All right, I say to my bear. Let’s get back.
We have about five hundred heads of cattle on the ranch and these pups are just looking for an easy meal. Now that we’ve let them know that it won’t be easy, they shouldn’t bother us again.
My bear lumbers back to where Zeus is standing proudly on the top of the hill. He’s slick with sweat after that long run, but he’s dipping his head, looking like he’s ready to do it again.
He’s a good-looking horse. A huge black stallion with the most powerful legs you’ll ever find. But the best part is his personality. The two of us are inseparable.
My bear sniffs the air as the wolf bolts, disappearing into the forest to warn his friends that the Bowen Ranch is off-limits.
Come on now, I say as I start to pull my grizzly in.
He hesitates, whining and whimpering as Zeus watches him curiously. I can feel the longing flowing through him. He doesn’t want to come back in. He wants to go out and find her.
I grab ahold of his essence and pull him as I push my way out. Our body shakes and crunches as it constricts and compresses in size. With a tear, I burst out of him and land on my bare feet.
Zeus turns away, looking bored as I put my clothes back on.
“Nice running, buddy,” I say as I pet his slick neck. He neighs as I put my black cowboy hat on and look around.
It’s springtime with a nice warm breeze on a lightly cloudy sunny day. The leaves are starting to sprout on the trees and the melted snow is creating little streams and small rivers that are flowing down the hills. They should all dry up in a few weeks.
My bear grumbles inside as he settles back in. I think he was hoping for some more action to burn off some of his pent-up energy.
It’s been hard for him lately. It’s been hard for both of us.
My brothers have gotten everything they ever could have dreamed of and it’s making us realize how much we’re lacking.
“I know,” I whisper as he whines while I slip my boots on. “I want to find her too.”
In the past few months, all three of my brothers—Cameron, Julian, and Adrian—have all found their mates. Even Adrian, who was living in the forest like a caveman, found his mate! I still haven’t. I don’t get it. Where is she?
I’m thirty-two years old. I’ve been waiting long enough.
Zeus neighs as I hop onto his back and grab the reins. He starts trotting back to the herd, not needing me to tell him where to go.
I breathe in the smell of wet soil and newly budding leaves as I close my eyes and let the sun warm my face.
It’s springtime and I should be happy. But I’m not. I’m bummed out.
Especially when I see the four cabins in the far distance. I can imagine my brothers waking up next to their mates, smiling happily as they wrap their arms around their girls, pulling them into their embrace, right where they belong.
Why do I have to wake up in an empty bed? Where’s my girl to love and protect? Where is my mate to worship?
I sigh as the cattle come into view.
This is torture. Where do I have to go? What do I have to do to find her?
I drop my head as my heart aches. The longing is eating away at me. I could live with it when my three Bowen brothers were single too, but now, seeing the shine of love in their eyes whenever they look at their mates and seeing the girls with pregnant bellies or holding little babies… it’s too much. It hurts.
I haven’t been coping well.
Some days I barely eat.
And I never sleep through the night. I’m lucky if I get a few restless hours.
I need her.
I need her so badly.
But I don’t even know who she is. That’s the worst part. It’s like needing to breathe on a planet that has no air. It feels hopeless.
Adrian is by the cattle, fighting with his new horse Poseidon. It’s a big brown horse and he’s been having trouble breaking him in.
“No!” Adrian snaps. “Over there. Hey! I said over there! There!”
“Still having trouble?” I ask with a grin as I ride over to them.
“I don’t think he likes his name,” he says as the horse walks in circles. “Poseidon is a good name for a pet dolphin. A horse, not so much.”
“It’s a tradition,” I say with a shrug. All the horses on the ranch are named after the Greek Gods. Mine is named Zeus, Cameron’s horse is named Ares, Julian’s is named Apollo, and even the girls’ horses are named Artemis and Aphrodite.
“You guys took all the good names while my bear was living in the forest,” he says with a frown.
