Chapter 5
CHAPTER FIVE
memphis
With my blood still running hot from the brief encounter with Shay, the drive to the Ford property is a blur.
The memory of her warm body and the spice of her peanut butter whiskey scent left me with a fucking hard-on that I can’t get rid of.
I’ve resorted to thinking of every disgusting thing I can imagine—the pile of manure I need to clean up when I get home, the dubious mess I caught sight of earlier on the guest bathroom shower door, even that time I accidentally walked in on my parents in a ménage pretzel that I’ll never be able to cleanse from my brain—but none of it is working.
Her skin was like silk. Her pale green eyes were big and bright when they looked up at me all soft and warm and so completely unlike her usual glacial glare. A man could get lost in a look like that.
Shaking my head, I pull down the drive that leads to Horses for Healing until I reach the spot where Kash is talking to Lyon.
When I park and head toward them, Lyon turns, revealing the smiling little girl he’s holding.
With her jean shorts, frilly pink top, and matching cowgirl boots, she looks wildly out of place in my packmate’s massive arms.
“Mr. Lyon, is that Mr. Memphis? Mama talks about him and how he used to pull her braids.”
“That was only because he had a crush on her, but don’t worry, jelly bean, I scared him away.” Kash grins, crossing his arms over his chest. “He wasn’t gonna bully my best friend.”
“For the record, Ms. Charlotte, I never had a crush on your mama. I only liked to antagonize Daisy here and get him all worked up. The easiest way to do that was to pick on your mama. She tell you I apologized years ago?”
The little girl nods, her blonde pigtails bouncing. “She said you were just a boy and boys do silly things like stick each other’s heads in toilets and pat each other's butts.”
Lyon snorts, his whole body shaking with silent laughter. Charlotte grins up at him, running her tiny fingers around the gauge in his earlobe.
“She ain’t wrong,” I mutter.
Kash smiles back at me. “That woman rarely is.”
“Why do you have big holes in your ears, Mr. Lyon?”
Her curiosity shifts the conversation, and I start to open my mouth to answer for him, but he surprises me by responding himself.
“So I have somewhere to hang my socks to dry.”
His voice is deep and gruff, but Charlotte just tips her head back and laughs like it’s the funniest thing she’s ever heard. The man never talks around anyone other than his pack, but here he is, joking with Jules’ little girl. To say I’m stunned speechless is an understatement.
“C’mon, jelly bean. Let’s go find your mama so the guys and I can get these goats off this trailer.”
“I can help, Daisy! Bet those goats will love me just like Ollie and Waddles do.”
Stroking my finger across my beard, I ask, “How fast can you run?”
“Real fast, Mr. Memphis.”
Sharing a look with Kash, he gives me a nod, already knowing where I’m going with this. “How would you like a job?”
She pats Lyon’s chest. “You can let me down now, Mr. Lyon. Me and Mr. Memphis are gonna talk business.”
I hide my laugh behind a cough as I stare down at the little girl who reminds me so much of her mama. She was a bossy little thing too. When Lyon sets Charlotte on her feet, I crouch down so I’m closer to her height.
“It’s an important job. Think you can handle it?”
“Yup. I have jobs at home, and Mama says I’m real responsible.”
“Then how about you wait right here. When Lyon opens the cage, you call the goats then run through the gate so they follow you right into where they need to be. You can be the mama duck to the little goatlings.”
Her smile shows her missing tooth. “I won’t let you down.”
With a chuckle, I bop her on the nose. “I’m sure you won’t. You are your mother’s daughter after all.”
The guys and I get into place, and Kash puts Charlotte a safe distance away from the end of the trailer and points to where she needs to go. She nods seriously, then gives Lyon a thumbs up.
Lyon releases the latch on the cage door, pulling it open. The second the goats sense freedom is calling, they step onto the bed of the trailer and make their way down the ramp.
Charlotte steps forward, puts her thumb and middle finger in her mouth, and whistles. Loudly. My eyes go wide, and Kash just sighs.
“Pretty sure Wyatt’s to blame for that, along with many other fun tricks.”
Lyon shakes with laughter again, but we all watch as the six goats hop after their leader, her little legs pounding against the dirt as she heads for their new enclosure.
Lyon isn’t far behind, closing the gate behind them.
He says something to Charlotte, but she just waves him off like the little queen she is.
Lifting my hat, I run a hand through my hair. “Well, that was way more entertaining than what I had originally planned.”
“Y’all done already?”
Jules is heading our way with her hair in a ponytail and her sundress rustling against her legs as she walks.
She was always such a tomboy that seeing her in a dress brings back memories of those years when her daddy paraded all the eligible bachelors in Darling in front of her.
I’ve never been so embarrassed in my life, and she never lets me forget how sweaty my palms were when we were forced into a dance.
