Page 15 of Fated to the Wolf Cowboy (Cowboys of Collier #1)

Brady

“What are you doing here?” I barked at Kenneth when he showed up at the greenhouse.

“This kind of work is not a five day a week sort of job. How many times do I have to tell you that?”

“I’m calling bullshit,” Tim said. “He’s worried about you. We all are.”

“Well stop!” I snapped.

“Are you really not coming home tonight?”

“No. I’ve already spoken with Luke and I’m getting a place of my own. I just need a few things from the house and don’t want to deal with Peyton and Oliver right now.”

“Oh, well, they’re over at the Alpha house. All the Colliers are there having a meal together. You know how that goes. We were invited, but I wanted to make sure you’re okay instead.”

“You turned down a Collier dinner to check on him?” Tim asked.

Kenneth hesitated and nodded. “It was bad this morning. Like really bad. I’ve never seen him lose his shit like that before. It was more like something dad would have done for no good reason.”

Tim and I shared a look. He knew damn well I had my reasons, a good one too, but none of that mattered.

I pulled my baby brother into a hard embrace and just held him.

“I’m sorry, man. I shouldn’t have snapped like that. I never want to be anything like that man. I’ll do better. I swear.”

“I know,” he said, softly.

But there was no way to know how much his words had cut me straight through the heart.

“Um, so, the family’s gone for a bit?”

“Yup.”

“Okay. I’m going to run over to the house and grab my things.”

“You don’t have to leave.”

“I do, actually. It’s just time, Kenneth.”

I wasn’t ready to talk about it. I didn’t even know how to fully explain all that I was feeling and what I was going through. I had a mate and I just let her slip on by because I was so worked up and furious that she smelled like him and not me.

I still didn’t understand everything that had happened with Clementine and all that. But I know the difference now. And I also knew those big brown eyes would haunt me every second of the rest of my life.

I blew it.

She was gone because I’d lost it. I was no better than my father as Kenneth had just pointed out. I was an asshole to her which meant I certainly didn’t deserve to have her as a mate. Instead, I would live my life in misery knowing damn well she was the one and I let her just slip on by.

“I’ll swing by later.”

“Do you want me to go with you?” he asked, innocently.

“No,” Tim said before I could answer. “Trust me on this.”

I shot Tim a look, but I knew there was no way I could convince him to keep his mouth shut over what he knew, or suspected he knew. The second I turned my back he would explain things to Kenneth.

And sure enough, as I walked away, I heard him say, “Look, there’s something you should know about that girl. She’s his true mate and was carrying your scent. So give him a break. That dad comment was a low blow.”

I hung my head in shame and walked a little faster.

Sometime soon I was going to have to have that same conversation with Peyton and Oliver. I owed them that much, but I wasn’t quite ready for it.

My wolf was on edge like never before and I felt like a loose cannon. It was best to get this done and over with before anyone came home.

Not seeing any cars in the parking lot was a huge relief. It’s not that I thought Kenneth was setting me up or anything, I was just nervous to encounter them again this soon.

I’d never seen that look of disappointment in Peyton’s eyes before.

At the time, I’d been too worked up to care. But now in hindsight I got to relive every moment I’d screwed this up so spectacularly.

As I let myself into the house, I would swear I could still smell her.

Tricia.

There was absolutely no way I could stay here again anytime soon. All I would remember was her. All I would think about was her. All that would torment me to the depths of hell was her.

With a big sigh, I took the stairs two at a time. The faster I got this over with, the better.

Passing by Kenneth’s room was the hardest part of all. It was there that I’d blown it. Standing in that doorway, yelling at her like a madman. What had I been thinking?

I hadn’t. That was the truth of the matter.

After all the Clementine shit and the Pack ridicule. To know how badly I’d misinterpreted things. Understanding now that it had been her scent, and not a stupid horse’s, just made me feel like such an idiot.

None of my outburst was purposefully directed at her, or Kenneth, or Peyton, any of them. It had been a self-degrading breaking point for me. They just happened to be the ones I lashed out at in the moment.

Was that what it had been like for dad too?

Maybe Kenneth was right and I really was just like him.

I couldn’t allow myself to sink down that hole knowing it would swallow me up. I didn’t want to be like him. I didn’t want to be the man who lashed out the worst to those he loved the most.

My jaw locked as I tried to get a grip on my emotions.

I forced myself to keep moving and not linger at that door where it had all turned into a dumpster fire.

Instead, I focused on the task at hand and walked to my room.

I took a deep breath still swearing I could smell her scent.

Would it always be that way?

Was it so committed to memory now that I would recall it this easily?

I shook my head, opened the door and pushed inside.

The room was dark.

As I flipped the light switch an ear-piercing scream rang out through the room.

I covered my ears and looked around for danger.

“What the fuck?” I yelled.

It took me a moment to realize it was her.

Mate! my wolf howled his approval.

I immediately went into over-protective mode trying to identify the threat.

It didn’t fully recognize that she had jumped to her feet from where she’d apparently been laying in my bed until my backside was fully pressed up against her body as I looked around the room.

“What are you doing?” she protested.

“What’s wrong? Who’s in here?”

