Page 113 of Unwilling Wolf

When she’d cried out his name and asked for help, she didn’t know how she’d known—but she had just been sure to her soul that he would get to her in time.

There was big value in a dependable man like that.

Chapter Thirty-Five

The stampede had cost them time and thrown them off course.

They had gotten lucky that the stampede had been cut short by a huge river that cut them off. The thirsty bovine had settled and taken their drink, and the horses were happy for it too.

They pushed the cattle hard after that, aiming straight for the cattle pens near the train station. The only break Eliza took from the saddle was to relieve herself in the brush and change into the spare set of clothing she’d packed in her saddlebag—a simple, taupe-colored linen dress. It was much less comfortable than the trousers and button-up shirt, but at least it wasn’t smattered with dried blood.

Her husband was relentless in his pursuit of town and safety, and she was okay with that, honestly. Sleeping rough in the woods just felt like a recipe for disaster. Again.

They drove the cattle until the light waned and the town loomed ahead. Surely they’d taken the cattle over the allotted fifteen miles, but he seemed indifferent to their weight loss at the moment. He was a smart rancher, and a capable drover. His disregard for his normal driving procedures meant he was worried those Jenningses would try something else.

At the market, two tall men opened the gates to a massive holding pen, and she helped Lenny on the left side of the herd maneuver them through the wide-open gate. It wasn’t as hard when the first few went through. The cattle had a natural instinct to follow the leader and stick together.

After the men closed the gate on the huge herd, Burke trotted over to them to talk to them, and Lenny followed.

“You look exhausted,” Garret said over the noise of the cattle as he pulled Rooney up beside her.

“I think I could sleep for three days. How are you?”

He frowned. “I’m good.”

“Your wounds.” She gestured to his shirt and trousers, which were dotted with bloodstains from his seeping injuries.

“Oh.” He shook his head tiredly. “Don’t even notice them. Pain is normal for us.” He pulled his horse to a stop near the fence that held the cattle. “Hey, I’ve been thinking.”

“Uh-oh.”

He chuckled and leaned onto his saddle horn. He looked much more natural at it than when she tried to do it. “What you said earlier.”

“The L-word,” she guessed. “I don’t expect you to say it back. It’s okay.”

“No, it’s just…I’m just…” He ran his hand down the scruff of his two-day beard. “Just because I’m not there yet, don’t mean I won’t ever get there.”

“Garret,” she said, looking out over the cattle, drinking from great troughs of water. “You better be careful, or I’ll start thinking you have a romantic side.”

“Chh,” he said, and she reveled in the handsome smile he offered her.

Burke yelled out, “Hey, Boss! They want to talk about price.”

Garret nodded and straightened up in the saddle, guided Rooney around her. “You did good out there, Eliza. You’ve surprised me more than anyone ever has before. Do you want to come in with me to negotiate? You can see that side of the business. Unless you want to go get a room. I’ll understand if you do.”

But she could see what he was offering. He was letting her in. He was bringing her in on something he had likely only done with his pa when he was little, and Roy when he helped drive his cattle, and his wolves now.

He was inviting her. Trust, trust, building that trust.

She loved it. Of course her answer was, “I would love to.” She eased her heels into Buck’s ribs, and he strode behind Rooney. “Just tell me what I have to do.”

Without turning around, he deadpanned, “Don’t punch or shoot anyone.”

Chapter Thirty-Six

By the time Eliza opened the door to their room, her stomach was gurgling with hunger. Covered in travel dust, she plodded around a small chest of drawers to the washbasin against the back wall. Her clumsy fingers flubbed lighting the lantern the first two times, but the third sent flickering light through the tiny room. The mauve-and-tan floral wallpaper clashed with the green baseboards, and there was a suspicious hole in the wall that looked like she and Garret wouldn’t be the only creatures dwelling there, but it could be worse. The water was clear as she poured it from the full pitcher, and the bed looked clean enough. She’d spent two days on the trail and could barely keep her eyes open. A milkweed mattress with a cactus pillow in a swamp would be acceptable right about now.

Garret and Burke were putting the horses in the stable next door to the hotel, which seemed to be the nicest in town.

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