by Jane Jamison
“It’s Wyatt. Especially since you might be sticking around for a while.” He tipped his ragged old cowboy hat. “Have a good day, Livi.”
He took off down the street. Although his body moved with long, easy strides as though he had all the time in the world, she got the impression that he was intent on getting somewhere pretty fast.
Their conversation, especially his sincere concern, had mellowed her anger, but she still wanted to find the Parker men. Other than sending Zack Blackwood with a message, they hadn’t gotten in contact with her since they’d seen her off at Dorrie’s. She didn’t like feeling that maybe they’d had their fun and run. As many times as she tried to tell herself that they’d promised her nothing and she didn’t have the right to expect anything from them, she still couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling that she’d been had.
What was the old cowboy saying? She’d been ridden hard and put up wet? If they thought that was what would happen, they’d find out soon enough that she could kick just as good as any angry filly could.
She burst through the door of the bar-slash-diner and came to a stop. The place was empty. Not even a bartender or a waitress was in sight.
“Where is everyone?” Her voice echoed around the room.
After giving the place a good once-over, she stepped back out into the street. A few people strolled along the sidewalk on the other side, but it wasn’t half as busy as she’d always seen it.
Was it a local holiday?
Or an evacuation?
Whatever it was, she was determined to get to the bottom of things. Too many questions remained unanswered. Had Dina trashed her room? Was Tony all right? Why was the town practically deserted?
* * * *
“Damn it, bro, you didn’t have to hit me so hard.” Tony still ached from the sideways blow Eric had given him. Now that he was back at the ranch—after Eric and Nick had hauled his ass out of the cave and thrown him into the back of the truck—he could see he’d let his emotions go haywire. If he’d gotten his claws into Calem, he wouldn’t have stopped until Calem was lying at his feet and begging for mercy.
He’d never liked the big lug, but he’d tolerated him. His tolerance ran out once the jerk had started bad-talking Liv.
“Fuck, man, I didn’t hit you that hard. But if I hadn’t, would you have stopped?” Eric propped his feet up on the rugged coffee table they’d made out of a tree stump. They’d built most of the ranch house’s furnishings, making them durable and functional, but not very pretty. Who cared what the place looked like?
“Hell, no. Calem deserves to get knocked around. Not me.”
“Aw, quit your cry-babying.” Nick plopped the pizza down in front of them. “Chow down.”
Although his head still hurt, it was healing quickly. His pride was more injured than anything else. Losing the fight to Calem—not that there was any way he would’ve lost if they’d actually tangled—would’ve been less embarrassing than having his older brother take him down. He hadn’t known what hit him when Eric had broadsided him, throwing him to the floor, and knocking him out. Eric and Nick had lugged him out of the cave and back to the truck before he could make his head stop spinning.
“I can’t believe you guys stood there and let him talk shit about her.”
“Nick and I know when to act and when not to.” Eric slugged back a long swig of his beer. “Calem will get his when the time’s right.”
“It didn’t help for you to go off all half-cocked. A few of those folks still needed convincing.”
Tony snagged one of the bottles on the table and chugged a third of it. “I don’t get that. Lots of other folks around here have taken a human mate.”
“Those humans weren’t photographers hell-bent on taking a photo of one of us and outing us to the world.”
“If you two would stop shifting into white wolves, we wouldn’t have this problem. Not with Livi and not with any campers and the like.” Nick took a drag on his drink.
Tony knew what Nick was getting at. Yet if anyone ordered him not to shapeshift into his wolf, he’d tell them to go fuck themselves. Changing into a white wolf was his and Eric’s go-to animal. Most of the time he didn’t even give a thought to which animal he shifted into. The white wolf was his dominant beast and instinctively took over. Neither one of them had thought much of it before that first damn camper had opened his yap and told other humans. They certainly hadn’t expected a photographer to show up.
“You’re both right. But if we hadn’t have gotten spotted in our white wolf bodies, we never would’ve met Livi.”
