Chapter 5
Chapter Five
ETHAN
T he sun is bright and warm where it hangs nearly directly over us. There’s not much breeze, and the sky is clear of any kind of cloud. We’ve been in the saddle nearly five hours, moving two separate herds of cattle to more favorable places for finding water. By all accounts, I should be exhausted. But riding with Cottonwood always manages to clear my head. Give that horse an hour and some open space, and she’ll have me feeling in control again.
“Hudson and I are going to The Outpost after the evening crew gets to the restaurant. You want to grab drinks tonight?” Beau asks from where he rides beside me, his hat low over his eyes. He’s ditched his flannel just as I have, leaving him in a dark blue tee.
“Caleb’s out on a fire,” I say, shaking my head.
Cottonwood misses a step, and I run my hand along her shoulder, easing farther back in the saddle to help her manage the climb down the mountain.
Beau grunts. “That explains why you stopped at the house before saddling up. I thought you had just forgotten your own coffee.”
I roll my eyes and change the subject.
“I think Mom’s making lunch for the masses, though, so you’re welcome to stay.”
Beau legitimately moans . “Hell yes. I hope it’s her mac and cheese. She makes the best I’ve ever had.” He turns to me, pursing his lips. “Don’t tell Hudson I said that, though. He’ll spit me over a fire.”
I laugh, the sound rusty, and pull my phone from my back pocket.
On our way back. Should be there in ten.
Mom’s response is faster than I expect.
Perfect. Mac and cheese will be done in about five.
I glance over at Beau. “You sure you don’t have some sixth sense that tells you what Mom’s planning?”
He’s never guessed wrong about whatever Mom is making. Ever. I learned to stop betting against him by the time we were sixteen and I’d lost a couple hundred dollars over it.
“Hell yes. That just made my entire Saturday.” He whoops, fist-bumping the air.
After a few minutes, I offer, “Emily mentioned she’s taking Phoebe out today.”
Beau frowns, shifting the reins to his other hand. “She mention why? Phoebe doesn’t like riding the way Emily always wants to. She’s too calm.”
I shake my head. “Nope. And when I pressed, she made it awkward.”
“That sounds right.” Beau grins. “Well, at least that saves me from needing to come out tomorrow and work her. I’ll get back on a better schedule with her now that calving is done.”
We settle back into silence, just like we have the last several hours. I love working the cattle with Beau. He’s damn good at it, yes, but he also doesn’t force conversation. He’s content to let the quiet of the pasture and mountains around us fill the space between topics. It’s probably something to do with him being a Beta when the rest of us—Hudson, Caleb, and I—are all Alphas. So are three of our permanent hired ranch hands. Beau is just… calmer than everyone else. It helps on days like today, when I’m so on edge I’m ready to jump out of my damn skin.
Just as the clearing opens up around us, the barns on the far side of it, Beau says, “Heard Caleb had a date in Jackson last night.”
“How the hell did you find that out?” I ask, instantly defensive.
“Hudson heard a couple of the girls at the restaurant lament about it last night,” he says, keeping his voice light. “They’ve been eyeing him up apparently.”
Goddamn small towns. I stretch my neck, trying to keep myself from falling back into that festering rage that’s been eating at me. It bubbles up anyway. Cottonwood tosses her head as I choke up on her reins unintentionally. I force a deep breath and relax my hands.
Shit, maybe it’s time to consider a rut suppressor. At least until Camden is in school. Maybe by then I’ll be ready to talk about moving on from Kayla.
And Brielle , that voice whispers.
I urge Cottonwood faster, trying to outrun my thoughts. Beau sighs but keeps pace.
“Didn’t realize it was a no-ask subject,” he mutters.
I ignore him. He doesn’t understand, not the way his brother does. Which is probably why Hudson shared the gossip with him and not me. Being a Beta, Beau isn’t inclined to have a territorial hissy fit over finding out someone’s gossiping about their best friend’s fucking.
Not that that’s what I’m having. I’m too goddamn old to be having piss fights. That’s what stupid Alphas just out of high school do. Not thirty-three-year-olds with a child.
I force another deep breath and start toward the barns, ready to have a quiet afternoon with my son. There’s an unfamiliar car parked in front of Mom and Dad’s place alongside Emily’s Jeep. It’s an impeccable dark green Land Rover. As we get closer, dodging around the tended area immediately surrounding the front of the farmhouse, the simple Colorado plates become more obvious. I frown.
Who is here from Colorado?
Beau grunts as he takes in the car. “Wonder who that might be. You didn’t hire anyone new, right?”
“Nope. Everyone stayed on from last summer. Didn’t even need to put out an ad this year.”
Beau frowns. “Weird. Wonder what someone from Colorado wants with your parents. Or maybe they’re wanting something with you? You haven’t had anyone call about the ranch this year, have you?”
“Not since the investor last November. I think I made it clear enough to scare off most people.” I better have, at least. I was born here, and I had every intention of dying here, too. If Camden didn’t want it by then, he could decide what to do with it all.
Emily’s leaning against the entrance to the primary barn, her head tossed back as she laughs. Beau pulls away, heading toward the second barn. He tips his hat at Emily as he passes her. She offers a wave, then turns away, walking into the barn.
I ease off Cottonwood, grabbing her lead rope before she can decide to follow Beau. My legs are stiff, but I don’t show it as I guide Cottonwood forward. She hesitates, shaking her head.
