Hunter Moon (Lupine Moon Series)

by Lavender, Cait

  “You know, if you do find yourself in a tough situation I’d be happy to help, Shells.” Hissing at his use of my nickname, I nearly spat in his face.

  “Yeah, at what cost, my soul?” I snarled. He looked entirely too pleased with himself so I decided to jerk a knot in his tail. “I’d rather put the land into the Williamson Act.” Shock flared in Harry’s eyes before they narrowed with hatred. The Williamson Act in California meant that land could be designated for agriculture and was taxed at a lower rate. It also meant if I did put it in the Act and Harry got his hands on it, he’d have to wait at least ten years before he could take it out.

  “It takes ten years for that to go through,” he said, but I could see the worry floating behind his eyes. I bared my teeth in a way that was light years away from friendly.

  “Grandpa started the paperwork years ago and it should be going through this winter.”

  I tore my arm loose from his grip, knowing he’d probably left a bruise, and stomped up the steps to the door. I spun and glared at both of them for a moment before speaking. I couldn’t believe they had the nerve to come to my land and threaten me. Breathing deeply, I gathered my thoughts. I didn’t want to say anything that could be used against me in a court of law someday.

  “If you both aren’t in your eurotrash-mobile and off my property in sixty seconds I’m calling the cops.” I crossed my arms in front of my chest and stood, staring at them. Trisha glanced at Harry, but he didn’t move and it seemed like she took her cues from him. I glanced down at my watch. “Forty-five seconds.”

  Apparently Harry didn’t think I was serious. My smile was sharper than Grandpa’s Ka-bar knife in my back pocket as I walked into the trailer and grabbed the phone and my Benelli. I leaned the shotgun casually over my shoulder and glanced back at my watch.

  “Fifteen seconds.” Finally, when I started dialing and chambered a shell, Harry glanced at Trisha and they tried to look casual as they jogged to the Bimmer and tore out of the driveway. I almost wished they hadn’t left. It would have been infinitely satisfying to see buckshot holes in the hood of that pretty car. It did help that I was fairly certain Harry would have to spend a couple hundred dollars to get the scratches out of the fender.

  I popped the cap off a beer and sat on the couch for a half hour staring at the ceiling. My body was still tired and aching, and it was begging me to take it to bed. My mind, however, had other ideas. The alcohol helped soothe the white hot rage I felt, but I’d have to bring out the big guns if I was going to make a big enough dent in my temper so I could sleep that night.

  Certain bits of my anatomy were telling me that a certain tall, dark and handsome man I’d grown so fond of would also do wonders to soothe my temper, even though sleeping was nowhere on its list of things to do tonight. We could think of something…As appealing as that suggestion was, I felt like I had been aggressive enough and it was Cash’s turn to do some pursuing.

  Still, I needed something to smooth down my hackles, so I changed out of my dirty jeans into a fresh pair and grabbed the keys to my Blazer. Jesse would help calm me down. Her and my good friend Mr. Daniels…

  It was only four thirty so the bar wasn’t open yet. I growled as I strode into the store and settled for the Coke Jesse plunked down in front of me as she took the seat across the table. I glared at it, feeling sullen, before finally taking a sip. Yup, just Coke. Not a drop of Jack or Cap’n in sight.

  “What crawled up your butt and died?” Jesse’s soft chocolate eyes were twinkling with amusement. She took a sip from her drink, trying and failing to keep her lips from twitching.

  “I don’t see what’s so funny about my cousins stopping by and threatening me.” I mumbled into the soda.

  I heard her choke on hers, and surprisingly, it didn’t make me feel better, much. Her eyes were wide and moist from choking and implored me to continue. “Harry seems to think I won’t win the suit.”

  “Why would he think that?” I shrugged, ignoring the little niggling worry in the back of my mind.

