He hated lying to his brother.
Jared knew Nate would be at the ranch, knew he’d be there to talk about the trouble in the council, but would he be happy to see Jared?
Would he even care?
“You didn’t hear a word I just said, did you?”
“Huh?”
“Exactly. Weird. I don’t know what’s wrong with you. You know it’s full moon in a few days. Is that what’s got your fur in a knot?”
Jared shrugged and gave a non-committal grunt and, mercifully, after that Tristan went quiet, leaving Jared to his thoughts.
The road out to Kelan’s ranch was in need of repair and several times Jared had to swerve the car to avoid a pothole that would have been hell on his suspension. There was a wooded area to their right but to the left were open fields as far as the eye could see.
Some of the fields held crops but most of the pastures contained cattle. Jared was no expert but they looked like Aberdeen Angus. That reminded him of Joe Walker’s missing bulls, which in turn made him think about the fight at Jessie’s, and inevitably his mind circled around to meeting Nate.
Everything came back to Nate.
By the time the ranch house came into sight, Jared could barely breathe. He cleared his throat loudly and tried to take a calming breath to settle his nerves. “We’re here.”
“Well, duh.”
Jared bit the inside of his cheek to stop himself from snapping at his brother while he unbuckled his seatbelt and waited for Tristan to get out of the SUV. He had to be careful not to take his mood out on Tristan. Things were starting to get better between them and he didn’t want to do anything to interfere with that.
When the passenger door slammed shut, he leaned his head back and closed his eyes, taking in a moment to collect himself. He could do this. There would probably be plenty of wolves at the party, so he might not even run into Nate. Matter of fact, chances were good that Nate wouldn’t even show up.
From what Jared had seen of the cowboy, he didn’t seem like the socializing type.
“Are you going to sit in there all day, ‘cause I thought you wanted to come to this thing? We can leave if you want.”
When Jared opened his eyes, Tristan was glaring at him through the window. Jared sighed, killed the engine then got out of the car.
“Not going to happen, bro. Come on.”
Jared surveyed his surroundings as he nudged his brother to get moving towards the house. There was a large corral to their right, currently free of horses, a couple of outbuildings, and what looked like a bunkhouse just off to the side. He paused to stare at the building, wondering if it was where Nate slept, then shook himself and followed his brother to the steps of the main house.
He had to stop thinking of the damn wolf.
No good could come of it.
But it didn’t seem to matter how hard he tried, Nate was never far from his thoughts.
They climbed the steps to the porch, and Jared knocked on the large, wooden door. Tristan shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans and slouched against the wall while they waited for someone to answer.
He looked utterly miserable.
“Will you lighten up? We’re going to a party, not a funeral.”
Tristan rolled his eyes but he stood a little straighter and removed his hands when the door opened and they were greeted by an attractive, impeccably dressed man. Jared’s wolf senses told him the man was human. He knew Kelan was mated to a human but he’d yet to meet him.
He thrust out his hand for the man to shake.
“Hi, I’m Jared Ambrose and this is my brother Tristan. Kelan invited us.”
The man smiled warmly and took hold of Jared’s hand. “Yes, of course. Deputy Ambrose, isn’t it? We’ve been expecting you. I’m Jake, Kelan’s mate. Come on in.”
They followed Jake inside, waited for him to close the door then followed as he led the way through the house. Tristan tugged on Jared’s shirt sleeve and leaned in near his ear.
“He’s human.” The words were barely more than a whisper and wouldn’t have been audible to anyone but a wolf.
Jared rolled his eyes. “Jesus, Tristan. It’s time you started taking an interest in the goings-on in the pack.”
“What for?”
Jared shook his head.
It wasn’t the time to get involved in another argument with Tristan about his choices in life, but he made a mental note to take his brother to the next pack meeting. If Tristan made friends in the area it might help him feel more at home in Wolf Creek. He needed people in his life that would be a good influence on him, not the hoodlums that frequented Jessie’s. As much as Jared tried to involve him in things, his brother needed friends his own age.
