Page 57 of Untamed

Thjis stomps into the house a moment later, a heavy scowl on his face. "Helga wasn't milked again today. What the fuck is Sarj doing? How the fuck do you miss an entire cow?"

"She looked fine this morning," I offer.

"Did your mate pet Helga this morning?" Rhet asks casually. An odd smile plays at the corners of his mouth.

"Yeah, she did. Helga likes to hang out near the fence. You know that."

"Yes, I do, In." Rhet's smile grows, "yes, I do."

I barely hear him.Qitsukis moving into the small sunroom with its indoor garden. I grow tense. She's only a few feet from the door to the outside. My wolf runs his claws down my spine. He doesn't like his little runner so far from his side.

"Go to her, In."

I'm already moving. I cross the living room with long strides, silently cursing my brothers for building such a large house. I open the door to the sunroom and inhale the muggy, hot air with a deep breath. When I reach my mate's side, she entirely ignores me.

I ignore her attempts to ignore me. Wrapping an arm around her waist, I shove my face in her hair and inhale. My body trembles against her shiver. My wolf settles back down now that his mate is in our arms again.

Qitsukpats my arm. I pick up my head and look down at her faintly horrified expression. She moves from my arms, tugging on me impatiently when I'm reluctant to let her go. Picking up a lime green plastic watering can, she shoves it at my chest.

I look at her, bemused, then look at the watering can cradled against my chest. It's empty.

"They need water?" I ask, looking at the plants. They do look parched, I guess.

She glares and presses her fingers against the plant's soil that looks like a spider web. Clucking her tongue, she grabs my hand and does the same. The pads of my fingers touch the dry, crumbling soil.

"Right," I mumble, "water."

I open the door back into the house with one hand. "Sarj!" I bellow. "Fill this up!"

My younger brother stumbles down the stairs from the loft, glaring at me hotly until he seesQitsuk. I swear to the goddess the pup trips over his own two feet when he sees her standing there. He recovers quickly, the tips of his ears turning red. "Whaddya want, In?" he snaps.

"Fill this with water," I tell him again.

"Why can't you do it?" Sarj slumps against the doorframe as if the strenuous task of filling the watering can would break him in half.

"Because," I tell him through gritted teeth, "I can't leave my mate."

His eyes darken, but he grabs the watering can and stomps toward the kitchen.

Rhet meanders over; his hands shoved in his jeans' pocket. "We should install a spigot and sink in here," he says blandly. "Especially if your mate likes to garden. It would be good for the wintertime."

"I'll build a greenhouse at the cottage," I say quickly. Shit, I just moved out of the ranch permanently a year ago. I don't want to be here all the time.

"She'll need a garden when she comes to visit family," Rhet says cooly. His blue eyes spark with anger.

I give his pissy-look right back to him. Lyri cried when I moved out. Rhet's panties are still in a bunch about that. He postures, his shoulders squaring. I take a half-step toward him when suddenly, we're both covered in dirt.

Turning, I gape comically at my mate, who is shoving an empty clay pot into my arms. Golden eyes make the message clear; shut up and work.

I take the pot, and Rhet starts to fill it with the potting soil my mate had shoved into his chest.

"She threw dirt on us," he mutters to me.

I can practically see her ears twitching as she listens to us, my clever cat. "It's too dry, apparently."

When Sarj walks in with the watering can and a full bucket of water along with it, my mate offers him a sunny smile of approval.

Thjis walks in and, without a word, opens another bag of soil and starts to lift and move pots out of my mate's way.

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