“—sure to share your information with the other ranchers in the area,” Jenkins said, setting his hand on the open door. “We’ll keep watch for any unusual activity, and share it with the sheriff.”
At my mention, I blinked and looked in Jenkins’ dark eyes. The same ones his daughter shared. Yet while hers were filled with interest and—hopefully—newfound desire, I saw rage and guilt in his. He was involved. I knew it.
I was sure Theo knew it, too.
“If that’s all, we have a ranch to run.” Jenkins looked between us, stepped back, and closed the door in our faces. I got one last look at Ali before the sight of her was cut off—and her sweet scent.
“I don’t want you talking to those men.” With our shifter hearing, it was easy to pick up Jenkins’ angry words. And our mate’s response.
I stilled, listened.
“Why not?” she countered. “They’re doing their job.”
Theo glanced my way, and his fists clenched. We couldn’t leave the porch without hearing their argument. The words Jenkins was putting into our mate’s ears that might make her hate us.
“While Sheriff Cooke was doing his job, he defended animals, not the people who voted him into office.”
I wanted to roll my eyes, but I resisted. Barely.
“He wasn’t here about the wolf problem,” Ali replied. “What is this about meth?”
“How the hell should I know? He has it out for ranchers, obviously. Fines. Protecting the wolves—”
“You already said that. The meth? The other guy is from the DEA. They’ve got to have a reason to be here besides annoying you.”
That made Theo grin.
“Are you taking their side now?” Jenkins snarled.
I wanted to kick the door in and protect our mate, even from the angry tone of her father.
“No, of course not. I didn’t call them here. I only answered the door.”
“Then don’t answer it if they show up again. He’s obviously terrible at his job if he’s on our porch, wasting our time. We have cattle to herd.”
We couldn’t miss the retreating footsteps, then nothing. We trudged back to the SUV and didn’t speak until I was driving back down the lane.
“What the fuck are we going to do?” I asked.
“Claim her.”
Theo’s words were exactly right, except…
“How?” I asked, frustrated. “She’s going to defend her father. That’s what family does.”
That was how the pack worked too. I’d believe family or pack members before outside sources. But we weren’t just that; we were her mates.
I yanked off my hat, set it on the center console, and ran my fingers through my hair.
“You said others in the pack mated humans,” Theo said, his tone considering.
I thought of the claimings that had happened last year. Two human females were new mates in the pack. Rachel and Caitlyn. Happy and well-integrated.
“Human? You’re worried about her being human? You heard what he just filled her head with. We have to get her out of there.” I was aroused and frustrated. “My dick is hard and we’re driving away from our mate. How can you be so calm?”
He turned to me and showed me his eyes, silver and all but glowing. “I’m not calm at all. I’m dying inside with every mile you put between us.”
Good, I wasn’t alone in this. In this misery at finding our mate and being forced to leave her behind.
“We’re in deep shit here,” I snapped. “She’s a rancher, and the daughter of the guy who killed wolves for sport, and who’s most likely making and spreading meth across Wyoming.”
Theo was quiet, his fists clenched in his lap. “Yeah, this is a fucking problem. But I’m not letting anything get in the way of us claiming her.”
I smiled. He agreed with me. “We only have to take down her father, sway our alpha to the concept of us claiming the pack enemy’s daughter, and get her in bed between us, and our teeth in her sweet skin.”
Yeah, no problem at all.
2
ALI
"So Doug and Cara broke up. Did you hear?" Melissa, my high school bestie, was catching me up on all the town gossip. We were at the Bullhorn Bar with Trina, another old friend.
Being here, I had that fish out of water feeling. I'd only been back at West Springs for a few weeks after years away at college. Everything was the same. Everything except for me, it seemed.
I'd always planned to return home. I got my degree in agriculture so I could take over the family ranch, which I considered a privilege. But that didn’t change how strange it was to be back permanently after being away for so long. I hadn’t even returned for the last few summers because I’d been working on ranches in Australia and Chile. I figured I’d better see the world before my free time ran out and small town life was it for me, and the ranch my full time responsibility.
I set my glass down on the damp coaster. We were at a four-top near the bar, but the place was crowded. Still, I loved to catch up with my friends and get the scoop on people from my past. "No! What happened with them? I thought they’d get married and make the cutest babies."
"He cheated with Nora Gentry," Trina provided with a frown. "Nora seems to think he's her golden boy now, but I'm thinking if a guy cheats on someone else with you, he will cheat on you, too. Am I right?"
"Totally. Cheaters always cheat," I agreed. I thought about Doug, the heartthrob who had been homecoming and prom king back in high school. “Why are the good looking ones always dicks?” I shook my head, my hair sliding over my shoulder. I’d left it out of my usual braid. “I swear, I've had enough golden boys to last me a lifetime.”
I’d learned the hard way in Australia not to fall for the hot guy on the ranch. Especially ones with sexy accents.
Speaking of hot guys, two broad-shouldered men across the bar snagged my attention. They must have come in after I had, because with their build and good looks, they’d have been hard to miss.
Even harder, since their faces were already etched in my mind.
It was them. They were here!
The guys who’d come to our door this morning. What were their names? I replayed the delicious growl of their voices as they’d introduced themselves. Agent Decker and Sheriff Cooke. How could I forget? Hell, I doubted I’d forget anything about them, especially how pissed my father was with them.
My skin prickled, and my heart started to gallop. My palms became sweaty with nerves I hadn’t felt since sixth grade around the new kid who’d started mid-year. He’d had a cute smile but only cared about football and his pet gecko. Total dud.
These guys? Far from duds where my ovaries were concerned.
“Who are those two hotties over there, do you know?” I hid my stare under the brim of my cowgirl hat.
Trina’s face brightened at my question, and she didn’t bother to be subtle. She twisted fully around to gawk.
“That's Sheriff Cooke,” she said, like he wasn’t the most incredible specimen of manhood she’d ever seen. “I don't know who the other one is. And they are hotties.”