Jake led the way into a large kitchen then out through the back door. “We’re all outside,” he said, motioning for them to follow. “Kelan told me you moved here from Lubbock.”
Jared nodded. “We did, moved down here so I could take the job in the sheriff’s department.”
“Do you like it here?”
“I do. I think we’ll settle here. Just bought a house, actually. We’ll be moving into it in a couple of weeks.”
“Oh, that’s great news.”
“Doesn’t sound like you’re from around here either,” Jared commented.
“No. Boston originally, but I lived all of my adult life in New York.”
“Wow. How’s small-town life compared to the big city?”
Jake grinned. “It took some getting used to, I can tell you, but now I love it. Couldn’t imagine living anywhere else, and of course, Kelan’s here. That’s what makes it home.”
Jared felt a lump form in his throat but he quickly swallowed it down. Home was usually where your mate was, but Jared couldn’t let himself think about that right then.
There was a lot of activity going on out back.
Luke stood behind a grill in the yard just a little ways away from the house, his mate Mark at his side. It looked as if Mark was trying to tell his mate how to cook and Luke appeared none too happy about it. Jared grinned when Luke grabbed a spatula and whacked Mark on the back of the hand when he tried to steal something Luke had just set on a plate.
Jared recognized Cary, who was currently perched in Aaron’s lap in a lawn chair, his mate’s arms wrapped tightly around his waist. They looked sweet together, completely infatuated, with eyes for no one but each other. There were a few wolves present that Jared knew and more standing around chatting with each other that he hadn’t met before.
A quick scan of the area told Jared that Nate wasn’t present.
He was equal parts relieved and disappointed by that fact, but he swallowed down his unease and plastered a smile on his face as Jake led them over to Kelan.
“Hey, you made it!” Kelan switched his beer to his left hand and held out his right.
They shook and Jared nodded. “We did.”
“And you brought your brother. I’m glad. Good to see you again, Tristan.”
Tristan’s mouth curved up into a polite smile and he tilted his head slightly, bearing his neck. “Alpha.”
“I think Tristan was worried what attending a party for a couple of old guys would do to his street cred,” Jared teased.
His brother’s cheeks turned a furious shade of scarlet and he glared at Jared.
Kelan threw his head back and laughed. “Old guys! Jesus, Luke’s only twenty-three. If he’s old then there’s no hope for the rest of us. Say, y’all met my mate, Jake?”
“Y—”
“Is Nate here?” Tristan interrupted.
When Kelan’s gaze flicked to his, Jared felt like a deer trapped in headlights. He couldn’t get his mouth to work, but what would he say to Kelan, anyway, without revealing his secret to Tristan? Kelan must have seen the panicked look on his face because he didn’t miss a beat.
“He’s tending to the horses right now, but he should be here any minute.”
Jared finally allowed himself to take a
breath. “I think Nate left quite the impression on Tristan when they met at Jessie’s the other day.”
Tristan shrugged. “He helped me.”
Kelan chuckled. “I’m sure Nate will be happy to learn he’s gained a fan.”
It was only then that Jared noticed the confused look on Jake’s face and panic engulfed him anew.
He froze when Jake turned to Kelan, eyebrows raised.
“But I thought you said Nate and—”
“Oh look, here he is now,” Kelan said, cutting Jake off before he could blurt out the truth.
When Tristan turned to look, Jared mouthed “Thank you” to Kelan and before he turned, he saw Kelan bend down to whisper in his mate’s ear.
Bracing himself, Jared turned around and his heart very nearly stopped beating when he saw Nate striding towards them, a grey, felt cowboy hat pulled low over his rich, dark brown eyes. Nate’s face was still scarred from the fight at Jessie’s but the wounds had lightened to a pale pink instead of the angry red they’d been just a few days before.
His faded denims fit snugly to his legs and thighs and outlined what looked to be a very impressive package. A dark blue button-down shirt was tucked into his jeans and although it was a loose fit, it pulled tightly against his wide chest and broad shoulders with each and every step he took.
