by Renee Rose
“You’ll be right here.” Levi pushed open a door to a plain but clean room with a neatly made single bed, a dresser and nightstand with a reading lamp. He managed my heavy suitcases with total ease, the muscles of his arms flexing impressively as he lifted them onto the bed.
I turned to him, looked him over as he set my stuff down. He was big, with mammoth shoulders and a broad chest. Big enough to make me feel small, and I was plenty tall. Under the cowboy hat, his eyes appeared to be aqua and the bit of hair peeking out looked sandy blond. He had scruff on his face, like he hadn’t shaved since yesterday, adding to the rugged cowboy look. He seemed intense yet quiet, which reminded me a little of myself.
Although I wasn’t ever called intense. I was uptight. Yeah, a woman always wanted to be that. No wonder I was still a dang virgin at thirty. Who wanted to fuck the uptightedness out of a woman? Not Levi, surely. I couldn’t imagine he was short of female attention with those roped forearms and sturdy thighs. I had to wonder if he was big all over.
I blinked, surprised by my ridiculous thoughts. I cleared my throat.
“Thank you. Levi, was it?” I asked that, even though I knew his name. I doubted I’d ever forget it.
I stepped back to let him pass, but the room was so small, he ended up brushing close—close enough for me to catch the scent of leather, horse and hay. To see the sheen of sweat on his skin, to know he put in an honest day of hard work and wasn’t afraid to get dirty.
Close enough to make my pulse pick up speed at his raw masculinity.
The image of him picking me up and throwing me on the bed slammed into my brain, and I took another quick step backward. God, I was behaving like I was in heat, just like Seraphina. The mare who I’d completely forgotten in the back of the trailer. I wasn’t the one here to get fucked.
“Levi, yes.” His deep voice seemed to snake underneath my clothes, undressing me with their quiet reverberation as his gaze raked over me. “Sorry if we were awkward back there. You just took us by surprise. We didn’t expect the arriving vet to be quite so…”
I arched my brows. “Quite so, what?”
“Beautiful.” His face broke into a friendly smile that eased some of the tension in my chest. Despite my resolve to never get involved with anyone at work—even though Cooper Valley was hundreds of miles from work—I found myself more than a little attracted to this giant of a man.
Was it warm in here?
Instead of fanning myself, I rolled my eyes. I wasn’t going to fall for his come-on. I wasn’t the hook-up with the ranch hand type, especially not five minutes after my arrival.
Sadly, I wasn’t the hook-up with anyone type. I’d tried it, but… yeah, that hadn’t worked out since we hadn’t gotten much past first base. Once Levi found out I had a loudly ticking biological clock and that if he wanted to get his dick in me he’d have to punch my V-card, he’d bolt faster than a wild mustang.
Which was fine because I was here to get away from Dax and the crap going down at Mr. Claymore’s stables. I hoped being two states away would be a good break from the little shit’s threats.
“What’s your role here at the ranch?” I asked. I’d spoken to Clint and Rob Wolf by phone and email to organize the breeding visit, but that was all.
“I’m a part-time ranch hand. I do everything from fix broken fences to birth calves.” He tips his hat back. “I’m also the acting sheriff of Cooper Valley.”
My smile slipped, and my stomach plummeted. “Sheriff?” I whispered then cleared my throat. “You’re not wearing a uniform.”
He lifted a brow. “Glad you noticed what I’m wearing, doll. I’m not working today.”
I could only nod because… sheriff? Seriously? The hot guy was a lawman? I was definitely steering clear of this one.
It would be horrible if he found out what I was mixed up in. Knew I was… bad. That I was doing ridiculously illegal things. That the large quantities of ketamine I’d ordered for Dax were probably going to go into the hands of young people. That was what gutted me about this. Sure, he was destroying my life, but I was possibly destroying others by doing what he said. Fuck, my gut churned. I needed another antacid.
“I should see about Seraphina. The horse,” I added dumbly. What if Dax got in touch with me? He would. Just because I was away didn’t mean the phones didn’t work. I took a deep breath, let it out. I’d deal with him when the time came. I was used to startling and jumping at every turn at work, afraid I’d bump into him, or he’d find me alone somewhere. That thought made me inwardly freak.
