by Anya Nowlan
The chemistry he had with her was electric, making him stand up and take notice. Not only was she curvy, tall and built to be dragged into his bed, she was also whip-smart and sharp as a hot knife cutting through butter. He’d looked her up on SassyDate (based on Warren’s loudmouthed gushing about the dating app for shifters and humans alike), and they’d been talking ever since. With each day, he grew more anxious to see her. He was sure Liza hadn’t told Kacey, but he’d actually invited her to stay over for a few weeks anyway, even before her invitation came through. The twisting in his gut told him that she was the woman for him, or at least she could be if he gave their relationship a chance. He’d been more than willing to do that before the Whiteplains lions laid the cold shower of a surprise on him. The hair on the back of his neck stood up, and his lion roared with irritation from deep inside him, clawing at him to get out. Frustration. Pure and utter frustration. He needed to get away. He could damn near smell her in the air – that maddening jasmine and honey scent she’d worn at the wedding. It made him wild, even wilder than usual, and that was no small feat for him.
“What do you say? I’ll do the whole run for, say, 600 bucks? You just need to send someone up with supplies so I don’t have to overload the horse and can make it with just one or two. It’s a steal, compared to buying a horse off of me and going up there on your own or sending some of your boys.” Rake tried to hide the eager anticipation that was welling up inside of him. As far as he knew, no one but Liza was aware that he even had a fling with her, and that was just fine with him. He didn’t want to deal with any questions, even if they were from Deacon, who was still eyeing him questioningly. After a moment of thought, his expression cleared, and he grinned, tipping his hat back a bit.
“Sure. But I’ll pay you 300 bucks,” he said. Rake flicked the butt of the cigarette at him, chuckling.
“And I’ll only bring you back half the cattle, cowboy.”
“Fine, 600. I need them down as soon as you can get them, so when would you be ready to go?”
“Tomorrow morning. Bright and early.” Rake stretched out his hand, and Deacon grasped it firmly, shaking it. A weight fell from Rake’s chest, and he felt his boisterous bravado returning to him. No broken heart was going to get him down, not as long as he didn’t have to deal with it, anyway. Or break Liza’s in the process.
CHAPTER THREE
Liza sighed under her breath, sipping on cold ice tea and rocking back and forth while curled up on a rocking chair on Warren and Kacey’s porch. The sun was slowly setting and the sky was lit up by reds and yellows that twinkled in the most mesmerizing way, casting shadows over the mountains and bouncing off the green treetops. It was breathtaking. While she’d been to Kacey’s wedding, she hadn’t really had much time to take stock of the wonderful scenery and the epic beauty of the lands surrounding Shifter Grove. Something about the quiet majesty of it all spoke to her soul.
She took another sip, thumbing her phone for the umpteenth time that night. He still hadn’t called. Or texted. That…that…well. That rake! Liza snorted with mild amusement, tucking the phone into a deep pocket on her loose, flowy pants. She wasn’t going to let a man get her down, especially not when she was paying witness to one of the most spectacular sunsets she’d ever seen. Nu-uh. No man was going to kill her mood that night! Even if he was tall, kind of mysterious and everything her heart desired. Liza gritted her teeth, determined to get the man out of her mind. But, Rake was a tough lion to ignore. Considering she knew how he tasted and that he was just miles from where she was now, it seemed all the more impossible to get him off her mind.
Liza set the glass down beside her and picked up a notebook and pencil from the ground, flipping through it until she found an empty page. She started drafting a kaleidoscope of flowers and wines there, all reaching up towards the sky, looking for a spot under the sun. She could imagine them in all the colors of the sunset and it took her mind off of Rake for at least a little while. Art always did that to her. It released her from the bounds of everyday life and gave her an outlet, a safe haven that no one could take from her. She was glad to share it whenever she could, but ultimately, art had always been a lonely endeavor for her.
