by Afton Locke
He worked with wood. Hardly the warrior she needed to help fight her battle in Lamar Canyon. Not a battle—a war—against the gun-toting ranchers who had killed her mother and over half her pack. She didn’t need help, anyway. What could he possibly do for her? Build a doghouse?
Maybe her real mate lived in some other part of this lame town. But she knew better. His blue gaze—peaceful and intense at the same time—had probed straight into her soul in Hee Haw’s Bar, or whatever it was called.
Okay, he was sexy in a rugged, blue-collar kind of way. His chestnut-brown hair begged to be tousled. The slight silver at his temples and sun-weathered face made him look well seasoned. She’d had the urge to hop onto his lap instead of eating her cheeseburger. The faded denim clothes he wore looked ragged enough to fall off and reveal the rest of his tanned, strong body.
Heat pooled between her thighs. Although she couldn’t see him as her mate, she wouldn’t mind scratching her itch for a night—for fun. It would sure beat seducing those slimy ranchers at bars in Wyoming to get them to stop killing wolves.
But if he was her mate, having sex with him would seal the bond between them and there’d be no getting rid of him. Hopefully, he didn’t want a commitment either.
She followed as he turned off the main road. If you can call it a road. They passed Los Lobos Lumber, which must be his mill. The secondary road snaking past it was in even worse shape than the main one.
After one too many bone-jarring potholes, he stopped at a cute log cabin in the woods. Not far from it stood a rough-looking shed, which was probably her lodging.
When they got out of their vehicles, he walked through the front door without inviting her into his house. She followed and looked around inside, curious how the stranger lived. Most everything was made of wood, including the log walls, and the homey atmosphere surprised her. Gingham curtains hung at the windows. The open space included a cozy loft at one end and a big stone fireplace on the other. And, I’ll be damned, even the proverbial fur rug in front of it. The kitchen area had a pantry with enough food to survive an apocalypse.
The place was made for love. Because they were alone together, the tingles she’d felt earlier intensified. He smelled like cedar, warm and spicy.
“Nice place,” she said.
“I call it home.” A proud smile lit his face. “I’ll get some bedding together for you.”
Bedding…. The tingling in her nipples morphed to throbbing.
“We can walk from here,” he said when he returned from the closet with a roll of covers in his arms. She carried a lantern plus the food and water he’d given her.
As they hiked through the woods, the wind fingered their clothes, stirring her up inside. The ground was soft with fragrant pine needles. She itched to throw down the items she carried and shift so she could really explore.
“Where are you from, Lara?” he asked.
He had a deep, resonant voice. The way it echoed against the quiet trees tickled her ears in a good way.
“Yellowstone. Lamar Canyon.”
He stopped short, cracking the stick he stepped on. “Are you a member of the pack there?”
“Yes.”
So he knew about it. Understandable since the pack was in a neighboring state, but why did he look so pale when she’d mentioned it? Wolves didn’t go around cracking sticks in the woods like lumbering bears either. Was he connected to her pack somehow? Maybe her mother knew a lot more than she’d told her. Unfortunately, she couldn’t ask her now.
“And the name of your pack here?”
“Tao,” he replied. “There are about two hundred of us.”
There was no need to ask each other about being Werewolves. They’d realized it as soon as they’d met. To her chagrin, she also didn’t have to verify he was an Omega, not a Dominant. He broadcast his lower status in the lupine pecking order with his unassuming posture.
When they arrived at the shed, he pushed open the squeaky door, revealing a room with two small windows and a bare wood floor littered with dead bugs. Cobwebs swayed from the ceiling. It sure wasn’t the Hilton.
“I didn’t realize the place was such a mess. I’ll get a broom.” He frowned and shook his head. “What am I saying? I can’t let you sleep here.”
“It’s fine,” she said quickly. Camping out at his place would be too dangerous.
“You’ll have to stay with me,” he insisted. “You can have my bed.”
