Page 95 of Unwilling Wolf

“Well, he was a right proper little snake-father, checking on them and keeping them hidden, and they were the tamest pets you’ve ever seen, on account of they were just eggs. And then one morning, Mrs. Henshaw came barreling out of the schoolhouse like her skirts had been lit on fire. Apparently, Garret’s little nest of baby rattlesnakes had hatched in the night, and the building was crawling with them.”

Even Lenny couldn’t seem to control her laughter, and Garret nodded slowly. “Mrs. Henshaw was madder than a hornet when she figured out it was me. I even remember her name now.”

“How’d she figure out it was you?” Cookie asked.

“Well, I thought I was safe because we couldn’t go back to the schoolhouse for a week until they had those little critters cleared out of there, but when we came back she was waiting for me. I had forgotten about the eggshells in my desk.”

“Yes,” Eliza chimed in. “She gave him three raps against the knuckles with a ruler right there in front of everyone. Which would have been mortifying for him, if it didn’t out the culprit who had gotten all the children a week off from school. He was the hero of the yard as soon as the day let out.”

The cadence of their easy laughter was a song that touched her heart. What a relief, to have a night like this follow the ghastly one before.

Garret finished his food and set the empty bowl beside him on the bench, then held out his hands to the fire, a faraway look in his eyes as he watched the flickering flames. “That feels like a different lifetime.”

“My memories are like that too,” Burke said.

“Mine too,” said Cookie.

“And mine,” Wells murmured. “If I remember anything, it’s like I’m looking at it from underwater. Like the water is murky, and I have my eyes open, but it’s hard to see anything clearly.”

Lenny nodded silently, flames reflected in her lightened gray eyes.

That was the sad part about being a werewolf. “Will Roy remember me?” she asked.

It was Burke who answered her. “I visit him. He doesn’t have any memory right now, but he’s still new. He just needs time. We all remember what it was like. The wolf takes over everything in the beginning.”

Garret sat up straight, lifted his arm, and rested it around her waist, ignoring the wide-eyed glances from his Pack. After awhile, they seemed to get used to the public display of affection from their Alpha, because the easy banter and funny stories picked back up again.

Garret brushed his thumb gently at her waist sometimes, and looked at her often. She felt like she was completely melting into him. Her defenses were starting to come down, and she hoped he wouldn’t wreck the end of the night as he often did when they were stable for too long for his wolf’s liking.

“Everybody done?” Garret asked as there was a lull in conversation.

The boys grew serious. “Yeah, Boss,” Burke answered.

“I wanted to get through this great dinner that the girls made us, but as you know, we’re missin’ some cattle. Hell, we’re missin’ a lot of cattle. We know it was Wyatt and his men that thieved them in the first place. I’m assuming they’re trying to make it harder for us to save this place so they can buy us out. They’re taking our cows and leaving the bulls.” Garret pulled his arm back from around her waist and rested his elbows on his knees. “Now, you all know what happened the night they came for Eliza. There is somethin’ inside of me that can’t let that slight go. The law won’t want to get involved in a dispute like this. The way I see it, we’re going to have to come up with our own justice. We’ve been trying to hold it off, but it’s time. It’s going to be war, boys.”

Wells, usually so quiet and easygoing, slammed his fist on the bench beside him. Lenny jumped and Cookie muttered something, likely a curse in his language if his tone was any indication. Burke was the only one who didn’t react in anger. Instead, his eyes swam with grim acceptance.

“I’m not talking about killin’ ’em unless it comes down to it,” Garret clarified. “I don’t want nobody here facing the law, you hear? But the way I see it, best way to get at ’em is to save this place against their best efforts. Now, I’ve heard tell the Jenningses are buying up old Whitfield’s property. They’ve been coming after him for a long time, and he finally folded.”

“Who’d you hear this from?” Wells asked.

“From Whitfield himself. He’s mad. Madder than mad. They’re cheating him bad out of his land, but they’ve been threatening him enough that he’s scared. He says the Jenningses assume his cattle come with the property, but they don’t. They aren’t included in the legal documents. He said he is willing to sell them to us cheap if I can get up there in the next few days and drive them back myself.”

“I don’t expect that’ll make Jennings overly happy, you buying them cattle right out from under him,” Burke said with a grin.

Garret’s narrowed eyes contradicted his shallow smile. “’Spect it won’t. It’ll replenish the cattle they’ve stolen from us and almost double our breeding stock for next year though. If this works, it’ll give us a better shot at keeping this place. And if it keeps Clint up at night, all the better, I say.”

“Who do you want riding with you?” Cookie asked. “Whitfield has a decent herd. It’ll take three, at the least.”

“Agreed. That’s what I wanted to decide tonight. I want to ride out at first light.”

“Who will stay to look after the cattle here?” Eliza asked.

Cookie spoke up. “Me and Wells will watch the cattle here.”

Garret looked up in surprise, but Cookie continued. “With me and Wells, we could post just two people as lookouts. The drive is at least a three-person run, better if there are four, and I’m not comfortable with the women sitting up at the house unprotected. You and Burke can protect them just fine out there.”

Garret slowly shook his head back and forth. “I’m not comfortable bringing Eliza out there.”