Channing: Big Cat Shifters Looking for Fated Mates (Big Cats Book 5) Read online

  “What’s left?”

  “A house and two tracts of land.” Roger replied.

  “Let’s do the house first.” They drove about five miles out. This house was just off the highway.

  “This house is also a repo. The husband lost his job. They didn’t take it too well and messed up the inside.”

  He could see broken windows and paint all over the inside. It was not cool, but it would give him a better deal. Most people wouldn’t even bother to look at this place. One thing was for sure, he’d need a crew to do renovations. That made him think about Viv. Everyone said she and her crew were good. All those associated with Ariel were.

  “Any land with it?”

  “Around ten acres.”

  “This is the last place?”

  “There are a few more tracts of land. If you’re interested, there is even a farm, about two hundred acres. It’s between where the apartment buildings are and where Viv and Caro live.”

  “Let’s go there. You can point out the places of interest.” He hoped Roger would point out Viv’s place. He did point out the apartment buildings. There were three and the last one was being built. It was a nice complex.

  “Viv built that for Maddie. Maddie has a lot of land around here she never worked with much. She’s starting to build on it now and Viv is doing the work for her. Caro even did a small house. Those small houses are adorable, but I couldn’t stand living in one.” Roger admitted. “Here’s the farm. I’m afraid the buildings may be beyond hope, but I’m not positive. The one barn might be salvageable. It’s the old style and they built things to last.”

  “Which side is Viv on? I might want her to look at this. I’ve heard even a little something to work with can be a big help. I know nothing about construction.”

  “She lives that way. But I wouldn’t drop in on her. The females in that family are pretty wild and can get irate.” Roger said.

  “Okay. I’ll take your word for it. Is there any interest in this place?”

  “It just came available today. I forgot about it until you ask about more places. My feeling is it will sell by the end of the week for asking price or more even in this shape.” He said and Channing believed him.

  “I’m ready to put in some offers.”

  They got in the SUV and headed for the office. Roger’s office was outside of town. It was a renovated two story farmhouse.

  “One of my agents rents the upstairs. It gives him an advantage if anyone comes by after hours. I like having someone there looking out after the place.” Roger admitted. “It works out for both of us.”

  Roger led him into the back section. It was a nice roomy office. Channing pulled out his list. “Let’s start with the first house.” And so it began. They went through each place including the last and he put in offers on all of them. Normally he would have waited and thought about things. The environment here was a buy it or lose it.

  “I think you’ll get most of these except maybe the farm. That one just came up and they might not be willing to go down this soon. Let me drop you at your SUV and I’ll come back and put these in one at a time.”

  That’s what they did and now he sat at home reluctant to get on his computer but needing to. He also needed a construction crew. Somehow he felt Viv wouldn’t be excited to work for him. It was just a feeling. Having delayed all he could, he went to his computer and shot a dismayed look at eight hundred emails. It was time to get a secretary, probably one for Samuel as well. The ones back home had decided to stay and work in the office in Los Angeles. That was fine, he needed people there too.

  Now he started on the emails running through them quickly sorting out spam. Over a hundred spam emails was ridiculous. Now he was down to seven hundred plus emails. Running through them again, he picked those he knew to be important. Roger had already sent him an email. Two offers accepted and one rejected. The farm would require a higher offer.

  “Roger here.”

  “Hello Roger. What do you suggest about the farm?”

  “Channing. You have competition. Maybe you should just let it go.”

  “I don’t suppose you could tell me who wants it?”

  Roger laughed. “No one would trust me if I did. I will tell you it’s a determined buyer.”

  “Okay. You’ll need the money for the other offers?”

  “Yes. Just send it to me.” Roger gave him the account information and the total needed for the two. He also had high hopes on the other places and told him what those amounts would be.

  “What are the odds of another place like the farm coming up soon?”

  “There are three places the government has of various sizes. They’ve held them back as they often do. One is coming up for auction in a month. I could represent you after we take a look at the place and decide what your high bid would be.”

  “Okay. Let’s deal with the places we have now, but let me know if anything comes up. Farm, building, or land.”

  “I will.”

  Channing felt good about the two places but he hated letting the farm go. He just didn’t want to waste his time against a buyer that had money and intended to get the place. At this point he wasn’t ready to go all out on anything. It made him wonder if Roger listed properties on the lake. Some of his wealthier cheetahs were expressing interest. Most cat shifters loved the water. He’d find out next time he talked to Roger.

  After giving it some thought, he packed up his stuff and drove to the coalition house site. No one was there and he realized it was lunch. Calling in an order, he went to Sara’s to pick it up. When he went in, he saw the crew there eating with Mairi and Viv. They were a rowdy bunch, but Mairi and Viv seemed able to handle them.

  His hearing helped him catch part of the conversation. Mairi said, “You just need to tell him to look elsewhere.”

  Viv sighed heavily. “I know, but I feel bad for the guy.”

  “It’s no reason to ruin your life. Hell, he abducted you, your mother, and your daughter. How would you have felt if he’d mated them to someone too?”