“You snooze, you lose,” I say with a chuckle as I guide over to them. I place a hand on Poseidon’s neck and whisper softly to him. He calms down almost immediately.
“How do you do that?” Adrian asks, looking at me in disbelief.
“You and your bear have to be calm if you want your horse to be calm.”
“My bear calm?” he says with a laugh. “So, you’re telling me I’m better off riding a bike up here?”
We chat for a bit and as the cows graze. I’m so happy to see Adrian doing well. I might feel sorry for myself about longing for my mate, but I haven’t been through anything close to what he’s been through. His feral grizzly put him through a decade of pure hell.
He takes over the shift and I head back to my cabin to get some breakfast. Or, make breakfast and then stare at it while my stomach clenches is more like it.
It’s difficult, but I am happy for my brothers. I’ll never forget how they took me in after my father died. He was mowing his field and fell asleep at the wheel. It rolled out of control and he headed down a hill, picking up speed, and then he rolled right off a cliff. I tried to keep the ranch running by myself, but I was only eighteen years old, and inevitably, the bank foreclosed on it.
Their parents brought me into their family and treated me as if I was one of their own. They never made me feel like I didn’t have Bowen blood running through my veins, but deep down I’ve always known. I’ve always felt a little bit like an outsider, but that’s probably just me.
Their parents are retired and living in Australia now. We haven’t seen them for a long time. Maybe I should go visit to help get my mind off of this torture for a while.
I spot a cloud of dust billowing over the trees as I get closer to the cabins. Someone is driving along the main road. I glance at the parking lot and see Zoe and Jane’s car already here.
Probably a salesman or something, but I keep my eye on the red car as it pulls into our ranch. It stops next to Cameron’s truck and my heart seizes in my chest when a girl with long wavy brown hair steps out and looks around.
My bear rumbles inside me as I stare at her, completely stunned. My brain short-circuits. It breaks as Zeus keeps walking forward lazily, unaware that the man on his back will never be the same after this moment.
I squeeze the reins until my knuckles burn. My jaw is hanging open. My eyes unblinking.
That’s her.
That’s the girl I’ve been waiting for, longing for. That’s my mate.
It’s so obvious, yet I can’t seem to fully grasp it.
“It can’t be,” I whisper. But I know that it is. Even my bear knows. He’s pacing around, whimpering like he’s expecting a treat.
My whole body comes alive, humming like a jolt of lightning as I watch her. She’s gorgeous. Utterly captivating and alluring beyond belief.
She’s wearing a summer dress that hugs her big hips and then flares out at the bottom, and a tight jean jacket over it. I swallow hard as I study her face. Somehow it already looks familiar. I know I haven’t seen her before—I would have remembered that—but it’s like my soul has already seen her. Like the stirring in my core is already intimately familiar with her.
“Let’s go, Zeus,” I say as I slap his ass once again. “Let’s see if you can run even faster than before.”
He bolts forward and starts pounding his hooves into the ground as we rush toward
her. My pulse is racing. My body is trembling with excitement. It’s her. It’s actually her.
Her warm sweet scent travels on the wind and hits my nose. I nearly buckle over when I feel it burning down my throat and lighting my lungs on fire. She smells so good. She smells like home.
“Faster,” I shout as Zeus flies over the hill toward her. He passes Adrian’s cabin and then Julian’s.
Her face comes into better focus and my cock hardens when I see her light blue eyes and soft plump lips. Her cheeks are nice and round with a fullness that I love.
She sweeps back her hair as she closes the car door and my bear groans in need when we see the spot that is destined for our mark. I need her so badly. In every way.
I want to pierce that soft flesh under her ear with my canines to make her mine. I want to taste her sweet mouth and claim her wet pussy. I want it all.
And I want it now.
Chapter Three
Brooklyn
“Oh my God!” I gasp as a man on a huge black horse comes charging at me. I hold back a scream as I jump back, expecting to be run over but he pulls back on the reins, stopping a couple of yards from me. Gravel hits my shins and I can feel the horse’s hot breath huffing in the air between us as he stares at me with his jaw hanging open.
