs, and they stood as she bolted for the door.

  Amber only managed to get out “hi” before she shoved open the door.

  Inside, Dead was sitting on the single bed with his elbows on his knees and worry in his eyes. The bearded giant twitched his head toward the open door of the bathroom.

  When she made it to the doorway, she stopped. The shower was on, and Train Wreck was sitting on the floor of it, the jets of water washing down his side.

  His hair was wet and mussed, his eyes the dark color of his bull, but when he lifted his gaze to her, something shifted. The pain lifted and was replaced by relief.

  “Wreck,” she whispered, tears burning her eyes.

  He rolled his head back against the tile and held out an arm. A soft grunt was all he managed.

  Amber padded through the glass shower door, clothes and all, and sank down onto his lap. The water was only hitting her leg.

  “I’m sorry,” he rumbled in a gravel-filled voice that wasn’t entirely human.

  She didn’t understand. Cupping his cheeks, she asked, “Sorry for what?”

  “Lying. I couldn’t use you like I said, Amber. I’m sorry I said that. I’m sorry you believed it for even a little while.”

  “I know you were trying to protect me.”

  “Yeah, but—”

  “Shhhhhh.” She ran her hands over the swells of his shoulders. His muscles were twitching uncontrollably. “Oh, Wreck,” she whispered, wishing with everything she had that she could take some of the hurt away.

  That’s what love was. It was wanting to share the burden of the person she adored. It was wanting to make their pain less and their happiness greater. She loved him. She loved him.

  “Dead told me,” he ground out, brushing the pad of his thumb under the bandages on her cheek.

  She dropped her forehead to his. “I haven’t looked at it yet.”

  Head resting on the tile of the shower wall, Wreck searched her eyes and swallowed hard. Then he tugged at the bandage on her face.

  Amber winced. “I look different. Annabelle said it’s—”

  “Shhh,” he hushed her through a small smile. That smile settled something that had been terrified within her. There was her Wreck. He lived in that smile. His damage from whatever had happened in that testing facility hadn’t snuffed out what made him Wreck.

  Amber bit her lip to stop the trembling there, and her tears dislodged as he gently pulled off her bandage.

  He laid it beside them and then ran his finger along her jawline as he studied her face. His voice came out so gritty and solid as he murmured, “Warrior. I’ve never seen anyone more beautiful than you.”

  Amber’s face crumpled, and she slid her arms around his neck, melted into his hug. Her entire body sank into his. There was no end to him. No beginning to her.

  “It’s okay, Wreck. Everything is okay. You did so good. You did it. You blew that operation wide open. You fixed so much.”

  His body was shaking still, twitching from whatever meds were running through him, but his embrace was strong. She was safe, and he was safe, too. They were both here, warm, breathing, hearts racing each other’s.

  No moment had been more important than this one.

  It was a moment that her path became so clear for the first time in her entire life.

  There was no more questioning if she belonged.

  She did.

  With Wreck.

  The world could’ve faded away around them, and she wouldn’t have noticed.

  He was okay. Her Wreck was okay.

  And he’d just eased any insecurity she could ever have about the scar that would be so noticeable on her face.

  They weren’t perfect. They were scarred and flawed and searching for their place in the world, but one thing was for certain—they’d found their home with each other.

  And no matter what their future held, finding each other had been the most important thing. Finding a home in another person ensured that no matter what, they were in it together.

  Always together.

  Epilogue

  So much had changed since Train Wreck had brought down Sloane and the medical labs.

  Her uncle, aunt, and Dillon had been found in Western Center’s holding pen, trampled to death.

  The police reports had said Sloane’s prize bucking bulls had gotten to them, as all evidence pointed to, but Amber knew the truth. The Hagans had taken their revenge for the countless bull shifter lives that had been altered, maimed, or lost. They’d just been smart not to get caught.

