Racing Hard (Dirt Track Dogs Book 4)
little Grace was taken care of. That couldn’t happen until the female bobcat came around.
    “We should go inside. Check on Grace.”
    His jaw tightened, but he nodded, releasing her hand. The separation felt all wrong. It made her stomach clench in warning. Made her cat itchy with panic.
    But she had responsibilities. She couldn’t pretend with Surge. And she’d never lead him on.
    The lump in her throat burned as he opened the door and got out of the truck, grabbing bags of supplies. She followed, uncomfortable with this somber version of him.
    As soon as they walked into the big house, Tana realized something had changed.
    Blister ran from the kitchen with a syringe in hand, past them to the back bedroom. Surge dropped the bags and they followed him.
    To the sound of a screaming baby.
    Grace!
    The tiny room was full to the brim with people. Annie held little Grace—little human Grace—cooing and shushing her, but the baby only screeched louder. The rest of the dogs paced and shuffled, looking as though they needed something to kill. Fists and jaws clenching. Wolves close to shifting.
    Grace had five knights in shining armor ready to fight any battle for her. Except she didn’t need them to defend her. What she needed was a bottle.
    Tana ran back to the living room and rifled through the bags until she found the formula and a bottle. Reading the directions on the way to the kitchen, she hurried around the coffee table, banging her knee.
    Coming, little Grace .
    Quickly, she made the bottle, spilling formula powder on the counter in the process, and shook the hell out of it on the way back through the house.
    But that wasn’t a good idea.
    Milk sprayed from the plastic nipple, landing in her eye.
    “Damn it.” Half blind, she stumbled through the bedroom door. “Got it! Here. This is what she needs.”
    “Oh, thank god,” Annie breathed, standing and holding Grace out to Tana.
    She froze. What was she supposed to do with a baby? One so tiny, at that. Somehow this was different than holding a kitten. What if she did something wrong? What if she dropped her? What if…
    But this was no normal baby. She needed to remember that. Grace was a shifter. Strong, just because of her DNA.
    She wouldn’t break.
    Tana reached for her, cradling the red-faced human in her arms before offering the bottle. Grace took the nipple in her mouth and then immediately spit it out, screaming louder than before.
    “Shhh,” Tana said softly. “It’s right there, little one. Try again. It won’t be like mama’s but it’s good for you. Try.”
    She rubbed the tip against the baby’s lips until she got a little taste of the milk. Grace tried again and decided formula milk was better than no milk at all.
    “There. That’s a good girl.”
    There was a collective sigh of relief as Tana settled in the nearby chair, and Grace calmed even more.
    “Damn,” Drake whispered. “That kitten’s got a sturdy set of lungs.”
    Tana grinned, staring down at Grace. She was already a badass, telling these boys how it was. She was perfect. Thick dark hair covered her scalp and her pale skin was like a cream colored rose. Just enough pink to glow and softer than a breath.
    Tears welled in Tana’s eyes. The baby was so damn sweet, she made Tana’s heart hurt. An overwhelming feeling of possessiveness came over her, and she tried to press it down. But she couldn’t help feeling like Grace was hers. Or should be hers.
    Damn it. She wanted the kitten to belong to her. Wanted it more than she’d ever wanted anything.
    She looked up to find Surge staring at them. Somber Surge. The one who wanted things she’d never be able to give him.
    Absolutely fucking everything .
    That was when she realized she wanted fucking everything too. The baby, the family, the companionship. The wolf.
    She wanted it all.

Chapter Eight
     
    The living room was littered with tools and boxes that once housed baby accessories. The women had taken Grace to have infant

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