by Lynn Hagen
What if Ford was a con artist? What if he’d promised to help but was flat broke? Crap. Mercy should’ve thought about all that before he’d jumped the gun. He’d gotten so caught up in the excitement that he hadn’t stopped to think things through.
Not in the way he should have.
Now he regretted not asking Lincoln for the money. But Mercy had been telling the truth about not wanting to mooch off his stepbrother. Lincoln had been his savior more than once, and Mercy had wanted to prove that he could stand on his own two feet.
Taking money from a stranger is showing your independence? As much as he didn’t want to admit it, Mercy knew he wouldn’t be able to go through with this. There was no trust between him and Ford. The guy was flat-out lying to him.
“Look,” Ford said as Mercy neared the ranch, “I know you have mixed feelings right now, but you can trust me when it comes to your dream.”
It was as if Ford could read his mind. Too bad Mercy couldn’t read his. He would’ve liked to see what sort of wheels were spinning in Ford’s sexy head.
And he was sexy. There was no denying that fact.
“I really don’t want to talk about it right now.” Mercy had to figure out how to get out of his lease. Damn Ford for making him think he could finally open his bakery, for making him think that dreams really did come true.
Hot tears stung at his eyes, but Mercy fought not to let them fall.
“Pull over.”
“What?”
“Pull the damn Jeep over,” Ford snarled.
Having no idea why, Mercy did as Ford demanded. They were in the exact spot where Mercy had gotten his leg cramp. From where he sat, he saw the ranch.
“It’s gutting me to see you so upset.” Ford turned until he was facing Mercy. “I’ll give you the money, no strings attached, so you can stop worrying.”
“It’s not just that,” Mercy argued, unsuccessfully keeping a stray tear from falling. He mentally cursed that he was falling apart when he was trying so hard to remain calm.
“Then what is it?”
“I thought…” Mercy cleared his throat, trying to compose himself. Who could blame him for being so upset? Owning his own bakery was all he’d thought about since he was a teenager and his mother had taught him how to bake.
It was a link between them, even though she’d passed away many years ago. It was a way to stay connected to her on some level, and Mercy was close to losing that.
Ford cursed. “I’m trying to do the right thing. My life is too—”
“Just be honest!” Mercy slammed his fist on the steering wheel, hating the fact that he was so damn emotional when it came to Ford. That only made him more suspicious that the jerk was his mate.
But if he was, why would Ford lie about such an important thing? And if he would lie about that, what else was he capable of doing?
“Get out.” Mercy no longer cared about getting answers from Ford. He was so flipping mad that if Ford walked in front of his Jeep, he just might run him over.
Why was Mercy so hurt when Ford did as he asked? The guy closed the passenger door and headed toward the ranch, while Mercy sat there contemplating the man’s demise.
“Fuck, he’s taking me there.” Mercy rubbed his forehead. He wasn’t a mean person, and Ford was bringing out the worst in him. That told him he needed to leave the guy alone.
Even if all Mercy wanted to do was run to Ford and throw himself into those strong arms.
Chapter Five
When Ford screwed something up, he went big. Never in the past had he failed an assignment. Now he wondered if he could even concentrate on this one. He hadn’t scented or even felt a hellhound in town, and so far Vladimir hadn’t made himself known.
Not that Ford had been actively looking for the vampire. He’d been too busy concentrating on Mercy.
Though he still got a strange sensation someone was watching him. Could it be the vampire, or had someone from his past caught up with him?
Ford scrubbed a hand over his head. One thing was certain. He had to make things right with Mercy. Ford couldn’t leave things strained between them.
That meant giving a little. Ford couldn’t keep so many secrets if he planned on making this work.
He stopped walking and cocked his head. Had he really just thought that? Was he really thinking about sticking around?
Ford looked over his shoulder and watched his mate park his Jeep before getting out. Mercy’s shoulders were slumped as he walked toward the house. Ford debated all of five seconds before he headed Mercy’s way.
“Hey.” He jogged to catch up to his mate. “You’re right. There’re things I’m not telling you, but it’s to protect you, not deceive you.”