  “He wouldn’t have.”

  “He planned to. Talk to your boys. They’ll admit it. They told your mom to watch Caro.”

  “That asshole.”

  “That’s what I’m saying.”

  “Sir!” The girl at the counter said. “Your total is 26.78”

  He paid thinking he was saving some serious money on food here. Now he had no choice but to leave. It wasn’t like all the tables weren’t full. Heading out, he went to the picnic table he’d borrowed from Sebastian. The king had said it was the same table everyone borrowed and set at the construction site.

  “Why would I want a picnic table there?” He’d asked.

  Seb had grinned. “If you don’t, you’ll be the first one.”

  “Thank you. I’ll check it out.”

  Now as he sat there waiting for the crew to return, he decided to order a dozen so Seb could get his table back. The crew returned as he sat and ate. Once he was done, he got on his emails. It was relaxing and the air smelled fresh. The work on the foundation would probably be done before the workday was.

  The emails were now up to six hundred even though he’d had them down to four. Many of these were requests for housing or jobs. Channing started two lists, one for housing and one for jobs. Serenity wanted a job as a secretary. He needed one. Quickly he sent her an email and told her he had a spare room. Eventually he would have a place of his own and she could keep that one if she wished.

  Serenity was a single female but they were friends so she wouldn’t have expectations. She’d worked for a lawyer so she should have the needed skills. The female emailed back right away. Her packing would begin immediately. Give her three days and she would be there. It sounded like an easy move to him.

  Now he moved on to other business. After an hour, he had two long lists of job and housing seekers. Where would all the housing be found? A few of the people he knew well and he sent emails asking if they’d be willing to accep
t a commute thirty minutes or so to live near a lake. Of the six he queried, three answered right away with a yes.

  Roger sent another email so he called him. “Roger.”

  “This is Channing. I got your email.”

  “Yes, the others accepted your offer. I’m getting the paperwork completed so if you put the money in the account, everything will be ready to sign in the morning. You will get immediate possession of all these places since they are empty. Everything about the agreements are customary terms.”

  “While I’m talking to you, I wanted to know if you deal with land around the lake.”

  “Which one?”

  “Any one or part that is usable and within a thirty minute drive of the coalition house.”

  “Yes, I do. That would be mainly Table Rock.”

  “I would like to see any properties within that limit.”

  “When?”

  “Excuse me?”

  “When do you want to go?” Roger asked.

  “Can you go now?” He asked.

  “We can go see a few now and the rest tomorrow. There are usually several available, but some are overpriced for the area.”

  “I’m at the coalition house. Just come get me.”

  He watched at the crew began to clean up. Now he approached Viv. She looked at him suspiciously. Mairi just grinned. “Hello, ladies.”

  “Hello Channing.” They said together.

  “I needed to talk to Viv about some business.”

  “I’ll go check on the crew.” Mairi suggested then she hurried away.

  “I need a construction crew to do some work.”

  Viv laughed. “Good luck.”

  “I meant your crew. Even volunteers part time would be a help.”

  She sighed heavily. He was aware Ariel had asked her to help him. “What do you have?”

  “A couple old houses in need of work and some land to build a subdivision on.”

  “No one round here will be able to take on a subdivision.”

  “I just need someone to get things going. I’ll have a manager in place and a new construction crew put together in a few months.”

  “The houses, I need to see. We’ll start there because some of the problems may ruin the houses.”

  “We can go look tomorrow. I’ll be here in the morning and we’ll go whenever you’re ready.” Channing suggested.

  “Alright. I’d better get back to it.” She hurried over to Mairi just as Roger pulled in.

  Roger didn’t say much and it was a quiet ride. The first house was unbelievable. “This is fabulous. It must be high.” He said.

  “It would be if it was directly on the lake but it’s lake view. The subdivision is given access to the lake, but it’s owned by the guy that manages the subdivision. Everyone pays a yearly fee and they have security and the lake access is kept in good shape. They have a boat dock those who own boats can use. It’s nice, but many locals want their own lake access.”

  “You’re not the listing agent, right?”

  “No, I’m strictly on this for you.”

  “What should I offer?”

  “I’d start low to test the waters. Few cats have made it out this far so the market is still as it’s been.” Roger shot him a price.

  “Think I’ll get it for that?”

  “Price has dropped three times in the last year so who knows.” Roger declared.

  “Let’s do it. Now what’s next?”

  They drove to a great place that had a nice house for the average family. Four bedrooms, three baths and a large porch in the front and the back. An outdoor kitchen in the back yard and a small guest cottage. The cottage would be tight for a couple.

  “This has lake access?”

  “It does, but it’s not huge and no one has improved it. The road goes to the lake but it’s dirt. You can see it’s grown over with trees and weeds. It’ll need some work. Still if I didn’t already have a lake house I’d consider it.”

  They discussed price again. He approved an offer. Three more places and he decided to offer on them all.

  “Those are it for Table Rock.”

  “So what’s left?”