Hell, what if he showed up here? No. I came to Cooper Valley to get away, to figure out how to get out of the mess I was in. To figure out how to get a guy to stop blackmailing me, all the while somehow staying out of jail.
I just had to play it cool. I had no idea how to do that. I’d been plagued by him for weeks. I hadn’t figured out a way to make it stop yet. I was sure “felon” was stamped on my forehead. And with Levi being a sheriff—
“I’m sure Clint and the others are getting her settled in the stable. I promise they’ll treat her like a princess.”
Okay, he had no idea. He had no idea. Breathe!
“Yes, but she’s in heat,” I finally said, focusing on his words. “She needs to be separated, for now. Then teased in the corral with your stallion. Her vaginal secretions indicate—”
I bit my lip. Oh my God. I did not just say vaginal secretions aloud. In front of this man.
“I’m here to breed a horse,” I said finally after taking a breath. Then another. My cheeks were hot, and it was almost impossible to keep my gaze on his, but I forced myself to.
His smile grew, and his face changed from gruff to… gentle. That seemed almost impossible for a guy whose hands were like dinner plates and clearly had DNA of Vikings and cavemen. “Take a few minutes to settle in. I’m sure your boss doesn’t expect you to get to work right away. Like you said, the mare needs to be teased first. All females like a little foreplay, right?”
Were we still talking about Seraphina?
His eyes darkened, and I felt like this was somehow foreplay for us. Pheromones must be pumping off of him in waves for me to even be all hot and bothered. Speaking of vaginal secretions… my panties were wet.
All at once, he stepped back. “Get settled. I’ll take care of Seraphina.”
When he closed the door behind him, I dropped onto the bed. What had just happened? That cowboy was interested. In me. I was inexperienced, not an idiot.
He was a sheriff!
I needed to keep my distance way more than I needed to get laid by a hot cowboy. Pulling my phone from my purse, I texted Mrs. Vasquez, the neighbor, who was keeping an eye on Pops while I was away. He had signs of early dementia, on occasion forgetting where he was, my name. So far, he was safe, but I worried that might change. I didn’t want him to go for a walk and forget where he was or go to take a bath and forget, leaving the water running and flooding the house.
Keeping my veterinarian’s license and my job was paramount. With Pops’ medical bills and prescriptions on top of the mortgage and everything else, the bigger paycheck working for Mr. Claymore versus buying into a private practice was a requirement.
Now I was stuck. I had to keep my job, so I could order the ketamine for Dax. I couldn’t do it if I worked at a regular practice. On a horse farm? Orders would go unnoticed. At least I hoped.
I was screwed. So screwed.
But at least Mrs. Vasquez offered to keep an eye on Pops, so I could be away. He was safe. He had no clue about my troubles or stress. The only perk of memory loss.
Sighing, I let my thumbs fly on the cell phone screen.
Me: How’s Pops doing?
She wrote back right away.
Tina: Good. He had dinner at the Elks Lodge. Now we’re watching his shows.
I sighed in relief.
Me: Great. Just wanted you to know I made it fine.
Tina: Don’t worry while you’re there. Have fun!
Don’t worry? I had a blackmailer probably wondering where I went.
Have fun? Did she mean with Levi?
Not happening. I grabbed my charger and plugged my phone in. I was here for a job and to figure out how to ditch a blackmailer while doing it. I just had to remember that Seraphina was the one to get thoroughly fucked, not me.
3
LEVI
* * *
I walked into the stable, thinking of Charlie with every step.
It was unusual for me to be this attracted to a female. Unusual enough to make me wonder…
No. No fucking way. I would’ve known if she were my mate. At least, I thought I would. I didn’t get that instant recognition thing male shifters said they felt the moment they caught their mate’s scent. Like Boyd with Audrey. Colton with Marina.
Of course, my wolf was latent—he was inside me but couldn’t come out—so it was possible I wouldn’t know.