Her family had never understood her passion for the ‘softer’ things in life. While most of her kin was made up of doctors, oil barons and accountants, she’d been the one chasing a butterfly or spending more time at the stables than was proper for a young lady of her standing. She learned to ride and love horses at home and the serenity they provided from her loud, constantly arguing family and as far as she was concerned, that was really the only good thing she’d picked up from them. Instead of taking their money, she’d struck it out on her own, looking for her own path in life. Painting what her muse told her to paint didn’t exactly bring in the big bucks, but doing graphic and web design on the side, she made a comfortable enough living to have time to give herself to her craft. Still, it left her rather lonesome. And that was where Rake was supposed to come in.
“God dammit,” Liza cursed loudly as the vision of the devilish man came punching back into her daydream, making the vines she was drawing waver and spill on the pages. Try as she might, she couldn’t stop thinking about him. How he would feel holding her close, if he was thinking of her, what his body looked like without the pesky addition of clothes…yum. Her raunchy train of thought was cut short by the sound of a car tumbling down the road, the headlights soon casting a yellow streak across the road as the big truck rounded a corner. Liza frowned to herself and got up, taking a few careful steps towards the steps leading down from the porch. She leant on the railing and waited until the truck came to a stop.
The questioning frown was quickly wiped from her face when she recognized the wide-shouldered form of the man jumping out of the driver’s seat.
“Deacon! Fancy seeing you around here!” she hollered with a wide grin, straightening up. The polar bear shifter had left her an impression of a kind, hard-working, salt of the earth kind of guy at the wedding. She’d liked him immediately.
“Good to see you again, Liza! Now, I hope you don’t mind the late intrusion, but I got a proposal for you that a certain new friend of mine tells me you won’t be able to say no to! I hear you love horses?”
Well, say one thing for Idaho – it won’t let you stay down and out for too long! Liza nodded eagerly and invited the man in, happy to hear about anything that would take her mind off of Rake for a little bit longer. Or at least until he texted back, that bastard.
***
Liza could feel the nervous energy in the air. Rake was staring at her like she was both his messiah and the devil incarnate, a twisting of emotions grating his expression. She smiled sheepishly, standing next to Deacon’s truck with a packed saddlebag over her shoulder.
“What’s she doing here?” Rake finally managed, a not so quiet accusation wafting in his tone. Deacon cocked a brow at him, and Liza visibly bristled, her lips thinning into a strict line that tolerated no messing about.
“You know my name. Use it,” she said, walking past Rake and almost bumping into him on her way to one of the horses standing at the post.
One of them, a gorgeous black stallion, strong and full of life, had already been harnessed and saddled, Rake’s saddlebags on him. A smaller gray mare was weighted down with extra gear for the weeklong trip, so Liza set to the task of saddling the palomino mare next to the black stallion. She was so snarling mad at the reception she’d just received that she spooked the horses a little, causing her to inhale and exhale deeply to regain some composure. After all, the horses weren’t to blame that Rake was a giant asshat, right?
“Shh, It’s okay,” she hushed the mare, patting her slender face and soft nose.
“She wasn’t part of the deal,” Rake said behind her, his voice hushed. She could still hear him, though.
“Kacey told me to take her with me if I went out. She’s ridden a lot before, and she drove cattle down in Texas. And I have 300 heads of catt
le up there. That’s far too many for just you to handle. What’s the problem?” Deacon asked, his deep, rumbling voice soothing Liza when Rake’s reaction had done anything but. First, he hadn’t answered her messages since she arrived in Shifter Grove. Then, he hadn’t come to see her, even though it was him who asked her to come to Idaho in the first place. And now he was behaving like someone had told him that the sun was never rising again just because she was going on the cattle run with him? That wasn’t going to fly, not at all. She had the right mind to ask him what the hell was wrong with him, but Deacon didn’t deserve to be dragged into this.
