“Tart!” Noah suddenly proclaimed. He nearly shouted the word.
All eyes turned toward the four-year-old.
“You were going to say raspberry jelly is tart,” he told Mae. This time, without a hint of a stutter. He smiled a wide grin. Finishing someone else’s sentence for them, instead of someone doing so for him, appeared to be a thrill.
“You’re right,” Mae admitted. “I was.” She grinned before she turned her attention back toward Rogue. He was wearing a worn work shirt, but from the looks of it, his bandages were gone. “I see you’ve recovered well,” she said.
Not that she’d expected any less. Her cousin, Belle, had taught her a few medical skills, and Rogue had been nearly healed during their encounter the previous night.
He gave a tilt of his chin in acknowledgment. “Only thanks to you.”
She wasn’t certain what she’d expected from him after their encounter last night, but the subtle gratitude in his tone surprised her.
Rogue cleared his throat. “Noah, why don’t you give Bee a snack? Be careful he doesn’t nip your fingers.” Retrieving an apple from his pocket, he tossed it to the small boy, who missed the wayward fruit in midair but retrieved it a moment later. Rogue patted Bee on his muscled rump, and the horse wandered down the stall block away from them as Noah eagerly followed the beast.
A beat of silence passed as Rogue turned back toward Mae and the other two children. She and he held eye contact, both of them uncertain what to say. The situation was made all the more awkward considering they had an audience.
As if to prove that point, Hope glanced between them. “Are you going to have babies?” she asked loudly.
She cast an innocent, inquisitive stare toward Rogue, but Mae found herself sputtering all the same.
“What the devil would make you think that?” Rogue asked. The gentleness in his eyes undermined the harsh tone of the question—a gentleness that looked so out of place on his hardened features that Mae wasn’t certain what to make of it.
She raised a brow. Who was this enigma of a cowboy? A man who all the world thought was a dark criminal but who’d saved the life of his enemy’s sister at risk to his own, who made love with passionate gentleness, and who had enough softness in his cold heart to be kind to children?
Hope released Mae’s hand before stomping over to Rogue’s side as if she owned the place. She settled her fists on her narrow little hips with an exasperated sigh. “You’re staring at her the same way Ollie stared at Martha before they made babies.”
Rogue gaped at her, his expression one of such raw surprise that Mae had to clap a hand over her own mouth to keep from laughing. Apparently, all it took to render a wicked cowboy wolf speechless was a sassy five-year-old in pink cowgirl boots.
“Of course they’re not going to make babies together, Hope. That would mean they’d need to get married,” Will said. His brow drew low as he looked back and forth between them. “You’re not marrying her, are you?” he asked.
“No!” they both answered in unison.
At least there was one thing they could agree on…
That answer seemed to placate Will, at least for now. But Hope wasn’t having it. “Rogue said Ollie needed to make Martha an honest woman since they made babies,” she said to catch Mae up to speed.
Mae quirked an amused brow. “Did he now?” A grin spread across her lips. She was trying to hold in her laughter at the thought of Rogue attempting to provide excuses for horses mating to a pack of small children, but she was failing—miserably.
“That’s what real men do, right, Rogue?” Will asked.
Mae’s grin widened. Ever since they’d met, he’d had the upper hand between them, and if she reveled in the thought of making him squirm, now was her chance. “Is that so?” She cast Rogue a coy smirk. “I’m particularly interested to hear your answer after the events of last night.”
“What happened last night?” Hope and Will asked in unison.
“Nothing that concerns you,” Rogue answered.
The children’s eyes turned toward him.
“Well?” Will prompted.
Rogue scowled at Mae as she held in a chuckle.
“In theory,” he grumbled under his breath. “Any sort of decent man anyway.”
Mae was trying her best to concoct a witty retort when a loud crash sounded from the other side of the barn. The chain of events that followed happened so fast, Mae barely had time to blink.
Tucker, who had followed them out near the stables, had rounded an entryway around the back, only to come face-to-face with Bee. The animals’ rivalry from their previous encounter and the glint in both their black beady eyes would have been worrisome enough, but the situation was made worse by the small four-year-old boy—and the delicious Granny Smith apple he’d just dropped between them.
Both animals dove for the apple.
Mae and Rogue ran for the boy.
Chaos ensued.
They dove toward Noah, both of them unfortunately missing the mark as the small child wandered aimlessly out of the line of fire, completely oblivious to the danger. Instead, Rogue and Mae collided with each other. Mae let out a high-pitched shriek. The shrill sound caused one of the nearby horses to startle. The horse kicked at its stall gate, shaking it enough that a nearby kerosene lamp fell from the shelf. The liquid contents splashed up the length of Rogue’s jeans.
That would have been the end of it, but the resulting noise startled the horse in the adjacent stall. The massive beast kicked over a heat lamp that was still plugged in from the night before. The plugged-in bulb shattered, causing a spark that lit the hem of Rogue’s jeans.
“Shit!” he swore.
He stomped his boot, trying to put out the growing flame to no avail. Mae snatched a nearby saddle blanket from the shelf and threw it around Rogue’s lower half, patting it in an attempt to put out the flames. The blanket smothered the fire quickly.
