But she was.
There were people milling about around stands that sold delicious looking items and buying tickets for a game that involved smashing pumpkins.
There was an ominous black sign pointing toward a large barn that housed something called “The Haunted Horror.” Cheesy, but it made her grin.
She’d never minded scary things or scary movies. When they’d come on the small TV in her family’s trailer, she’d always liked watching them. Whereas her dad would rather be out drinking.
Still, observing everyone walking around her, she couldn’t help feeling uncultured. Out of place. She’d only gone to high school and then stayed home to help raise horses. And fight off Lyle.
The people around here were simple but dressed well. They’d probably travelled from nicer parts of Montana, where she’d travelled from a more remote part. And they were probably educated. Like Wyatt.
Wayne said Wyatt had completed his MBA online, to help him in running the ranch.
Maybe she could do one of those online degrees one day. If she was smart enough.
Wyatt came up behind her, making her jump. “What do you think?” he asked.
She folded her arms and tried not to look up at him. She didn’t want to look at that straight nose. Those high, carved cheekbones. That solid, male jaw. Or those glowing golden eyes.
Not to mention that thick, tawny hair.
He made her aware of feelings she’d never known she could have. She thought she was deadened to men in general. That she was broken that way and would never want them.
Now she realized it was just Lyle she didn’t want. And the other guys at camp who’d tried to come on to her.
So why did she have to start wanting the one that didn’t want her?
She could tell he was feeling awkward on the date. He’d been quiet and stiff in the car, and he was still walking and acting like he had a stick up his butt.
Was he that put out by having to take her here on a pity date when he didn’t even like her?
Maybe he just didn’t see her that way. She’d hoped, when she chose her tighter clothes and did her hair for him, to maybe make him notice her in a different way.
But looking around now, seeing elegant, skinny women with nice sweaters and jeans so tight they looked poured into them, she didn’t feel well dressed at all.
She looked at Wyatt, with his perfect sense of style, and knew he’d probably go better with one of those women. When he was ready to settle down. She got the feeling he was only in his mid to late twenties and didn’t seem in any rush to find a companion.
After all, he had her for now. A good friend.
She let out a little sigh and he turned to her. “What would you like to do first?”
She looked up at the haunted barn attraction and saw a couple go in, with the girl holding on tight to the man’s arm as the man laughed.
“There,” she said, pointing at it. He nodded with a small smile and walked toward it. On the way, he stopped at a ticket booth and bought tickets, and she flushed, wondering if he should be paying for everything since it wasn’t a real date.
As they walked to the barn, a plan formed in her mind. Perhaps if she pretended to be scared, Wyatt would let her grab his arm. What would that feel like? Probably all muscled and warm. The thought made her warm between her legs, and she nodded to herself to confirm.
On the first scare, she’d be grabbing him.
“You like places like this?” he asked, looking down at her with a smile quirking one side of his perfect lips. “You seem excited.”
“No,” she said. “I’m easily scared.” She lied. “But I’ve never been in one. They seem fun.”
“Well, I’m right here if you need me,” he said. But then he looked away, as if avoiding what he’d just said.
Why were things suddenly so weird between them?
There was a man counting people off and letting them through one group at a time, so they had to wait a few minutes for their turn. When it was time, the barn door opened with a spooky creak, and the host gestured for them to walk forward into the darkness.
“You ready?” Wyatt asked.
“Yup,” she said, heart pounding in her chest. She wasn’t nervous about what she would find in the haunted house. She was nervous about what it would feel like to finally make a move on the hottest man in the world.
What would he do about it? Would he get mad? She couldn’t picture it. He was too sweet with everyone. Too patient.
Come to think of it, she’d never seen him really get mad at anyone. Could he really be as protective as he’d promised to be?
They walked through fake cobwebs into a dark, empty room. A chill went through her as she looked around, unable to see anything when a door slammed shut behind them.
She felt Wyatt tense in front of her and then scuffling on the ground.
“Come on,” he said. “Let’s keep moving.” She heard the amusement in his voice as she walked forward, with the odd feeling that someone was following them.
When they were halfway across the room, she felt something jump out behind them, with a loud scream.
She jumped about a foot in the air and grabbed onto Wyatt. No prior planning needed. She mashed herself into his arm, scrabbling to get away from the grinning, costumed ghoul who was retreating back into the darkness.
“You okay?” Wyatt asked, gently disentangling her from him so he could look her over.
She swallowed, her heart beating rapidly. “Yup. I didn’t know they would jump out like that.”
“Stay close,” he said. “There’s a tunnel coming up. I’ll walk behind you so anyone who jumps out in the back will get me instead.”
She nodded, walking ahead of him. When she stopped, she felt her back bump into his firm, muscled chest, and she bit her lip and forced herself to move on.
She couldn’t forget the feel of his arm in the few seconds she’d been able to grab it. She wanted to do it again, but it wasn’t really possible in the position they were in.
Unfortunately, as she walked through the dark, murky tunnel they’d set up, crouching to get through, she saw someone walking up in front of them.