When Deacon had come to see her the night before, telling her that the cattle run was starting the next day, she’d gladly agreed to go on it. He hadn’t told her that Rake was going to be on it, though. The very thing she was intending to use to forget about the damned werelion had set her up to spend a week alone in the wilderness with him. Talk about irony.
I’m not going to let him ruin this for me, she thought darkly, setting the saddle pad on the horse and picking up the saddle. She could hear him lighting up another cigarette, and she cringed. He’d told her that he only smoked when something was getting on his nerves. Great way to hit on a girl, letting her think that she was the cause of his frustration. Going by the look of him, that was exactly what she was.
“Asshole,” she mumbled under her breath, carefully keeping her eyes off of him.
“Nothing,” Rake muttered, taking a deep drag from his smoke. “Fine, whatever. If she can ride, she can ride. Just send a truck to Horseshoe Bend in three nights. We should have the cattle rounded up then and could do with some gear. I have the bags packed and in the barn. Do me a favor, though. Come and check on the ranch once in a while, would you? As much as I trust the farmhands, I don’t trust the farmhands.” Deacon chuckled and laid a heavy pat on Rake’s shoulder.
“Will do,” the werebear said. “You take care now, Liza. Don’t let this grouch get to you. Just kick him when he starts misbehaving,” Deacon yelled as he hopped into his truck, speeding off and leaving her and Rake alone in the yard.
She was already taking up the slack in the cinch strap when Rake finally addressed her, putting out his smoke. The enticing masculine smell she remembered on him, musky and strong, was now smothered under the smoke.
“Are you good to go?” he asked, tying the gray mare’s lead to the saddle of his stallion. She nodded mutely, keeping her eyes off of him. She didn’t trust herself to look at him. Tears threatened to burn her almond eyes, stinging far more painfully than she’d expected.
“Yeah, I am,” she said, untying the lead and mounting with the trained ease of a woman who’d spent most of her youth on horseback. Before she’d drifted into the land of nonconformity and artistic freedom, she’d been a kept and pampered ranch daughter. This had to be one of the few times where being an expert horseback rider came in handy. If for no other reason than to deprive Rake of the satisfaction of getting to help her with something.
“Her name’s Tempo, by the way,” Rake said, his voice oddly subdued as he got into the saddle and pulled the stallion around to face the gate Deacon had just driven out through. “And he is Titan. The gray mare is Penny.” More mute nods from Liza as she settled in behind him. Rake urged the stallion into an easy trot, and Liza followed suit. This was going to be a long trip.
CHAPTER FOUR
They’d set out at just past dawn, and the day had been excruciatingly uneventful. Liza had spent most of the day trying not to stare at Rake’s wide, muscled back and failing at it miserably. Try as she might, she couldn’t get the mental images from their little tryst in the woods out of her mind. The way his hands had trailed up her sides and gently cupper her breasts through the flowing silk of her dress. The way he’d kissed her, hungry for her mouth, and she’d kissed him back with equal passion. The way he had thrust his leg between her knees and made her straddle it, rubbing against his powerful thigh and moaning like a cat in heat. Every now and then, she caught herself gripping the reigns so hard that her knuckles were turning white. And it went without mention that she’d been wet for most of the day, which made for extremely uncomfortable riding.
He hadn’t said a word to her other than a few pleasantries when they were having lunch and letting the horses rest. It was torture. She wanted badly to just yell at him. Demand answers. Pummel his wide chest until he paid attention to her and told her what his damn problem was. But she didn’t. Something kept her tongue-tied and restless, choosing the safety of not knowing over the danger of having to deal with whatever he told her.
There could be a hundred reasons. The first and foremost being that he was just an ass who doesn’t deserve a second of your heartbreak.
