He didn’t push for anything more. Just another kiss to her hand and more concern for her wellbeing.
She doubted she’d get a wink with the whirling in her head.
Or maybe she would, knowing her cowboy looked out for her.
Chapter 18
Hunter tracked Joss as she slipped away from the ceremony and into the barn behind them. She and Tansey had prepped all damn morning, but some details just couldn’t be laid out until right before they were needed. Chilled drinks would greet all the guests as soon as the bridal party made their way back down the aisle and entered the reception area of the barn.
He’d hardly been able to take his eyes off her all day. She looked gorgeous in a black dress that hugged her curves. A big bow cinched it all together and made him hope for the chance to unwrap her later. She’d tied half her hair back in a fancy, loose braid, and curled the rest to hang down her back like some princess right out of a movie. He knew it wasn’t polite to even think it, but the bride didn’t hold a candle to his mate.
Applause and a cheer slammed his attention back to the happy couple at the front of the gathering. White linen fluttered around the arch they embraced under. Whistles broke out from the watchers as the kiss went on and on, until the bride lifted her bouquet in triumph.
Hunter looked back toward the open barn. He wanted this. The big wedding with all the trappings. Food and drinks and their friends in attendance to watch them declare their love. Flowers and the eight thousand other details like color palettes, and matching ties, and drink and dinner pairings. He wanted it all with Joss.
That he might have screwed it up before they even properly started soured his stomach and sent his bear into a rage. Hunter clamped down on his beast before the first vibration of a growl could itch at his throat. He’d done enough damage already.
After the bridal party danced away and the guests made their way into the barn for food and drinks, he and the others in the clan worked quickly to transform the rows of chairs into tables and seats near a dance floor. Jesse and Alex hauled out the tables while he and Lorne carefully tucked in chairs. He’d seen the plans Tansey drew up; once the sun went down, strings of lights around the barn and fences would make the yard glow.
Setting the last lantern in the middle of a table—already sparkling with lights and other decorations nobody trusted the men to handle—Hunter planted his hands on his hips and admired their handiwork. They were a rough bunch and liable to throw punches over a muttered curse at the wrong time, but they could act like a well-oiled machine under the pain of having their limbs torn off if they screwed up anything.
“I noticed your old lady didn’t sit with you. Trouble in paradise?”
Hunter scowled at his father leaning against the fence and watching them work. Rude man didn’t even offer to help. Still, he held out an open bottle of beer, which Hunter gladly took before leaning against the fence himself. The horses were turned out in a nearby paddock, just near enough to be seen and not fucked with by drunk partygoers. At that moment, the newly wedded couple were attempting photos, but Patches, Ethan’s horse, wanted to chew on the bride’s veil.
“She knows, you old coot. About Andre. Who you led up here, so thanks for that.” Hunter saluted his father with his bottle.
“Boy, what did I tell you?”
“That you prefer to be called a wizened old codger?”
“Damn straight!” His father flicked him on the back of his head. “That man giving you trouble?”
“Nothing I can’t handle.” There was no other option. Not handling it meant Joss stayed in danger. He’d figure out a way to throw Andre off the hunt. Somehow.
He took a pull from his bottle. He didn’t even want to contemplate a life without Joss.
“You’re not getting any younger. I want my grandcubs. You better make it right with that girl.”
Hunter rubbed the back of his head. “Believe me, I’m trying.”
“Let me talk to her.”
“Dad, no. I’m not five. I don’t need you setting up my playdates for me.” He wanted to give her time, anyway. She knew his deepest shame and the stakes he brought to the table. She had to make the decision.
“Hm. We’ll see about that.” Noel twisted his own bottle in his hands, then turned to face the horses. “You know, your momma didn’t want anything to do with me when she first caught my eye.”
Hunter canted his head. “You never told me that.”