A tingle bolted down her legs when she imagined sharing it with him.
“I’ll be fine, really,” she said, setting down the items she carried. “I camp a lot.”
“I built it myself,” he said, looking up, “so I can at least tell you the roof won’t leak if it rains tonight. You’re welcome to use the house when I’m at the mill, which is most of the time. I leave it unlocked.”
“Thanks.”
“I’ll fetch the broom.” She reached for the bedding the same moment he moved to help her set it down.
The contact marked the first time they’d touched. His skin—tough and velvety at the same time, like the hide of a big-horned buck—was hot. Below the surface, thick veins and muscle called to the most primal part of her being. Deciding whether or not to mate with him was no longer a choice. She had to lie with this man before she went crazy.
The bedding fell to the dirty floor in a heap—a ready-made bed. He stared into her eyes with his blue, endless ones as he kissed her. His cedar scent grew even warmer, mixing with male arousal while he made a slow, thorough exploration of her mouth.
A sigh of surrender escaped her throat before she could stop it. His lips were as strong as his arms. An animalistic grunt resonated through his chest, stimulating her breasts, which pressed against him.
Male stubble scraped her face as his lips left hers to explore the underside of her jaw and the lobe of her ear. Her fingers dug into the faded shirt over his broad shoulders when hard teeth nipped the side of her neck.
Claim me!
Her pelvis brushed against his, needing him to quench the sweet, wet ache building deep in her cleft. She’d forgotten intimacy with a man could be a pleasure instead of a chore.
Before she could react, he gripped her by the sides of her arms and hauled her against the wall. His mouth ransacked hers, pushing it open with his hot tongue, which swept every corner. Bare two by fours dug into her back, but she felt nothing but him.
He’d built this room, and he acted as if he planned to take her apart, board by board. His erection pressed against her mound through their jeans, promising mindless satisfaction.
Maybe Mr. Woods wasn’t so boring after all.
The man trapping her in his steely arms didn’t seem so Omega anymore. In fact, he felt right down Dominant. No longer capable of logical thought, she unbuttoned his shirt. The gesture rewarded her with even hotter skin, muscles, and a smattering of chest hair. He closed his eyes and groaned as her fingers skated down his belly to the waistband of his jeans.
Before she could go farther, two vise-like grips encircled her wrists. Damn. His hands were every bit as strong as they looked.
“There’s an attraction between us,” he said, staring into her eyes.
No shit. What are you going to do about it, Mr. Lumberjack?
“What is it about you?” he asked next. “Why do I want you so much?”
“I think you already know,” she replied.
He scrubbed the lower half of his face with his hand. “Exactly what family business brings you here anyway, Lara?”
The less he knew, the better. “And why are you so curious, exactly?”
“I want to know how soon you’ll be gone.”
The words stung harder than she expected. Her swollen breasts and cleft throbbed, reluctant to accept a mating wouldn’t take place.
“Don’t worry. I won’t stay long.” She might even light out at dawn. This town was useless, and so was he.
His voice softened. “I didn’t mean to sound harsh. I’ve got lu
mber orders coming out of my ears. I’m not looking for a mate.”
“Neither am I,” she blurted. But didn’t her mother send her here to find one? “We are, though, aren’t we? Wolves have only one in a lifetime.”
He nodded. “I’m afraid so, but it doesn’t mean we have to act on our impulses.”
She couldn’t help hanging her head. After spending less than an hour with her, he’d already made her weak. She didn’t need this!
“Believe me, if you weren’t my probable mate, I would have had you on this floor already for a quick lay.” He buttoned his shirt. “I’ll go get the broom now.”
“Leave it outside the door.”
As soon as he left, she sank to her knees in the cedar-scented bedding. So, he didn’t want to bind himself to her either. Good. Relief washed through her, followed by an emptiness she didn’t expect.
