Wrangled Fate: Book One: Black Claw Ranch

by Lane, Cecilia

  Ethan cupped a hand of water and let it trickle down her back. “Sometimes I don’t think it’s our place to understand. We clean up the messes and find a way to keep living.”

  “I feel like I’ve been cleaning up messes my entire life.”

  “The right person will appreciate that you care enough to help others when they need it.” He swiped a finger through the water before she could object. “This is getting too cold. Pull the plug and I’ll get you a towel.”

  Water swirled in a violent cyclone down the drain. Tansey wished it would suck down all her worries with it.

  Ethan wrapped a large towel around her body, then surprised her when he caught her under her knees and carried her into the bedroom. He settled her against a pile of pillows and pulled her legs across his lap.

  The pressure of his fingers on her calves held off the questions building inside her all afternoon and into the evening. She’d stayed silent on the ride back, sensing Ethan needed to piece himself back from protective beast to protective man. The others felt it, too, when they finally arrived back at Black Claw. They made themselves scarce while the dark cloud hung over Ethan’s head. The shadows had slowly fizzled out, and the last of his intense and gloomy anger slipped down the drain.

  She needed to dig, though. Any piece of the puzzle might be the clue she needed to figure out Rye. “What did Trent mean about the Vagabonds? You’ve been vague on Viho’s connection to you.”

  “That is an old, unhappy story.” He paused in his massage.

  “Seems to be the only type in the world these days.”

  Ethan settled on the bed next to her. He propped a hand behind his neck and frowned at the ceiling for a long, quiet moment. Sadness colored his tone when he finally began to speak. “Viho’s father was part of my father’s pack. They were old friends, as far as I know, and the Valdanas were the first to clan up with my dad. They had some hard years, and some good. Found mates, added others to the clan. Something changed somewhere down the line, though I was too young to really see what was happening. It’s so obvious now that I look back on it. Tension within the clan was tearing them apart, but rather than step up and make a challenge for alpha, Viho’s father worked the shadows and kept everyone snapping at one another.”

  “That’s not all, is it?” she asked when he paused. The air thickened around her. Not the usual heaviness she when he went dominant. This was heavy with emotion.

  His throat bobbed with a hard swallow. Sightless eyes still faced off against the ceiling and the memories playing through his mind. “I remember it like it was yesterday. The screams. The howls. It was only a couple weeks after my thirteenth birthday when tensions boiled over and lines were drawn. Colette was just a toddler. Mom rushed into my room and ordered me to watch Colette, and hide if anyone but her or Dad came back to the house. Then she ran into the night. That was the last time I saw her alive.”

  Grief flared in his eyes, all trace of wild silver gone and replaced by clear, pained blue. Tansey snuggled against his chest and wrapped her arm tightly around him. There was nothing she could say to erase the past hurts. She could only help hold him together in the present.

  “By the end, we were the only ones left,” he continued. “Dad burned them all, pulling those that remained loyal apart from the ones that followed the Valdanas. By rights, he could have left them to rot. He took me to the side and explained why he wouldn’t do that. They were still his clan, even if they chose the wrong side.

  “After, he sat in his room and poured drink after drink. Then he stopped pouring and went straight for the bottle. You see, when an alpha loses someone, they feel that bond snap back into them. He lost his entire clan in a matter of hours. I think we’re responsible for keeping Defiant Dog open all these years.” He huffed a mirthless laugh.

  “You were so young. To take that all on yourself…” Tansey grimaced. At least her remaining parent did her best. Ethan’s hardly seemed to try at all.

  Ethan cleared his throat. A shrug tried to play off the mountain he was forced to shoulder. “Someone had to work. At first, Dad hired someone to help. Then we couldn’t afford that, or they didn’t want to deal with him. So I started working. I barely finished school. Jesse came over as much as he could, which was often. His old man wasn’t any better than mine. He fixed up one of the huts and moved in by the time he was eighteen. He was always going to be my second, and we’ve collected our strays ever since.”