This was why I wanted a she-wolf for a mate. If Charlie were a shifter, she would know if we were mates. She’d tell me. Because my wolf had been broken—whatever the fuck the word was—by my grandparents, I was left playing guesswork. It would be easy if Charlie knew she was mine. Obvious. We’d be fucking right now, and I’d be making her mine. She’d have no doubt she belonged to me, that my mark belonged on her dark skin. It would be as simple as that.
But no. It was possible I was as helpless as any ordinary human trying to figure out “the one.”
Fate was fucked up. With my mother being human, I had her DNA, too. Human DNA that kept me from important shifter things. Letting my wolf out. Scenting my mate. Knowing her. More.
As for Charlie? I wanted her. There was no denying it. The chemistry was there if not the mating scent. I growled in frustration. I would have her. I had two weeks to do so.
I stalked into the cool stable, pointed at Johnny who was brushing down my horse. I should thank him for it, but I had more important things to say.
“You’re staying with your parents.”
“I am?” Johnny asked, eyes widening, pausing with the curry comb on the horse’s flank. He might be young, but that didn’t mean he wanted to be back at home in his childhood bed. Too fucking bad.
Clint and Boyd were brushing the other two horses down and stopped when I piped up.
“Why’s that?” Clint asked, brush in hand. The corner of his mouth was tipped up.
I narrowed my eyes, set my hands on my hips.
“Yes, Levi,” Audrey drawled.
I spun about at her voice, not realizing she was in the corner out of the way. She was settled into a chair Boyd must have brought out of the stable office for her. She had a cloth tossed over her shoulder with Lizzie nursing beneath it. I saw her tiny bare feet sticking out from the edge of the pink cover.
A woman nursing a child didn’t do a thing for me, not any more than a woman brushing her teeth or eating corn on the cob. But Audrey feeding her infant all of a sudden struck a nerve. I wanted my child suckling at my mate’s breast. I envisioned Charlie feeding our baby, and… fuck me. Babies? I was in epic trouble here. She was not my mate. She did not want my babies. Hell, she didn’t even want to stay down the hall from me.
“Why is Johnny staying with his parents and not in the bunkhouse with you and the lovely veterinarian?” she asked, breaking me out of my thoughts. Her mouth turned up in a sly smile. Those glasses might give her an innocent look, but she was far from it right now.
I wasn’t going to snap at Audrey. My wolf might be ready to snarl, but she didn’t deserve it, even if she was taunting me. Boyd would also rip my throat out.
“Because I want her,” I replied through gritted teeth.
“She’s your mate?” she asked.
I crossed my arms over my chest. “No. I don’t think so.”
“Maybe she is, and you just can’t smell it,” Audrey countered.
It was possible, but I felt like I’d know. It was fucking unfair. A wolf inside me but couldn’t be let out to run. Couldn’t scent his own mate.
“I want her. That’s enough.”
Clint slapped Boyd on his shoulder, making me turn and face them. “Twenty bucks, dude,” Clint ordered.
“What did you two assholes bet?”
Boyd grinned. “Bet you’d claim her. Wolf or not.”
“A tip, Levi,” Audrey said, rolling her eyes at her husband and brother-in-law. “Be nice.”
I gave her a glare over my shoulder, but she just smiled back.
“Yeah, being a grumpy fucker’s not going to help you,” Boyd said, pulling out his wallet from his back pocket.
“I’m not grumpy.” I took my hat off, ran my hand through my hair.
All of them laughed, and I wasn’t sure who to throat punch first.
“Where’s her mare?” I asked, trying to redirect, so I didn’t start a shifter brawl in front of the horses. The animals had gotten used to us all being shifters, having predators inside us, but we had to be cautious around them. Especially new ones like the horse Charlie brought.
Clint tipped his head. “Put her in the near pasture.”
Was it strange that I didn’t even like the other guys handling Charlie’s mare?
Not just strange, downright nuts. Especially considering Seraphina wasn’t even Charlie’s. The mare belonged to her boss, Mr. Claymore. Some eccentric millionaire.