Tony nodded his agreement with Eric. “That’s true. After all that time trying to locate her, she suddenly shows up in our town. It’s fate, sure enough.”
“We’ll be lucky if she’s still talking to us.”
“We’ll make her understand.” Nick sat on the edge of the couch. “What else could we do? The others wanted to get together right then and there. We didn’t have time to meet up with her.”
“Thanks to Calem,” added Tony. Calem had called the special meeting. Any shapeshifter could, but when a skinwalker did so, they heeded the call immediately. Meetings were only held when it was important. “If he hadn’t started shit about Liv, I might’ve felt sorry for the asshole.”
“He’s an idiot. He should’ve known Dina would leave him high and dry, letting him take the blame for doing her dirty work. She didn’t have the guts to show up and face us.”
Eric’s gaze was on his bottle, studying it as though it were an artifact from outer space, but Tony knew his thoughts were centered on their mate. “After what she did, she knew she’d get called out for it.”
“I feel sorry for Dorrie. How did such a nice lady raise such a bitch?” Nick shoved half a piece into his mouth.
“Beats the hell out of me.” Eric’s tone was flat, but his body was stiff, filled with irritation.
“What if we told Liv the truth?” Tony held the cold beer bottle to his head. The knot was gone, but it still throbbed a little. “About everything. About us and her.”
Eric snorted. “One, she already knows the white wolf exists. Secondly, I’m not ready for her to go running off screaming once she finds out what we are. And third, are we sure she won’t decide to out us as shifters once she knows?”
“She wouldn’t do that.” Even Tony heard the doubt in his voice.
Eric downed the rest of his beer, then grabbed a piece of pizza. “I hope not. But until we’re sure, we need to keep a lid on it. On all of it.”
“Keep a lid on all of what?”
Tony was lucky he didn’t drop his beer. Livi stood on the other side of the screen door, hands on her hips and a question on her face. He was up and moving toward the door in the next second. “Liv, girl. How’d you find the place?”
“Wyatt Bristol told me how to get here.”
Damn but she looked good. As fresh as a summer rain and smelling twice as nice. He inhaled, drawing her scent in.
“So are you going to invite me in or what?”
“Uh, yeah.” He pushed the door wide and stepped back. Her fragrance drifted in the air as she floated past him. She was as graceful as a gazelle but with a sexy, can-you-handle-this kind of sway.
She stopped in the middle of the living-room-kitchen-dining-area combination and made a lazy circle as she took it in. For the first time, Tony wished they’d taken more care in furnishing the house. There was little a woman could like about the place. The galley-style kitchen had only the barest of appliances, much less a big stove or a dishwasher. The leather couch was scarred and stained from their sweaty bodies while the rug under their feet was worn and frayed around the edges. The windows were naked without a shade or blind for privacy. Their home screamed “men without a woman.”
“I know it’s not much.” The remark earned him a quizzical look from both his brothers.
“It’s not my taste, but it suits you three.”
He relaxed, glad that she didn’t think it was too awful
.
“Did Zack get our message to you?”
She turned to square off with Eric. Tony edged in front of her, but not directly in the line of fire from her angry glare.
“Yes, thanks. It was so polite of you to let me know.”
Aw, shit. She’s angry, all right. “Look, Liv, we meant to get hold of you again.”
She aimed her anger at him. If she weren’t so damn beautiful, he might’ve stepped back for his own safety.
“So you didn’t mean it to be a ‘slam, bam, and thank you, ma’am’ kind of situation? Because it kind of feels that way.”
“Is that why you came out here?”
Fuck, Eric. Shut up.
“Of course not, baby.” He took her hand and was relieved when she let him. If she’d tried to yank it away, he’d have fought to keep it. “You’ve got to understand. We have a large spread to take care of.”
She was a reasonable woman. He could see her trying to calm down. “I understand that.”
“Good. Because we wouldn’t want you to think we’d taken advantage of you then dumped you.”
