Page 31 of Buck Wild Orc Cowboy (Brides of the Lonesome Creek Orcs #3)

Sel

O ther than remaining at Holly’s and Max’s sides all the time, I couldn’t protect them from Melvin, and I didn’t like that.

We finished the day, went home, and had dinner. There was nothing better than my new family. I used to be lonely when I’d come home but no longer. Now I had people who cared for me in my life. I prayed to the fates I could keep them safe.

“Once we’ve finished, I need to leave for a short time,” I told Holly as we washed the dishes. “I want to speak to my brother, Hail.”

“Okay,” she said, gazing out the window. “It’s getting dark.”

“I’ll take Zist. He’ll always find his way back to the barn.”

Biting down on her lower lip, she nodded.

“Keep the door locked.”

Her fingers froze on the faucet she’d turned on to rinse the last dish. “I will. We won’t go near the windows. Should we shut off the lights?”

Anger roared through me at the thought she was afraid. “I don’t think you’ll need to do that. You’re safe here.”

She jerked out a nod. “We’ll be careful.”

“I won’t be gone long.”

Her face smoothed. “Enjoy visiting with your brother. We’ll be alright. We’ll watch out for each other.”

Like they always had.

We finished, and I put my hat and boots on and left, hearing the satisfying click of the lock echoing in my quiet yard.

Zist trotted over to the fence at my call, and I was soon mounted on his back and galloping the clik or so down the road to Hail’s ranch house. His inside light was on, and he answered my knock, poking his head out the opening, scowling until he saw it was me.

“Sel. Come…” He swallowed. “Come on in.” While he rarely stuttered any longer, he always took care with how he spoke and often didn’t speak at all. He once told me that most other people were eager to fill the silence, and he didn’t mind letting them do it.

He swept the door wide and urged me inside, nudging his wolf, Tressa, to the side.

She whined and nuzzled my hand when she caught my scent.

He’d found her in the woods, abandoned by her pack, though we didn’t know why.

Maybe because her fur was pure white. Or for some other reason we couldn’t explain.

He’d raised her. Trained her. And she was amazing.

“I won’t stay long,” I said as he shut the door. “I had a request to make and knew you were the best to ask.”

He nodded. “Drink?”

I shook my head, and we strode from the kitchen, down the hall to his small living room on the left. We settled, him on his sofa, me taking the big chair across from it. He put his feet up on the low table between us and said nothing, just watched me. Waited for me to speak.

While visiting wasn’t that uncommon between us, Hail must be wondering why I’d come by specifically tonight.

Tressa sat beside my chair and rested her chin on my leg, gazing up at me with her entire soul in her eyes.

I scratched behind her ears, and she groaned.

Flopping on the floor, she rolled onto her back and thrust her paws into the air, begging for belly pats, which I gave her.

This wolf was precious and loved, and she sure knew it.

“It’s about Holly and Max.” As I continued to stroke Tressa’s belly, I gave my brother brief details about her past and mentioned the woman who’d stopped by the bakery today.

“If images of Holly are showing up on Instaplug, it’s only a matter of time before Holly’s ex figures out where she is.

I’m worried he’ll come for her. Hurt her or Max. ”

Hail dropped his boots to the floor.

Tressa, seeing him move, rolled to her belly and rose, peering around for threats. Finding none, she dropped to the floor again, this time remaining on high alert.

Hail sat forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “What can I do?”

“I want you to be around the house. Not all day, but often enough Max won’t notice it’s for him.

He’s training a youngling sorhox and it’s the first time he’s done anything like it.

Maybe you could stop by, check on his progress, give suggestions.

So far, he’s learned to harness the youngling and lead it around inside the barn.

Under your guidance, he could lead her along the side of the pasture.

You could show him how to acclimate her to a saddle.

I have a small one in the barn for training. Or have lunch with him sometimes.”

Hail nodded. “I could do that.”

“You could also show him how to check the fencing or work with him on self-defense. I’ve been teaching him and Holly most evenings.” Not tonight, but I’d needed to speak with Hail. “It doesn’t matter as long as you’re there. I need to know he’s safe when I’m at the bakery.”

“I’m happy…to help. I’ll protect him.” He pressed his fist against his chest. “You can trust me.”

“Always, Hail. You’re the best.” Relief slid down my spine like water after a long, hot ride. “Thank you.”

He scratched his jaw, thinking. “Your barn needs paint.”