“Protect me from what?” Mercy asked. “We’ve known each other all of two days, Ford. Why would you need to protect me from anything?”
“Because…” Just tell him and let him decide. That would be the right thing to do, although that would also put a target on Mercy’s back. “I don’t do renovations for a living.” Ford looked around to make sure no one was listening.
He spotted Roger coming from the barn, and the two men who’d been hired the same day as Ford were following him. Lincoln was in the corral with a horse on a tether. No one was looking their way.
Ford pulled his attention back to Mercy. “I’m on assignment to track down a wanted vampire. He was last seen heading this way.”
“To the ranch?” Mercy whipped his head around as if Vladimir would jump from a shadow and grab him.
“No, not the ranch,” he said. “Heading to town. I was paid to kill him.” Ford ran his hand over his nape. “I’d appreciate it if you kept that between us.”
Mercy’s hand fluttered to his throat. “What did he do?”
“I don’t want to get into that.” Not if Ford could avoid talking about the Rankle family. “That’s why it would be best if I stayed in the apartment above the shop.”
He knew he’d said the wrong thing the moment the words had left his lips.
Mercy glared at him. “Is that why you’re doing this for me, so you’ll have some place closer to town to stay?”
“Will you stop being suspicious of me?” Ford asked. “It’s not like that. If I’d wanted someplace in town, I would’ve just rented one.”
Mercy crossed his arms. “So why didn’t you?”
“Because I needed a cover story for why I was here, and hanging out in town doing nothing would’ve drawn suspicion.”
Jeez. Ford was not making a good case for himself. No matter what he said, it looked as if he was using Mercy.
“So working on my bakery is the perfect cover story?”
Ford knew of only one way to shut Mercy down, though he still wasn’t sure it was the right thing to do. “I want to work on your bakery because I want to make my mate happy.”
Jesus fucking Christ on a moldy cracker. Mercy had made this unnecessarily hard. The truth about Vladimir should have been enough to appease the guy, but Mercy was relentless. Ford would’ve had less of a headache if he’d walked over to the oak tree and whacked his head against it.
“I knew it!” Mercy smiled victoriously. “My instincts were right again.” Then his smile slipped. “I hear Lincoln calling me.”
Ford looked toward the corral. Lincoln wasn’t paying them any attention. When he turned back around, Mercy was already heading up the front steps.
Nope. Ford wasn’t letting Mercy get away that easily. He hurried to catch the human and grabbed his wrist seconds before Mercy had made it into the house. “Now it’s your turn to tell me the truth.”
“Don’t grab me like that!” Mercy yanked his hand, and Ford let him go. He took a step back at the frightened look on Mercy’s face.
“Mercy, I’d never hurt you.”
Red walked onto the porch, looking between them. Then he stepped out, placing his body between Ford and Mercy. “Maybe you two need to cool off.”
“It’s not him,” Mercy said from
behind Red. “It’s me. Ford didn’t do anything wrong. I swear.” His mate moved away from Red. “Maybe it is time we talked.”
“Are you sure you don’t need me here?” Red asked Mercy but glared at Ford.
“No.” Mercy shook his head. “I don’t need you ruining his credit score.”
Ford had no idea what that meant.
“Jeez, I threaten to do that one time,” Red said.
Mercy placed a hand on Red’s arm. “Seriously, I’m okay. I need to talk to Ford in private.”
Ford waved to the chairs on the porch. Red hesitated for a brief moment before he went back inside. Ford’s bear was whimpering to get to Mercy, but he kept still, waiting for Mercy to take a seat and tell him what was going on.
“That jerk waiter,” Mercy said as he sat. He cleared his throat several times and looked down at his lap, refusing to glance Ford’s way. “His name is Lloyd. He’s my ex, and he wasn’t…isn’t a nice man. He left town when we broke up, and I thought I’d never see him again. But surprise, he’s resurfaced like an unwanted disease.”
Ford absorbed everything Mercy was saying to him, though now his suspicions had been confirmed. If he caught Lloyd anywhere near Mercy, Ford would make sure the guy regretted it.
