“We’ve been trying to catch him for half an hour, but he isn’t being very cooperative,” Ben said. “Just about everyone has tried to approach him, and two people nearly got kicked.”
“Is this Gideon?” she asked, already knowing the answer.
Ben nodded. “I’d get Drew to deal with him, but he’s in a meeting with Nick, and I hate to interrupt them.”
“I’ll see what I can do, but first you need to get everyone out of here,” she said.
Chapter Four
***Drew***
Breakfast with Nick had been just what he needed, Drew decided as he came out of the lodge; that and the few minutes he’d stolen with the murals had done wonders to make him forget that he was feeling ancient. They’d talked a little about the old days, but most of the morning had been spent making plans for the trail rides that would be one of the most popular activities at camp.
To his great joy, it would be his job to decide where the riders would go, and there were so many options, it was going to take days of riding to decide. He knew that some of the trails he remembered would be in bad shape after little use all these years, but they could be cleaned up and made useable again. There were several he was anxious to check out, knowing that there were good camping areas and something interesting to get to.
The old crystal mine would be first; only a few hours ride away, it was a perfect beginner trail. From there, he was thinking about the waterfall, a ride that was a bit more challenging and took most of the day, but worth the trip. After that, he wasn’t sure where he’d go; there were more choices than time, and he knew that for this summer, he’d have to stick to just a few trails.
This morning, he’d had a moment of shock when they’d started talking about the campers, and it hit him that he was going to be teaching. For a moment, he wondered if he’d made a mistake, but then Nick began laying out all the things the campers could learn on the rides, and the feeling vanished. He’d never seen himself in this position, but now that he was, it was beginning to feel right.
He was feeling pretty good about his life until he got close enough to the barn to see that Gideon was having one of his fits and cursed the day he’d bought the stupid animal. But it wasn’t the horse’s fault that he’d left him alone for months at a time; he’d known it wasn’t fair when he bought him, but they’d connected, and he hadn’t been able to walk away.
As he got closer, he realized that Gideon was really riled up, riled up to the point that he might hurt someone, and that someone was the pretty blonde he’d almost knocked down the night before. Breaking into a run, he headed for the barn, but when he came charging in, he found Ben and the rest of the hands hiding in one of the stalls.
“What are you doing,” he demanded, which only gained him a few shushes.
Ben stepped away from the window they’d all been looking out “Jordan is trying to calm him down, he doesn’t want to come inside for breakfast.”
“She’s going to get hurt,” Drew said. “I told you not to mess with him.”
Ben shook his head. “He’s warming up to her,” he said, pointing out the window.
Drew watched for a few minutes, taking in the new riding boots, designer jeans, and shirt that the woman wore and wondered where she’d come from and how she’d ended up at Serendipity. When a wave of desire erupted deep inside him as he watched her slowly coaxing his stubborn horse away from the fence, he turned it to anger.
“Who is she and where did she come from?” he asked Ben, starting for the back of the barn.
Ben followed him. “Her name is Jordan, and she came from someplace back East,” he said, then raised his hands in the air when Drew shot him a dirty look. “Nick said she knew her way around horses, so I asked her to try; there’s no harm in trying.”
“There is if Gideon hurts her,” Drew said, heading out the door.
When he came out of the barn, he was surprised to see Gideon slowly walking over to Jordan who was still talking quietly to him. He approached them silently, wondering what Gideon was going to do when he saw him, but still worried for Jordan’s safety. She waved him away when he got closer, but he kept coming closer.
“I’ve almost got him, Ben, just give me a minute,” she said, keeping her focus on the horse.
“He’s a bit unpredictable,” he said, making Gideon pick up his head and whinny.
She turned to look at him when she realized that it wasn’t Ben, and Gideon took advantage of the distraction to thunder by her, knocking her off her feet and into the dirt. Stunned, she sat there in the dust watching Gideon’s backside disappear into his stall. A loud cheer went up inside the barn, and the sound of the stall door slamming closed could be heard all the way across the pasture.
Jordan glared up at him. “Thanks for that,” she said, getting to her feet and brushing the dust off her rear.
He couldn’t help but notice the way her jeans hugged her rear, and his hands itched to help her. “Sorry, I told you he was unpredictable,” he said. “Maybe you should stick to some of the smaller, more sedate horses; I’m sure there are a lot of them around here.”
She stared at him open-mouthed for a second, then put her hands on her hips and said, “Maybe you should train your horse to be better behaved.”
“What would a rich little city girl like you know about training horses? I bet you had people to do that for you,” he said, letting his anger get the better of him.
“Obviously, a lot more than a playboy like you knows,” she said, then turned and walked away from him.
She’d only gone a few feet when she put her fingers into her mouth and let out a long whistle. To his astonishment, a beautiful thoroughbred came trotting over to her from the other corner of the pasture. When it got to her, she reached up and stroked its face, then threw him a superior look over her shoulder and led the horse across the pasture.