  We both sat in grave silence for a few minutes until she raised her head and squeaked. I gave her a dirty look until I noticed she wasn’t looking at me but at something behind me. Thinking it was Cash again, I spun around in my chair but my smile fell flat when I took in the GQ model standing in front of me. He was dressed in an impeccably tailored black suit, and although I’m not an expert on men’s fashion, it looked to be of the Armani persuasion. And probably cost more than I had to live on for six months. His shirt was so pristine it nearly glowed, and the ensemble was completed by a tasteful striped tie and silver cufflinks that peeked out from his sleeves.

  The man stood with his hands in his pockets. Long dark eyelashes framed the cloudy gray eyes that slid up and down my body like a lover. His angular face was clean-shaven and his lips were bent in a smile, as if he laughed at a private joke. Long, black hair was slicked back and fell just to his collar in subtle waves. His body language screamed womanizer and he instantly put my back up.

  “My my my. I didn’t expect to find two such lovely ladies in a hole like this,” he said.

  Jesse tittered. She freaking tittered! I turned, giving Rico Suave my back and glared at my best friend, who preened. The scrape of a chair told me that he’d joined us without asking for permission. I hated men like him, all polished and manicured, looking like he’d never done an honest day’s work in his whole life. Men should look like men and smell like men, not the product they used on their hair or the lotion they rubbed on their hands. Men like him thought they were God’s gift to woman, and somehow women believed it. Men like him thought they were too good for people like me and they rubbed me the wrong way.

  “This isn’t a hole, it’s a historic general store, and if you dislike it so much you’re more than welcome to leave.” I snapped.

  He flashed a grin that most women would consider charming, but I thought was insufferable. “Oh, I wouldn’t dream of leaving before I learned your names.”

  His confidence that he would indeed receive our names really pissed me off.

  “I’m Sally and this is Alice. Now please leave. We were having a private conversation before you rudely interrupted.”

  Jesse sent me a dirty look before she flashed a winning smile at the jerk. “I’m Jesse Weaver and this is Shelby Flint.”

  She held out her hand and gave the man a look like I was a horribly rude person and she wasn’t usually seen in such bad company. I rolled my eyes and glanced at my watch. It’s five o’clock somewhere! I surged to my feet, tossing Jesse a small wave and left without a second glance at the male model.

  I practically jogged over to the bar. Buster took one look at me before pouring me a couple fingers worth of whiskey. I was halfway through the drink when I caught a whiff of cigar tobacco and chocolate and felt a warm presence behind me. I turned just enough to catch sight of Mr. Wall Street with my peripheral vision. He leaned on the bar with a self-important grin on his perfect face.

  “Can I buy the next one?” His voice was as smooth as silk and it irritated the crap out of me.

  “No.”

  He ignored me and motioned to Buster for another. The anger that I had unsuccessfully been trying to calm flared into life. Buster raised an eyebrow in question and I shook my head. I heard a tisk from Mr. Model.

  “Look, why don’t you do us both a favor and leave me the heck alone?” A rich chuckle rolled out of him.

  “I would, Shelby, but I’m new here and you are one of the most attractive women I’ve ever laid eyes on. I can’t seem to help myself.”

  Lightning flashed in those stormy eyes of his but he picked the wrong day to try to get in my pants. I groaned in disgust and tossed a fiver on the bar. I stalked out with the infuriating man on my heels. This is starting to get creepy.

  I unlocked my Blazer and nearly slammed his fingers in the door when he tried to stop me from getting in.

  “Haven’t you heard the phrase ‘no means no’?” I yelled out the wi
ndow as I revved the engine and peeled out of the parking lot.

  The man stood in my rear view mirror with a puzzled grin on his pretty face and I wondered, why me? Why today?

  “Hey Billy! It’s that time of year again.”

  I was talking to one of my favorite cowboys. Billy Thompson was a roper friend of mine and he was always up for helping me cut the calves out for sale. He was a header, meaning he threw his loop of rope around the calf’s head. Plus, he loved practicing on cows that hadn’t been roped before. They were more unpredictable than the practice calves which knew to run straight out of the chute.

  Harris Ranch had come through with their offer to buy everything I had. And six hundred dollars a head, times 135 calves equaled a good year. I was thrilled. I still had to pay the broker commission and taxes, but I’d have a nice chunk of change to live on the rest of the year. They were sending two semi-trailers for me to load up so I needed to organize my helpers and fast.