Pulling her body next to his kept his inner beast at bay. He wanted to feel her pussy wrapped around his cock, his warm breath puffing against his skin as he rammed his cock deep inside her. Having her doubt that he cared for her was the last thing they wanted.
She leaned into him, whether by choice or by instinct, he didn’t know. She felt so right next to him, like a part of him he hadn’t known was missing. He skimmed his arms around her waist and brushed her hair away from the nape of her neck. Pressing his lips there, he touched the tip of his tongue to her skin and felt her tremble.
He’d only closed his eyes for a moment when she pushed away from him. “Uh-uh. I didn’t come out here for this.”
“So you came out here to find out if we want you? Is that it?” Eric pulled her away from Tony. “Because I think that’s what we’re trying to tell you.”
He fought to keep from snarling and clenched his fists. He’d let Eric take charge. For now.
Eric took her face between his hands. “You are the farthest thing away from a one-night stand. We want you for more than that. For much, much longer.”
Nick came to stand on her other side. “Let’s go into the bedroom, sugar. After we get through with you, you won’t have any doubt about where we stand.”
The braying of a cow had Tony growling out loud. From the sound of it, no one would be going into the bedroom anytime soon. “Boys, I hate like hell to say it, but I think it’s time.”
* * * *
The men were up and moving, leaving Livi feeling alone and unwanted again. They banged opened the screen door and pounded down the steps out of the house.
“Well, damn. Just as it was getting good.” Livi hurried after them.
She had to run to keep up, but thankfully, they didn’t go far. They disappeared around the corner of an old weather-beaten red barn.
The glow of the fading sun cast pretty shadows on the ground as she followed them behind the barn. A large enclosure was attached to the rear of the barn, where three horses grazed on grass. But it wasn’t the horses they went to. Instead, they went to the back of the first enclosure and came to another, smaller pen.
By the time she caught up with them, they were gathered around a cow lying on its side. A black lab barked, then padded over to her and nuzzled her hand.
She knelt and scratched him behind the ears. “Hey, big fella. What’s going on?”
Tony held the cow’s head in his hands. “Have you ever seen a cow giving birth, Liv?”
“You’re kidding me. Seriously?” She got to her feet, started toward the cow, then slammed to a stop. A yellow spherical sac hung out of the cow’s vulva.
“Oh, my God. What is that?”
“You really are a city girl.” Eric patted the cow then cooed soft words to help calm the frightened beast.
“More than ever now.”
“Do you want to come closer for a better look?” Tony put the cow’s head down gently, then walked to the rear of the cow where Nick stood, hands on his hips.
The dog nudged her leg as though urging her to go ahead. “Um, no, thanks. I’m good right where I am. What happens next?”
“Stick around and you’ll see.”
As soon as Eric had answered, she inhaled and clapped a hand over her mouth. Two feet and a nose were now visible. “Look! It’s coming!”
Tony laughed as he rolled up his sleeves, then let Eric pour a bucket of water over them. He looked like a surgeon getting ready to go into the operating room.
“What’re you doing?”
“I’m going to give her a little help, is all.” He pulled on a pair of gloves, rubbed something that looked like lubricant over them, then bent down at the rear of the cow.
“Please tell me you’re not doing what I think you’re doing.” She’d never seen anything being born before. Although she realized it was a miracle of life, she couldn’t help but get a little squeamish.
“That a girl.” Nick handed Tony a rope, then patted the cow on the flank. “You’re doing real good, Lucy. Keep it up.”
The dog plopped onto its stomach next to her, its paws between its feet. She squatted down—which gave her an even better view of the event—and stroked the dog more to comfort herself than anything else. “What’s the rope for?”
“To help pull the calf out.” Tony worked the rope around the calf’s legs. “I’ll pull when she pushes. Kind of like how the doc does in the hospital when he’s delivering a baby.”
“Oh, my word. I never would’ve believed I’d see anything like this.” Her thoughts went back to where she’d parked her car. “Damn, I didn’t bring my camera.”
