Page 21 of Cowboy Devil's Embrace

“Goddamn, son. That shit will kill ya,” he said, shaking his head.

“Yeah well, it was the only thing I could make myself,” I replied.

“Fuck, man, I am sorry. No wonder you’ve been off your game,” Emmet said.

“What are you talking about?”

“You are what you eat, Boss. And it looks like you’re full of bologna! Ha ha ha!” he replied and grinned way too fucking widely at his own lame joke.

“Fuck off, Emmet. Wait. What do you want?” I mumbled, looking down at the papers in his hand.

He had piqued my curiosity.

“That’s it. Read it.”

“What’s it? Ugh, let’s see. Dante Bianco. Kian O’Malley. Zeke Gordon. Why are you giving me this list?” I asked.

“That right there is your Crew, Boss Man,” the Wolf replied.

Sarcasm dripped from his lips when he called me that just as easily as I could imagine drool dripping off his fangs when he was changed.

Fucker.

“Why them?”

“Why them? If you don’t know, then I guess I’ll tell you. Dante is the Bear Shifter you were working alongside of not two days ago, rebuilding the animal pens. He’s as big as a fucking house and strong as hell. Kian is the Bull Shifter. I reckon he’ll be useful with the farming side of this place. Bulls have an affinity for that kind of thing. And Zeke, well I don’t know what he is exactly, but the man has one helluva an effect on the animals.”

“He does?” I asked, surprised.

Emmet growled and shook his head, muttering something about idiots who didn’t pay attention.

I growled back.

I wasn’t an idiot.

Not usually.

Okay, maybe a little.

Fine. I fucking sucked at this.

I was bad at names and faces, and no, I hadn’t been paying much attention to the others. This was all so new to me.

But it was no excuse for me not doing my job.

Shit.

“Yes, he does. And you’d know that if you would’ve stuck around for the rest of the interviews and put in more than half a day’s work every day since I’ve been here,” Emmet grumbled.

“Half a day? I am out there from nine to five?—”

“Nine to five? Does this look like a fucking office to you? Max, this is a working farm and ranch. You need to be up with the chickens and if your head hits the pillow before the last animal is fed, watered, and down for the night, then you are doing it wrong.”

Emmet shook his head at me, and waves of annoyance and frustration rolled off him, slamming me left and right.

As much as it annoyed me, he wasn’t wrong.

“Fuck. I can’t believe this. You’re absolutely right,” I admitted, and the Wolf snapped his green eyes to mine.

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