Chapter Two
The next morning, Lara woke up, wondering where she was until images of Los Lobos and her potential mate streamed through her mind. She shivered at the memory of their steamy kiss. She looked at her meager pile of belongings across from her makeshift bed. It would take mere minutes to load her truck and leave this place behind.
So why didn’t she?
She had hunters and ranchers in Wyoming to manipulate, starting with scumbag Tyler Brooks. Every day she spent here was wasted. Even if Ogden could break away from his business and wanted to help her, what could he do? Patrol for hunters, maybe, or build fences? Every little bit helped in the never-ending war against wolf slaughter.
Her stomach rumbled as she put on yesterday’s clothes and a pair of hiking boots. She ran a comb through her hair, washed her face, brushed her teeth, and emerged from the shed in search of breakfast. Mist filtered between the branches of the ponderosa pines, forming an ethereal wonderland. Too rattled by the kiss to shift last night, she hadn’t.
A delicious shiver raced across her body as fur sprouted from her skin and her bones reshaped themselves. In moments, four paws dug into the carpet of pine needles. She loped between trees, imagining they were part of an obstacle course. Fresh, cool air filled her lungs while fascinating new scents poured into her nostrils.
When a mouse darted from some underbrush, she chased it. Before her jaws closed around the small body, she stopped herself. She had a hankering for bacon and eggs today, not mouse. Running, she skirted the edge of the forest, playing hide and seek with the shafts of sun streaming through the trees.
Excited yips poured from her throat. She hadn’t felt this free…and safe…since she’d been a pup. Maybe the Black Hills weren’t so bad. Why couldn’t it be the home of her pack?
But it wasn’t.
She circled back and ran to Ogden’s cabin. She wanted to share her exuberance with someone and was curious to see what he looked like as a Wolf. Opening the front door with paws was impossible, so she stood on her hind legs and looked in the window. Disappointment shot through her at the sight of the empty room. Like all her emotions, it inflamed a swath of skin down her back. It was in the vicinity of the streak of red fur others said she had.
Suspecting the serious man might be working at this ungodly hour, she trotted down to the mill. Sure enough, the screech of a saw cut the peaceful air. After he ran a rough log through the blade, she approached and barked once.
He jumped when he saw her. It took a moment for recognition to flicker in his peaceful blue eyes. His hair was rumpled as if he hadn’t slept much. So was his shirt, which was as tan as the sawdust on it. He looked even sexier than she remembered.
The Wolf in her wanted to mate with him and mate with him now.
Shift with me.
“I wish I could, but I have way too much work to do.”
Her heart jumped. He’d read her thoughts. Any lingering doubt about their being mates vanished.
“Have you eaten?” he asked next.
No. Have you?
He grimaced at the cup of coffee on his workbench. “Not really. Feel free to fix yourself something at the house.”
She’d cook a hearty breakfast for them both. Man, did she need to get out of this place. After hanging out here less than a day, she was already getting soft and domesticated.
About half an hour later, Lara returned to the mill—in human form this time. She carried a basket. Ogden’s stomach growled when he smelled the eggs and bacon. Why did she have to come here? He was doing fine on his own. Now he’d get used to her and miss her when she left. When would she go? Hopefully, soon. The more time they spent together, the more he wanted to mate with her.
She was beautiful in wolf form, too. It had taken every shred of his willpower this morning not to shift with her and run through the forest together. It would be a damn sight more fun than drowning in all these lumber orders.
“Something smells good,” he said.
“Eggs, bacon, and biscuits,” she replied as she laid the food and utensils out on the workbench.
He hadn’t pegged her as the domestic type. “You made biscuits?”
“Momma taught me to cook before…things got bad.”
“What things?” he asked, grabbing a piece of crisp bacon.
Dark lashes veiled her gray eyes. “When the government removed protection for wolves in Wyoming.”
The name of the state dampened his appetite. Why did she have to be part of the Lamar Canyon Pack? The pack was a piece of his heritage he wished he could erase. The shameful thing his mother had done would shadow the rest of his life. He gazed at his mill and his cabin through the trees in the distance. If his secret got out, he could lose both of them.