“And now you’re afraid every guy is like that?”
“No, just the men I’m interested in,” Mercy said. “I know, that sounds stupid, but—”
“Not at all.” Ford reached over and touched Mercy’s hand. He couldn’t help it. He liked touching Mercy. “I can be a jerk, but I’m a nice jerk.”
Mercy grinned. “I’ve never met a nice jerk.”
“Yes you have.” Ford tapped his own chest. “You’ve been dealing with him for two days.”
Mercy scooted to the edge of his seat. “So, is the offer about the bakery for real?”
“I wouldn’t lie to you about something so important to you. I’m just worried that my past might come back to haunt both of us, and I didn’t want you caught up in anything.”
“I wield a mean cookie cutter,” Mercy said. “Whoever is dumb enough to try will regret it.”
Ford chuckled. “Then remind me not to piss you off. Now go get those catalogs you were talking about.”
Mercy hurried inside, and even though Ford still had his reservations about pulling Mercy into his world, he had to admit he couldn’t stop smiling. Fuck. Ford knew in his heart that he was going to stay. There was no way he could walk away from his mate, no matter how conflicted he felt.
“Mind telling me why you’re sitting there instead of working?” Brett asked when he grew close enough to the porch. Ford had been so lost in his thoughts that he hadn’t noticed the guy approaching.
“Yeah, I meant to talk to you about that.” Ford got up and clomped down the steps. “Since I’ve found my mate, I’ll be moving into town.”
“But I just hired you,” Brett argued. “How the hell can you up and quit on me?” Then, as if the words had finally sunk in, Brett’s brows creased. “Is Mercy your mate?”
Ford nodded. Fuck, now he was announcing it to everyone. Ford was a private person, but he didn’t want to be a dick and tell Brett to piss off when the guy had been nice enough to give him a job.
What he didn’t tell Brett was why he was moving away. He was pretty sure Mercy hadn’t told anyone about his dream, and Ford wasn’t going to spill the beans about it.
“Can’t say ranch work is for me.” Ford stuck out his hand, and Brett shook it. “Thanks for giving me a chance. If you don’t mind, can I use the bunkhouse until I secure something in town?”
Ford could’ve moved into the apartment over the bakery, but as long as Mercy was at the ranch, he wanted to stay close.
Brett opened his mouth, and Ford was certain the guy was about to tell him to go to hell, but Mercy walked out, a wide grin on his face. Brett sighed. “You got a week.”
He understood Brett’s hesitation. One, the guy didn’t know him. Two, if Ford was no longer working there, why should he be allowed to live there for free?
“Is everything okay?” Mercy asked when Brett walked away.
“Just told him I quit.” Ford took the magazines from Mercy’s arms. Shit, there were over a dozen of them. Ford had plenty of money from his years of work for the Ultionem but hoped the start-up cost for the bakery wouldn’t bankrupt him.
They settled on the porch, and Ford looked over the list of Mercy’s dream kitchen items. But what Ford enjoyed the most was his mate’s company.
* * * *
“Are you sure about this?” Lincoln reached into the fridge and grabbed a bottle of juice. “You don’t even know this guy, Mercy. And why didn’t you tell me you’ve always wanted to own a bakery? I would’ve helped you.”
“He said we were mates.” Mercy was still reeling over that. Sure, he’d suspected it, but to have Ford confirm it had blown his mind. And the knowledge made him feel better about starting his business. He would be going into the endeavor with his mate.
“Mates.” Lincoln said that as if he were tasting the word.
Mercy hadn’t told his brother about why Ford was in Fever’s Edge. He’d promised his mate—Mercy was also tasting that word—that he wouldn’t say anything.
“Brett tells me that he quit today. Do you know why?” He popped the cap on his bottle and took a long swig, eyeing Mercy the entire time.
“He says ranching isn’t for him.” That was part of the truth, and Mercy wanted to steer away from the subject of Ford. “I just feel bad that I won’t be here to cook and clean for you.”
Lincoln snorted. “I can manage on my own. I’ll survive without the wonderful smells permeating the house.”
