Page 44 of Wrangling the Orc Cowboy

Sharga hopped off my shoulder, landing on one of Castree’s horns.

The beast frowned before gently rattling her head, Sharga holding on and making meow sounds.

Gracie laughed, her warm gaze meeting mine. “She really is sweet, isn’t she? Look at how nice she is with Sharga.”

“She’ll be equally nice with you. Go ahead and touch her. Let her see how special you truly are.”

“That’s sweet of you, Tark. Thank you.” Her small hand ran along the velvety fur of Castree’s cheek, and the sorhox made a low, contented rumble in her chest, a sound I’d only ever heard her make when I groomed her after a long day of work.

My heart stuttered.

“See?” My chest felt like it might split apart for joy. “She likes you.”

Gracie’s lips curved into a smile, shy at first but growing as her fingers followed the curve of Castree’s horn. “You’re not so scary, are you, Castree?” Her voice had dropped to that warm, soothing tone she used with Sharga. The sound of it splashed over me like sunlight finally breaking through the thick canopy of a dark forest.

Castree closed her eyes in utter contentment, tilting her head further into Gracie’s touch. I should have been relieved and proud of Castree for not acting like the unruly beast she sometimes was, but I couldn’t think beyond Gracie and the soft smile lighting up her face. This woman, so unlike anyone I’d met before, had bridged a connection to something from my world. And here I was, hopelessly falling further in love with her, like I wasn’t already in so far, I'd never find my way out.

Gracie turned that smile on me, and every bone in my body melted all at once. “You're right. She’s not scary at all.”

I gave her a tight nod, hoping she couldn’t read what I felt in my expression. “She sure is.”

“Okay.” Gracie stepped back. “Let’s see if she’s as good on a trail as she is soaking up attention.”

Trail. Ride. Right. The rest of the plan.

I forced myself back into motion, leading Castree off the boardwalk and back onto the dirt road. My pulse galloped faster than Castree ever could, the thought of Gracie’s smile making ithard to breathe. For something to do with my hands that didn’t involve pulling her into my chest and kissing her until reality flew across the horizon, I patted Castree's spine.

Focus, Tark.

Sharga flew off Castree’s horn, landing on my shoulder.

“You'll sit here,” I told Gracie, glancing her way. She stood on the boardwalk, looking beautiful in the midday light. It made me question how the fates could've brought her into my life. She was too perfect. Too pretty. Too amazing for an orc like me.

Yet they thought she’d fit into my life. They’d marked me to show me she was the one.

She shifted her weight from one foot to the other, still eyeing Castree with a mix of curiosity and lingering nerves, but there was an eagerness in her expression too. She met my gaze, her eyes dancing with excitement, an open window I could’ve fallen straight through.

I cleared my throat. “Time to get you on her back.”

Gracie raised her brows, taking a cautious step toward me. “You’re sure she’s okay with this?”

“She’ll be fine. She loves going for trail rides.”

She shot me a pointed look, glancing at the sheer enormity of Castree’s form as she came up beside me. “She looks big enough to flatten a car.”

I laughed too loud, and Castree huffed, shifting her weight. “Come on. I’ll help you up.”

Before she could protest, I curled my hands around her waist, noting all over again how much smaller than me she was. My fingers brushed the soft fabric of her shirt, and the heat of her skin beneath made every nerve I had flame like an overheated cook stove. She stiffened before relaxing and letting out a small, surprised laugh.

“I know you won’t drop me,” she said.

Gracie trusted me. Just that thought made me tighten my grip.

“Not a chance.”

With a quick motion, I lifted her up onto Castree's back. Gracie let out a small squeak, clutching at the sorhox's slightly longer spine hair as if she wasn’t quite sure what to do with hands.

I leaped up behind her, settling my weight against her smaller frame. Sharga flapped his wings, batting my head until I cooed his way. Settled, he peered around, as eager to go for a ride as us.

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