Chapter 5
FIVE
Mason
I cursed as I banged my knuckles against the frame of the tractor trying to put the alternator in place.
I was struggling to concentrate. My thoughts kept returning to Brooke and the way she felt in my embrace.
Nothing had ever been so right yet so wrong at the same time.
I couldn’t have her, but I desperately wanted to claim her.
I took another stab at installing the alternator, this time managing to slot it into position. After I finished installing it, I hopped onto the seat and turned the key. The engine roared to life, the sound steady and healthy.
The door to my workshop opened, and Declan stepped inside. I turned off the tractor and wiped the grease off my hands. “What’s up?”
Declan leaned against the worktable as I put away my tools. “The barbecue for the guests has already started. Wondering if you planned to make an appearance?”
“I’ve got a lot to do. I still need to fix the water trough, and—”
“We’re not using that pasture right now. The trough can wait.” He crossed his arms over his chest. “Everyone needs to do their part entertaining the guests. I’m not a fan of it either, but we can’t leave it to Ethan and Austin just because they enjoy it.”
I rubbed the back of my neck, searching for some excuse that might satisfy him. Declan’s expression told me not to bother, and thinking about it made me realize I should attend.
I was nervous about seeing Brooke again, but I needed to keep an eye on her. Vince wouldn’t get to her if I was nearby. Hiding away in my workshop wasn’t the way to protect her.
“I just need to clean up. Give me fifteen minutes.” I put the last tool away and followed Declan outside, turning right toward my cabin while he turned left to the pavilion. There wasn’t time to shower, but I washed quickly and threw on some clean clothes.
When I reached the pavilion, my eyes were immediately drawn to Brooke. She was chatting with Chloe, laughing at something she said. Without thinking, my feet took me to her side.
Her gaze cut to me, and her smile faded. She ignored me and addressed Chloe directly. “I’m going to get a drink. I’ll see you later.”
Chloe raised a brow at me as Brooke walked away without acknowledging me. “That was awkward.”
My chest tightened, and I grimaced, shifting to watch Brooke from across the pavilion. She was talking to Emily now, her expression more subdued than when I arrived.
“Want to talk about it?” Chloe laid her hand on my arm. “If not to me, then to Declan.”
“There’s nothing to talk about.”
“Obviously there is. Is it about her brother?” Chloe’s photographer gaze was too perceptive.
I rocked on my feet, wanting to run and escape the questions.
I didn’t want to tell anyone about Brooke being my mate.
If I did, everyone would push us together.
It was better for me to watch her from a distance.
Talking had only made things worse. We’d had an uneasy truce before, but now she couldn’t even stand next to me.
I made my excuses to Chloe and joined Gabriel and Luke at the grills. The smoke from them caught in my throat, and I cleared it as I kept Brooke in my peripheral vision.
Gabriel flashed me a grin. “You should have got here earlier. Manning the grill gives us an excuse not to socialize. Declan won’t let you stick around here for long.”
“Don’t suppose one of you would switch with me?”
“Not a chance.” Luke took a sip of his beer before flipping a burger. “I had to do the trail ride with Austin today. I deserve a break.”
I gave Gabriel a questioning look.
He shook his head. “I just don’t want to.”
I snorted. “Don’t blame you.” I saw Declan approaching out of the corner of my eye. “Better go, or I’ll get another lecture.”
I nodded at Declan and walked back into the crowd.
A few of the female guests tried sending me flirty looks.
As the only remaining single cowboy on the ranch, I ended up drawing more attention than I wanted.
I found a group of male guests talking about that morning’s trail ride and joined them, answering their questions about the ranch and the horses.
The entire time, I kept Brooke within my line of sight.
Every time her gaze met mine, she abruptly looked away, lips tight. She mostly spoke to the other mates and sat with Katie, Luke’s mate, when she got her plate of food. As far from me as possible. Laughter grated, feeling louder than it should.
I moved to the edge of the pavilion, leaned against a pillar, and watched her stand up from the table.
An expression of fatigue or maybe overwhelm flashed across her face.
She dropped her plate in the trash bin and shot a glance over her shoulder, scanning the crowd.
Her gaze landed on me, and she sucked in a breath before turning and walking into the night.
My first instinct was to follow her, but her actions tonight clearly showed she wanted space from me. I needed to respect that. The second she disappeared from view, the decision felt like cowardice, but I still made no move to follow her.
I’d installed a few extra cameras earlier, pointing them at her cabin. Even when I couldn’t have eyes on her, I wanted her safe.
A voice in my head nagged me, telling me she would be better protected if I claimed her. Then I could keep her by my side. I dismissed it, knowing nothing had changed. If she learned the truth of that mission, she’d run far and fast and never look back.
Brooke
I glanced over my shoulder, making sure no one had followed me.
The moon overhead lit my path, but the dark night still provided sufficient cover.
I stepped onto the porch and twisted the doorknob, hoping it was unlocked.
If not, I’d brought my lock picks, but getting in and out as quickly as possible was preferable.
The knob turned beneath my hand, and I let out the breath I’d been holding. When I was here earlier, I’d checked for a security system but hadn’t noticed anything. Still, I opened the door cautiously, ready to run if an alarm sounded.
