Page 14

14

WES

I picked Remy up from preschool, and we hit the drive-thru for hamburgers and fries, then the hardware store for plywood.

Even though there was a shit ton of work to do on the ranch, Johnny and Colton were meeting me over at Joy’s place to wall up the gaping hole in her window for the time being.

I’d spread the tarp across the hole in her roof, but it wasn’t going to be enough to protect the house, even for one night. I needed to build something more stable to keep out the elements and protect her things.

Fate knew how long it would take the insurance to fix her roof if the adjuster wasn’t even coming for a couple days.

I now realized I’d been in a protective, sex-induced haze when I informed her she was staying with me. That had been my wolf talking.

But it went directly against my plan to shield Remy from Joy’s radiance. If I didn’t want Remy thinking she was getting a mommy, why in the hell did I bring her under my roof?

But I could manage this. Joy was staying while her house was getting fixed, not because I was dating her. As a favor. As a good neighbor. We helped each other. That was the way I needed to present it to Remy.

Not that we were fucking. Or that I wanted to do it again. And again.

“Can I help fix Joy’s window with you, Daddy?” Remy asked as I pulled into Joy’s driveway.

I unbuckled her car seat and let her climb out of it on her own. “You can supervise,” I told her. I learned a long time ago that if you tell a kid what they can do instead of what they can’t, things went a lot easier.

“You want me to tell you how to do it?” Remy scrunched up her tiny nose.

I booped it with my finger. “You’re gonna have to stand back on our porch and let us know if we covered all the holes or not. It’s important because we don’t want to miss any spots. Okay?”

“Okay.” She looked disappointed.

“You can also get beers out of the fridge for the guys. That would be a huge help.”

Remy brightened and took off running. “Okay, I’ll get the beer!” She made it to the front door and slapped it repeatedly with her palm, as if that would magically open it.

Meanwhile, Joy had come out of her open garage, probably to see why I was parked in her driveway instead of mine.

I took in the sight of the detached building. She didn’t use it to park her car. The garage was an art studio. There was a potter’s wheel on one side, and a kiln in the back corner. Racks of plain white pottery lined one wall. The other held racks of finished pieces. Beautiful vases, bowls, mugs, and plates in colorful hues were lined up neatly.

“Thank fuck the tree didn’t hit the garage,” I muttered.

Joy’s eyes went wide and a huge smile lit her face. “That’s what I said! I figure I got lucky.”

I cocked my head trying to figure out that logic. I was a half empty kind of guy, so all I saw was the damage to her house. “I don’t know about lucky,” I grumbled. “You could’ve died.”

“Daddy! Open the door!” Remy shouted from our house.

“Come and get the key,” I told her. She probably wouldn't be able to open the door herself with the key, but I was all about letting a kid try to do grown-up things. It would keep her busy for another few minutes, anyway.

“Oh, I don’t know. I’d say I got pretty lucky.” The innuendo in Joy’s tone got my dick instantly hard.

“Listen…about that and with you staying at our place...” I rubbed the back of my neck.

Remy ran up, and I handed her the key to the front door. “Hi, Joy!” she said. “I’m gonna supervise and get beers!” She raced away, more interested in her job than the neighbor. I was the opposite. I was here for the job, but my attention was all focused on Joy.

“I don’t have to stay at your place.” Joy waved a hand through the air as if it erased my concern. “I’m definitely cool camping here under my tarp. Even if there are raccoons.” She flashed me a smile, and I actually believed her cheerfulness.

Like this girl could make lemonade out of any amount of lemons. Even when believing I had just uninvited her from staying at my house.

“No, no. It’s not that.” I lowered my voice. “I don’t want Remy to know…” I trailed off then swallowed. Fuck it. I needed to be clear with her, so I met her blue gaze head on. “That I’m interested in you. I don’t want her to get confused, you know?”

Joy’s face softened. “Of course not. I totally understand. I’ll just be the neighbor staying on the couch. I mean, if you really are still okay with me being over there.”

“I am,” I said too quickly. “The clouds are comin’ in, and no way are you staying in your place if it’s going to storm again.”

My wolf needed her under my roof. I wouldn’t be able to sleep if I thought she wasn’t comfortable or safe.

“So you’re… interested in me?” Her dimples winked with an impish grin. Fate, she was cute.

I frowned. “I would think that would be obvious.”

“Well, I didn’t know if it was just about sex. Which is fine if it is.” She shrugged. “I mean, I’m the one who jumped you.”

Again with the lemonade. It was like she’d learned to keep her expectations of people low so they didn’t disappoint. I knew the feeling, but it made me grouchy as hell while it made her sunny.

We had as opposite dispositions as two people could have.

I cleared my throat and took off my cowboy hat to rub my forehead. “Fuck, Joy. I, uh…” Fate, I was bad at this. “To be honest, I haven’t dated much–well, at all–since Remy was born.” Ever. Just fucked on moon runs, and that was understood in advance that it was nothing. “She took up all my attention. But I’m definitely interested. I just…I also need to be cautious. For Remy.”