The silence between them was deafening. Here was this man who she thought she knew pretty damn well. While they hadn’t devolved into the usual hopes and dreams bit of their past and future, they’d discussed just about everything else under the sun. Rake was reluctant to talk about his family, and she understood – she didn’t like talking about hers either. Something about being the daughter of stupendously wealthy oil tycoons didn’t sit right with her, and the more time she spent apart from them, the more obvious her distaste for her cushioned but soulless childhood became. So, meeting someone else with equal measures discomfort and confusion about their feelings towards their family was refreshing, if not all out relieving.
He was building his ranch, glad to finally be doing something for himself and with his own two hands. She was living the life of an artist, making enough bank to stay self-sufficient and happy, and that was all she needed. They clicked immediately, and it wasn’t just physical. Liza had been deathly afraid that the moment they started exchanging messages she’d find out that he was just a brainless jock who happened to be a good kisser. But no. He was smart, resourceful, had a dry wit and the kind of survival instinct that came with years of making do. She liked that about him. He’d seen things and learned from them. It had left him a bit guarded, but underneath that tough shell was a real cuddly big cat.
So it was incredibly annoying that now she only found the shell of a man she’d got strong enough feelings for to travel across the country for. She sighed and pulled a hand through her hair, the curls frizzing and fraying after the long day of riding. The sun was starting to tick lower on the horizon, and Tempo had not been living up to her name for the past hour or so. They had just reached the edge of a small patch of forest when Rake slowed down his horse and the gray mare and tossed a look over his shoulder at Liza. His green eyes made her want to slosh into a puddle at his feet, but she gritted her teeth and stayed strong.
No googly eyes at the scorching hot cowboy, she reminded herself, making her expression as neutral as she could possible manage.
“I think it’s time to make camp.” Another cigarette was dangling from the corner of his mouth, and her lips pursed, a mild look of disapproval crossing over her face. He seemed to catch it, plucking the smoke from his mouth as he talked to her. “This seems like a good enough spot to spend the night.”
Liza nodded and hopped off the horse with a thankful groan. As smooth as a ride as Tempo was, Liza hadn’t been riding for far too long to be uniquely prepared for a whole day’s journey.
“Whoa there. Sore already? We’re only starting,” Rake said, a hint of amusement in his tone. She tossed him a withering look, and he raised his hands in mock surrender. “Just making conversation, Liza. Don’t shoot the guide. Especially if the guide’s your only way of getting out of the wilderness.”
Liza snorted, turning her back to him to unsaddle the horse. She could feel his eyes rowing over her figure – those bountiful curves and the generous swell of her ass that he’d been so fond of and remembered with kind words after every few letters he wrote. Despite better judgment, she blushed a little. He made her core pulse and twist with anticipation, even though her head told her to straighten up and get over it. But a little voice in her still demanded to know what had c
hanged so quickly. How could he be sending her scorching hot messages one moment, telling her all the things he was going to do to her when they were alone, and then ignore her completely the next? They were both grown-ups, not teenagers anymore. There was no excuse. And she wanted to know, dammit!
She kept her mouth shut as they unsaddled the horses and built the camp. Rake hadn’t even brought a tent with him, apparently considering the starry skies and a sleeping bag as enough cover. Liza was still fumbling with her tent when he returned with an armful of branches and kindling to make a fire. She kept her eyes on the task at hand, which was the painstaking bending of one of those silly plastic sticks that hooked up in a half-circle across the top of the tent. A few more minutes of trying to bend it to her will and a choice of curse words later, Liza felt herself freezing in place.
Rake’s arms reached around her and took hold of her foe, snapping it into place easily. His breath was hot on her neck, and she had to fight hard to keep from falling right back against him, letting her body meld against his. Her breath caught in her chest as he stepped further, sliding the other pole into place and hooking the tent to the top. Rake winked at her from across the tent, pulling the covering over and fastening it in place. She felt the familiar excitement pool between her legs, and she hated herself for being so easily swayed. But damn, the man was hot. She might have been angry at him, but her body responded easily to the presence of a strong Alpha whose touch she knew to be a step closer to bliss.