Now that things were in motion, Mercy allowed himself to feel excited. He was still a bit leery when it came to relationships, but so far, Ford had proven to be a standup guy.
“I’ll be spending a lot of time in town, but if you need me, I’m only a phone call away.” Mercy wanted to get back to his catalogs. He could tell, even though Lincoln wasn’t saying it, that he had reservations about this plan.
Mercy didn’t want anyone spoiling his good mood. He got up and walked out of the kitchen, telling himself that he’d do the dinner dishes later.
Instead of going to his room to continue his growing list of items he wanted in his bakery, Mercy headed outside. It was already dark out, but thank goodness the air had cooled off. He looked toward the bunkhouse, and his heart kicked up a notch.
He wanted to see Ford.
More than ever, Mercy wanted to kiss him. That was all he’d thought about since they’d parted ways earlier. Being held in Ford’s arms, to feel those muscles curl around him, Ford kissing Mercy like he mattered.
He was going to faint just thinking about it. Good god, Mercy’s face caught fire as he smiled to himself. He just bet Ford was an amazing kisser, and he wanted to find out. His body tingled at the thought, and his cock grew half-hard as he remembered Ford in his shorts, how toned his legs were, and now Mercy wanted to straddle Ford’s waist and ride him.
“I seriously need to get laid.”
Mercy had just stepped off the front porch when he saw headlights coming up the driveway. Curious, he walked down the steps and stopped at the oak tree. He didn’t recognize the dark sedan. Neither could he see who was driving it.
Mercy moved closer and wished he hadn’t. Lloyd got out and smiled at him. That snake smile that made him appear amiable, but Mercy knew it was fake as hell because it didn’t reach Lloyd’s eyes.
“What’re you doing here?” Mercy took a step back, his heart hammering. He didn’t want to be alone with his ex. He didn’t want to be in the same county with the guy, let alone twenty feet from him.
Lloyd held up his hands, palms out. “I just want to talk, Mercy. It was good seeing you again, and I just wanted to see how you were doing without your friend around to get in the way.”
A scornful laugh escaped Mercy. “You’re concerned about my wellbeing? That’s rich,
Lloyd.”
Lloyd narrowed his eyes. “I see you still got that mouth on you.” His sneering expression returned to that snakelike smile. “I’m sorry. Old habits die hard. I didn’t come here to argue with you. Can we skip the arguing and just talk?”
Flashes of Lloyd slamming his fist into Mercy’s gut, or his side, or anywhere else no one would be able to see the bruises had Mercy shivering. The hurtful words, the way Lloyd had yanked his hair whenever he knocked Mercy down so Mercy would stand up again.
The cheating.
The lies.
The threats.
The narcissistic way Lloyd thought the world revolved around him.
“There’s nothing to talk about. You should leave.” Mercy took another step back. He didn’t trust Lloyd. His ex could spring into action in the blink of an eye, and Mercy didn’t want a reminder of why he’d fled their relationship in the first place. “If Lincoln sees you here, he’ll kill you.”
Lloyd’s gaze swung to the house before his attention was back on Mercy. “I’ve missed you.”
Mercy was going to throw up. “I haven’t missed you.”
“Aw, come on.” Lloyd tried to give him a heart-rending smile, but all Mercy saw was a shark with sharp teeth. “It wasn’t all bad between us. I’ve changed, Mercy. I swear I have. I’ve forgiven you. Why can’t you do the same?”
“Forgiven me?” Mercy was stunned but shouldn’t have been surprised. This was typical of the guy. “I didn’t do anything wrong, Lloyd.”
“It wasn’t all me,” Lloyd gently argued, but Mercy could tell the guy was losing patience by the tick under his eye. “You weren’t exactly the perfect partner.” He held up his hands again. “Just talk. That’s all.”
“Go,” Mercy bit out as he took another backward step. “Don’t ever come back here again. I don’t want to see you. I don’t want anything from you, not even a conversation.”
Lloyd rested his hand on the frame of his car door. “You’re just shocked at seeing me back in town. You’ll come around. We’ll talk later.”