Damn it. I don’t have a camera.
“Would getting a photo of this be better than one of the white wolf?”
She wasn’t sure if Eric was prodding her or not, but she let it pass. “No, but I hate missing getting a shot of all this. Especially with one of you guys working to bring a baby cow into the world.”
“Calf. Not cow.”
“Whatever, Eric.” She held her breath when Tony tugged on the calf’s legs. The cow let out a bray then, with another push from her and a tug from Tony, the calf slid out, still covered with the sac.
“Wow. She’s beautiful.” She stood up as Eric pulled it free then slid his arms under the calf and carried him away. “Where are you taking her? What about the mother? Won’t she get upset that you’re taking her baby away?”
Tony headed for the barn, his demeanor solemn. “I’ll be back in a second after I’ve cleaned up.”
She wondered at Tony’s attitude. Why wasn’t he happier? “Why is Tony acting like that?”
Nick sauntered over and ruffled the dog’s fur. “Don’t worry about Tony. Eric’s going to get the amniotic fluid out of the calf’s nose then make sure it starts breathing. See that pen over there?”
“The smaller one?”
“Yeah. It has clean hay. Once Eric’s finished, we’ll get Lucy over there and leave them alone to get acquainted. She’ll clean her baby up and get it to nurse.”
“Aw, that’s so sweet.”
“I guess. It’s all in a day’s work here. I just—”
“You just what?” He was holding back something. “I saw the look you guys gave each other. What was that all about?”
“Nothing.” Nick patted his thighs, urging the dog to jump up. “I see you’ve met Rico.”
He’d changed the subject on purpose. “I sure have. He was great company. I’m not sure I wouldn’t have fainted dead away if he hadn’t been around.” She played with the dog’s ears again, earning whines meant to keep her scratching him.
Rico’s tail was going a mile a minute. “He likes you.”
“The feeling’s mutual.”
But Rico wasn’t the only thing she liked. In fact, it was more than like. Every minute she spent with them made her more certain that her feelings for them were growing s
tronger. They lived in two separate worlds, as different as two worlds could be, but she didn’t care. They were her fantasy men come to life and she couldn’t, wouldn’t lose them.
Do I love them?
She skimmed her palm over Rico’s fur. They were hard men, men who could handle whatever the wilderness and ranch life threw their way. But after seeing them with the baby cow—calf—she knew they were so much more. They’d treated it with kindness, just as they’d done with her. Even with Dina, even with her insistence that they love her, they’d retained a sense of tenderness.
Yeah. I think I do love them.
Oh, mamma.
“What the hell? You said you’d call me when she was due.”
Livi stood up and whirled along with Nick to face Dina. “What are you doing here?”
“That’s none of your damn business.” Dina’s mask of fury settled on Nick. “You promised I could be here for the birth.”
Nick’s own expression had gone cold and hard. “That was before. This is now.”
A snarl lifted Dina’s upper lip, and for a second, Livi thought she saw sharp teeth. Sharp like fangs. “You mean before she came to town.”
“Before that.” Nick put himself between them. “And before you started crossing lines, Dina. Go home and don’t come back.”
“You don’t mean that. I practically grew up on this ranch.”
Nick didn’t answer, instead crossing his arms and planting his feet wide.
“Wait a minute.” Livi stepped around Nick. “How’d you know this was happening? Or did you? Dina, are you following me?”
She saw the answer in Dina’s furtive glance away. Yet when their eyes met again, Dina had steadied herself. “You don’t belong here.”
Livi lurched back as Dina took a step forward in a very aggressive step with her hand clenched as though she wanted to strike out.
“Dina, either you leave now on your own steam or I’ll do whatever I have to do to get you gone. It’s your choice. Make it now.”
Dina swallowed, fear mixing with hurt and anger on her face. “Fuck all of you.” She struck out her finger at Livi. “You just wait, bitch. I’m going to make you pay.”
