Page 86 of Wrangling the Orc Cowboy

“You’re cowards.” My voice shook with fury. “You both love tearing people down the second they don’t fit your perfect mold, but you don’t realize something. Even if you can control some people, you will never control me. I love Tark. I'm proud of him. And I'm staying here to make a new life in Lonesome Creek.”

For a moment, silence echoed around us.

Then my mother huffed, shaking her head. “Oh, sweetie--”

“No! I'm not your sweetie. I'm not your anything. I reject both of you. Get out of my life and don't ever come back. You hear me? If you don’t leave right now, I swear I'll call the police and have you arrested for kidnapping me. I'm sure that would go over well with the press.”

My father barked out a laugh. “No one would believe you.”

“They would.” My voice shook, but I refused to back down. “They love me, as you said. I'm quite good at crying.” Look at me now with tears streaming down my face. “I'll tell them you hurt me. Write an autobiography full of all the mean things you did to me through the years. Talk about how you've withheld love and kindness and even money. How do you think that would go over with your audience?”

“You wouldn't,” Mom gasped, stunned for the first time in her life.

“I have an audience of my own now. They like me. Not only that, but they also listen to me.”

Mom held out her hand, and it actually trembled. Was she finally seeing the results of how she'd treated me all these years? I didn't want reconciliation. I only wanted them to leave me alone.

Tark leaned close, kissing my cheek. “Mate,” he said with complete happiness. “You defended me.”

“Because I love you, and you're worth fighting for.”

“Mate,” he said again. “Do you trust me?”

Chapter 31

Tark

My love, my mate, my Gracie nodded. “I trust you completely.”

Despite my blundering video. The comments. The mocking.

I could see in her eyes and on her face that she still loved me. And that made me feel so much. More than I could ever express.

Warmth unfurled in my chest. My mate was strong, stronger than she knew. But she didn’t have to fight this battle alone.

I pressed a kiss to her forehead. “Wait for me? I'm going to have a little conversation with your parents.”

A frown creased her face, but it quickly smoothed, and she smiled. “Go get 'em, cowboy.”

That was me. Cowboy. An orc cowboy, but a Wild West hero nonetheless. I liked that.

I strode right up to her parents, my boots grinding against the dirt, my spurs jangling. Such an amazing sound. I was going to wear them all the time—maybe even to bed. Latching onto their arms, I dragged them around the vehicle where I could speak to them without them glaring at my mate.

Her father adjusted the cuffs on his jacket like he could smooth over what had happened and walk away. Her mother crossed her arms, lifting her chin in barely contained disdain.

“I don’t know what you think—” she started to say.

“You will leave her alone,” I said evenly. “Forever.”

Her mother gave a short, incredulous laugh. “You don’t get to order us around.”

“You’re holding her back.” Pleading came through in her father’s voice. “She belongs with us.”

“She belongs where she chooses to be.”

Her mother scoffed. “And you think that’s here, in this ridiculous town with you?”

I didn’t flinch, didn’t rise to their mockery. Instead, I reached into the pocket of my pants and pulled out three gold nuggets—each one large, uneven in shape, but gleaming in the fading sunlight. What humans didn't know was that these sweet little rocks lay around on the ground everywhere within the orc kingdom. Hence our king only allowing human mates to visit. We used to throw them at each other when I was young. Stack them in play to make castles.

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