***Jordan***
Jordan was so angry she could spit, but instead, she put a calm look on her face and led Justice across the pasture. Once he was in his stall, she gave him his breakfast, then headed for the door, wanting to get away from Drew as fast she possibly could. He was a judgmental jerk, and she hoped that their paths would stop crossing before she said something that she’d be sorry for.
She was just starting down the road when she saw Nick come riding around the corner, and her heart fell. Now she’d have to go back and face Drew, who would probably say something else, make her lose her cool, and she’d end up fired. Steeling herself for a long morning, she waited for Nick, a false smile on her face.
When he got to her, he jumped down from his horse and held out his hand. “I guess it’s about time we finally met,” he said. “I’m Nick, and you must be Jordan.”
She reached out and shook his hand, feeling an immediate warmth, and her sour mood faded. “Thank you so much for giving me this opportunity. It’s so beautiful up here, and Justice is already making friends,” she said.
“We’re happy to have you,” Nick said, leading his horse to the barn. “I hope you’re ready for a wild ride. The kids that come up here either haven’t ever been in the wilderness or have grown up here, so it can get a little crazy at times.”
“There’s nothing wrong with a little craziness,” she said, wondering if she was really ready for this job. “I saw plenty when I was student teaching.”
“That’s one of the reasons I hired you; you’ve got the perfect combination of education and experience for this job. I want these kids to really get something out of their time in the barn; I want them to learn skills that will last them a lifetime, not just how to ride, but how to survive on their own,” Nick said.
Jordan was still a little bit unclear about what her role would be, but followed Nick into the barn, listening as he continued to explain what he wanted. She was so caught up in what he was saying, excitement beginning to build now that she was starting to understand his vision, that she didn’t notice Drew come out of the tack room.
“The first th
ing we’re going to have to teach them is how to repair tack; that’s a mess in there,” he said, dusting his hands off on his pants.
Jordan’s heart froze as a thrill rushed through her, quickly followed by a wave of desire that made her step back. Nick smiled at Drew. “I wondered where you’d gotten off to,” he said, then turned to Jordan. “Have you two met?”
“Not formally,” Drew said, flashing her what she assumed he thought was a sexy smile.
Jordan felt her face redden and wanted to flee, but instead, she said, “We’ve run into each other a couple of times.”
Nick looked at Jordan, then over at Drew, who still had that silly smile on his face. “Jordan here was trying to charm Gideon when I got to the barn this morning,” he said.
“And Drew kindly interrupted me,” she said, not mentioning her little spill in the dirt.
“And Gideon promptly knocked her in the dirt when he saw me,” Drew said.
“Well, then I guess since you’re already acquainted, I’ll skip the introductions,” Nick said, still looking at them suspiciously. “Since you two are going to be working closely together, I thought maybe we’d spend the afternoon scouting out some trails.”
“Working together?” they both asked at the same time.
Nick glanced from one to the other again. “I told you I was going to hire someone to help you,” he said to Drew. “You can’t go out there with those kids alone, and Jordan has a teaching degree. Plus, she’s got all the riding experience she needs to handle any of the trails you’ll be using.”
Drew let his eyes roam over her, making her want to squirm both from embarrassment and desire, then said, “You don’t look like you’ve been on a lot of trail rides.”
Nick gave him a dirty look, but Jordan jumped in before he could say anything. “I can handle myself on the trails just fine,” she said, staring him down, even though she could feel her face flaming.
“We’ll see about that,” Drew said, then turned and walked back into the tack room.
Jordan stared after him. “Maybe this isn’t such a good idea,” she said.
Nick shook his head. “I don’t know what’s gotten into him; he’s usually not like this,” he said. “I’ll go talk to him.”
“I think I’ll saddle Justice and go for a ride, explore a little bit,” Jordan said, still a bit shocked by Drew’s rudeness.
“Don’t worry, he’ll come around,” Nick said, then headed for the tack room.
Half an hour later, she was riding through the trees on an overgrown trail, the confrontation with Drew still on her mind, but pushed so far back, it was only a tickle of annoyance. Around her, the mountains were slowly working their magic, filling her with the freedom she’d been craving, and down deep inside, she felt the first subtle stirring of her power.
It had been a long time since she’d shifted, an experience she’d never enjoyed living in the city, but here it felt different, felt more natural. Here she could see herself shifting, could imagine running through these woods in her wolf form, no one around to see her. A surge of power left her a little breathless as her body began to tingle, and she knew she had to shut it down, but as she did, she also promised herself that she’d shift, and soon.
Chapter Five
***Drew***
Drew stood up and paced back and forth across the little living room, wishing he could go to bed, but his brain just wouldn’t settle down. It had been a long day of sorting broken tack, but he’d needed to be by himself after the confusing meeting with Jordan. Nick had invited him to dinner, but he was still annoyed with his old friend and wouldn’t have made very good company, so he’d decided to stay home.
When he’d stomped off to the tack room, Nick had followed him, and even now he winced a little when he remembered their conversation. “What’s wrong with you?” he’d asked.
“Nothing, I just don’t want to have to take care of a spoiled rich girl and a bunch of campers,” Drew spat at him.
“How do you know she’s a spoiled rich girl?” Nick asked, frowning at him. “You just met her.”
