One particular cowboy pulled her into his arms and started moving to the slow beat of the sad country song. The kind where you’d do better to play it backward, because that was the only way you were gonna get your horse back and your wife back and your house back. That kinda sad-sack shit.
Remember why it needs to be this way.
It was his private shame, the legacy his father had left for the Travis family. Pops wouldn’t have seen it that way. He believed he was doing the right thing. But he was the reason Ryan had to take over as alpha.
“She’s a firecracker, isn’t she?” came a male voice off to his right and Ryan turned to see Julian VonBrandt.
He followed the other wolf’s gaze, out to where Kate was gyrating with the cowboy. They were talking, with their heads too close. Much too close.
“I don’t believe we’ve met,” Ryan said, trying to avoid the topic of Kate. “You are?”
“Julian VonBrandt.” The shifter extended his hand. “Nice to meet you.”
Ryan shook his hand, even though he didn’t particularly want to. Just like he didn’t want to talk about Kate. He wanted to drink in peace and keep an eye on her from a distance. That was all.
“How do you know Kate?” asked Julian, one brow up.
“I’m her…” Ryan paused, unsure of whether he should finish the sentence the way he wanted to. I’m her mate was just about the strangest thing he could say to say to the other wolf while the two of them watched her grind on another man.
“She applied for my job,” Dee chimed in. A little beep sounded on her phone, reminding her of the message she’d ignored.
“You should go back to the ranch,” he said, pointing to the door. “Bracken wants you to fix this with Adam.”
“What about you?” she asked, pushing on his shoulder again. “You don’t seem like you’re doing okay, Ryan.”
“I’ll be fine.” He waved her off. “Make it right with Adam, and then I’ll have a chance to sell him on the horse tomorrow.”
She didn’t look convinced, but she left him, just the same. It would take her twenty minutes to get back out to the ranch, and she needed to get there before the midnight deadline. They needed Adam in a good mood.
“What happened between her and Adam?” Julian asked, sipping his beer.
“They broke up.” Ryan swilled some more of his whiskey.
Out on the dance floor, the song sped up, and Ryan felt himself relax. He hadn’t liked watching Kate hanging on to some strange human, talking into his ear so intimately. It was better when she danced fast. Watching her dance was like pressing his nose up against a candy shop. It only fuelled his desire, but he knew he’d have to walk by, unsatisfied.
He didn’t want to walk by. He wanted to fill… shit. That sentence started out in a different place than it ended up…
“You want to cut in on that action?” Julian asked.
Hell, yes. But he couldn’t bring himself to say the words. The more he acknowledged that Kate belonged to him…the harder it would be to let her go on Saturday, when they had to go back to Oklahoma.
Without her.
“I don’t dance,” Ryan said, hoping Julian couldn’t hear the lie in his voice. The truth was, he could move pretty well on the dance floor. But it was better to pretend that he couldn’t. It gave him another excuse not to go out there and toss that damn cowboy over the fuckin’ mechanical bull.
He looked like he deserved it.
Putting his hands on Kate…
Settle. Ryan took a final swig of his whiskey. Still too much edge.
“Another,” he said, turning his back on the dance floor. It would be so much easier if he left the bar, but now that Adam and Dee were both gone, he didn’t have a ride back to the ranch.
Plus, he couldn’t leave her.
“More alcohol isn’t going to make it easier, y’know,” Julian said, the hard edge of truth in his voice.
“Fine, then. I’ll have a water,” he called out to the bartender.
“Y’know what will make it easier?”
“I’m sure you’ll tell me.”
“Going out on that dance floor and getting your mate.”
Ryan’s chuckle started deep in his chest and rumbled up. “How do you know about that?”
“She told me.”
The words felt like they would slice him clean through. Kate had trusted Julian enough to tell him about what was going on between the two of them. On one hand, Ryan should probably be glad she’d opened up to the Texas wolf. That had been his plan, hadn’t it?
