Shifting Hearts

Chapter 16 - Practice and Psychics

Cooper insisted on working on his birthday present the next day, despite my protests that he had work to get done. But, apparently, the state of the ranch was not important in comparison to the individual happiness of one man. Or so said Cooper.

So that was how I ended up back in the indoor arena, jumps set up around the ring, and tack draped over the rail for when I finally shifted. Which I wasn't doing. Because it was degrading to be ordered around like a circus animal.

"Pleaaaassee!!!" begged Katie. Sean was sitting with her on the rail, his arm around her shoulder. "You did it for me."

Cooper was standing in the ring with me, arms crossed languidly. The cowboy was dressed normally in jeans and a flannel, but his scuffed boots were replaced by nicer riding boots. They were smooth and brown with a thicker sole and bigger heel. There was a pout on his face that should have looked more at home on a toddler than on a full-grown man. And his puppy dog eyes somehow put Dylan's to shame.

"I didn't do it for you. I did it for myself. To prove a point to you. There's a difference," I replied mulishly. There wasn't a real reason for my stubbornness, and with the begging from them I would probably give in sooner rather than later.

I traced a circle in the dirt beneath my feet, following the movement with my eyes. The repetitive motion was slightly hypnotizing and made zoning out very easy.

"Eli?"

I jerked my head up, refocusing my eyes on the people before me. "Hm?"

"I thought you wanted to do this. For my birthday." I've finally decided that Cooper is definitely a child in a man's body.

The slight chuckle escapes despite trying to keep a serious face. "Fine, I just wanted you to ask nicely," I informed them even as I began to shift.

For once, I watched Cooper's face as the shift happened. The tall man always looked at me with a soft endearment, but as I felt my bones melting and reforming, I saw something different. His brown eyes looked absolutely reverent as they tracked the shift as I morphed. The undivided attention made me feel unreasonably embarrassed, so I immediately shook out my fur to break the sharp silence.

Cooper blinked quickly, as if to shake himself from his own reverie.

"Took you long enough," I heard Sean mutter from where he was leaning on his girlfriend.

I sent a sharp snort his way and turned my back to him. No one could convince me that the sound that came from the werewolf was anything but a petulant raspberry.

Cooper stepped closer to me and slowly held out his hand. It was a move I had seen often enough around here, used to placate a skittish horse. I knew that my facial expressions weren't as expressive as a horse compared to a human, but he had to see the wry look I was sending his way.

With a small thrust of my nose, my snout bumped into his hand and he reverently stroked my velvety nose.

Well, let's get on with this.

Pulling away from my slightly dazed cowboy, I sidled up next to the rail where the tack hung and nudged it with a low grunt.

"So, now you're eager, huh? About five seconds ago I thought you were going to walk out on me."

Me? Never.

Even as he slid between the fence and I, Cooper let one work-worn hand trail over my withers and back, sending shivers through me. I hope it looked like I was trying to dislodge flies, and not hopelessly affected by Cooper. I had no desire to be as transparent as Katie and Sean were.