“What father wants to admit to his son he’s not the charmer he claims to be?” Noel barked a laugh. A fond smile hitched up his lips. “No, she was too good for me, and she knew it. The flowers and trinkets route didn’t work with her, either. I couldn’t let her go, though. Couldn’t walk away. That felt like drowning. You know what she said later?”
Hunter grunted. Drowning. He understood that feeling all too well. He didn’t know how far from the surface he’d been until Joss hauled him up for air.
“She said I showed up. I never went back on my word. I was there when I said I would be, and I was there. No distractions or waiting until something better came along. I made her feel like she was the only person who mattered.”
That was easy enough. Joss was the only one that mattered.
“The getting naked part probably helped some, too.” Noel slapped his thigh as he laughed.
Hunter gagged while his father continued to cackle. “You’re a disgusting old pervert. That was my mother! Don’t talk to your son that way. Foul, foul man.”
“Make her laugh, son. Make her cry. Make her want to kill you and kiss you all in the same breath. But show up and be there for her. She’ll come around. I’m sure of it.” Noel clapped his shoulder and pushed away from the fence. “You’re a good man, Hunter.”
Hunter ducked his head to hide the emotion welling in his chest. He wanted to make his father proud. He wanted to be the best mate he could be.
Nothing else mattered.
* * *
Joss waited for the seats outside to clear and the ones indoors to fill. Nerves rattled her hands, so she pressed them to the table she stood behind. Rows and rows of champagne-filled flutes waited for guests to snatch them up for a cocktail hour. Hors-d’oeuvres she’d carefully crafted waited inside the house for her to snag and pass around while the happy couple and their closest people followed photographer instructions to freeze memories in place.
The DJ hit a button and the wedding party began their groove back down the aisle. The bridesmaids and groomsmen at the far ends danced together first, with the others rolling into line until just the bride and groom remained under the arch. Arms and legs flashed in the air in coordinated chaos that took the entire party into the barn. It was cute, quirky, and made the new couple nearly double over with laughter.
Joss loved it. The wild, unpredictable nature was much better than the stuffy affair she’d had. If she had a chance at another wedding, she wanted something that put more emphasis on fun than tradition. She wanted to laugh with her husband and celebrate what they’d just done.
Next to her, Tansey nudged Ethan in the side. “When are you going to make an honest woman out of me?” she teased.
Ethan snorted. “You’d have to have a single honest bone in your body first.”
She growled, but Ethan cut it off by pulling her close. “I love you, bad wolf.”
Tansey wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed closer. “I love you, too.”
Joss pressed her lips together to contain her excitement. She wanted to flail at witnessing the moment. Even her badger jumped around in her head.
They were proof that love didn’t happen in a straight line. Tansey showed up on Ethan’s ranch to look for her brother. Wrong moves and bruised prides and a murderous wolf pack couldn’t keep them apart.
So what did shock and lies and mistakes of the past hope to accomplish? Not a dang thing, answered Joss’s sleep-deprived mind.
Ethan eased back from the kiss and murmured a promise to make Tansey pay f
or ordering him on some mission.
Tansey waited long enough for Ethan to be out of earshot before sighing happily. “We pulled it off.”
“Easy there, tiger. We still need to make it through dinner.”
Tansey waved a hand. “Please. They’ll be so liquored up by then, we could stuff ‘em full of fish sticks and they’d be singing the praises of our seared mahi-mahi.”
Scandalized horror left Joss gaping. “I worked hard—”
“I know. And between what you’ve cooked up, the smoker from the barbecue joint, and the sweets from the bakery, I’m already planning to get hitched just for a repeat. You’ll be rolling me around tomorrow.” Tansey pantomimed pushing a ball forward. “Speaking of, I think it’s time to grab the first cart of snacks. You keep handing out the drinks, and I’ll go get those circulating.”
Joss wasn’t alone for long before Noel stepped into Tansey’s spot and passed a drink to the next guest with a kind smile. To Joss, he said, “My boy tells me you had some trouble the other day.”