“Let’s get you a snack. That all right with you, pretty girl?” I say, keeping my voice low, running my hand down her nose. She stomps one foot and then nuzzles into my shoulder. I can’t help but laugh.
The sound catches in my throat, cutting off all at once, as the shadows in the barn clear as my eyes adjust. Emily and Melissa stand with a third woman, both of them helping pull equipment from Phoebe.
“That was so much fun,” Melissa says, her bright voice filling the space. “I’ve missed having you here.”
Emily nods. “Phoebe and you were great. She’ll be happy to have someone other than Beau to work with.”
The third woman doesn’t respond, her eyes locked on me. The brown of them slam into me, a thousand memories tied to them, and I can’t fucking breathe. What is she doing here? And why the fuck is she holding onto Phoebe’s bridle while Melissa eases off the saddle Brandon used to use? Her face is pale, like she’s seen a ghost. God knows mine probably matches.
Emily glances at me.
“Oh, hey,” she says. “You’re done early. Mom says lunch is ready.”
I should look at her. I should say something. I should do literally anything other than just stare at Brielle. But fuck if I can’t manage it. She’s still stunning, and it brings my body—unresponsive to literally anyone over the last four years—back to life between one second and the next. Her jeans hug her hips, her boots a new, shiny black and sporting a designer label I don’t recognize. Her shirt hugs her curves, the deep vee of the neckline just showing the swells of her breasts. Her brown hair is pulled away from her face, highlighting the delicate line of her jaw.
There are too many smells in the barn, and I’m sure she’s wearing some kind of scent blocker, but my memory fills in the gaps just fine, supplying the smell of her perfuming—lavender, like a damn English cottage. The need to pull her away from Emily, to mark her and surround her until my scent is the only one anyone can smell on her skin, slams into me with the force of a damn stampede.
My pulse races in my ears, and my palms are sweaty.
Cottonwood ducks her head, nudging my shoulder. I tighten my hold on her lead rope, trying to figure out how to move her without actually closing the distance between me and the Omega that’s haunted my dreams for the last ten years.
Emily frowns, her gaze bouncing between Brielle and me. It’s only a matter of minutes until she realizes it, until the last decade of my summer fling being a faceless woman no one knew goes up in flames. The secret Melissa and my mother have guarded with their lives, knowing nothing good would come from the town knowing her name, her face, her designation. Certainly not with Kayla being our matched Omega—our bonded matched Omega.
And now she’s here, standing in front of me.
Mint floods the barn as I lose the fight with my body. Brielle swallows, the column of her throat moving, and the palest version of her lavender scent overlays everything else happening in the barn.
Holy fuck .
Memories of the last time I smelled that, smelled her , overwhelm me. Her hand laced with mine, her knees straddling my hips, her hair brushing over my chest. My scent grows even stronger. And I can’t do anything to curb it, struck motionless like I’ve been hit with a damn bolt of lightning.
Melissa grabs Brielle’s hand, and it steals her attention, breaking whatever the fuck moment was just happening. I can’t help but drop my eyes to her fingers, needing to remind myself of the mark that sits there, that confirms she’s not mine and never will be again.
There’s no fucking ring. Not even a simple gold band like the one and only time I saw her in the last decade.
What in the actual hell is happening right now?
“Emily, could you let Phoebe out to the pasture?” she asks, not looking away from Brielle. “Bri and I will put away the equipment really quick.”
Emily raises an eyebrow but takes the lead rope and ties out Phoebe. Before I can figure out how to make my legs work again, Melissa has Phoebe’s bridle off and in Brielle’s hands, and they’re ducking into the second storage room on the far side of the barn, the one with the equipment that isn’t used as often.
I finally manage to move, and I get Cottonwood tied out so I can get the saddle off and her brushed through.
“You going to explain what the hell that was?” Emily asks, her arms crossed. “Or am I cornering Melissa later?”
There’s no way she’ll actually wear Melissa down. She’s kept the secret for a decade, just like Mom. One night of pestering from Emily won’t cause her to break down.
I work through getting Cottonwood cooled down and then turned out to the pasture, ignoring my sister the entire time even as she mirrors me, turning out Phoebe at the same time. Melissa comes out of the storage room as we’re walking back into the barn. I ignore her, too, trying to get my body under control, and focus on grabbing my saddle to put away.
“Bri’s going to head back to her place,” she says to Emily, ignoring me completely. “She said she needed a shower and to work on unpacking.”
Unpacking ?
Holy fuck. Brielle is the friend that’s moving into Emily’s guest house? The one that’s a widow needing a clean start? Emily’s been talking about her for weeks, her eyes bright with excitement. The entire damn town knows about the newcomer.
A lot of the guys at The Outpost have been putting bets on who can manage to snag a date with her first. Just the thought is enough to have me scenting again, the edge of it sour with my festering rage that’s entirely unexplainable.
Emily’s eyes bore into me, the curiosity so strong they’re practically drilling through me. I don’t bother to acknowledge her at all.
“Let’s go,” Melissa says, her voice wavering, responding on instinct to the change in my scent. “Lynn’s got lunch ready.”
Melissa pulls Emily from the barn as I disappear into the primary tack room. When I finally manage to leave the barn and start toward the farmhouse, the green SUV with Colorado plates is gone.