“Wyatt?” she asked.
“Yes?” he said. It was too dark to see him, but she could feel and hear him.
“Something’s out in front.”
“Damn,” he said. “Here, we’ll switch spots.”
She pressed up against the side of the tunnel, but it was a tight fit, and for a moment, they got stuck together, chest to chest, as Wyatt tried to move forward.
She couldn’t make out his expression in the dark, but she could hear him breathing heavily.
Was she annoying him? Hopefully not.
With a little wiggling, he managed to get around her. She reached forward, not wanting to lose him, and her arm went around his waist as she pressed into his back.
He let out a little groan, and she almost let go. Then something jumped out from behind her, and she knocked him forward, lunging into his arm and pinning it against her breasts as she stumbled into the next room.
He jerked away from her, leaving her holding nothing, and even in the darkness, she could see him staring down at her.
Her heart ached at the rejection. He was looking at her almost like he was angry, and his chest heaved up and down.
She’d thought maybe just touching him and hanging on to him would be all right. After all, everything else had been. But she’d been wrong. He really didn’t want anything but friendship from her, and right now, she was just being a clingy burden.
She broke away from him, and he tried to catch her, but she twisted out of his reach and ran off into the dark, hoping to get to the exit as soon as possible.
She just wanted to be alone with her own embarrassment right now.
* * *
“Nice move, man,” the haunted house worker said, giving Wyatt a look of disgust before shaking his head and walking off to scare the next guest.
Wyatt didn’t know what had come over him, shaking Val off like that. When he saw the hurt in her eyes, the rejection, he’d known it was the wrong thing to do.
But he hadn’t been able to take it.
He let her run a bit ahead of him, knowing she needed space. Then he started walking through the rest of the haunt, all the while beating himself up for hurting her feelings.
It wasn’t that he hadn’t wanted her holding on to him. The problem was he did want her holding on to him.
From the first time she’d grabbed his arm and her soft breasts had grazed his bicep, it was like lightning had gone through him. Not to mention the trust she was showing by letting him protect her.
He’d been instantly aroused.
And Val, poor innocent Val, had no idea what she was doing to him.
And then they’d gotten stuck in that tube and he’d had to endure the feel of her lush body pressed up against him and fight off all the lewd thoughts that came with that.
So he’d been drawn tight as a wire by the time she put a hand around his waist, right above the zipper of his pants, and pressed her breasts into his back.
He hadn’t even been able to breathe by the time she lunged forward and completely surrounded his arm with her soft curves.
So he’d done the only thing possible in the moment. Escape.
Otherwise, he didn’t know what he was going to do to her. Kiss her. Take her in his arms and make love to her. Break all his promises to only see her as a friend.
Who have I been kidding? he thought bitterly. She’d always been more than a friend. He didn’t even have friends. Val was someone special. Had been since their first ride together. No, even before that when he’d been enchanted by a woman who under her hat and man clothes was braver and stronger than anyone he’d met.
She’d gone through so much, and there was more to go through in the future, as they brought her abuser to justice.
He’d keep her safe all the way. He wouldn’t betray her trust. But he’d have to hurt her feelings a little, just because if he’d let her keep her breasts up against him like that, he really couldn’t keep any of his promises.
She trusted him. He could tell by the way she reached for him when scared.
More than anything, he didn’t want to lose that trust.
So he walked through the rest of the haunt, wondering how he could make it up to her when he got to the other side. He had a feeling candy apples weren’t going to fix this particular problem.
8
Valerie stomped out onto the ground and into the waning evening light.
The sun was setting and it was quickly getting dark, and the surrounding area would only get creepier. Which she supposed was the point. She looked back at the exit she’d come through, wondering if Wyatt would be through any second.
But then she realized she wasn’t ready to see him. She was too embarrassed. He’d seen through her plan and didn’t want her to touch him, and he’d been the appropriate one.
So why did it hurt so much?
Still, it was beautiful here, with fall trees all around in shades of brown, orange, yellow, and red, and she was determined to enjoy it.
She saw a place where kids were bobbing for apples and laughing and decided to walk over there and give Wyatt some space to recover.
She honestly hadn’t intended to grab him that much, but she’d been more startled than she expected.
She darted around a nearby haystack, hoping to lose Wyatt when he did come out of the barn. She jogged around another and then over to the apples, staying on the side that was out of sight.
She sat on a nearby bench and looked over at the pumpkin patch. Should she take one home? Carve it? She hadn’t even done that as a kid. Well, except one year. But then it had gotten smashed.
Maybe she would buy a pumpkin. She took out her wallet, checking for what she had, and was interrupted by a deep, masculine voice.
“Well, look at you. All fancy.”
She looked up slowly, dread filling her belly, and saw Nate Hardwick, tall and lanky with dark hair and odd gray eyes. He and his dad had lived at the camp for a while, and he’d harassed her the whole time. But that had been a few years back, and then they’d moved.
“Valerie,” he said meanly, folding his arms and taking a step closer. “I’d heard you disappeared.”