A moment later, a throat cleared.
Murtagh stood at the mouth of the stable with the children beside him. Noah, who had wandered safely away as soon as Mae and Rogue dove for him, clutched the massive Scot’s hand as Will and Hope looked on, and to Mae’s surprise, Bee and Tucker weren’t even fighting and had somehow managed to split the apple in two.
Which left Murtagh surveying the two of them where Mae stood, positioned behind Rogue, a blanket wrapped around his lower half as she patted… Oh, Lord.
As she patted the cowboy’s muscled ass.
The smoke from the fire had all but dissipated.
Murtagh shot Rogue a chastising look. “I ken yer a man not to be tamed, but best no’ be doin’ that in front of the children.”
“It’s not what it looks—”
Rogue’s snarl interrupted her.
“Bacon,” he growled.
Mae released the blanket, allowing him to step away from her. “What?” she asked.
“Bacon,” he repeated. “That pig of yours is going to be bacon by the time I’m through with him.”
She tossed the blanket over one of the stall gates. “It’s just as much Bee’s fault.”
Rogue shook his head at her before waving a hand at all of them in dismissal. “Out. All of you, out of my stables.”
Hope let out a disappointed wail. “But what about Martha and Ollie’s—”
“Tomorrow.” Rogue removed his Stetson and raked his fingers through his hair.
“But you pro—”
“Tomorrow,” Rogue repeated. His next words were far more gentle. “I know what I promised, Hope.”
Murtagh squeezed two large hands over Hope’s shoulders. “Ye heard the man, lass. Yer tutor will be arrivin’ shortly. Best be off with yeh.” Murtagh herded the children out the stable door. The sight was akin to watching a wolf gently herd innocent sheep.
“And take that n
asty little pork chop with you,” Rogue called after them.
Before Mae could protest, Noah eagerly scooped up Tucker, struggling to hold the piglet’s weight. Tucker grunted at how hard Noah squeezed him, but Mae supposed it served the teacup pig right for ever getting mixed up with the group of adorable hellions. Not to mention, she had business to attend to.
The ragtag group disappeared a moment later.
Now was her chance.
Mae turned to confront Rogue, but he had already mounted Bee and was halfway out the back stable entrance. Mae released a long sigh and shook her head as she charged after him. She wouldn’t be so easily avoided.
* * *
Had Rogue been a God-fearing man, he would have prayed she didn’t follow him, but he knew firsthand that not even God could save him from the likes of Maeve Grey when she set her mind to something. Her steps over the grass were silent, but he felt her presence behind him as keenly as if he were looking at her.
“I have a bone to pick with you,” she called after him.
He tugged on Bee’s reins, slowing the mustang. “If it involves either teacup pigs as indoor pets or small children asking about horse’s mating habits, then save it. It can wait.” He nudged Bee again.
“It can’t wait.” She stepped in front of him, blocking their path. Her eyes flashed to her wolf’s. She wasn’t pleased and he knew it.
“Can’t or won’t?”
The gold in those wolf eyes flared. “Both.” She placed her hands on her hips.
Rogue shook his head. He inspired fear in most men, and yet, what was it about the women in his life—whether adult she-wolves or no older than five—that facing a man like him made them braver than men twice their size? It was starting to become a nuisance.
The summer breeze blew a strong gust as the mustang moseyed out to the barn, but the sun shone down from overhead, warming the rolling green hills. The blue-peaked mountains crested the skyline.
Maeve followed after them. She and the children must have spent the better part of the morning walking out to the stables on foot, but in spite of that, she kept a brisk pace with him.
“You need to tell me everything—about the vampires, the antidote, what our next steps are. I understand my safety is important, but I’ll be damned if you keep me totally in the dark like some kind of prisoner. I understand the need to lie low, but I still expected to be in on this. Working together,” she continued, oblivious to his inner turmoil. “Partners.”
Partners…
Like they’d been when they were children. Partners in crime, his father had called them. Only this time, Rogue’s crimes were real. At that thought, he fought back a grin. He supposed there wasn’t any harm in keeping her informed.
“My men have been quietly gathering intel to find who knows the vanished bloodsucker’s whereabouts. Our next step is meeting with my associate for information. In the meantime, you’ll continue to lie low.”
“No.” She shook her head. “I want you to take me with you. I want to help my packmates, be involved in the search.”
She said it as if they were discussing the strategies of a game of chess rather than talking about a dangerous search that could result in both of them being killed. This wouldn’t be all fun and games. Of that, he was certain.
Leave it to Mae to be willing to risk everything, even her life, for those she loved. Years ago, she’d killed Buck to save him without so much as a thought to her own safety.
That was why he’d sacrificed everything for her—because she’d loved him then as no one else ever had, not even his distant father or his mother who’d passed years earlier. Mae had picked him up when the other boys knocked him down. Mae had cared for him despite him being weak and scared. Mae had taught him to be confident, to have enough self-esteem to one day fight back against the blows of his enemies.
Before this life, Mae had been his only real family, his only true love, and that was why he’d confessed to killing Buck. She’d made him stronger, taken a damaged boy and healed him until he was whole, and he’d be forever loyal to her for it.
