Chapter 5 #3
“I don’t know. It was two in the morning, the street was mostly empty. I was focused on trying to stop them.” I pause. “But Seth gave as good as he got once Tanner started swinging. I won’t pretend otherwise.”
The sheriff grunts, setting down his pen. “All right. Let’s go sort this out.”
He leads me down another hallway toward a room that I can hear voices coming from. My stomach tightens with every step.
The room is small and harsh, all fluorescent lighting and metal furniture. Seth is there, sitting at a table with his arms crossed, tension radiating off him in waves. Leo stands near the door, looking uncomfortable.
And Tanner is pacing like a caged animal.
He looks even worse than he did last night. The bruise has spread across half his face, purplish black and ugly, his lip split and swollen. His uniform is rumpled, his hair disheveled, and there’s a manic energy in his movements that sets my teeth on edge.
When he spots me walk in, his expression twists into something vicious. “What the hell is she doing here?”
I force myself not to react. Not to shrink back into the invisible girl he always wanted me to be. “I’m giving a statement,” I state evenly. “About what actually happened last night.”
“Oh, right.” He laughs, harsh and bitter. “You’re here to protect your new boyfriend. To spread your legs for—”
“Tanner.” Sheriff Cade’s voice cracks like a whip. “That’s enough. One more word and you’re suspended.”
Tanner’s jaw snaps shut, but his eyes stay fixed on me. Burning with hatred. With that same possessive entitlement that made me run from him in the first place.
I hold his gaze without flinching.
“We have a witness statement,” Cade continues, his voice clipped and professional, “indicating that you, Tanner, initiated the physical altercation while intoxicated. That you approached the defendants aggressively and threw the first punch.” He turns to Seth.
“Based on this statement, we’re not filing assault charges against Mr. Benton. ”
Seth’s whole body sags with relief, tension draining from his shoulders. He catches my eye across the room, and the gratitude in his expression makes something warm bloom in my chest.
“However,” Cade continues, “there’s still the matter of the drunk and disorderly charge from last night. That’ll need to be investigated separately. If it’s found to be accurate, we may revisit the assault charges.”
“That’s completely—” Seth starts.
“That’s the procedure,” Cade cuts him off. “You’re free to go for now, Mr. Benton. Don’t leave town.”
“Wasn’t planning on it.”
The sheriff turns to Tanner, his expression hardening. “My office. Now.”
Tanner’s face goes red, but he doesn’t argue. He shoves past Leo on his way out. The door slams behind him, and suddenly the room feels twice as large. The sheriff follows. Leo mumbles something about paperwork and disappears, and then it’s just me and Seth.
He stands slowly, unfolding from the chair, and God, I forgot how big he is. How much space he takes up. How those blue eyes can make me feel like I’m the only person in the world.
“Hey,” he says.
“Hey.”
We stare at each other for a long moment. The silence is heavy with everything unspoken—last night, the fight, the way he’s studying me.
“Thank you,” he says finally. “For standing up for me. You didn’t have to do that.”
I shrug, aiming for casual. “Just telling the truth. Seemed like the right thing to do.”
“Still.” He takes a step closer, and I have to tilt my head back to meet his eyes. “Most people wouldn’t have gotten involved. Not against a deputy. Not for a stranger.”
You’re not a stranger, I want to say. You fought for me last night. You called me your scent match.
But the words stick in my throat.
“Yeah, well.” I manage a small smile. “Never been great at minding my own business.”
Something shifts in his expression. “It really was you last night,” he says softly. “I remember pieces. Your eyes. Your voice. The way you smelled.”
My heart stutters.
“Fragments. Like looking through frosted glass.” His jaw tightens with frustration.
“You should get out of here,” I say, stepping back before I do something stupid. Like reach for him. Like let myself want things I can’t have. “Carter is waiting in the lobby. He’ll be worried.”
Seth’s eyes search my face for a moment longer. Then he nods, something like disappointment flickering across his features.
“Yeah. Okay.”
We head out together, down the hall toward the lobby, where Carter is leaning against the wall, scrolling through his phone. He glances up as we approach, relief washing over his features.
“There he is.” He claps Seth on the shoulder. “You good?”
“I’m good.” Seth’s voice is rough. “Thanks to June.”
Carter’s gaze finds mine, warm with gratitude. “We owe you one. Seriously.”
“It’s all good.” I shift my weight, suddenly aware of how close they both are. How their scents are mingling in the air, and how my body is burning up, buzzing, responding in ways I desperately need to get under control. “Anyway, I should get going. I’ve got things to do. Work stuff.”
“Let me give you a lift,” Carter offers. “Home, or wherever you need to be.”
“Nah, really. I’m fine.” I take another step back, putting distance between us. “I’ve got some errands to run in town, and I should probably check in at the office. See if any new listings came in.”
It’s a weak excuse, seeing as the whole town is booked solid with rodeo tourists; I personally made sure of it. But they don’t call me on it.
“Thanks again,” Seth says.
I force a grin. “Just try to stay out of jail from now on, yeah? I’m not making a habit of two a.m. rescue missions.”
His lips twitch. Almost a smile. “I’ll do my best.”
I turn and walk out before I can change my mind. Before I can let myself get pulled deeper into whatever this is. Outside, the cold air hits my face. I take a deep breath, then another, trying to clear the cocktail of Alpha scents from my lungs.
My phone buzzes. I pull it out to find Pete’s name on the screen.
“Hello, Pete.”
“June! Good, I caught you.” He sounds harried. Stressed. “Listen, I just got off the phone with the head of the rodeo circuit, John Benton, and he’s… not happy.”
“I can imagine.”
“He says we’re painting them in a bad light by pressing charges against his son when Seth maintains he wasn’t drunk voluntarily.
Says if we want to keep their support for future circuits—which we do, June, because the town depends on that revenue, and half our businesses survive on rodeo season, including yours—we need to sort this mess out. ”
I close my eyes. “Well, I did my part and got Seth out of being arrested.”
“We need more,” he says. “I convinced John that what would help is having a local liaison. Someone to keep an eye on the rodeo stars while they’re in town.
Show good faith. Make sure there are no more incidents.
” Pete clears his throat. “The circuit needs a chaperone, June. And I want you to do it.”
My eyes open wide. “Are you insane?”
“The job pays really well. And it comes with accommodation at the ranch if you want it.”
“I have a house.”
“Then it’s extra income. Lord knows real estate is slow right now, what with you booking out every available room in town.
” He sighs. “Look, I know it’s a big ask.
But you’ve already met them, you handled Seth last night, and frankly, you’re the only person I trust not to make things worse.
I was going to ask Norm’s nephew, but he got completely plastered at the Spur last night and I can’t rely on him. ”
“Pete—”
“The town needs this rodeo circuit, June. The restaurants, the shops, the motels, everyone counts on rodeo season to get through the rest of the year. If we lose their support, if they take the circuit somewhere else…” He trails off. “Please. Just consider it. It’s only for two or three weeks.”
I press my free hand to my forehead. Three Alphas whose scents cause my carefully suppressed Omega to want to claw her way to the surface. And Pete wants me to chaperone them.
I exhale loudly. “I’ll think about it.”
“That’s all I’m asking. Just let me know soon.”
He hangs up, and I’m left standing in the cold Montana air. This is completely, utterly insane.
I shove the phone into my pocket and hurry down the main street, my mind spinning. It’s almost funny, in a horrible way. Doing Pete a favor is exactly what got me into this mess in the first place.
And now he wants me to dive in deeper.
Three cowboys. Two weeks or more. One secret I’ve been keeping for seven years.
I let out a groan that startles a passing bird.
What the hell am I going to do?