Joss shot a look to the boy in question. His eyes met hers, then flicked to his father. His expression crumpled into resigned horror that brought a twitching smile to her lips. Parental interference was a universal embarrassment.
“A hiccup,” she conceded.
Maybe. Probably. She didn’t know. Hours of soul searching and flicking aside her curtain to see a shadowed shape lurking near the barn hadn’t given her any further clarity.
Noel wrapped his arm around her shoulders and drew her into a tight hug. “Honey, life is just one stumble to the next. There’s only an illusion of catching your breath before the next fall. So grab on as tight as you can and ride the shit out of the journey.”
“That easy?”
“That easy.” He winked at her. “Now excuse me, I think I have a son to head off before he stuffs me down the nearest well.”
Tansey and Ethan reappeared, both pushing little carts stacked with bacon-wrapped sausages, fried brie, mini quiches, and more. Joss left her post at the champagne station and loaded up a tray of offerings to entice those who were too engrossed in conversation to make their way to the serving station.
As she moved between groups, Cal sidled up next to her with his hands in his pockets. “You look lovely today.”
He leaned close enough to feel his breath on her neck. She shuddered and tried not to let her disgust show on her face. “What a wonderful ceremony, don’t you think?” she murmured politely to the guests reaching to pluck finger foods from her tray. Her duty was to them, not the ex who wouldn’t leave her alone.
“You remember our wedding day?”
She slid a look to Cal and continued to weave between clumps of people while he followed with his hands still in his pockets. “How could I forget?” she snapped in a low voice. “It was at the country club, filled with people I’ve never met and haven’t seen since, and your mother implied I looked like a cow and had no right to wear white.”
“I should have listened to you when you said you wanted to elope. I should have listened to a lot of things you said.”
“It’s a little late for that, isn’t it?”
He bumped an elbow into her. “Doesn’t have to be.”
Joss let the empty tray drop and turned to him. What she saw was a useless man who made her feel utterly alone even when they were together. She worked hard to keep up appearances and pretend they were the same as ever, but like that very moment, he stuffed his hands in his pockets and shied away from any real work to make it through the ups and downs of marriage.
Over his shoulder, Hunter joked with his father and another of the Black Claw clan. Now there was a hard worker. He’d grown up on it, she could plainly see. Any complaints he had were said with a grin and a joke before he got back to whatever task was at hand.
When push came to shove, Hunter was honest with her. He didn’t hide behind anyone’s money. He gave her all the facts and let her decide if she was strong enough to accept them.
The old Joss would have been intimidated by him. The Joss that’d had the rug yanked out from under her and still worked hard to pull together meals for a ranch wedding saw him as a good match.
And maybe she was still a little intimidated because holy macaroni, the man was pure fire.
Hunter met her gaze from across the barn. Joss felt like a spotlight suddenly shined on her. He saw her.
“Excuse me for a moment.”
She extricated herself from Cal and weaved her way to Hunter, dropping the tray off with others. Joss slid her hand into the crook of his arm and squeezed. Hot dog, the man was solid. The skin crawling sensation Cal spawned in her disappeared as soon as she touched Hunter.
Mine.
She tugged him lower and kept her voice quiet. She wouldn’t be accused of causing a scene and she sure as heck wouldn’t ruin someone’s wedding with her own drama. “Can you send me that picture you took the other night?”
Hunter’s forehead wrinkled in confusion, but he pulled his phone from his pocket. A second later, hers buzzed with the message. “What’s going on?” he asked.
Joss typed quickly and hit send. The moment it went through, she turned her screen around for him to read.
I’ve found my happiness, and it comes without any strings attached. You made your choice, and I’ve made mine. Back off.
She watched his eyes bounce back and forth over the message. Gold brightened and spread through the brown of his human side. Even his scent seemed to flare with thrilled surprise.
“You mean it?”