“Did you see her clothes?” Drew asked as if he was pointing out the obvious. “And that horse of hers, no way she trained it to do that. Where did you find her anyway?”
Nick shrugged. “I posted the job in a lot of places; I don’t really remember.”
Drew snorted. “That gives me a lot of hope.”
Nick was silent for a long time. “I had lots of qualified applicants, but none with a teaching degree. We need her, Drew; she has a lot to offer, and even if she’s not everything I wanted, I think she’ll come through in the end,” he said.
When Drew just kept pulling down old equipment, Nick asked, “What’s going on with you?”
But Drew didn’t have a good answer for him. “Nothing, I just don’t think this is a good idea,” he’d said, his voice hard.
Now, he wished he’d been honest with Nick, told him, well, he wasn’t sure what he should have told him. If he’d been honest, he would have said that Jordan was annoying, inexperienced, incredibly attractive, and he’d wanted to kiss her the first time he saw her. Nick would have laughed and accused him of being up to his old tricks, but the truth was, he’d long ago given up chasing women.
It was true that he never went long without one in his bed, but those relationships had usually been out of convenience, started by the women and never with any strings attached. No one had ever gotten hurt, and they’d both enjoyed a little companionship, but Jordan wasn’t one of those women; it didn’t take a genius to see that.
Just thinking about Jordan in his bed made his blood begin to pump harder, and a wave of desire flashed to life deep inside him. He pushed it away, reminding himself that she was young and inexperienced, not the kind of woman he needed to get involved with. But his body just wouldn’t listen, so he headed for the door, sure that a quick run in his wolf form would clear his mind.
Before he could get there, a loud knock startled him, and he hesitated, caught off guard. Wondering who could be knocking on his door so late at night, he threw open the door, not all that surprised to find a woman standing there. It was too dark to see her face, but he smiled anyway out of habit. The smile disappeared when his eyes adjusted, and he saw who was standing on his porch.
“You don’t look very happy to see me,” Sharon said, her voice taking him back twelve years and what felt like a lifetime.
“I’m just surprised to see you,” he said, remembering the last time they’d seen each other. “You swore you’d never speak to me again.”
Sharon nodded. “And I wish I could keep that promise, but there’s the little matter of your son that we need to discuss,” she said, pointing behind her to a boy he hadn’t seen.
“My son?” he asked, his brain not quite grasping her words.
Sharon stepped to the side. “This is Alex. He’s almost twelve and your problem for a while,” she said, shoving the boy forward. “I’ve taken care of him all by myself for all these years; it’s your turn.”
Drew still couldn’t quite believe what she was saying. “Here’s the DNA tests, if you want to check, but I promise you he’s yours,” she said, shoving a manila folder into his hands.
“But...I didn’t...you never...” Drew couldn’t seem to put more than two words together. Finally, he managed to ask, “What am supposed to do with him?”
“That’s your problem, not mine. I need a break,” she said.
“You can’t just leave him here with me,” Drew said, wincing at the panic in his voice. “I’m not the parenting type.”
“Really, then what are you doing here?” she asked, putting her hands on her hips.
“But this is different,” he stammered, “it’s just camp.”
Sharon sighed. “I’m going to Denver to take some summer classes; it’s your turn to take care of your son. I can’t do it alone anymore. Hopefully, you can do something with him. I’ve tried, and it’s impossible.”
Drew looked
down at the boy for the first time, and his heart skipped a beat when he saw that he looked so much like him that it was like looking in a mirror. Alex was staring at the ground, his face scrunched up in a scowl, but he could see that the boy was more than just angry: he was hurt.
“I guess we’ll be spending the summer together then,” he said, feeling an intense need to protect Alex wash over him.
Sharon narrowed her eyes at him. “You’re giving in that easily?” she asked.
Drew looked down at Alex again. “I don’t think there’s any denying the fact that he’s my son, and I guess it’s time we got to know one another,” he said, wondering where the words had come from.
***Jordan***
Jordan was lugging another saddle through the barn door, thinking that Drew wasn’t going to show up that day, when she looked up and saw him coming down the road. There was someone with him, and as they got closer, she realized that it was a young teenage boy and he didn’t look very happy.
There were deep scowl lines on his face that matched the ones on Drew’s face, and she suddenly realized that the boy must be his son. That sent her reeling for a second, and she stood staring at them, the saddle still in her arms. Just then, Ben came out of the barn, saw her, and rushed over.
“Here, let me take that; it must be heavy,” he said, taking the saddle from her.
Jordan had barely noticed how heavy the saddle had been getting but was relieved when Ben took it. “Thank you; that’s about the tenth one I’ve brought out here,” she said, smiling up at him.
Now that it was obvious that Ben wasn’t really attracted to her, she’d begun to enjoy his friendship. It had become clear to her at the barbecue that he was simply a nice guy, and that the flowers had been what he’d said they were: a housewarming gift. He set the saddle down and stood next to her, watching Drew approach, voicing what Jordan had been thinking.
Mountain Wolf Playboy (Daddy Wolves 0f The Wild Series Book 3) Page 3