I blinked. “Does it?” It hadn’t the last time I’d looked but sun and the weather could be hard on a wooden structure. Orcs built everything from stone, but there wasn’t as much cut stone here as there was in the orc kingdom.

“Maybe not.” His mouth twitched. “It could. I can paint slow. Take days to do it. Max could help.”

“That’s a great idea. He’d like that. I know he wants to prove himself.”

“Let him,” Hail said. “I’ll make it fun. Talk to him about sorhoxes. Share stories. Maybe he’ll talk more than me.”

I grinned. “I imagine he will.” There was no sting in my words.

I loved my brother, and he knew it. He also knew I’d never do or say anything mean to him.

It was like that for all of us. We didn’t ignore each other’s flaws.

We used them to our advantage. And we gave our whole hearts to each other.

“He’s quiet sometimes, but he watches everything. ”

“So do I.” Hail grinned right back at me. “We’ll get along fine.”

I exhaled and leaned back in the chair. “You’ve always known how to help.”

“The fewer words you use, the more you mean them.” He shrugged one shoulder. “If you want, I could bring Tressa over and leave her when I’m not there.”

“Even better.” She’d watch out for the boy in a way no one else ever could.

“He can help me feed her.” My brother’s dark eyes sparkled. “She eats a lot.” His head cocked. “Want to see what I’ve been working on?”

“Always.”

He stood, and Tressa followed at his heels as we headed down the hall and out the back door, into the dark. The stars overhead stretched wide across the sky, unbroken by city lights. The kind of quiet that filled the night air—just wind, the creak of wood, the distant shuffle of livestock.

We reached the barn, and Hail pushed open the big doors. He turned on the light, and warm gold flickered over his workspace. Hail had his own sorhoxes, though no young, but he used at least half of his barn for his studio.

Shelves lined the right wall, filled with pottery in all stages of completion, from bowls, to vases, to mugs, all hand-shaped with the kind of care that only someone like Hail could give.

“These are new.” He took me over to a long workbench where several pieces rested under cloth, and pulled the fabric back gently.

I stepped closer, whistling low. The glaze on one of the tall vases shimmered from deep blue to green to black. Another had fine ridges carved all the way down, each stroke perfectly even. “These are incredible, Hail. Aunt Inla’s going to sell out of these before she can put a price on them.”

He ducked his head at the praise. “Tourists like things with stories. I make each one feel like it’s got a tale to tell.”

“They do.” I touched the rim of an orc-sized mug I’d love to buy myself. I’d let our aunt know to put one aside for me when Hail brought them in. Three, actually. Max and Holly would enjoy them too. “You’ve got the hands of a craftsman and the soul of a poet.”

He huffed, and his pointed ears darkened. “You could do this. You’ve got patience. The right hands.”

“I like the bakery,” I said. “I enjoy feeding people.”

He nodded. “We make things that help others feel at home.”

We stood there for a long moment, the barn filled with the scent of clay and the soft flicker of light on the gleaming, curved surfaces.

“Thanks again,” I said finally. “For everything.”

“You’d do the same for me.”

In a heartbeat.

We left the barn, Tressa trotting ahead of us, and I swung onto Zist’s back once we reached his back porch.

With a wave, he went inside. I guided Zist back onto the main road. Stars wheeled overhead, and Zist’s clawed hooves tapped a steady rhythm on the road. With Hail watching over Max, Holly could work at the bakery without worry.

I’d watch over her, though I wouldn’t be there solely to protect her body. Her heart was my concern too. I hoped she knew she could trust me to hold it gently.

She and Max were already under my roof, already changing everything about the way my house felt, the way I felt.

I wanted to be different for her. Not only a strong pair of arms or a good baker. I wanted to be someone she could lean on. Someone who’d help her breathe easier. Someone worth the risk.

The lights of my house appeared ahead. I slowed Zist as we approached, listening for anything unusual, but all was quiet.

Zist snorted, and I patted his neck. “We’re going to be alright.”

At the barn, I leaped off his back. I groomed him well and sent him into the pasture with the others.

After going inside to brush my tusks and make sure everything was alright, which it was, I climbed up into the hayloft and settled in my bed.

Tomorrow, I’d tell Max he’d have help with the youngling sorhox. I’d talk to Holly and maybe make her something sweet she could savor with her morning tea.

Little things. Real things. Like Hail mentioned the other day. They’d make the difference.

One day, she’d start to see she was safe here.

That she could find a forever home with me.