A tingle creeps along every inch of my skin as my core clenches. The way he’s looking at me with those dark brown eyes… it’s… it’s hypnotizing. It’s mesmerizing.
I start to shift my weight from foot to foot, feeling flustered all over. My heart is doing a breakdance routine in my chest as I start to feel dizzy.
This man is so imposing. He looks so mighty and robust with the way he’s sitting on that big horse, his shoulders wide, his massive chest billowing in and out with every heavy breath he takes as he stares down at me.
I can feel the confident alpha masculinity radiating off him. It sends a flush of heat surging to my cheeks and between my legs. I squeeze my thighs together, wondering who this man is.
He seems to catch himself from his daze and he swings his big muscular leg over the horse’s head and drops down to his feet.
I swallow hard as I see the full impressive towering size of him. He’s at least a head taller than me and although I’m not lacking in the curve department, he’s wider than me by a lot.
It’s all thick hard muscle under that tight black t-shirt and worn jeans. He’s wearing cowboy boots and a black cowboy hat. I’m originally a city girl and not normally into the whole cowboy scene, but with this gorgeous man… I’m ready to grab a lasso and snag him with it.
“Who are you?” he asks in a deep breathless tone as he steps forward.
His proximity is doing funny things to my brain. He’s making me dizzy, he’s making me speechless. I clear my throat and look up at him, hoping I can still talk.
“I’m looking for a job.”
“A job?” he says with a tilt of his head.
God, his eyes don’t look real. They’re dark brown but shining at the same time. His hat is low, covering his forehead and just high enough that I can see his dark eyebrows. The rest of his face is all sharp angles that the leading men in Hollywood would kill to have. His skin is tanned with some dark stubble on his face, accentuating his rough masculine jaw even more.
I shake my head, trying to clear the clutter from it and focus on why I’m here. I need information on this place so that Rhys won’t take Oliver with him on whatever illegal escapades he’s planning.
“Yeah, I’m new in town and looking for work. Are you hiring here?”
He runs his hand along his jaw as he stares at me for a long heated moment. My gut wants me to go to this man, wrap my arms around his neck, and plant my lips on his. Of course it does. I’m sure every woman he’s ever crossed has had this same intense reaction. He looks like a god.
“What’s your name?” he asks.
“Brooklyn Waters.” Damn, I should have given him a fake name. He’s getting me all kinds of ruffled and unhinged. I’m so flustered around this man. “And you?”
“Logan Crawford,” he says in a low gritty voice. “I’m one of the owners of this ranch.”
“I thought this was the Bowen Ranch,” I say as I look at my paper again. “Is this the right place?”
“It is. I just have a different last name than my brothers.”
“Oh,” I say with a nod. “So, Logan. Are you hiring anywhere?”
He looks around the ranch as he holds in his breath. “Sure,” he says as he turns back to me. “I’m sure we can find you something.”
“Great,” I say, breaking into a guilty smile. I wish I really got to work here instead of just pretending. “Can you show me around?”
He’s so intense with the way he’s watching me with an ownership in his eyes, as if I belong to him because I’m standing on his land.
“Yeah,” he finally says when he catches himself again. He keeps getting lost in my eyes like I’m getting lost in his. “Come. I’ll show you the stables.”
I look back at his horse as we start walking toward it. “Are you just going to leave him there?” He looks funny standing next to the trucks like he’s just another parked vehicle.
“Zeus is at home here,” he says without a worry. “He’ll wander around for a bit and then head to the stables when he’s hungry.”
I smile as I turn back to Logan. We’re walking side by side and my fingers keep tingling as if they want me to reach out and grab his hand.
“This is a beautiful place,” I say as I look around. It is gorgeous. It’s typical postcard Montana with the rolling hills, high mountains in the distance, and the huge forest at the other end of the valley. There are four adorable cabins spread out on the left and my heart starts beating faster when I wonder which one is Logan’s.