Jared’s body reacted instantly.
His dick filled and he had to fight to stop his eyes and teeth from shifting. He took a few deep breaths and tried to slow down his heart rate.
“Hi, Nate!” Tristan said when Nate joined them.
Jared hadn’t heard such enthusiasm in his brother’s voice for a very long time. The sound pleased him but he wasn’t sure how he felt about Nate being the cause of his brother’s change in mood.
Why Nate?
“Hey, kid,” Nate replied. “How’s things? You been looking after that brother of yours?”
Jared didn’t hear his brother’s reply because halfway through Nate’s question, the cowboy turned to meet his gaze and for the briefest of moments, they were the only two people who existed.
He tried to look away, tried to stop the rapid hammering of his heart, which seemed suddenly so loud in his ears, blocking out anything and everything else. There was only Nate…Nate and the combined pounding of their hearts, beating together, almost as one…
Nate’s mouth lifted at the corners but it was a cheerless smile, desolate. It caused a pain in Jared’s chest unlike anything he’d experienced. He finally understood the term heartache.
“How are you, Jared?” Nate asked.
“I…uh…I’m…”
Jesus.
Jared couldn’t get his mouth to work.
“Ignore him,” Tristan said with a roll of his eyes. “He’s been weird all day—ever since this morning when he started getting ready to come over.”
Nate was the first to break eye contact.
He turned to Tristan and his smile grew wider, full of teeth and dimples and laughter lines, and it traveled all the way to his eyes, which sparkled with mirth.
“That a fact?”
Jared felt an irrational pang of jealousy towards his brother.
He knew Tristan wasn’t interested in Nate in that way, but what about Nate? How did he feel? Jared didn’t want to admit to himself that he wanted to be the one to make Nate smile that big, bright and beautiful smile that made Jared’s heart sing.
“Yep, I think he’s acting crazy because it’s nearly full moon.”
Nate’s smile was still wide when he met Jared’s gaze again, but as the seconds ticked on, it started to fade, the lights in his eyes dimming slightly, and that cut Jared to the core. They continued to stare at one another, neither man speaking, just looking their fill. Tristan seemed blissfully unaware of the silent exchange that passed between them and he plowed on.
“I’m telling you, he literally showered in cologne before we left. You’d think he had a big date or something.”
This time Nate’s eyes did sparkle when he looked at Jared but it wasn’t with mirth. There was a different emotion in those eyes but Jared couldn’t quite work out what it was. For a moment Jared thought it was anger he was seeing there. But why would Nate be angry about a comment like that?
Surely he didn’t think…
“Tristan, why don’t you come with me and Jake?” Kelan said. “We can introduce you to Aaron and Cary.”
Tristan shrugged. “Oh, okay, I guess so. See you later, Nate?”
Nate didn’t take his eyes from Jared when he next spoke. “Yeah. See you later, kid.”
They were barely out of hearing distance when Nate rounded on Jared, and a low growl tore from his throat.
“A date? With whom?”
Jared shook his head.
He was about to deny the fact when a thought occurred to him. Was Nate jealous? He couldn’t explain why that made him so angry. Sure, he might have felt the same way the other day when he’d witnessed Nate and Kelan’s easy-going relationship, but so what? Nate didn’t want him—he’d made that perfectly clear—so it was really none of his business who Jared dated.
“You wouldn’t know him,” Jared lied.
No sooner were the words out of his mouth than Jared regretted them. What the hell had he gone and said that for? Was he trying to make Nate jealous? To what end? But the anger that had been on display in Nate’s eyes fell away to be replaced by an unmistakable sadness.
Nate dropped his gaze then nodded.
“Right. Well, have fun,” he said quietly. “I’ve got to go. See you around, Jared.”
Jared opened his mouth to admit to the lie—to tell Nate that there wouldn’t be anyone else for him, not now, not ever—but Nate had already turned and was storming through the yard towards the house.
