“I told you it wasn’t boys squatting out here.”
“So you caught him? Uh, is he still alive?”
“I caughther,and yes, she is still alive.”
“Her?”
“I didn’t stutter.”
“But, but . . .her?”
“Her.”
“You’re sure about that?”
“Never been more sure of anything in my entire life.”
“Is she okay?” he asked, hesitantly as if I was going to do something that stupid.
She was my true mate. There’s no way I could hurt her.
Shit. When did I start feeling protective of this woman?
“She’s fine,” I barked.
“So that’s it? You had a woman squatting nearby?”
“So it would seem.”
“Did you get her name?”
“Sorry, I forgot to ask as I ran her off,” I said sarcastically, but pain sliced through my chest as I said it.
I’d run my mate off. Hadn’t my father done the same? He’d been a scoundrel of the worst kind, a lone wolf—like me.
The thought angered me. I was nothing like him.
My anger must have shown on my face because Tarron took a noticeable step back.
At least I knew she couldn’t be pregnant as I ran her off. At least not with my kid.
A growl burst from me before I could stop it. The thought of her with another man didn’t sit well with my wolf. If I let myself really think about it, it didn’t sit well with me either.
What the hell was I going to do now?
Nothing, I thought. Absolutely nothing.
“Well, I guess I’m gonna just go then.”
“Do yourself a favor and stop meddling in my business. I can take care of myself out here.”
Tarron snorted. “If that were true, you’d never have called Archie to have me come out here.”
I scowled at him, but he just laughed.
There was no way I was going to admit it, but I liked this guy. He certainly had balls of steel. Most men would have run away with their tails between their legs the way I’d been barking at him.
“Sorry,” I surprised us both by saying. “I do appreciate your help. It’s just been a long day, and an even longer week. I really don’t mean to bark at you.”