Drew seemed to be a more understanding Alpha than Magnum, his late, cruel father. But what if he wasn’t when it came to something this serious? Ogden couldn’t take the chance.
“What’s wrong?” she asked.
“Nothing.” The last thing he’d do was blab his carefully guarded past to a complete stranger, pretty or not. “So, what do you do for a living, Lara?”
“I play music—vocals and guitar.”
He plastered some butter on half a biscuit. “Do you record? Can’t say I’ve heard of you.”
“I’m not a recording artist. I perform at clubs.”
“They can’t pay much. You drive a pretty nice truck.”
“It was a…gift.” She speared him with an annoyed gray gaze. “What are you trying to get at, anyway?”
“Nothing. I was curious.”
He wasn’t sure why he cross-examined her either. Maybe part of him wanted a mate he could trust and share his burdens with. Couldn’t trust her, though, until he knew everything about her.
What was he saying? He couldn’t trust her at all. Ever. He didn’t even trust the full-blooded Tao’s here.
“Maybe you could play music at Gee’s Bar,” he suggested. “This isolated town could use some entertainment.”
She smiled. “Sounds great. Of course, I’m not sure how long I’ll stay around.”
“Because of the mysterious family business you keep alluding to. Is your mother still in Wyoming?”
The napkin crumpled in her hand. “You could say so. She died last week.”
“Damn, I’m sorry.”
Her coming here made more sense now. Maybe she wanted to escape the memories or start a new life.
“Was she ill?” And why couldn’t he stop these questions from coming out of his mouth?
“No. She was shot.”
His hand found hers on the table and squeezed because he had no more words.
“I don’t need your sympathy,” she said in a choked voice as she pulled her hand away.
She sure as hell needed something. Why else would she come here? He wasn’t even sure she knew what she needed.
Lara wiped her mouth and eyed the stack of logs. “Do you cut your own trees?”
“No. I can’t stand to kill them.” He grinned and lowered his head. “They’re living creatures. I replant as many as I can.”
Her sudden bark of laug
hter almost made him spill his coffee. “You’re the town lumber guy and you can’t bear to cut a tree?”
“So I’m an Omega, not an Alpha. Is it a crime?”
She shrugged. “Of course not. A pack needs all levels of dominance.”
But she needed an Alpha. He could see it in her eyes. Maybe they weren’t mates after all. If not for yesterday’s scorching kiss, he might believe it. God, he’d been seconds away from dragging her onto the wooden floor, peeling off her skin-tight jeans, and filling her with his seed.
When the cordless phone rang, his gut sank. Not now. The Wolf in him wanted to have a three-hour leisurely breakfast with her and take her to his place for a bath lasting at least as long.
“Los Lobos Lumber.”
The proprietor of Gee’s Bar was on the line, reminding him of their outstanding order.
“Well, Drew has made the town conference hall my top priority…. Yes, I promise I’ll get to it as soon as I can…. Hold on, I have a musician sitting here who’d like to play in your bar.”
A couple of minutes later, Lara ended the call, smiling. “I’m playing at Gee’s Bar at eight tonight. Thanks.”
“Great!” He stood and kissed her on the temple. “I’ve got to work now. Thanks for breakfast.”
But before he could move, the phone rang again. Ross, a contractor building several houses at once, still needed the deck posts he’d ordered.
“If you can take a partial order, you can pick it up this afternoon.” He sighed at the man’s disappointed reaction. “I’m afraid it’s the best I can do.”
“Sounds as though you’ve got more than you can handle,” Lara said after he hung up.
“At least he’s nicer than most. The Dominants in this pack are relentless. They’ll even call me in the middle of the night to discuss a project.”
When his shoulders rounded forward, she pushed them back until they were square.
“You’re letting them treat you like a doormat. Don’t you have any helpers?”