  Roger handed him a catalogue turned to a page. He looked at the sheet and whistled. “A million?”

  “I wasn’t sure if you could afford it.”

  “Let’s have a look.”

  “This is located on King’s river. It’s that arm of the lake. That’s not too far from here or your coalition house. Place is huge with a guest house that’s big enough for a family. I think the owner’s originally thought to make it a bed and breakfast. There are six bedrooms upstairs alone. Downstairs has the master and two more bedrooms with the kitchen, dining room, living room, and office. Basement has a rec-room, laundry, and storage area. There’s also a small three room guesthouse out back.”

  They pulled in and he fell in love right away. Roger took him around the outside where there was a dirt stairway down to the lake. This house sat on a cliff overlooking it. “The property owns a big section of lake access below. Those rules aren’t as strict because they somehow bought it zoned as commercial.”

  By the time they were done, he was in love with the place. “Let’s put in an offer.” He knew Roger realized he was rich. But this guy could keep a secret. At least this place needed no work. This was where he wanted to live and if he got good employees in place, it was where he would be more often than not. Now he realized there were places available but in the higher price range. “How many high priced places like this are available? I have some wealthy cheetahs moving. A few could go for a place like this.”

  “Keeping this one for yourself? Can’t blame you. There are a few more. I don’t usually deal in them, but I can send you a page like this one has so you can check them out. Tonight, when I have your offers in I’ll send it. It doesn’t pay to wait.”

  “That will work fine.”

  Roger dropped him at the Coalition house. With the lake house empty, he’d be able to move in quickly if he got it. Now his housekeeper and cook could move down here too. He’d need a gardener. It seemed all his needs were for physical workers but he knew some of his people did those jobs and some of their mates did. Quickly, he sent an email about the workers he would need to his secretary in his main office. Going into detail, because he wanted exactly what he needed. Those needed for his own place could come in about a week.

  The others were dependent on finding housing. Once the coalition house was done, everything would be better, right? Maybe but families were still a problem. Goddess help him. Some helpers needed to get here. A text came in. It was from Samuel.

  I need a secretary, maybe two.

  Samuel

  Look at the list of those moving here, pick them, and find them housing.

  Channing

  Easy peasy, right? Nothing was working out like he planned and Viv was on his mind. He wanted to find out about this male that had taken her. Azrael would know, but Seb was the one he knew the best. Now the day was nearly at an end and he needed to go to his apartment. Packing up, he drove there in a few minutes. That would be worth the longer drive to live in that fabulous house. It was also ready for a family, a big one.

  He left his computer packed up and scrounged his fridge for leftovers. Not the best meal, but he didn’t have to go anywhere. Once he’d eaten, he stripped for the shower and cleaned up and dropped into bed. A loud knock on the door woke him. He pulled on his pants and hurried to the door.

  Serenity jumped into his arms. He pushed her away. “What is all this about?”

  “You asked me to move in with you.” She said.

  “No, I gave you a job and offered you the spare room until I move out. Then if you wish, you can rent the apartment. How did you get anything personal out of that?”

  She turned bright red. “You have affairs all the time.”

  “Not as often as you seem to think and not with employees.”

  “What about Lila?”

  �
��She changed jobs before we dated and that didn’t last more than two nights. This is strictly a job. If that’s not what you want, I can’t help you at all.”

  “It’s not personal.” She said. “I mean it’s just a big deal to have an affair with you. Not that you’re not hot. Shit! This isn’t coming out right.”

  “Why don’t we start over? You’re here for a job right?”

  “Exactly. Can you show me the room?”

  “It’s this one.” He said leading the way. “I’m about to get a house, I think. If you want place I’ll be out of your hair soon. Let me tell you about this place.”

  They quickly discussed the rent, utilities, and other things.

  “It sounds just like what I need. What about the job?”

  “Here’s the pamphlet that tells all the usual benefits and pay. You can start as soon as you want.”

  “I’ll start today if you need me to.” She decided.

  “Great. I need word sent out that I need construction workers, a gardener, and soon I’ll need restaurant help. This area doesn’t pay as well but cost of living is less. They’ll get our benefits package which is much better than that given around here. I’ll be going through my emails too and sending some of them to you. I think that will work best. I have a list of those needing housing and those needing jobs I’ll send you. I’m about to go to breakfast. You can come if you want to. We can work while we eat.”

  “I’d like that. How many places to eat are around here?”

  “Few. This is the main one. That’s why I’m opening a restaurant. I have the building, but it needs work. Workers are needed, but only in a few fields, I’m afraid. More businesses will get going in time, but this has started out as a semi-rural area.”

  “I noticed that when I got here, but I thought the town must be hidden.”

  He grinned. “This is the town. Most of it anyway.”

  “Oh, my.”

  They got in his SUV and drove to Sara’s. Everyone seemed to watch them. Serenity was gorgeous, but not what he was looking for. Sara popped up right in front of him. “Need seating?”

  “Yes, for me and my secretary. This is Serenity. Serenity, this is Sara. She owns the place.”