Even now, after all this time, even knowing the pain, the havoc that singular decision continued to wreak on his life, if faced with the same situation, he’d do it again. He’d give himself up for her in a second.
All for her.
“How am I supposed to keep you safe?” he challenged.
They’d need to go more than a few miles from the safety of Black Hollow, and every shifter and bloodsucker in the states of Montana, Idaho, and beyond would be looking for her.
She shrugged. “You’re supposed to be a criminal mastermind. I’m sure you can figure it out.”
“I appreciate the vote of confidence, but that’s not going to happen, Princess.”
“Why not?”
“Because I refuse to risk your safety, that’s why. The answer is no.”
“You can’t make this decision for me.”
“I will if it means you’ll be safe.”
She growled, her hands clenching into fists. “I expected to be partners,” she accused. “That’s what I thought I was agreeing to.”
“I offered you protection,” he reiterated. “Not partnership.”
“You were misleading and you know it.”
He shook his head. “Perhaps you should have considered that possibility when you chose to make a deal with the devil.”
She stepped in front of Bee, forcing horse and rider to come to a halt. “You can’t keep me locked away like a prisoner.”
“The locks and guards are for your protection. I won’t allow you to throw yourself to the vampires.” He gestured toward the forest.
She crossed her arms over her chest. “You saw what happened when you kept me out of the loop before. I’m a smart, capable woman. I can help you, and without me there is no serum, no antidote.” Her lips drew into an impertinent pucker.
Rogue growled, even as his cock stiffened. He wanted nothing more than to grip her by the back of the neck and claim those defiant lips for his own. He’d replace her righteous anger with moans of pleasure. She’d always been too smart, too stubborn for her own damn good. Not to mention, she had that damn longing for adventure. He’d seen that much in the way she was so eager to get away from her packmates. She’d been that way since she was a small girl—and it was dangerous.
This wouldn’t be all fun and games. Of that, he was certain.
“It’s my life at risk,” she challenged. “Which means it’s my decision.”
He shook his head. Damn it. She always had managed to get her way from him, even when they were kids.
“Fine. If you want to risk your life, so be it.” All it would take was one little scare, and she’d change her tune. “We meet him tomorrow night.”
“So soon?” Mae’s voice rose an octave.
Rogue chuckled. “What’s the matter, Princess? Scared?”
His taunt had the effect he intended and she bristled.
“No.” Her jaw drew tight, meeting his challenge. “Not in the slightest.”
“You should be,” he warned. But as he turned away, he couldn’t help the grin that curled over his lips.
One last adventure, Mae-day. For old time’s sake.
Leaving her with that final warning, he gripped Bee’s reins before giving Bee a kick, and the mustang started to trot forward again.
“Wait!” Mae called after him.
Rogue pulled Bee to a halt.
“How am I supposed to get back?” She nodded toward the mansion.
It looked like little more than a pinprick off in the distance. She’d walked more than a mile to get herself out to the stables. He’d happily give her a ride back, but considering she wanted to play hardball with cowboys like him, if she wanted a ride…
She’d have to ask for it.
He wait
ed, watching her for a long beat, but she didn’t budge.
“Well…” she said, clearly waiting for him to offer.
He nodded to the nearby stables. “You’re a smart, capable woman,” he teased, repeating her earlier words, just as she had done to him. “You’ll figure it out.” He tipped his Stetson lower with a challenging grin and nudged Bee into motion again. “Welcome to Black Hollow Ranch.”
Chapter 11
Mae hated him right now. She absolutely hated him.
It was nearly nightfall by the time she climbed the mansion steps. She gritted her teeth as she shuffled forward. Her feet were starting to ache. Sure, she’d only been a short walk from the stables, and she’d been able to ride back to the mansion on one of his spare horses, but that’d been after she’d come to the rescue of one of his stable hands.
Well…maybe rescue was the wrong word, considering she’d been the one to accidentally knock over the stable hand’s teetering wheelbarrow of manure. She’d felt it was only fair to offer to help clean the mess up. Half an hour later, it failed to matter that she’d been the one to knock the wheelbarrow over. She was still cursing Rogue for not readily offering her a ride. She hadn’t mucked stalls like that since she was a wolf pup, and her arms were feeling it something fierce.
Gripping the massive door handle, she wrenched the door open and stepped inside. Immediately, she froze. Her stomach dropped and a wave of anxiety gripped her. The small dining room was no longer empty. Instead, Murtagh and four other male wolves dressed in ranch clothes sat around the table. Their Stetsons hung on pegs on a nearby wall, and they had mugs and bottles of beer in their hands as they pored over a game of poker. At the sight of her, the room fell so silent, she could have heard a piece of straw hit the marble floor.
Mae gulped. Each one of them was massive—alpha wolves comparable to Rogue or the Grey Wolf warriors. But unlike the cowboys at Wolf Pack Run who were rough around the edges, these wolves looked nearly as feral as Rogue, and if their leader’s reputation was any indication, they too were criminals. They definitely looked the part. Rough around the edges didn’t cut it—jagged was a better description.
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