  There was a movement now that was fostering a culture that stuck up for the bull shifters. There was a public outcry from the media coverage that followed the exposure of that awful medical facility. Shifter experimentation wasn’t okay, and now it would be so much harder for those facilities to operate. It wasn’t some unseen, unimportant, non-existent thing anymore. The three labs had been real.

  Hunter Kaid had exposed Lewis Brander’s real will immediately, listing Amber’s mom as the rightful owner of Two Thorns Ranch.

  Someday, Amber would inherit it, but that was far in the future and something she didn’t even like to think about. Something amazing had happened with her mother. A miracle, she’d thought, until Wreck had explained she’d been drugged all these years to keep her and Amber from realizing their power with the Two Thorns Ranch.

  Mom was out of the hospital now. Actually, she and her Grandma were moving to Two Thorns Ranch to run it the way it always should’ve been run—honorably, the way Lewis Brander would’ve wanted. Bodey was already cleaning up the mess Sloane and Helena had left behind and had pledged to help Mom and Grandma get it up and running again. Those two badass women would have any lingering ghosts banished in no time. They were both good for that place.

  Mom was healing. Her mind was clear for the first time in years. She remembered Amber now and called a couple of times a day, making up for lost time. Grandma was caring for her mom, but Amber was calling it. By this time next year, Mom would be completely independent.

  Sloane and Helena had stolen so much of her life. They’d stolen so much of so many people’s lives. That part, Amber couldn’t forgive. It’s also why her petty ass had emptied both of their ashes into a dumpster in the city with no funeral service for either of them. The world was better off without them.

  She’d lost so much time with her mom but was now determined to make up for it instead of becoming bitter about what had happened to her.

  She could drive herself crazy with regrets over the things she couldn’t control, but Wreck made sure she stayed on the positive path so they could all make the most of the time they had now. He was a phenomenal support system for her.

  And today?

  Well…

  Today was the day.

  Surprise day for the man she loved.

  Amber and Cheyenne and the boys had been plotting and planning this day for three weeks, all quietly while Train Wreck healed up and began training for the
bucking season.

  One more month, and the tour would start, and then they would be on the road for months, chasing bucking events and rodeos. Train Wreck was back in, focused on becoming one of the top bucking bull shifters in the world once again.

  But today? Today the herd had something big to tell him.

  “There he is,” Cheyenne murmured.

  Sure enough, Wreck’s new truck appeared through the trees of his property. He would know something was up when he saw all the cars and photographers lined up in front of his remodeled house.

  Train Wreck slowed and parked right in front of the herd, the look of confusion on his face clear even through the dark tint of his front window.

  “He’s going to cry,” Dead guessed. “I bet a hundred dollars he cries.”

  “He ain’t gonna cry. He’s not a wuss like you,” Quickdraw muttered, his arm draped over Annabelle’s shoulders.

  Annabelle was already tearing up.

  Seeing her very pregnant friend so emotional over what was about to happen had Amber’s eyes burning with tears, too.

  “What the hell is happenin’ here?” Train Wreck asked as he slid out of his truck and stared down the long line of cars and trucks and chaos as photographers made their way toward his newly built bucking chutes.

  “We have a surprise,” Cheyenne said as he approached. “It was actually Amber’s idea.”

  Wreck pulled Amber into a tight hug and swayed her back and forth. “Okay. You have my attention. What surprise?”

  Amber eased back a little so she could watch his face as Cheyenne said, “If you want, I have a contract that will officially put you under my management for the entirety of the upcoming bucking season.”

  Train Wreck’s eyebrows shot up. “But I’m not a top three bull yet. You can only represent top three.”

  “Amber suggested I negotiate with the circuit and redraw my own contract. I won’t be representing the top three anymore. I will be representing who we choose for this herd.”

  Train Wreck’s face went completely blank. He looked at Two Shots, Dead, and then Quickdraw.

  Two Shots cleared his throat. “We already signed our contracts. Raven did, too. We are just waiting on you.”

  “You mean…” Wreck swallowed hard and looked at the organized chaos happening by the chutes.