“Hey, Jared.”
Jared watched Nate disappear through the kitchen door before he looked to his right and saw Gregory and Ashton standing beside him.
“Hey,” he replied quietly.
He tried to smile at the two men but the action felt foreign to him and he dimly wondered if he would ever smile again.
“Glad you could make it,” Gregory said. “Was that Nate we just saw leave?”
Jared nodded. “Yeah, that was Nate.”
Ashton whistled. “Boy, he didn’t look happy.”
Jared’s chest felt tight. No, Nate hadn’t looked happy and as much as it pained him to admit, Jared had been the cause. He hadn’t expected the look of utter devastation on Nate’s face, but the wolf had seemed genuinely upset by what Jared had said.
He looked…wounded—grief-stricken, even.
Why would Nate feel that way if he didn’t want anything to do with him?
Chapter Twelve
Nate ran down the porch steps then hurried across the yard towards the bunkhouse, his heart breaking with every step he took. He’d never felt as alone and as filled with despair as he did at that moment.
Nate had believed Jared when he’d told him he didn’t want to get involved because of Tristan, and the fact that he wanted to make sheriff.
Why wouldn’t he?
He genuinely hadn’t imagined it was because Jared just didn’t want him, which was quite obviously the case. They’d only found out they were mated a few days ago and already Jared was going out with another man? Nate had an insane urge to find the guy and rip his Goddamn throat out with his bare hands.
As the fury bubbled up inside him, a tear escaped the corner of his eye and slid slowly down his cheek.
What the fuck?
He was crying like some little kid now?
He brushed it away roughly then balled his hands into fists at his sides, fury replacing the sorrow. He’d made it halfway across the yard to the bunkhouse when he stopped in his tracks and then changed direction, heading out toward the corral.
It wouldn’t do him any good to be inside.
In his current mood, he’d probably end up tearing the place apart. He needed to displace some of the anger and
pent-up energy that was driving his wolf to distraction. He needed to run, that would be sure to help, but it was the middle of the day and he couldn’t take the risk of being seen.
The horses.
They always calmed him down.
He’d take Misty out to the north pasture to try to tame his mood.
“Hey Nate! Wait up!”
Nate closed his eyes and let out a long sigh.
Tristan.
He seemed like a good kid, and Nate liked him a lot, but Tristan was the last person Nate wanted to deal with in his current mood. The kid looked so much like Jared. They had the same beautiful green eyes. How could he look into those eyes and not be reminded of his mate?
“Nate?”
Nate turned slowly and tried to smile at the young wolf, but his lips didn’t as much as twitch. “Hey Tristan.”
“Where you going?”
“For a ride on one of the horses.”
It looked as if Nate had said the magic word. Tristan’s eyes lit up, and his mouth curved up into a broad grin, the likes of which he’d never seen on the kid’s face before.
“Can I come?”
Nate was about to tell Tristan what a bad idea he thought that was, but when he saw the excited look on the young wolf’s face, he couldn’t say no. He didn’t want to let Tristan down.
He had a feeling the kid had had enough to deal with lately.
“Sure, you know how to ride?”
Tristan nodded enthusiastically. “Yeah, I had lessons when I was a kid. It’s been a few years since I was on a horse, though.”
Nate shrugged. “It’s not something you forget. Come on, let’s get the horses saddled.”
They worked in relative silence while they got Misty and Lightning ready to be taken out. Nate watched Tristan carefully line up the saddle pad and blanket before he threw on the saddle. He brought down the front and back cinch, checking to see if it was going to fit properly. When Nate was satisfied the kid knew what he was doing, he left him alone and concentrated on his own horse.
Ten minutes later they were riding out past the corral. Nate closed his eyes for a moment and took a deep breath through his nose, breathing in the sweet smell of the land, the pleasant familiar scent helped calm his nerves. It was only when they’d crossed through the first gate that Tristan spoke.
Nate's Deputy (2019 Reissue) Page 8