  He swiveled his head and cocked an eyebrow at her. “That’s all to say I didn’t even know Viho was alive until a few years ago. He rode in with his Vagabonds and kicked up a fit. Got himself banned from the enclave, which is a feat. He makes appearances every now and again, but never gunned for me so hard.”

  Tansey rolled to her belly and propped her chin on her fists. Other than Rye having some connection to Viho, she couldn’t see how her brother fit in with Ethan’s tale. He’d given her another dead end, and a peek at what made him tick. “So, here we are. The cleaners and the survivors. For the million dollar question—how do you plan to spend your future?”

  Ethan waved a hand across the blank board of his destiny. “Anything to keep it going. We’re barely squeaking by as it is. Viho killing off my herd isn’t helping. This place is in my blood. It’s the only thing I know. I have to keep Black Claw running.”

  “What about opening up for extended stays? You already have the trail ride business set up. The others have their own little places to sleep. There are all those rooms just waiting to be filled upstairs. Offer a bed-and-breakfast with real ranch experience. Make your guests muck out a stall or three.” She’d joked before about his potential clientele looking for flirtations with the past. Fixing his problems was a distraction from her own. The house had good bones and he’d kept up on repairs, as far as she could tell. For someone looking to monetize his land, the idea seemed like the logical next step.

  “I’d need someone to run that. I can’t keep the clan in line and the tourists unmaimed and fed. Unless you have someone in mind?” Ethan dragged her down and smirked against her lips. “I kind of like the idea of banging the boss.”

  Heat flushed her cheeks. “I wasn’t talking about me, in particular. It’s just an idea to consider.”

  The laughter died in his eyes. In a flash, he had her hands pinned above her head and stretched her out beneath him, caging her with his body. His fingers pinched her chin and forced her to meet his gaze. “Don’t shut down like that. Don’t erect all those walls. You know more about me than I’ve probably told anyone else. Say what you want.”

  She wanted… so many things. Her life back to normal, but that looked increasingly unlikely. In her new reality, one where she let a shifter and a cowboy care for her after a physically and emotionally exhausting day, she wanted someone like him. He wasn’t a boy who’d shy away from the tough events; Ethan was a man who’d face off against adversity and rise to the top. He was someone who would stick around.

  “I want to see where this goes,” she said on a rushed breath. “And not just because I’m talking you into my dream job. You said to find someone that challenges me. You get my back up every other thing that comes out of your mouth and tangle me in knots every third. You’re interesting, Ethan. I don’t think there’s a single man like you in the world.”

  “Well, now, that’s just mathematically impossible. There has to be at least one other workaholic with a desire to prove himself against his flawed father’s memory.” He tightened his hand around her wrists before she could snatch one away, and pinned her knee down when she wiggled for a jab. At his mercy, he leaned in and sipped her lips. “You’re interesting, too, Tansey. Halfway insane—and that’s a generous estimate—and a caregiver at heart. Just promise me you won’t go challenging any more wolves with only a rifle as your defense.”

  “I will make sure there’s a giant bear ready to back me up.” She’d never forget the power unleashed by the big beast, nor the instant turning from his own survival to her pro
tection.

  “You couldn’t pay me enough to fight all the battles you manage to create.” The second slow taste of her lips said the opposite.

  Her heart got stuck in her throat, but she managed to find the words. “Now that’s too bad. I think we make a great rivalry.”

  Ethan flashed her a wicked smile before his lips pressed against hers. He laved his tongue against the seam and delved into her mouth as soon as she opened for him. Slowly, he kissed her, but there was nothing chaste or sweet about it. He was pure fire and she couldn’t get enough of his heat.

  He tugged at the knot holding her towel together and laid her bare. Bright blue eyes devoured her from her head to her toes, and back again. He lingered on the space between her legs on the second pass, tongue darting out to lick his lips.