She sat up straighter, looking around for help. Wyatt was nowhere to be seen. And besides, this was none of his business. She could handle Nate.
“Why don’t we go talk?” he asked, throwing an apple in the air and catching it.
She didn’t want to go with him. “No,” she said. “I think I’ll stay here.”
“Good call,” he said. “Maybe I’ll just step over there and make a call to your dad. Let him know you’re okay. And where you are.”
Dread sank into her. The last thing she wanted was her dad coming for her now. She doubted he’d look for her. But if he knew where she was, he could come.
But then again, she was just at a fair, and Nate didn’t know where she was living.
“Fine,” she said. “Tell them what you want. I’m not going back.”
“Suit yourself,” Nate said, an unpleasant look on his face as he walked off around a nearby haystack.
Valerie gave a quick look around and then stood. She should probably find Wyatt and they should get out of here before they could be tracked.
Awkwardness or not, she didn’t want to take risks.
But as she rounded the haystack closest to her, she felt a hand clamp over her mouth as she was dragged off to the side. No one could see her there, and she was pulled into the nearby trees shaded by the large sign above the apple bobbing station.
“Shut up,” he said as she struggled against his hand. “I’m not going to hurt ya.”
She looked up to see Nate and growled and bit his hand. He let her go in shock and then caught her again around the waist before she could escape. He covered her mouth again and dragged her back into the woods.
It was getting darker outside.
She’d gone too far from Wyatt, and she should have known Nate would stick around to be creepy after pretending to walk off.
Now, even if Wyatt looked in her direction, all he’d see were haystacks, an apple bobbing stand, and then shadows and trees in the distance.
Still, she struggled against Nate, trying to get his hand off her mouth so she could scream, as he dragged her deeper into the forest where no one could hear them.
She’d been stupid tonight and not brought her knife. He kept his hand over her mouth and pushed her up against a tree. His hand slid up under her shirt, and she blinked back tears of frustration as her hand fought with his, unable to stop him as he crept over her waist, trying to reach higher.
Why were men so awful? Why did they have to do things like this to make you feel terrible? And powerless and afraid?
She winced, standing on her toes to keep her breasts out of reach, and the next thing she knew, she felt Nate heaved off of her and heard him land with a thump a few feet away.
“Oh, you fucking bastard,” a dark, familiar voice said. She squinted and saw Wyatt standing in front of her, brushing off his hands as he walked toward Nate, who was scrambling to stand up.
She adjusted her shirt and wiped her eyes, feeling stupid for getting so scared when she should have known Wyatt would come get her.
She wasn’t alone anymore.
She forgave him for rejecting her. For not seeing her as a woman and not wanting to touch her.
He gave her something more important than the shallow, lustful things she wanted. He gave her safety.
Wyatt grabbed Nate by the collar and hauled him up so he could punch him hard, through the face, making Nate’s head snap back. Then Wyatt knelt over him, pulling him up by the shirt so he could hit him some more. “You.” Punch. “Fucking.” Punch. “Bastard.” Punch.
Nate gurgled something incoherent, but Wyatt’s teeth just flashed in the darkness, looking li
ke fangs.
“Just give me a reason to kill you,” Wyatt growled. “For touching what’s mine.”
Nate gurgled something else and then let out a groan as Wyatt hit him in the stomach this time. Nate was full shifter and could take a lot of hits. But at this point, even Val wasn’t sure Wyatt should keep going.
“Wait,” she said, walking forward. “Stop.”
“No,” Wyatt said. “These men have to learn…” Punch. “How to stop fucking it up…” Punch. “For everyone else.” Punch. “How are women supposed to ever feel safe with fuckturds like you around?” Wyatt yelled in Nate’s face.
Nate grumbled something about his dad, and Val saw Wyatt go white with rage.
“Tell this to Daddy,” he said, punching Nate out cold with a horrible crunching noise.
Val just stood there, arms at her sides, staring at the man who’d always been nothing but gentle and patient with her. He turned to look at her, still straddling Nate, and his golden eyes glowed in the darkness.
This was his feral side. And he’d unlocked it for her.
Nate was still breathing, and Wyatt checked his pulse. “He’ll be fine. Which is too bad, because I’m not sure he’s fully learned his lesson.”
Val noticed she was shaking, either from fear or from watching the violence, and she watched as Wyatt pulled off his jacket as he came toward her.
He settled the green fleece over her head and pulled it down. It dwarfed her, everywhere but her chest, and he gave her an affectionate grin.
He didn’t have a scratch on him. He’d dealt with one of the worse parts of her past and hadn’t even been touched by it.
“Thank you,” she said, wrapping her arms around her.
He backed her toward a tree, looking her over with concern. “Are you okay? Did he do anything before I got here?”
“No,” she said.
“Just put his hand under your shirt?” he growled, looking angrier than she’d ever seen him. It was just a calm, quiet kind of anger.
“He didn’t get what he was going for, if that’s what you mean,” she said.
He nodded, looking relieved. “Then I was in time. Sorry I wasn’t sooner.”
Mountain Lion (Bear Haven Book 4) Page 5