But his other hand wanted to close into a fist and punch the guy out. And then punch out the cowboy who still had his hands on Kate. And maybe the rest of the cowboy’s friends. They looked like they deserved it, too.
“What exactly did she tell you?” he asked, drinking down a bit of his water, his back still to the dance floor. But he could feel her back there, not too far away, buzzing with energy that called to him.
“She said you did it because you were trying to get her out of the way.” He placed the empty beer bottle on the bar and signaled to the bartender for another. “Your alpha said she could have Dee’s job if she got the horse from Adam, and you were trying to get the horse yourself.”
The truth had enough weight to smother him. “That’s only part of it,” he said, swirling his water in its glass. “But it’s okay for her to think that about me. Probably better if she hates me.”
Ryan closed his eyes and sniffed the air. With the jumble of smells around, he shouldn’t have been able to smell her citrusy shampoo, but he still could. It had practically imprinted on him in the truck cab.
“What’s the rest of the truth?”
He shook his head. “Nope. Not that easy.”
“Come on. She moved on to the next guy already. Shrugged me off like a fur coat in the sunshine.”
“I wish she hadn’t done that.” He rolled the empty whiskey glass around in his fingers, looking at the refracted neon lights and wishing he had the guts to turn around and look at Kate again.
“Why?”
“Because I wanted her to like you.” He let the words fall out of his mouth before he really thought about what he was saying. “You seem like a good guy. She’s a good girl. Yeah, I figured she’d get distracted from the horse thing, but she’s not stupid. I knew she would figure it out eventually. I thought you’d be interesting enough to charm her…to make her forget about me.”
“You don’t know her at all, then.” Julian made a clicking sound behind his teeth as he sucked on the beer. “I’ve only known her a few hours, and I already know she’s not going to forget about you.”
“Well, she should.” Ryan kept his face hidden as he slipped off the stool, trying not to look at Kate. She was gyrating with the new cowboy, and he didn’t trust himself after the way he’d acted with Beau earlier.
He didn’t even want to think about anyone else’s hands on her.
Except his.
As he passed the edge of the dance floor, Kate’s voice caressed his ears, from far enough away that he knew she wasn’t next to him. That she wasn’t talking to him. But it elicited this strange electricity, and it lit up his whole body.
“No, thanks, Johnny,” she said, her tight laughter hiding a little slip of fear underneath that told Ryan she’d already said no once. His chest constricted with the crazy, protective instinct to pummel the guy senseless. But he tried to fist his hands and grit his teeth through the feeling. She could hold her own against any human. He didn’t need to fix this for her.
“But we’re gonna have a blast,” said a man’s voice, insistent. “I promise, I’ll show you a good time, girl.”
His whole body was urging him to step in, to hit the guy and carry her off the damn dance floor and kiss her until she never said another name but Ryan Travis.
She’s mine.
Nope.
Time to go.
He slipped out without making eye contact with Kate, but as soon as he reached the alley, he
fell against the side of the brick façade, panting and struggling to maintain control. He couldn’t let himself do something stupid and irresponsible. Something Beau would do.
There was a reason the pack wanted him, and not his brother—who was also single. Ryan had more control. He had a vision for what he wanted to do with his pack. That had to be his focus moving forward.
He couldn’t lose his mind over a girl.
Ryan Travis had a job to do.
Chapter Fourteen
“I said no,” Kate said, her voice more of a growl than she would have liked. Her wolf was pissed. She was dancing with the wrong man and Ryan was nowhere to be found. He should’ve sent Johnny packing. But he hadn’t. At least not yet.
She turned and scanned the bar. Where was he?
Johnny’s hand squeezed her ass and she tensed, turning back to the handsy cowboy.
“Remove your hand from my ass, or I’ll remove it from your body,” she hissed, feeling her wolf pace restlessly inside her. It was late. She wanted to be with Ryan. This plan should’ve worked.
“Hey, now. We’ve been having a good time. Don’t you think I could show you—” His face contorted with pain and his hand released her body immediately. Her knight in shining armor wasn’t Ryan though. Julian gave her a sad smile. He had a hand on the cowboy’s shoulder and his fingers were pinching down on a pressure point, something she’d thought only worked in movies.