  “Hey Shelby! I wondered if I was going to hear from you this month! When do you need me?”

  I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I held. I could cut the calves by myself if I absolutely needed to, but it would’ve taken. Harris Ranch wouldn’t let me hang on to their trailers for that long, so if he couldn’t help me I’d have been shit out of luck.

  “Oh thank heavens! The Harris trucks are coming tomorrow, so if you could round up a few of the boys to help, that’d be great! I got a good price, so there’s a USDA Prime rib-eye and beer in it for you too.”

  “That sounds great!” The way to any man’s heart was food, especially good beef. I chuckled to myself. “I know of a few guys that would jump on a chance of a steak. See you at seven?”

  “Sounds good, Billy. Thanks a lot.” I hung up the phone with a huge smile. Is it just me or is my life looking up? I had a hot man who seemed to like me, maybe more. Now I have my next year’s salary lined up.

  Chapter Eighteen

  I spent the next day checking fence line and finding my cattle, still fighting my anger with my cousins from the afternoon before. It was soothing, getting back into my routine, and I finally stopped feeling furious. I rode for miles and still saw no sign of a marijuana grove, but I had a lot of land and I didn’t expect the perp to be out in plain sight. Still, I couldn’t help scanning the trees for the man. I was armed to the teeth and ready in case he made himself known, but no such luck.

  Jesse had invited Jack and me over for dinner that night. It was a lot of fun having the gang back together. We sat outside around her outdoor fireplace under the stars and drank beer, laughing and cracking jokes, until past midnight. Jack had to drive my Blazer home for me, but in spite of our late night reveling, the next morning I was bright eyed, bushy tailed and hangover free.

  I whistled and made myself an omelet when Jack walked into the kitchen, blearily rubbing his eyes. His hair laid flat against his head on one side from where he’d slept which made it look like he’d gotten hit with a frying pan. I grinned at him.

  “Good mornin’, good mornin’!” I sang.

  Jack froze when he heard the upbeat cheerfulness in my voice. I couldn’t blame him. Usually I wasn’t a morning person and I was the one with the drool marks on my face. He raised an eyebrow and gave me a flat look until I explained myself.

  “I got lots of good news this morning. Bart called and said Reggie was out of the woods. He’s got to keep him for a couple more days for observation just to be safe. Seems gettin’ him drunk did the trick.” I laughed to myself. “Sometimes alcohol is the answer!”

  Jack rolled his eyes.

  “Oh! And Harris is taking my calves and I’m gonna be sittin’ pretty for the rest of the year!” I did a little jig in front of the stove. His eyes popped wide in disbelief.

  “Who are you, and what have you done with my friend Shelby?”

  I stuck my tongue out at him as I flipped the omelet. “You know, that’s the second time I’ve heard that lately.”

  He sat down heavily at the kitchen table and I chuckled at our role reversal. I plunked down a cup of coffee in front of him and he took a sip, letting out a groan of pleasure I assumed he normally only employed with members of the opposite sex.

  “You’re friend Shelby is right here and wondering if you wanna help round up some calves tomorrow.” I gave him a hopeful look, but it faded as his face filled up with regret.

  “I’m sorry, Shelby. My parents have been bugging me about going home. Since you’ve got Mr. Psycho here to protect you, I figured it wouldn’t be a big deal. I hope you don’t mind.”

  As much as I would miss having him around, I couldn’t begrudge his parents the few days Jack had at home. I sighed, but nodded.

  “Yeah, I guess you’ve got permission to go.”

  “You better not be that way in front of your new paramour. He’s the jealous type.” His accusing look added to the hand meaningfully rubbing his neck had me laughing again. I felt a twinge of pain from my own neck. Must be sympathy pains...

  I grimaced. “Yeah, he is a little jealous, but it’s growing on me.”

  My eyes glazed over as I remembered what he looked like holding Jack up against the wall with one arm. Take away his shirt, envision his rippling abs and BINGO! You’re horny.