  Her nipples tightened and a wave of liquid heat rushed through her at his obvious desire. What woman wouldn’t want that? To be wanted and cherished by a ripped cowboy with an animal under his skin ticked all the boxes from sweet to sexy and everything in between.

  Emboldened by the look, Tansey butterflied her knees open.

  “Fuck,” Ethan groaned.

  Tansey gave him a wide-eyed and innocent look as she skimmed her hand down her soft stomach and to her slick entrance.

  “You’re killing me,” he said, voice turned to deep gravel.

  He wasn’t the only one about to die. Her head swam with what he did to her and what she still wanted. Desire percolated through her entire body and made her feel like she’d explode. “You’re overdressed.”

  He sat up on his knees and ripped his shirt off, then fell back over her. He pressed his mouth to the base of her throat. “You’re so fucking beautiful,” he growled.

  Ethan dragged his fingertips down her ribs and to her hip. He squeezed her there just as his mouth crashed against hers again. Slow, steady strokes of his tongue and rolls of his hips gave her a preview of what came next.

  When his fingers reached her knee, he reversed course. Up and up, his touch blazed against her skin. He pushed between them and gripped her breast hard. Tansey moaned and arched into his touch, and Ethan gave her more. Fingers rolled and brushed over her nipple until she rocked against him to ease the ache between her legs.

  “Ethan,” she gasped. “Please.”

  Sexy, teasing man grinned against her lips. He grabbed her wrist and dragged her hand to the waist of his jeans, then kissed her senseless again.

  She popped the button. A tiny noise lodged itself in the back of her throat when she felt nothing but skin underneath. She closed her hand around his thick shaft and squeezed on the next jerk of his hips, relishing in his sexy snarl.

  Ethan shucked his jeans faster than she could track. Blue eyes stared at her when he returned. No hint of silver existed in them when he leaned over her. That sent a shiver down Tansey’s spine. He felt more real, more present, than ever before.

  He felt important.

  His fingers twined with hers and lifted her hand over her head. Gentle man, sexy man, and still in charge.

  The head of his cock teased her entrance with feather light brushes against her folds. She chased the touch, rocked her hips to encourage him into more, but he held her steady. His lips kissed her forehead, her eyes, her cheeks. He dotted her neck and shoulders.

  Only when he sipped at her lips did he roll his hips forward and sink into her. He eased back, watching her face as he did it again. Still bright blue, still entirely Ethan.

  Tansey fluttered her eyes closed at how good he felt. That loss of one sense only increased all the others. Ethan’s breath in her ear tickled her nerves. The feel of him moving inside her spiraled pleasure through her. Heat, impossible heat, blazed off him and ignited something in her heart she wasn’t prepared to consider.

  Her teeth caught hold of her bottom lip, loving everything he did to her.

  Pressure built inside her as his pace kicked up. His hips bucked faster into her, meeting her and moving with her. His fingers tightened on hers, still holding her hand above her head. Her soft cries twined with his sexier growls.

  “Look at me,” he ground out.

  The order was nearly the same as one he’d given before. And yes, her body reacted with a tensing of muscles and simmer of pleasure.

  But his eyes… They were telling her so much more. Promises were held deep in the blue orbs that watched her spiral apart. She could have all the time she needed to see what had sparked between them and he’d go the distance at her side. This wasn’t a tipsy tryst after a night of celebrating. He made promises to her body and committed to divining out that hazy, possible future ahead of them.

  “Ethan,” she gasped.

  “Fuck, sweetheart.” He quickened the pace, abs flexing with each hard thrust. His growl was near constant now, sawing in and out of him and vibrating through her, and when he lay a hard, sucking kiss on her shoulder, she was lost.

  Ecstasy pulsed through her, and Ethan wasn’t far behind. He locked them together as deep as could be and throbbed warmth into her. They moved together, lazily drawing every aftershock from each other and slowly sinking back into reality.

  Ethan cupped her cheeks and murmured against her lips. “You’re mine, Tansey.”