“You said you have brothers?” I ask, prying for information. “Are there four of you?”
“Mm-hm,” he says with a nod. “Cameron, Julian, Adrian, and me. We’re always around and so are their mates. Jane and Zoe work for us in the greenhouse. I’ll introduce you to them too.”
“Mates?” I say as my cheeks start to heat up. “You’re all shifters?”
I knew the second I saw him that he is. No man could be that big without injecting enough steroids to kill him.
But I have to find out what kind of animals are hiding inside of them. I wonder if he’s the grizzly bear shifter who attacked Rhys’ crew. That would be so hot… a grizzly bear… I just hope he’s not another asshole tiger shifter.
“We’re all shifters,” he says as he inches closer to me while we walk. “Grizzly bears.”
“All four of you?”
His cowboy hat sways up and down as he nods. “All four of us.”
“Wow,” I whisper as I glance at his massive chest. The heat blooms inside me and settles between my legs. My clit begins aching as I walk.
“And you’re all mated?” I have to see the girl who snagged this rugged rancher. She’s one lucky bitch and I bet she knows that.
“My brothers are.” He’s about to say something else, but he stops himself.
“You’re not?”
He suddenly stops walking. I stop too and turn to him, looking at him with narrowed eyes. He looks conflicted and torn as he sucks in a sharp breath and looks down at the grass between us.
“You don’t have to… answer. I was just curious.” I start fidgeting with my hands as his eyes rise back to mine. His deep gaze makes me shiver all over. That look… It’s so territorial. It’s so unexpected and… warm. It makes me feel like I’m right where I belong.
“I have a mate,” he says as he hooks his thumbs into his belt. His arms look even bigger like this. Big round biceps that I could stare at for days. “And she’s perfect. We just haven’t… connected yet.”
“Oh,” I say as disappointment racks my body. “I’m sure you’ll connect soon enough. She’d be crazy not too.”
He steps forward until we’re close enough that I can smell his rugge
d masculine scent. I could reach out and run my hand down that hard flat stomach if I was a braver woman.
“Brooklyn,” he whispers as he reaches out and takes my hand. My heart is hammering against my ribs, thundering from my head to my toes. I can feel my body urging me to lean forward. My chin tilts up as my lips beg me to get his mouth on mine. Every part of my body is being drawn to this man in a surreal unnatural way. It’s startling and overwhelming and feels so right.
“Yes?” I whisper as his head moves down and to the side, in the exact position his mouth would be in if he wanted to kiss me.
I inch up on my toes to get my mouth a little closer to his. My nipples harden as his hand tightens around mine.
“Brooklyn, I—”
“Logan!” a woman’s voice bellows from somewhere on the ranch. We both jerk away from each other and turn in the direction of the greenhouse.
There’s a pretty woman with long red hair under a sunhat who’s walking over holding Zeus by the reins. “Your horse was in the greenhouse eating my carrots!”
I chuckle as she makes her way over. Logan smiles at me and I smile shyly, feeling a guilty heat in my cheeks. We almost kissed, didn’t we? That’s not a way to act on a job interview, but then again, this is all fake anyway. Might as well kiss the hot guy who is way out of my league if he’s game for a make-out session.
“Who is this?” the woman asks as she looks at me with a warm smile.
“Zoe, this is Brooklyn,” Logan says, introducing me. “Brooklyn, this is Zoe. She works in the greenhouse.”
“Nice to meet you,” she says as we shake hands.
“Likewise.”
“Brooklyn is going to be working on the ranch with us,” he says as he rubs the back of his neck.
Zoe jerks her head over to him in shock. “I didn’t know we were hiring.”
“Yup,” he says with a nervous shrug. “We need help with… stuff.”
“Stuff?”
“Mm-hm. Stuff.”
“Okay, then,” she says with a smile as she turns back to me. “Welcome aboard.”
Forbidden Alpha (The Alpha's Obsession Book 4) Page 2