“Are you crazy? I’m in here.”

“You screamed. Where’s the threat?’

“You, you idiot!”

It took a moment for her words to fully sink in.

Me?

I was not threat to her.

Well, I knew that at least. After my outburst this morning, and now this, she probably thought I was unstable or something.

My heart was racing as I sucked in deep breaths trying to calm down.

She was here.

She hadn’t left.

“I thought you said you were leaving,” I snapped.

Why was I snapping at her? I wasn’t sure, but I couldn’t seem to stop it.

“I thought you were leaving,” she countered.

“I am leaving.”

“Then what are you doing here?”

We were screaming at each other at the top of our lungs. I was grateful Ollie and Peyton weren’t home to witness it.

I turned on her needing to look her in the face.

“Getting my shit. This is my room. I think you’re meant to be in my brother’s.”

She cringed and the fight fled from her.

“I didn’t know. I swear. I hated staying in there. I didn’t sleep well at all.”

“You were wearing his shirt.”

She blushed. “I don’t have many clothes. It was just an attempt to try to get comfortable.”

“You carried his scent.”

“I know. It was pretty awful actually. I had to take a shower and. . .”

She abruptly stopped talking as she glanced back at the bed—my bed.

“And what?” I pressed.

“Nothing.”

She chewed on her lower lip uncomfortably.

“Peyton said since you were moving out, that I could stay in here and Kenneth could have his room back.”

“So you’re just moving in with my family now?”

“I’m only here a few more days. I want to make sure I’m healed and strong enough to move on without anymore issues.”

She was calm now, but I didn’t feel calm at all.

The only thing that truly registered to my wolf was that she had been injured.

“What happened?” I demanded.

“I told you. Peyton told me to move into this room.”

I threw my arms up in the air like a maniac.

She took a step back in surprise.

“Not that. Who hurt you?”

“Oh, no one. I fell out on your range. I was a little spooked.”

“Who spooked you?”

She rolled her eyes and shook her head. “No one.”

“Then why were you spooked?”

She sighed and crossed her arms over her chest. It put her breasts on full display. My mouth watered as I remembered how perfect I’d thought they were—just the perfect size to fill my hands.

I had this ridiculous idea to test that theory. I reached out to touch her just barely grazing one nipple with my thumb.

“Ow!”

She smacked me.

“What was that for?”

“You don’t get to act like a neanderthal and then just assume you can touch me like that.”

She was all ice, and I was on fire.

I gave her a lopsided grin as I closed the space between us.

Her hand came up between us and placed flesh against my chest to stop me.

“Apparently, you don’t listen so well.”

I leaned in and sniffed the air around me. She no longer smelled like Kenneth. She now smelled like me.

“Mine,” I told her as a low growl rumbled through me.

She gasped, but her hand against me went slack and then fell to her side as I stepped closer and crushed my lips to hers.

Every bit of frustration that I’d felt for the last several days culminated into this moment.

Her lips were firm at first, but as my tongue darted across their seam, she sighed and softened.

I wrapped my arms around her and held on for dear life as I kissed her until my head was swimming. And at some point, she started kissing me back just as aggressively.

Her arms wrapped around my neck and her hands fisted in my hair as she held me there to deepen the kiss even further.

I was breathless and ready to claim her right there.

Breaking the kiss, I nuzzled against her neck. “Mine.”

She froze and then pushed me away.

“Sorry. I shouldn’t have done that.”

I nodded and tried to take another step closer.

She pushed me away again.

“Not that. I shouldn’t have let you kiss me like that.”

I was confused. I knew damn well I wasn’t the only one doing all the kissing.

“Look, Brady. It’s Brady, right?”

I nodded before she continued. What the hell. She wasn’t even sure about my name? I mean it wasn’t exactly like we’d officially met or anything, but her question made the moment feel cheap like a one kiss wonder that wouldn’t even see a one-night stand.

“Brady,” she said again. “I don’t even know you. This has to stop.”

“You’re in my room. In my bed.”

She was furiously blushing and there was no doubt in my mind that she wanted me as badly as I needed her. So why had she stopped?

“That’s not invitation to attack me.”

“Kiss you,” I corrected.

I wasn’t about to allow her to cheapen this moment even more than she already had.

“That too. Look, I get this might not be a big deal to you, but this isn’t something I do, okay?”

“I found you. You’re mine.”

Her arms crossed over her chest again and like an idiot, I looked down.

She smacked me on the arm.

“Pay attention. Eyes up here. And you found me? What the hell does that mean? This isn’t some playground game of hide-and-seek.”

I wracked my hand through my hair in frustration.

She was here. I had the chance to make it right and I was screwing it all up again.

The woman was positively insufferable.

“Do you know that your scent was all over one of our horses? I thought my goddam mate was a horse! My entire Pack thinks I’ve gone insane and it’s all because of you, isn’t it?

One minute you’re hot. Now it’s all ice cold.

What are you, some sort of witch working your voodoo magic on me?

Or do you just take sick pleasure in driving me insane? ”

I knew the second the words left my mouth that I’d said the absolute worst thing possible. She looked as if I had just slapped her across the face and all the fight drained out of me. All I wanted to do was fix it.