  A happy hum vibrated in her throat and she nodded. Maybe neither of them could believe it fully or admit anything else, but they were tied up too much to ever let go.

  Instead of frightening her, she held on for dear life.

  Chapter 21

  Ethan stroked a hand over Tansey’s dark hair and enjoyed the silence in his den. His bear didn’t roar at him and his own thoughts didn’t spin through the worry cycle that kept him restless most nights. He simply held the woman who had vastly complicated his world.

  He didn’t want to let go.

  Tansey wanted to see what was growing between them, but Ethan knew. He’d denied it from the moment he caught her scent. She’d wormed her way under his skin and into his heart. His bear wanted to keep her.

  Bite. Mark.

  Mate.

  She shifted in her sleep and dragged her hand over his stomach. His skin warmed at the touch and his heart swelled.

  Complicated woman. Insane woman. Caring. Gorgeous.

  His.

  She wanted time? Perfect. He needed time to set his world to rights. That time would be used to make sure no wolf ever cornered her again. He made his promise to find her brother, and he’d do that, too.

  Then they’d get down to business. He had his goals and she had her ideas. Maybe it wasn’t weakness to let someone in. Risky, yes. But better than going it alone. Maybe together they could fix up the ranch and run it the way it should be run.

  Rooms to be filled, she said. His bear rolled on his back like some happy puppy. He certainly had some ideas of how to fill those rooms, and none of them involved letting anyone into his territory.

  Ethan tightened his grip on Tansey. He saw both the good of a mate and the bad when she no longer existed. The threat of the bad kept him afraid of repeating his father’s mistakes when he should have eyeballed the good. Colette and himself came from that pairing. They had their entire futures ahead of them. They owed it to themselves to live it to the fullest instead of staying wary of the past.

  Tansey was his future.

  Faint noises of activity intruded on his quiet contentment.

  “Get Ethan. Now!”

  Eyebrows shooting together, Ethan eased out from underneath Tansey as boots pounded up the front porch and through the door.

  “Ethan!” Lorne shouted. “Fire!”

  Ethan’s blood froze as he stuffed his legs into jeans. Fire was an enemy in the best of times. Lives could be lost in a flash.

  “What’s happening?” Tansey murmured. Hair twisted and sticking up in all directions, she looked exactly like the chaos that ruled his life.

  “Don’t know. Stay here. Stay safe. I’ll be back when I can,” he answered, already at the door. He tugged a shirt on as he hurried out.


  He met Lorne halfway through the house and followed fast on the man’s heels as he turned and darted back through the front door. The sight outside nearly stopped his heart. Nausea swam his vision and sank his stomach.

  Flames burst through the roof of his barn. Inner beams glowed in stark contrast against the night. Orange tendrils licked against the walls that had stood sturdy from the day his father erected them.

  In the red glow, cattle huddled at the far side of their paddock and bleated their fear. The rest of his clan scrambled to hook hoses to anything with a water flow. Steady streams sprayed in a losing battle.

  “Where’d it start?” Ethan roared, striding toward the burning building.

  “Upper levels. Something sparked in the loft and it spread fast. I already called it in.” Hunter’s eyes were wide and wild with his inner beast. His fists opened and closed in agitation. “I don’t know how they got the jump on me—”

  No question who he meant. He couldn’t smell any scents over the burning wood and straw, but there was only one pack of wolves looking to destroy him. Fucking Viho.

  And fuck him, too. He let that pretty face in his bed distract him. He should have hunted down the Valdanas the moment they crossed the line from casual stalking to full threats. His entire clan should have gone after the wolves right along with Trent’s lions. He should have been on watch. He should have expected something.

  Ethan quashed the litany and self-recriminations. Tansey wasn’t the problem. Viho didn’t deserve a moment of his thoughts right then.

  “No time for that. Get the heavies out of the paddock and into the main herd. We’ll cut them back later.” If they survived the night. “Help the others get hoses on the flames.”