  “Those are your sponsors. Cheyenne and Amber have already negotiated your terms and pay with each of them, if you choose to sign with Cheyenne,” Quickdraw said low. “They’ve hired photographers for our team photos and promo for our social media, too. As a herd.”

  Wreck’s heart was drumming so hard against her open palm that she held against his chest.

  Dead cleared his throat. “This is us asking you to be a part of our herd.”

  And there it was. The smallest lip tremble on Wreck’s mouth that shattered Amber’s heart in the best way.

  Train Wreck dropped his gaze to the ground and whispered, “You want me?”

  Amber moved to his side—always by his side—and slipped her hand into his. “We all want you.”

  Wreck ran his hand down his beard and kicked at the grass with the toe of his boot. When he looked up at last, there was such emotion roiling in his eyes. He looked at Cheyenne and nodded once. In a thick voice, he said, “I would be honored to sign that contract. I want to be a part of the herd.”

  “Shit, yeah!” Dead crowed. He shoved Quickdraw in the shoulder. “He practically cried. You owe me a hundo, Quickdick.”

  “Technically, it’s not crying unless a tear falls so you better suck that shit back into your eyeballs, Wreck,” Quickdraw growled.

  Wreck didn’t seem to hear the boys. He was too busy getting all wrapped up in the girls’ hugs.

  Cheyenne pulled the contract from a red folder and showed Wreck where to sign. She explained each page as Dead stood leaned over slightly, serving as Wreck’s signing table.

  Amber took pictures because this was important. This was the moment he was finally, finally, a member of a herd. And so was she, because wherever Train Wreck went, so did she. Their destinies were intertwined.

  He signed, and each of the boys pulled him in, clapped him on the back. And then one by one, they sauntered off toward the photoshoots.

  Wreck lingered and so did Amber.

  “You did this,” he said thickly as he watched their friends walk away. “You listened when I said I’d always wanted to belong to something. You made this happen.”

  She hugged his arm and rested her scarred cheek against his strong shoulder. “Silly, Wreck. Don’t you see?” She lifted her eyes so he could see her heart in them. “You did this for me, too. You gave me my mom back. And friends. We got so lucky. We got the chance to give this to each other.”

  Home.

  Family.

  Herd.

  A lifetime full of adventures ahead of them with people they cared about, who cared about them.

  With people who had their backs.

  With people who would cheer them on and celebrate their successes right along with them.

  “Hey, Brain Wreck, you guys coming?” Dead called out over his shoulder.

  Wreck chuckled and shook his head, gripped Amber’s hand tighter, and led her toward their herd. “Be right there.”

  And they would be, from here on.

  She and Wreck would be right there.

  Right where they belonged.

  Up Next from this Author

  Surprise!!

  I know I said this was the end of this series, but I wasn’t ready to say goodbye to these bulls quite yet.

  I’ve already finished this book.

  Quickdraw’s son will get his story in

  Tuff Enough

  Battle of the Bulls (Book 5)

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  For new releases, exclusive sneak peeks, and giveaways, sign up for T. S. Joyce’s Bear Shifter Romance Newsletter HERE.

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  For More from this Author

  Check out her The Official Reading List of T. S. Joyce

  Or visit

  www.tsjoyce.com

  or

  T. S. Joyce’s Amazon US page

  About this Author

  T.S. Joyce is devoted to bringing hot shifter romances to readers. Hungry alpha males are her calling card, and the wilder the men, the more she'll make them pour their hearts out. She lives in a tiny town, outside of a tiny city, and devotes her life to writing big stories. Foodie, bear whisperer, ninja, thief of tiny bottles of awesome smelling hotel shampoo, nap connoisseur, movie fanatic, and zombie slayer, and most of this bio is true.

  Bear Shifters? Check

  Smoldering Alpha Hotness? Double Check

  Sexy Scenes? Fasten up your girdles, ladies and gents, it’s gonna to be a wild ride.

  For more information about T. S. Joyce and her work, visit her website here.