Fuck. I sounded like a coward.

Was I a coward? Yes. Because you said you wanted her to be your babysitter. Dumbass.

She nodded in understanding. “Of course. We can sneak into each other’s rooms after dark or something.” Joy flashed me that wide grin again.

I felt something foreign launch up my throat. A chuckle. Or the start of one. It made the corners of my mouth tip up. Her smile was almost contagious.

But her suggestion meant she was still only thinking about illicit sex. I needed to make her fall in love. With me. Which would be hard since all I knew how to do was screw her.

“Well, I was thinkin’ more like a date, except I don’t have a sitter.” Everything was so fucking hard with a kid. And a date? Never went on one. What the hell did I know about one? “Maybe her preschool teacher, Riley, could babysit.”

“Cody’s new wife? She’s great.”

Johnny’s truck pulled up, and he and Colton hopped out. “Hey guys!” Joy waved at them, and I wanted to punch both of their faces in.

When I asked them to help, I hadn’t thought about how my wolf would react.

Like a possessive fucker who wanted to poke their eyes out if they even looked at her in those sexy shorts. When they smiled at her, I knew I was going to have to kill them both.

Since I liked them, this was a big fucking problem.

She was already walking out to say hello. “What are you guys doing here?”

I shot forward to get between them. No way were they shaking hands or worse… hugging. “I asked them to come and help me put up a patch on your wall for tonight to keep the rain out. But I don’t really need their help.” I puffed up my chest and glared at my two friends. “You guys can go back to the ranch.”

Colton took off his hat and looked from me to Joy. Maybe it was my fuck-off attitude. Maybe it was the growl in my voice. Maybe he’d been there and understood the feelings I was having right now because he said, “That right?”

“Yeah. Fuck on off.” I pointed to their truck. “I got this.”

A smile played around his lips. I wanted to punch his smug face in.

Fortunately, Johnny remained quiet. I could take down two shifters at once, especially if my mate was threatened, but even in my obsessed haze I knew it was a bad idea.

“Guys, guys! Here’s your beer!” Remy came running out of the house with her arms wrapped around three bottles of beer. I hadn’t even realized she’d managed to get in the house by herself. I hadn’t been paying much attention to her, and that made me a shit dad.

Of course, one of the bottles slipped out and fell to the sidewalk, breaking. Beer spurted out in a foamy mess.

Remy looked down in shock and then burst into tears.

“Don’t move,” I barked because she was in bare feet, and there was glass in front of her.

She may have been a shifter pup who could heal swiftly, but I still didn’t want her to get hurt in the first place. Especially when it would mean more tears.

Of course, my bark turned her crying into a full wail.

I jogged over and scooped her up, but Joy was right beside me.

“Look at all that foam!” Joy exclaimed, like Remy was doing a science experiment instead of melting down over an accident.

Remy stopped crying and gaped at her.

Joy’s luscious lips were stretched in a giant smile. She pointed at the foam on the sidewalk with her eyes lit up. “Isn’t it amazing?”

Remy wasn’t sure if she should buy it.

Joy winked at her. “When I was little, I loved to shake up a can of soda before I opened it to watch it spray. Have you ever done that?”

Remy shook her head slowly.

Joy took the two remaining beer bottles from her hands and set them on the ground before reaching for her. “Come here. I have a can of grape soda at my house. Let’s try it.”

Just like that, the problem was solved. Remy reached for Joy, who went into her arms and the two of them disappeared into Joy’s house. I stood there staring at their backs, and Johnny and Colton stared at me.

“Fuck off,” I growled when they walked over.

“How long have you known?” Colton demanded.

“I said, fuck off ,” I snapped.

“Known what? Ohhhhh.” Johnny was a little slower to catch on. He jerked his thumb in the direction of Joy’s house as I squatted to pick up the glass shards. “She’s his mate? I thought he was just being a dick, as usual.”

“Definitely his unmarked mate,” Colton replied. “Why else would he ask us over to help and then try to kill us when we get within five feet of her?”

“I figured it out this morning,” I admitted with a grumble. “Last night, I was too revved up from her almost getting killed by that tree.”

Johnny grinned. “Did you guys…”

I stood and took a menacing step in his direction. “I will fucking kill you if you even mention her again.”

Johnny laughed and stepped back, his hands up in defense.

“Let’s go get that tree off the house,” Colton said. “We won’t even talk to her.”

“Good.”

“But you’d better,” he tossed over his shoulder.

“Seriously. Fuck off.” I stomped into my house to dispose of the glass shards and get a broom.

When I got back, Johnny and Colton were on Joy’s roof, lifting the felled tree away from the house.