“I believe the lady asked you nicely,” Julian snarled. It was the perfect pissed-off boyfriend voice, but Kate couldn’t help but be disappointed. Ryan hadn’t come for her. He hadn’t carried her off in a fit of jealous rage. He hadn’t done anything. She scanned the bar again and couldn’t stop the tears from trickling down her cheeks.
Ryan didn’t want her? She knew that wasn’t true, but he’d left. He didn’t want her enough.
Julian shoved Johnny aside and pulled her into his chest. “Hey now,” he cooed, walking her slowly back to their table.
“He left me, didn’t he?” she choked out. “How? We’re supposed to be mates. He should have…wanted me.” Her chest tightened and she wiped her cheeks dry. It didn’t make sense.
“Kate, he does want you. That isn’t it.”
She shook her head as Julian helped her sink down into a chair. “He lied to me about who you were. He told me he didn’t want this…me. I should’ve listened. I just…I can’t go home. He doesn’t understand what will happen to me if I do.” She looked up into Julian’s kind eyes. Gods, the VonBrandts were all so sexy and caring and genuine—at least the ones she’d met so far. Why the hell couldn’t she have had a mate bond with the man sitting right in front of her? Why did Fate have to choose the one man who was determined to make her hate him…except she didn’t hate him. Not even after he’d lied and run like a dog with his tail between his legs.
“I need him,” she whimpered.
“He doesn’t think he deserves you,” Julian said. “There’s something going on with him. He wanted you to like me. To be distracted and find someone else.”
“He’s my mate. How could I ever be distracted by someone else?”
Julian shook his head and sighed, sitting across from her, still holding one of her hands. “He’s holding something inside, I think. It’s like he thinks he owes his pack. I don’t know. It’s strange.”
“Bracken said I’d get the job, no questions asked, if I got the horse. Adam said he’ll sell the horse to me. So, I can at least pledge to Bracken and break my bond with my grandfather. That should be enough for now.” She shuddered through a breath and tried to get a handle on her chaotic emotions. Now she just needed Bracken to live up to his end of the deal. She could work on Ryan later. As long as she got the job and broke free, she would be safe. Even if Ryan never came around. At least she’d be free to make her own choices about her future. At least she wouldn’t have to marry Christian.
“Kate.” Julian’s voice had dropped to a dark, don’t-ignore-me tone. “What has you so terrified of your pack? Of your grandfather?”
Nope. Nope. Nope. As much as she wanted to scream out her grandfather’s plans for everyone to hear, she couldn’t afford to have anyone going off half-cocked and confronting her grandfather. The second Phillip Quade realized what Kate was planning…she was screwed.
Her grandfather was a ticking time bomb. He’d often threatened them all with the consequences of what would happen if other packs got involved in their business. Let alone the Rangers. This was dangerous ground if she wanted her family to stay intact. Even though she hated what he did, she didn’t want her family to pay the price.
“Let me help you.”
“I…I don’t know how,” she whispered.
“Well, obviously you need time alone with Ryan. What else do you need?”
“I need to never be alone with my grandfather.”
His eyebrows popped up in surprise. “Wow. That bad?”
Kate nodded. “As long as I’m here, in Somewhere, I’m safe. But the second I go back home, they’re going to…” She bit her lip and sniffed in a deep breath. Julian just waited. He didn’t push.
Maybe it was okay to share with him. Maybe it would feel better to let someone else in. “They’re going to bond me to this guy from New Mexico. Some douche nozzle rodeo champion who drinks his way through life and will make me...” She stopped. She just couldn’t say the words.
A good breeder.
That’s what Grandfather wanted. The next generation of rodeo champions. Kate slid a hand onto her stomach. The mere thought made her half-sick.
She took a deep breath and said, “What my grandfather really wants from me is…Christian Kyle’s babies.”