Silence greeted me, and I entered, turning on the light. I had debated using a flashlight but opted for speed over stealth, not wanting to linger any longer than necessary.
I started with the bedroom. It was the most likely location to hide anything private.
The room held an enormous bed of carved wood, a low dresser, and a pair of nightstands.
I opened the dresser drawers, carefully searching while trying not to put things back wrong.
I suspected Mason would notice anything out of place.
The dresser held only clothes, so I moved on to the nightstands. The first one was empty, telling me which side of the bed was his. An observation that I slept on the opposite side as him flashed through my head, but I pushed it away. We would not be sharing a bed, so it didn’t matter.
I opened the top drawer of the second nightstand, sifting through his things. A prickle of guilt ran up my spine, but I ignored it. Vince had refused to tell me anything else over the phone, insisting I meet up with him. I didn’t trust him enough to do that. I needed more to go on.
I moved on to the bottom drawer, which contained only a stack of photos.
The one on top was of him, his brothers, and an older couple I assumed were their parents.
The man bore a distinct resemblance to Declan.
Mason looked around fifteen in the photo, and a smile curved my lips.
I flipped through the stack, which was a mix of his brothers and their mates.
Then my smile faded, and my heart ached as I flipped to the next photo.
Hands shaking, I lifted it. It was Mason and Aaron.
Aaron had his arm thrown around Mason’s shoulder, and the two were laughing.
There was a lightness to Mason that he didn’t possess now.
Aaron was just as I remembered him. They wore their uniforms and stood against a desert background, tents behind them.
I wondered when it had been taken. Was it just before he died? Or months earlier?
I traced the line of his face, grief welling up.
I allowed myself a minute to feel it and gave the tears free rein to slide down my cheeks before sniffing and wiping them away.
The friendship between Aaron and Mason was obvious, and a feeling of gratitude that he’d had a friend over there filled me.
But I needed to finish my search before Mason got back.
The last photo was folded. I opened it and inhaled sharply.
It was me. A photo taken just before Aaron left for his first deployment.
A worn crease ran down the middle, as if it had been folded and opened repeatedly.
Aaron had taken it with him and told me he would keep it in his pocket to remind him of what he had back home.
I hadn’t thought to wonder why it wasn’t among my brother’s things that the army had returned to me. Mason must have taken it, but why? He hadn’t known then that I was his mate. Was it guilt over Aaron or some pull he’d felt even before meeting me?
The front door slamming had me spinning toward the entrance to the bedroom, heart thudding. It only took a second for Mason to fill the doorway. His angry expression merged with hurt when he saw me.
“I—” I swallowed the words threatening to spill out. It would only become a ramble as I searched for an excuse to explain my presence here.
Mason’s arms crossed over his chest. “When I got the alert someone was in my cabin, I never thought it would be you.”
“I didn’t see an alarm system.” My response was inane. It was hardly an excuse.
“It’s hidden.” His gaze flicked to the photos in my hand, and his jaw tightened. He turned on his heel and went to the living room.
I returned the photos and followed him, getting there in time to watch him swing a painting away from the wall, revealing an alarm pad. He punched in his code and replaced the artwork.
“Alarm is silent.” He held up his phone to show me the alert on his screen. His eyes were blank as he stared at me. “Care to explain?”
I twisted my hands together. What could I say? I’d invaded his personal space and gone through his things. There was no excuse.
But then the picture of him and Aaron flashed through my mind.
If Vince was telling the truth, then Mason was trying to cover it up.
A knot formed in my stomach. “I got a call from Vince.”
Something uneasy slid across his face before he hid it. “We need to tell the sheriff. He might be able to track the call.”
“It was a burner phone. He left it in my cabin.” I watched panic fill his expression. Was it because Vince had gotten so close to me without him knowing or because he was scared Vince had told me the truth? I hated that I couldn’t trust Mason’s reaction.
“When? We should check the cameras.”
He started for the door, but my words stopped him. “He said you’re the reason Aaron is dead.”
His throat moved, and his head dropped. Shame, guilt—whatever it was, it felt like an admission. The knot in my stomach grew. My voice barely escaped, the tight and thin tone betraying my emotions. “Are you?”
He slowly turned from the door, and his expression told me all I needed. The man who was supposed to be my mate was responsible for my brother’s death.
Tears filled my eyes, overflowing, flooding my cheeks, and I tasted salt on my lips.
“I can’t be here. I need to go.” My vision blurred through my tears, but I stumbled past him to yank the door open.
“Brooke, wait.” Mason was pleading with me as he followed me onto the porch. “Let me explain.”
“No!” I spun to face him, my watery gaze locking onto him. “I gave you a chance to tell me. You refused. I can’t… I can’t look at you again.”
The words ripped raw from my throat. I wanted to call them back, but I also didn’t. My heart wanted to believe that grief and shock were coloring my judgement, but the look on his face had burned itself into my brain.
I held my hands in front of me, warding him off as he reached for me. Sobs racked my body as I turned, running away from Mason. Words he’d said when he told me why he couldn’t claim me flashed through my head.
“There are things that would change any feelings you might have for me.”
I should have listened better. The feelings I had still existed, but they were tangled up in pain and anguish, and I doubted they would ever free themselves. Every feeling I had for him twisted so completely around that one truth that my chest felt too tight to hold a single breath.