“Charlotte just played Pied Piper and got them all unloaded and secured with a single whistle.” Kash slides his arm along her lower back, pulling her in and kissing the top of her head. “Guess Wyatt’s useless teachings aren’t so useless after all.”
A flash of envy settles into my gut. My longing for what they’ve managed to find is so strong it might give me an ulcer.
“I can’t thank you enough, guys,” Jules murmurs, watching her daughter giggle as the goats bounce around her. “There’s just something about little goats that hop like rabbits that make everyone, even the most hardened of hearts—like Daisy here—smile. They’re gonna do wonders for our clients.”
The Alpha glares at her, but she just smirks.
“We’re glad we could help. Our pack is impressed with what y’all have built in such a short amount of time. If there’s anything else we can do, don’t hesitate to reach out.”
She rests her head on Kash’s shoulder, looking so innocent and unassuming that my hackles immediately go on high alert.
“So… I hear your packmate has gotten close to one of my best friends.” Lyon steps up beside me and we share a look, but her voice draws my attention back to her. “Y’all know what you’re getting yourselves into, right?”
My brow furrows. “I don’t know what you mean.”
“You tellin’ me none of you are interested in Shay for more than whatever this friendship is she has with Ridge?”
“We—”
“I only ask because I care about all of y’all, and I don’t want anyone to get hurt.
There’s only one other person I’ve ever known who was more closed off than Shay, and that’s Elliott Mitchell.
Let me tell you, that girl’s road to redemption was rough.
There was lots of therapy, sex, and plenty of booze before she figured her shit out. ”
Shaking my head, I slide my hands into my pockets to keep them still. “Nothing to worry about here, Jules. We’re giving the friends their space and don’t expect a single thing to come from whatever closeness they’re developing.”
“Hmmm,” she hums, brown eyes meeting mine. “Well, that’s a shame.”
My mouth drops open, but I force it closed as I try to force words into my brain.
She waves her hand nonchalantly. “I’ve just known you guys for years, and, well, it might not be the worst thing if a pack of decent men like y’all won over a heart as deserving as hers. That's all I’m sayin’.”
Kash is all smiles as Jules kisses his cheek then spears Lyon and me with a look I recognize all too well from her hell-raisin’ days. Lesser men have trembled at the sight.
“But just know this. You hurt her, you die. I’ve got hogs who are always hungry, and it wouldn’t take much for you to just…disappear.”
She turns and heads for the small house that serves as the Horses for Healing office.
“You sleep with one eye open at night, man?” I whisper, a shiver of terror running through me.
The other Alpha just laughs. “She’s harmless. Mostly. But word to the wise? Don’t fuck up, or there will be hell to pay.”
“We ain’t plannin’ on it.” I look toward the pen and see Charlotte lying down with the goats all clambering over her. There’s that little tug in my chest again, and I slap a hand over my heart. It’s probably just heart burn. “It’s not like she’s shown any interest anyway.”
Kash peers at the back door Jules just disappeared through, his voice dropping.
“Heard the council was pretty brutal in their review of her petition. That woman works hard and has more than proven her worth, in my opinion. I’ve got half a mind to petition for a seat on the council just to break up the monopoly those old jackasses have created.
Don’t let them bully her any more than they already have, you hear me?
If Jules catches wind of this… Hell, what am I sayin’?
When she catches wind of this, if she hasn’t already, God help those poor bastards.
Jules and Shay teamin’ up isn’t anything this town wants to see happen. ”
“For the record, I already offered to give her a recommendation. I think she’d be good for the saloon, and some fresh blood in Darling business can only bring positive things. Fuck knows Luke has been lettin’ shit go since John left.”
“Then it seems we’re on the same page. Don’t fuck this up.”
Lyon nods, a scowl on his face, and with his arms crossed over his massive chest, he looks even bigger than he normally does. Man is a beast, but inside he’s just a cuddly teddy bear. Not that I’d ever say that out loud. He’s beaten me in arm wrestling more times than I can count.
“Don’t worry, Kash. Shay is…” A flood of emotion is silently shared between us when I glance at Lyon. We’re on the same page. “Important. We’d sooner stab ourselves through the hearts than do something that would hurt that woman. Seems to me, she’s been hurt enough already.”
“Good. I don’t want to be put in a position to get between you and my woman, so I appreciate it.” His grin reappears. “Thanks again for the goats and your support. It means a lot.”
“Call on us any time.”
With a quick handshake, Lyon and I head for our vehicles, getting back on the road that will take us to our ranch.
The entire time, my mind is on the Omega that has claimed a starring role in all of my thoughts as of late.
She’s strong, smart, headstrong, and more than a little broody.
But ever since Ridge and her have been hangin’ out, there’s a softer side that’s begun to peek through the hard-ass image she’s always presented.
Not sure if I dare hope that means she might be going soft in other ways as well, but part of me wonders if it might be worth testing those waters a bit to see if we sink or swim.