I glanced around quickly. If any human saw them, we were fucked because they were demonstrating way too much strength up there. Then again, there was no easy way to fake lifting a tree off a house, and with their shifter ability, they could do it quickly and easily. We didn’t need to wait for the slow-as-fuck repair guys.

“All clear below?” Colton asked me as they held the giant trunk.

“Yeah. Right here.” I stood below, so I could redirect it if necessary. The last thing we needed was for the guys to throw the tree trunk off Joy’s roof and onto mine.

The guys started swinging it. “On three. Here it comes–one…” –they swung it in my direction, then back– “two…three!” They heaved the trunk off the roof.

I let it fall safely between the two houses, where it broke into a few more manageable pieces.

From Joy’s back porch came the high-pitched sound of Remy’s shrieked delight and the fizz from an open soda can.

Everything inside me went gooey soft.

Joy was with my pup, just like she had been the day I met her. Easily entertaining her. Making friends. Communing.

Colton and Johnny jumped off the roof without using the ladder. They really should be more careful during daylight.

“She’s good with her, huh?” Colton asked, also having heard the girls.

I tried to hide the riot of emotion ping-ponging in my chest. My throat closed. “Yeah. Seems like it.”

“Of course, she would be. Fate picked her for you.” Johnny slapped me on the shoulder. It made sense he’d understand because Emma, his mate, was an identical twin, and while she and her sister looked exactly the same, even had the same DNA, he knew his mate.

I couldn’t say anything. I had arguments in my head about why it might not work and how I didn’t know how to make her love me, and what if Remy got hurt, but I didn’t want to share any of that with these jackals. I frowned.

“Aw, look,” Johnny cackled. “Even having a mate makes Wes grouchy.” He quickly dodged back in case I took a swing at him.

Colton’s cell rang, and he pulled it from his jeans pocket. “Yeah?” He looked up at the sky. “You got it. We’ll be back in thirty.”

He hung up. “That was Rob. He wants us back to get the cattle across the creek before it floods again if we get more rain.”

Shit. The ranch. My focus had been on my girls, not my job. But Wolf Ranch paid the bills, and Rob was my alpha. If he wanted us to move cattle across a creek, we did.

I ran a hand over the back of my neck. “Shit, he’s gotta be pissed we’re fucking around in town with all the work to be done.”

Colton laughed. “Nah, not when he finds out the reason why.”

That I’d found my mate. That she was human.

“C’mon,” he said, slapping me on the shoulder. “Let’s get that plywood out of the truck and onto the wall.”

I stood and watched my friends begrudgingly–one part grateful they were here and had my back and the other half still wanting to murder them for being near Joy. They each had their own fated mate, so they had zero interest in her, but still.

“Daddy! The grape soda had lots of bubbles, too. And it tastes yummy!” Remy ran up to me holding the can.

She had a purple-tinged ring around her mouth.

“I see that,” I said.

Joy followed behind at a more sedate pace.

“Think you can wash your face and hands ‘cause we’re gonna go with Mr. Johnny and Mr. Colton back to the ranch.”

I wasn’t sure how that was going to work, but I’d figure it out.

I looked to Joy. “The creek flooded last night from the storm. Cattle got stuck on the wrong side. The water’s gone down, and we can get ‘em across, but it’s gonna rain again, and we’ve got to get to them before–”

Joy held up a hand. “I understand. Your job doesn’t have nine to five hours. Why don’t I watch Remy for you?”

I stared. Blinked. This was what I’d wanted of her when we first met. Just this. Her being a babysitter. Now? She was volunteering to stay with Remy, and it didn’t feel like she was being just a sitter.

She was my mate staying with my pup. This was a big deal. I trusted her with Remy, of course, but this was the first time they’d be together alone. Would this make Remy fall for her and then get hurt worse?

Johnny whacked me on the back, breaking me from my thoughts.

“Really?”

She smiled… and my wolf preened.

“Of course. It’s no problem. I’m going to work in my studio for a little bit, and she can make a little project. Then we can have dinner and watch a movie.”

“Can I? Can I?” Remy pulled on my arm and hopped up and down. “A movie with Joy! Can I, Daddy?”

This was the concern. Joy was too likeable. I didn’t have a choice, though. Not only because I had to get to the ranch but because my wolf was telling me to suck it the fuck up and let my mate watch my pup. Because that was exactly what she was supposed to be doing.

Being with Remy in our house. Keeping her safe and loving on her.

“Um, okay. Sure. Let me get your cell number in case you need to reach me. And no going in your house.”

She nodded. “No going in my house. Got it.”

“Yay!” Remy squealed.

Yeah, it was true.

I had it bad. Because instead of me getting to know Joy, for her to fall for me, Remy was.

I hadn’t felt this out of my depth since Soraya left me with a three-week-old pup and zero parenting skills to take care of her.

But I’d figured things out with Remy. Or we’d gotten by.

Maybe I’d find my way with Joy, too?

Fate knew she was worth it.