Page 9

Ruugar

“ A nd I’ll take a bunch of these too,” I told my Aunt Inla, placing a stack of pants on the smooth surface.

She stood behind the counter at the end of the big open room full of merchandise at our general store. Customers moved around me as I shifted through the racks, trying to find the right things for Beth.

I held up one of the pants, wondering if they’d fit around her slender hips. It was hard to tell. Shirts could be big, and they probably should be since she couldn’t deflate her mam mounds. But the pants? Why didn’t we stock more with stretchy waists or ties? Everything appeared to be form-fitting.

“That’s a lot of clothing in a rather interesting size,” my aunt said, frowning down at the growing pile of items I’d laid on the counter.

She smoothed the front of her dotted gown that fit in with our wild western setting, per Dungar.

He must be right because we were selling gowns much like hers, plus bonnets, something my aunt wasn’t wearing today, as fast as we could stock them. “Why are you purchasing these?”

“I, um, hired someone, and he didn’t bring much clothing with him.” I couldn’t meet her eye while lying. She’d know right away and not only chastise me for it, she might even smack my ass like she’d done once or twice when I was small. Then she’d make me tell her the truth, and I’d have to.

Which I couldn’t do now without endangering Beth.

It wasn’t taking me long to realize I’d lie or die or even snarl at someone to protect my mate’s safety.

“Why didn’t he bring much?” she asked, placing the items in a bag. “I assume these are for your new hired hand.”

“Yes, for him. Ben. Very much a him. And he did bring clothing, but…they no longer fit. He grew. Fast. Overnight. I hired him to come with me on the trail ride that leaves soon.” I grabbed a cowboy hat and added it to the pile.

“Strange that he grew so fast,” she said. “But I don’t know human males other than adults who’ve completed their growth cycles.” Her frown didn’t fade.

I bravely met her eyes, keeping a neutral expression on my face. “Yes. Me either.”

“Alright then,” she said, handing me the bag full of clothing. “Good luck on the ride with your new hire. A young male, you said?”

“Yes, definitely male. Not female. Not—” I bit my tongue to keep it from shoving out more words that could incriminate me. “We’re leaving soon.” I hefted the bag. “Thank you.”

Spinning, I hurried toward the front door, praying I’d escape before she asked me any more questions.

“Oh, Ruugar?” she called out as I grappled with the doorknob.

I didn’t turn. Couldn’t turn. She’d note the color in my face and ears and ask why I was flustered.

“Yes?” A bead of sweat trickled down my spine, and I wiggled my vest, wishing I’d opted to wear a shirt.

But one of my brothers insisted our guests would love seeing us striding around dressed like this.

Something about our gorgeous green skin. Our muscles.

Did Beth notice things like that?

Argh! I needed to stop thinking about how to attract her. She wouldn’t want a male like me.

“Send your youngling male into town when you get back,” she said. “I’d like to meet him.”

“Oh, well, yes I will. If I decide he’ll work out.”

Her low laugh echoed in the big room. “You just bought him a complete wardrobe. He’d better work out.”

“I agree.” Sort of. I wrenched open the door and pretty much flew outside, striding down the boardwalk so fast that I nearly ran into my brother, Sel.

He held a bag full of loaves of bread, and I groaned at the warm, yeasty smell.

We’d made bread in the orc kingdom, too, and it was one of my weaknesses, especially if I coated it with ketchup that was not made from human blood even if it looked like it must be.

It came from the blood of too-mate-oos, which Gracie assured me was a vegetable.

I also adored mustard that didn’t taste like baby sorhox…

Well, yes. It didn’t look, taste, or smell anything like what they produced.

I’d verified this first before I tried it.

Now I couldn’t keep enough of either in my house.

“I was hoping to catch you before you left.” Sel lifted the bag.

“This is for you. I’ll put it with the other things in the cabinet inside the saloon.

Remember to place some of the bread in the small freezer at your first stop.

Then take it with you when you leave for your second stop.

That’ll help keep it fresh. I’ll make sure the final loaves are delivered to your third camping site before you get there. Look for it in the freezer.”

We’d installed solar power at all our camp areas, and each had a small shed with a freezer and general supplies.

There was no need to carry everything with us when we could stock things ahead.

My other brother, Tark, had returned a few weeks ago after riding the trail and making sure everything was ready.

He’d also put the finishing touches on the screened-in platforms where we’d prepare and serve all the meals at each site.

Cooking gazebos, Gracie had called them.

We’d built one-bedroom cabins for each couple.

Bugs could be bad on the trail. They could be bad everywhere, actually, but we wanted to make this as pleasant for the tourists as we could.

We’d light fires, and that would help keep bugs away, but no one wanted to get bitten while they were asleep, let alone eat with the whining buzz of insects in their ears.

I’d sleep in the tent left in each shed. Orcs didn’t mind roughing it and the canvas would keep most of the bugs away.

Once we’d ensured the current routine worked, Sel would have bread delivered to the camping sites each day.

Everyone preferred it fresh. Like me before I’d “hired” Beth, Sel still needed to hire someone to work in his bakery.

He’d told me he had some applicants already and that he’d offered the job to a woman named Holly, but he hadn’t heard back from her yet.

“You have a helper for this trip, right?” Sel asked with a frown.

“I sure do. His name is…Ben. New hire, that Ben. Really sturdy youngling male. Human. Ben. Male. No mam mounds.”

“Um, sure.” Sel’s frown only deepened. “Are you alright? Not sick or anything, are you?”

“I’m fine,” I barked, then lowered my voice before I freaked out completely. “There’s nothing wrong. I’m not sick. Ben’s not sick, either.”

“That’s good, then. Have fun.” He knuckled my shoulder, an orc gesture that showed comradery. “Stop in when you get back. I can’t wait to hear how our first trail ride goes.”

“Will do. I’m looking forward to it.” I had been looking forward to it before, but I was even more excited now, because Beth was going with me.

Sel’s expression grew serious. “If you see the woman they’re looking for, make sure you grab and hold her.”

“What woman?” Better to pretend I knew nothing. No one knew I’d skulked in the back of the barn to watch the wedding, let alone that I’d followed the runaway bride and carried her to safety. Dungar said my brother and his mate thought they’d seen me, but I’d denied it to him.

“You didn’t hear?” He rubbed his head, nearly dislodging his cowboy hat. “Happened yesterday evening. Our first wedding too. What a nightmare for Gracie who has to smooth this out with our PR. It’s sad, actually. We need to find her right away before she collapses.”

My heart stilled before thudding too hard, making my pulse thunder in my throat. “What do you mean?”

“She’s sick. Needs medicine.” His sigh came out forlorn. “She was kidnapped from the wedding. Her mate’s desperate to find her.”

I imagined he was. “What do you mean, she’s sick?”

“They said she takes regular medicine. The longer she goes without it, the sicker she’ll be.”

Beth couldn’t be sick.

Could she?