Joss nodded, not trusting her voice.
Hunter twisted and shoved his drink at the nearest person—his father, she thought. Then he wrapped his arms around her waist, lifted her, and spun them both in a circle.
Out of the corner of her eye, Cal crumbled a cocktail napkin and stormed out of the barn.
Good riddance.
Hunter let her slide to the ground, but he didn’t let her loose. He pressed his nose into the crook of her neck and spoke so fast she didn’t know when he took the chance to breathe.
“I swear to you, I’ll be the best damn man I can be. You deserve so much more than me, Joss. You deserve the entire world and the moon, too. I won’t ever raise my voice to you or make you feel like you need to be ashamed of yourself—”
“Hunter, Hunter, slow down,” she laughed. She pressed her palms to his cheeks. “You’re a good man. You have flaws. I see you. All of you.”
He bent low and kissed her. Joss fisted her hands in his suit jacket and held on as tight as she could.
Chapter 19
Joss streamed into The Roost with the rest of the Black Claw clan. She couldn’t stop smiling. Her cheeks hurt from her constant grin.
She reached down and squeezed Hunter’s hand. He turned to her with a wink, then went back to talking smack with Lorne and Jesse.
“You let a human drink you under the table. That’s shameful. You should be ashamed.”
Jesse glared. “We were already ahead of the game. It wasn’t fair.”
“No, I think that’s what made it fair. And you lost.”
“We forfeited a win,” Lorne grumbled.
It’d taken the rest of the night and most of the next day to clear out the last of the guests and set the ranch to rights. Ethan grumbled the loudest about lost time and tending cows, but he’d also been the one to suggest a group outing once they were able to take a step without tripping over extra bodies. That brought its own minor disaster, with three different locations suggested, an argument over who had the best food in town, and the start of a brawl that ended with Ethan growling that he’d leave everyone behind, whoever didn’t make it to the bar was no longer welcome on his ranch, and he didn’t want to be alpha to a bunch of whiny babies anyways, fuck you very much.
They were an utter mess of a clan, and Joss loved them for it. She’d never felt so alive as she did during her time on the ranch.
Even her badger rode easier inside her. Ther
e wasn’t a need to fight for acknowledgment when Joss no longer tried to keep her locked down. Tension seemed to drip away the longer she could be herself.
And who was that person? Bearden was about letting in some of the magic and figuring out her place in the world. She was still awkward a lot of the time, a damn good chef, and ninety-percent confused by her inner animal’s demands. But she’d also found a group more messed up than she could imagine and felt at home around them. They were her type of people. As much hurt she’d endured to push her into finding a different path, she was glad she’d endured.
Now she needed to thrive.
The group crowded around a low table, the quickest ones snapping up the chairs and leaving the others to stand. That didn’t bother any of them as much as the slow filling and passing of shot glasses.
Tansey elbowed Alex when he tried to throw back his drink. He growled, then she growled back. They locked eyes for a moment. The air thickened around them and Joss’s badger went quiet. Tansey had a monster inside of her that demanded obedience.
Alex’s jaw worked, then he looked away.
Tansey tilted her head graciously and lifted her shot. “Here’s to the first wedding in Black Claw history that didn’t end in a brawl.”
“Not for a lack of desire. Ordering Lorne and Alex apart is probably the only thing that saved us,” Jesse added.
“And to our payment.” Tansey lifted her glass. “I’d like to thank Joss, in particular. Great food, extra hands, and just the right amount of drama to keep things interesting. Hopefully, we can convince her to stay for many more events.”
“Thank you.” Joss swallowed back the liquid fire and hid her cough behind her hand. She still wasn’t used to the burning throat that came with their preferred whiskey. Give her a girly beer any day.
“Oh fuck, we’re doing this again?” Alex sputtered.
“I don’t know. Do you like money?” Ethan punched his arm.
Spurred Fate: Book Two: Black Claw Ranch Page 14