“Fuck that.” Julian’s tone was still surprisingly dark; it sounded pissed-as-hell and dangerous all at once. Coming from him, it was even scarier than from a guy like Adam or Ryan. Julian seemed more elegant or put together…more cultured…not like the guys who were prey to their wolves’ instincts. “That will not happen. You hear me?”
“There’s nothing you can do.”
“The hell there isn’t. You need to tell Ryan what’s going on. Whatever’s going on with him, he’s still your mate. Give him a chance to save you. If he won’t, my family will find a way. We won’t let that happen, okay?”
Kate muffled another sob and nodded her head.
“I’m going to talk to a couple of people tonight. You meet me in the barn after breakfast, okay? Let’s keep this on the down-low. There will be no reason for anyone to suspect anything. You hear me?” Julian grabbed her hand again and squeezed, waiting for her response.
“Okay,” she whispered. “Thank you. You and Adam, you’re—”
“Don’t mention it. I’m just glad you trusted us…trusted me to help you. It’s going to be okay, I promise.”
She wiped her face again with the back of her free hand and tried to paste on a smile. He knew everything. All of it. And the world hadn’t ended. In fact, he’d taken it upon himself to help her personally. “I want to be in Oklahoma. I want Ryan…but I need him to choose me. I don’t want to force him into anything. Or I wouldn’t be any better than my alpha.”
“Ryan just needs to realize what he’s losing by letting you go. You might have to get creative to get through to him. It must have taken everything he had to leave the bar.”
“But he did. He left me.”
“He wants you, Kate. Just know that. He said as much to my face.” Julian stood and held out a hand. “Let me take you back to the ranch. Get some rest. You’ll feel better.”
Kate shook her head. “I have a car here. I need to dance more…clear my head. Dancing helps me.”
“I’ll stay, then,” he said, his voice resigned and his mind made up. Kate was too tired to argue. His hands and arms were better than some stranger’s. At least she wouldn’t have to fight off more handsy, self-entitled jerks like Johnny. She put her hand in Julian’s one more time and let him lead her back to the dance floor. After everything that
had happened today, Ryan’s deception had ended up being her salvation after all. Fate seemed to be working for her, even though it was playing a slow game. Now she had Adam and Julian in her corner.
Kate laid her cheek against Julian’s chest as a slow song started to pulse through the bar. More tears trickled down her cheeks. She ached for Ryan. Physically. Emotionally. Her chest heaved with a sob and she buried her face in Julian’s shirt.
But Julian didn’t say anything.
He just held her. Danced with her.
And let her cry.
Chapter Fifteen
Ryan Travis was still running. Through rivers, over stumps, around trees, anywhere his wolf could get to, trying to escape all thoughts of Kate Quade.
He shouldn’t have done it.
Ryan hadn’t been able to control himself at the bar the previous night. It had taken every ounce of his willpower not to pull that damn cowboy off Kate. To pretend like nothing affected him. But the guy had stumbled out of the bar with his buddies about ten minutes later, and Ryan had punched him.
Probably punched him out.
He’d stopped the guy, looked him in the eyes, and taken revenge for the way he’d treated Kate. For making her say no more than once. For touching her in the first place. And the damn stupid thing was…it had only made him wish he’d done it earlier. It hadn’t actually relieved any of the frustration.
It was no longer possible to ignore the fact that he felt a mate pull with Kate Quade. She’d acknowledged it. He’d acknowledged it. Hell. Julian had acknowledged it. And Dee knew. It wasn’t Kate’s good flirting, or the fact that Ryan was about to enter an extended period of forced celibacy. It was actually magick.
That thought scared the living shit out of him, and he’d shifted last night out of necessity—needing to let his wolf take over. Needing to run for a while.
By the time the sun rose, he could smell the scent of bacon on the air, and it drew him back toward the big VonBrandt house.
He stopped in the shifter cabin to grab some shorts and his running shoes. Appearing in public would require clothes. And probably an attitude adjustment.
Rodeo Wolf: Fated Mates of Somewhere, Texas (#2) Page 10