Page 25 of Rough Riding Orc Cowboy

Wanting didn't matter. She’d leave.

I’d spend the rest of my life pretending I didn’t miss her.

She took a breath before looking up at me again. “Do you think people in town believe them?”

“Enough that my brothers will be searching for you. I don't know if they've involved anyone outside of town.”

“They will.” Her jaw clenched. “They'll bring in people to look for me. Trackers. Hunters.”

“I'd like to say my brothers won't allow that, but ifthey believe Bradley and your father…” I didn't need to finish the thought.

“They're going to find me.” Panic came through loud and clear in her voice.

“We're leaving soon. We’ll be gone for a week, and where we’re going, there won’t be anyone else around. We own this entire valley, all the way to the foothills of the distant mountains, and partway up them. It’s protected. A week away will give this time to settle down. When we return, they may have moved on to someplace else. I carried you, which means there aren't any tracks.”

“True. Good thinking on your part.”

I'd done it because I’d wanted to hold her, help her, but it was good that I had.

She turned away from me, inspecting the rest of the bag’s contents, oblivious to the way my eyes lingered on her longer than they should.

That was the worst part. Not that I wanted her. I accepted that. Any orc with half a soul would want this woman. It was knowing I could never have the chance to show it. That even looking at her for too long was dangerous. That was where the slow ache settled, twisting deep in my gut.

“I’ll change and get ready to leave.” She lifted the bag and retreated into my bedroom, shutting the wooden door firmly behind her.

A week. That’s all the time I had before she’d be gone. Before she vanished from my life as quickly as she’d entered it.

She didn’t belong here, not in this tourist town where we'd have only minimal privacy. We'd be on display most of the time. She also didn't belong on a trail ride, sleeping under the stars with nothing but firelight and silence to fill the space between us.

She belonged somewhere better. Somewhere safe, somewhere easy.

Somewhere that wasn’t with me.

I’d never believed the fates could be so unkind. They didn’t make mistakes. Orcs knew this. But looking at Beth, knowing what she was, what she could never want to be, was the first time I had doubts. Because the fates had given me a mate I could never have and would never deserve.

What other word was there for that except unkind?

Silence settled over the house, leaving me standing in the middle of the kitchen, as restless as ever. My hands twitched at my sides, needing something to do. Instead of pacing like a caged beast, I checked the supplies I'd bring for the ride, though I didn't need more than personal items. Everything else waited for us at our resting points.

I strained to hear any sound from my bedroom. The floor creaked. Fabric rustled. She released a muffled sigh.

I scrubbed a hand down my face. Orcs weren’t meant to feel this way. My kind believed in fate. We found our mates, we loved them, we protected them. It was instinct, not something we questioned. But while Beth was my mate, I couldn't claim her. I would not coerce her into a situation she wouldn’t see as any better than whatshe would've been trapped in with her father and Bradley.

I leaned against the counter, forcing my thoughts toward the trail ahead. This first ride would be an important test for Lonesome Creek. There had been challenges in building this tourist adventure, making it something our kind could be proud of. This needed to go well.

I’d make sure it went as it should while keeping a tight eye on the area around us. If her father or Bradley found us, I wouldn’t let them take her. I’d fight to the death to protect her.

Beth would be safe with me. Nothing else mattered.

The bedroom door creaked open, and she joined me in the kitchen with her bag slung over her shoulder.

“Well?” she asked, glancing down. “What do you think?”

I blinked, truly taking in her appearance. Her loose pants and oversized shirt hid everything, though them paired with a vest made her seem even smaller than she truly was. She’d braided her long blonde hair and tucked it under the cowboy hat. Tilting the front of the hat forward worked well because it cast her face in shadow.

Not Beth.Ben.Almost.

“I think you look wonderful, Beth.” Was that my voice cratering with need?

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