taught. Survival is paramount in
my world, Colton.”
I grin at her. “Darlin’, give me a damn roofie if you
want. Drug my ass to get me there if you have to. But know this:
you can trust me. I’ll always have your back.”
“That means a lot.”
Her body feels so good on my chest that I’m reluctant
for her to leave.
“Promise you’ll come.”
“Yes. I promise, Colton. I’ll see you in just about
twenty-four hours.”
“Lemme write down my cell in case somethin’ comes up.
If you’re running late, just text so I know you’re all right,
’kay?”
She slides off me and stands beside the bed,
adjusting her skirt. “My cowboy. So protective.”
I get up and twine my arms around her waist. “You
know it, Cosette. One last thing … why did you come to the
fight tonight? It’s been two weeks and I was beginning to think we
might never see each other again.”
“It’s simple, really. I couldn’t fight the pull
anymore. You’ve done things to me, to my emotions, that are
difficult to explain and impossible to deny. I tried hard to stay
away, but each hour, each second that went by became more of a
weight, a discomfort that had only one cure. You, Colton. You.”
My chest tightens as I pull her against me. In that
moment I realize that she’s the one I’ve been searching for my
entire life.
Now I just have to come up with a solid plan to keep
us both alive.
Chapter
Nine
Eleven Years
Ago
Brennan
Ranch
I glance sidelong at the
headlights of my old Bronco that are providing the only source of
illumination for my grueling task. The fierce blizzard started up
just shy of three hours ago. After checking miles of fence line I’d
met up with the old man a quarter mile from the house, where he
informed me that there was a massive gap on the western side barbed
wire. Lucky me, I was the guy for the job.
The wind is so fierce and the driving snow so thick
that my visibility is limited to about twelve inches ahead. I’ve
already re-seated a new post—the one that caused the collapse in
the first place. The old one had substantial rot and is lying to
the side, mostly buried beneath the snow. My leather work gloves
provide little in the way of warmth, and at this point sensation is
nearly gone, but they’re my best defense against my hands getting
torn up from the barbed wire. I pause for a second and consider
climbing into the truck to warm up for a minute but decide against
it, wanting to get the job done. Fucking around will just stretch
the misery out longer.
Our heated disagreements over just about everything
have steadily become more frequent over the years and the tension
between us constantly threatens to boil over. I thought that after
my father remarried six years ago, he might calm down. Alice seems
like a nice lady, far better than he deserves, but he’s still the
same damned mean-ass bastard he’s always been. Nah, I’ll stay out
here until the job is done—don’t want to give him yet another
reason to come down on me. I do the work quickly and efficiently
and things are nearly tolerable between us. When my work is not to
his liking, well, then there’s hell to pay.
“Aw, shit!” I’m nearly finished when my right glove
gets snagged up on a rusty barb. I fuck with it for a few minutes;
finally, teeth chattering, I give up and slide my hand out of the
protection.
The burning in my exposed hand is immediate and
intensely painful. Cursing furiously, I get to work in the near
blinding conditions, finally managing to get the last wire strung
and secured, doing my best not to get my bare hand snagged up.
I curse a blue streak as I grab my tools and haul ass
over to my Bronco. Thankfully I left the thing running and I moan
at the welcoming heat.
Staring at the mended fence I lash out, “Bastard
wolves, let’s see you fuckers try to get at the cattle through
this!”
After what seems like forever, my teeth stop
chattering, and that’s when the panic sets in because my right hand
is
my world, Colton.”
I grin at her. “Darlin’, give me a damn roofie if you
want. Drug my ass to get me there if you have to. But know this:
you can trust me. I’ll always have your back.”
“That means a lot.”
Her body feels so good on my chest that I’m reluctant
for her to leave.
“Promise you’ll come.”
“Yes. I promise, Colton. I’ll see you in just about
twenty-four hours.”
“Lemme write down my cell in case somethin’ comes up.
If you’re running late, just text so I know you’re all right,
’kay?”
She slides off me and stands beside the bed,
adjusting her skirt. “My cowboy. So protective.”
I get up and twine my arms around her waist. “You
know it, Cosette. One last thing … why did you come to the
fight tonight? It’s been two weeks and I was beginning to think we
might never see each other again.”
“It’s simple, really. I couldn’t fight the pull
anymore. You’ve done things to me, to my emotions, that are
difficult to explain and impossible to deny. I tried hard to stay
away, but each hour, each second that went by became more of a
weight, a discomfort that had only one cure. You, Colton. You.”
My chest tightens as I pull her against me. In that
moment I realize that she’s the one I’ve been searching for my
entire life.
Now I just have to come up with a solid plan to keep
us both alive.
Chapter
Nine
Eleven Years
Ago
Brennan
Ranch
I glance sidelong at the
headlights of my old Bronco that are providing the only source of
illumination for my grueling task. The fierce blizzard started up
just shy of three hours ago. After checking miles of fence line I’d
met up with the old man a quarter mile from the house, where he
informed me that there was a massive gap on the western side barbed
wire. Lucky me, I was the guy for the job.
The wind is so fierce and the driving snow so thick
that my visibility is limited to about twelve inches ahead. I’ve
already re-seated a new post—the one that caused the collapse in
the first place. The old one had substantial rot and is lying to
the side, mostly buried beneath the snow. My leather work gloves
provide little in the way of warmth, and at this point sensation is
nearly gone, but they’re my best defense against my hands getting
torn up from the barbed wire. I pause for a second and consider
climbing into the truck to warm up for a minute but decide against
it, wanting to get the job done. Fucking around will just stretch
the misery out longer.
Our heated disagreements over just about everything
have steadily become more frequent over the years and the tension
between us constantly threatens to boil over. I thought that after
my father remarried six years ago, he might calm down. Alice seems
like a nice lady, far better than he deserves, but he’s still the
same damned mean-ass bastard he’s always been. Nah, I’ll stay out
here until the job is done—don’t want to give him yet another
reason to come down on me. I do the work quickly and efficiently
and things are nearly tolerable between us. When my work is not to
his liking, well, then there’s hell to pay.
“Aw, shit!” I’m nearly finished when my right glove
gets snagged up on a rusty barb. I fuck with it for a few minutes;
finally, teeth chattering, I give up and slide my hand out of the
protection.
The burning in my exposed hand is immediate and
intensely painful. Cursing furiously, I get to work in the near
blinding conditions, finally managing to get the last wire strung
and secured, doing my best not to get my bare hand snagged up.
I curse a blue streak as I grab my tools and haul ass
over to my Bronco. Thankfully I left the thing running and I moan
at the welcoming heat.
Staring at the mended fence I lash out, “Bastard
wolves, let’s see you fuckers try to get at the cattle through
this!”
After what seems like forever, my teeth stop
chattering, and that’s when the panic sets in because my right hand
is
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