Whatever. He could be as eccentric as he wanted because his craziness was what had brought Charlie here. I owed the man a thank you card. And a resignation letter for his soon-to-be former vet because while everything in me resisted wanting a human, I wanted Charlie here, and I had a feeling two weeks wasn’t going to be enough.
I turned on my heel and headed out to the pasture, only because I couldn't very well go back into the bunkhouse and wait outside Charlie’s room like a crazy stalker. Being with the horse was the next best thing. Like getting to know Charlie’s horse—making friends with Seraphina—would somehow get me closer to her prickly veterinarian.
4
CHARLIE
* * *
Oh, sweet baby Jesus. I should’ve packed my vibrator. I woke up from the most sexual nap-dream I’ve ever had. I wasn’t sure if I should rub my eyes or my clit.
In the dream, I’d been in this same bed, only Levi, the giant cowboy, had been in here with me.
Looming over me on his hands and knees, framing me in, so all I could see, all I could feel, was him.
Calling me beautiful and—oh my God, what had he said?
It’s my job to see to your every need at Wolf Ranch. And it starts with this…
It was only a dream. Only a dream.
I didn’t even know how I’d fallen asleep! I’d meant to sit down and review the data of all breeding activity for Mr. Claymore’s mares over the past eight years, to update the ovulation chart for Seraphina, but the drive from Colorado had exhausted me. Obviously, I’d conked out.
And had a sex dream. Now I was rested but flustered. Horny, too.
For one specific cowboy who was going to be sleeping just down the hall.
I checked my watch as I ran my hand over my hair. Seven o’clock already. I needed to unhook the horse trailer and drive into town to scrounge up some dinner. Damn, how far did Boyd say town was? Twenty miles? My stomach rumbled.
Maybe I would just eat the granola bar in my bag.
I grabbed it off the floor, found my cell. My heart skipped a beat when I saw the text.
Dax: Where the fuck R U? Looking for the vitamin K.
Shit. I took a deep breath, tried to calm my racing heart over the fact he was trying to find the ketamine I’d ordered for him last week. Tried not to throw up. With trembling fingers, I typed back.
Me: It’s being shipped.
Dax: U said it wld B here 2 days ago.
Me: I have no control over a shipping company.
That was the truth. I ordered the stuff. How long it took to arrive was not my problem regardless of what Dax thought.
Dax: It had better be.
I sucked in my breath.
Me: What do you want me to do?
Dax: Order more. Get the fast shipping.
Me: I can’t order more and send it to the Claymore stables. Too much to one address.
If someone else received the order while I was gone, one batch might not raise an eyebrow, but two? That was more ketamine than I could explain away.
Dax: Ship the shit there to bumfuck Montana. Bring it back with you.
Ship it to Wolf Ranch? I glanced around. This was insane. Not only did the people here have nothing to do with my shit, but it added more danger. How could I explain away a shipment being delivered? It wasn’t like I was on vacation or something. I wasn’t ordering a dress online for a wedding. What the hell could I say to Clint about getting mail?
That didn’t even take into account that Levi was not only a ranch hand here at Wolf Ranch but also the flipping county sheriff. I had no doubt he could sniff out illegal activity.
Dax: Show me the order confirmation, or I’ll go to the vet board.
I felt like puking. If Dax went to the board, I’d lose my license and my job. But at the same time, I definitely couldn’t keep this up. I knew it wouldn’t stop. He would be pushing me forever. I’d hoped to get some clarity while I was here in Montana on what to do, but I was more freaked out than ever. Being away made it even worse. Made Dax even worse.
I didn’t wait, just did as Dax wanted. I grabbed my laptop. It took ten minutes, but the order was placed. It wouldn’t be here overnight, but it was supposed to arrive before I was supposed to leave.
Me: Done. I attached the screenshot of the order.
A light knock sounded at my door, and I jumped a foot, slapped the lid down on the laptop. My cell clattered to the floor. “Fuck.”
I threw the door open, breathless, only to find the subject of my sex dream looming large in the doorway.