  “Well, if he gets out of hand you let me know. Sometimes jealousy can go too far.” I knew what he was referring to. I’d seen the women so controlled by their husbands that they didn’t have their own car, didn’t have any money but what their men gave them, and the occasional shiners on their faces. I frowned.

  “You don’t know me that well, Jack Anderson, if you think I’d let someone treat me that way. I’m far too well armed for that crap,” I said, all sternness.

  He grinned. I wasn’t quite like normal girls. My favorite Christmas gift I’d ever gotten was from Grandpa: my SIG 9.

  “Cash just knows how wonderful I am.” I winked and sat next to him, forking eggs into my mouth.

  “I want you to call me as soon as the warden catches that trespassing bastard.”

  I nudged him with my shoulder. “I’m gonna miss you ‘round here.”

  He nudged me back. “Oh, I’ll be back home before you know it. And if our good warden breaks your heart, I’ll break something of his off. I’ll show him the meaning of the word psycho.”

  Jack’s gruff brotherly affection made me tear up and I gave him a big hug. He gave me a noogie and the affection lost its welcome.

  I kicked open my front door. My arms were full of groceries and USDA Prime rib-eye steaks. The trip to Costco was uneventful if a little pricier than usual. It wasn’t often I splurged and bought a hundred dollars’ worth of meat, but it was the price I paid for quality help. I plopped down the armful I had and walked back outside to grab the case of beer and the rest of the food.

  I skipped down the steps to my Blazer whistling tunelessly to myself and was almost there before I noticed the huge wolf sitting next to it. I yelped. It was sitting nonchalantly on its haunches by the back tire of the Blazer. That’s not my wolf! This wolf looked completely different than my wolf. It was midnight black and had cool, grey eyes.

  On instinct, I knew not to turn my back on the animal. Where the hell are all these wolves coming from? My brain screamed. If I ever found the tree hugger that brought them over they’d be in for a world of hurt. I backed toward my trailer with my eyes glued on the beast. Calling Cash was my first priority. I couldn’t have an apex predator hanging around while I’m trying to sell calves.

  It wasn’t until my heel struck the porch steps that the wolf stood and stalked forward. I cursed at myself for not having my pistol. I spun and ran for the door. I slammed it hard behind me and locked it, even though I knew wolves didn’t have thumbs, but the intelligence I saw in its eyes and its expression made me do it. Just in case…

  I struggled to catch my breath while I dialed Cash’s number and, miracle of miracles, he answered.

  “Newcomb.” His deep voice barked.

 
; Even though there was a huge beast on my porch and I could hear its toenails clicking on the wood boards as he stalked back and forth in front of the door, the sound of Cash’s husky voice sent little tingles buzzing through my body.

  “Cash, get your ass over here. There’s another wolf.” The dead silence on the line worried me. “Are you there? Cash?”

  “What does it look like?”

  Not understanding what difference it made, I answered. “It’s black. Black with grey eyes. And big. And it’s looking straight at me through my front window. I could ask it what its idea of a perfect first date is if you think it’d help.”

  “Shit.”

  I heard a click so I gathered Cash would be on his way over. I walked over to the window and looked out on the porch. Sure enough, the beast sat in front of my door giving me one of those wolfy grins Fang gave me. I studied it through the glass. I didn’t think this one was as handsome as Fang. His fur is shimmery and silver as opposed to the flat black of this one. Plus, I liked his blue eyes better than the colorless grey that seemed way too knowing.

  I flinched as I realized that the wolf was less than a foot away and the only thing separating us was a thin pane of glass. The thing could bust through the window in a heartbeat and get at me if it was so inclined. I stepped back and loaded my shotgun just in case. You never know…

  Cash’s truck pulled down the gravel driveway and I allowed myself to relax. The wolf ran down off of my porch and approached him. I opened the door, leading with the barrel of my Benelli pointed at the wolf. Cash got out and eyed me.

  “Don’t shoot at me, Shells. I’ve had enough of that for one lifetime.” I threw him a dirty look, but it was wasted. He had turned and all of his focus was aimed straight at the animal.