Page 12 of Untamed

“What?” I ask, when it becomes clear Colter is not going to speak.

He shakes his head, shrugging casually. “I’m just surprised, is all. Didn’t think you would have it in you.”

A chuckle escapes me as I plant my hands on my hips, cocking an amused brow. “You’ve known me for what, a week? And in that time, you’ve said maybe a handful of words to me, Colter. What makes you think you know me well enough to pass judgement on what I do or don’t have in me?” It’s hypocritical really. I’ve made plenty of my own assumptions about him.

His eyes spark with challenge, a flicker of something unspoken igniting between us. Without breaking my gaze, he steps closer. I suck in a sharp breath but stand my ground, refusing to back down from whatever this is. I want him to thinkhe doesn’t intimidate me. But it’s a lie. Because Colter ismorethan intimidating.

“Oh, I know exactly what you are,Sunshine,” Colter drawls, his tone low and biting. “All sweetness and innocence. That much is obvious. But I can’t help wondering if there’s more underneath. A side you don’t show the rest of the world. A side, thatI’dlove to crack wide open.”

My heart takes flight in my chest, the intensity of his words throwing me completely off balance.

Blinking, I take a step back, instinctively putting space between us. This is the most Colter has ever said to me, and I didn’t miss the innuendo laced in his tone. He’s not wrong, though. There is a part of me I keep hidden, even from myself. But how is it thathe, of all people, a man I barely know, can see it? How can he glimpse something even my closest friends and family don’t?

I clear my throat, desperate to get away from… whatever the hell is going on right now. “I better get back. Those stalls won’t muck themselves.”

Colter smirks, his amusement reflected in his green eyes. “You do that, Sunshine.” He turns, taking a few steps before pausing. Glancing over his shoulder, he mutters, his voice so low, I almost don’t catch it. “Might be a good idea to check on Clover tonight.”

I frown, confused. “What? Why? He’s doing better now.”

That faint, infuriating smile curves his lips again. “Let’s just say,” he murmurs, “I liked having an audience last night.”

And with that he walks away, leaving me standing there with a racing heart and more questions than answers. I may be young, but I can’t deny the flicker of something building between us.

Even though I know I can’t go any further than this unspoken connection between us, surely there’s no harm enjoying each other’s company. It’s strictly platonic and not a crime.

At least that’s what I keep telling myself.

Chapter Ten

COLTER

Sweat coats my skin and my muscles burn as I wrestle with a calf on the ground, trying to hold it still for branding. It bucks and twists, but I grit my teeth to keep my grip firm.

We’ve been at this for hours, and with over twenty calves still to go and in this blistering heat, it’s absolute hell.

I just want the day to be over.

But ever since my impromptu conversation with Mila earlier, and asking her to meet me in the barn for that private concert, I haven’t been able to shake this strange unfamiliar feeling gnawing at me. For as long as I can remember, there’s been this hollow, empty, space inside me. Now there’s a flicker of something. Something I’ve never felt before. I can’t describe it, and I sure as hell don’t want to dwell on it. Whatever it is, it feels dangerous. Like it could undo me if I let it.

I don’t know what I was thinking, asking Mila to meet me in the barn. I’m playing with fire, walking a fine line between right and wrong—the forbidden. And if I carry on down this road…surely, it’s only a matter of time until I say fuck it all. Before I step right over that line and straight into the flames, knowing full well I’ll be the one to burn.

I can’t afford to lose this job, but I also can’t seem to ignore the pull between me and the little Sunshine. It’s like an invisible string is drawing me to her, taut and unrelenting and with every interaction it grows stronger. I snorted inwardly at myself, shaking my head. What the actual fuck is wrong with me? I don’t have feelings and I’m pretty sure this isn’t that. But I can’t deny it’s… something. But what that something is, I’m not sure.

“Hold it fucking still, Grady,” Huck’s bark snaps me out of my spiraling thoughts. The wrangler glares at me, irritation clear in his tone as he spits my surname. I grunt, shifting my focus back to the calf squirming in my hold.

Doubling down on my efforts, I lock my muscles in place and throw my full weight on the animal. It thrashes beneath me, desperate to break free, but no matter how strong I am, it’s stronger. Fear has taken over, its fight or flight instinct in full force. I just need to hold it down long enough for Huck to brand it.

The searing sizzle of the hot iron, the acrid smell of burning flesh and hair, fill the air and I know Huck has finally managed to get the job done. The calf now bears the symbol of the Oakridge Ranch, its mark forever etched into its skin.

“Done,” Huck mutters. I glance over my shoulder and see the calf’s upper hip now marked with raw, red flesh.

Pushing myself up, I scramble to my feet, watching as the calf trots away. Leroy and Bryce are already on it, moving it up into the holding pen where the ones that have been branded wait. Tomorrow, we’ll herd these calves down into one of the larger pastures in the valley.

“Next.” Huck jerks his head toward where Wes and Tammy are standing by the forcing pen holding the unmarked calves. “Let’s fucking move this along. I want this finished today,” he mutters, wiping sweat from his face.

I nod, snatching up my lasso from the ground. I keep my gaze on the calf as I prepare for it to be released. The heat, the exhaustion, blend together now.

I’m ready for this day to be over.

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