Page 25 of The Untamed

“You can both court me,” I tease, grinning at CJ.

“This isn’t a dumb historical romance novel,” Ryder growls. “Stop being so careless and stupid.”

His words hurt, but I don’t let it show. I pretend he didn’t even speak, choosing to run ahead to Fleabag’s pen. Our goat is gray and loud like the rest of our family. She bleats upon our arrival, eager to see us.

I reach over the fencing around the pen to scratch her head before motioning for the guys to follow me to the other side of Fleabag’s house. Leaning up against the back side of it, I stare off toward the wooden fence that keeps our property safe.

“We’ll have to be discreet,” I say, urging CJ to come stand beside me. “Don’t let my dad see the bottle.”

Jace and CJ sidle up beside me and then Jace slides the bottle my way. I sneak a drink and then sputter on the nasty liquid, once again earning me laughter from the guys.

Well, not Ryder.

He comes to stand directly in front of me, arms crossed over his chest, watching me through narrowed eyes. Maybe CJ’s sister, Mya, will interest him and distract him from being a prick. He can get his penis hard all he wants and make a million babies with her. I’m sure my parents will be so proud since that’s all they care about.

CJ nudges his thigh against mine, making goose bumps rise along my skin. He leans near me, his hot breath tickling my neck. “I’m glad I found you in the woods, pretty girl.”

I melt at his words.

“Me too,” I say, flashing him a small smile.

I make the mistake of looking at my brother, who vibrates with anger. His nostrils flare and he loudly cracks his neck, all in some stupid show to scare off my new friends.

Luckily, CJ is oblivious to Ryder.

If he can pretend my brother doesn’t exist, I can too.

“There are a lot of grizzlies around this part,” Dad grunts to Logan. “Your people would do well to remember that.”

Logan, with his muscular arms crossed over his chest, nods at my father. “Appreciate the heads-up. We do what we can, but until we make a permanent settlement somewhere, we’re pretty exposed. It’s the children we worry about most.”

If that was Dad’s hint to offer them to stay within the fenced boundary, it went ignored. I suppress a sigh. My father doesn’t like people and the mention of children does nothing for his barricaded heart.

“We have some bear spray,” Rowdy offers. “More coming soon.”

Of course I know his cryptic answer means Uncle Atticus will be here soon, but Logan doesn’t know what to make of it.

“We’ll happily take you up on that offer.” Logan cocks his head as if listening for something. “Might even trade you one of the screaming toddlers from our group.”

Sure enough, we hear the screams of a child in the distance, no doubt the screaming toddler in question. Logan smirks at me, making sure I know he’s joking and not actually into human trafficking. I flash him a bright grin back.

While we wait for his people, Dad discusses where they can fetch some fresh water—down at the river. Our own rainwater collection and filtration system goes unmentioned. I guess Dad’s hospitality only goes so far.

“How’d you get all of this stuff?” Logan asks, gesturing toward the house, garden, and shed. “Looks like you have a fully functioning homestead. It’s not cheap nor something you can easily scrape together by scavenging mismatched materials. Those solar panels are top of the line.”

Dad bristles, not bothering to follow Logan’s critical stare to our rooftop. “I have money and means.”

Oh my God.

Dad is being insufferable and unwelcoming. Normally, I’m not one to step in and challenge my father, but since Ryder nor Raegan are around, someone has to do it.

“We have family in town. They bring us the supplies we need and check in on us from time to time.” I ignore both Rowdy’s and Dad’s glowering for my oversharing. “We give them a list and the next time they visit, they bring whatever we ask for.”

Logan cuts his eyes my way again, lips quirking on one side. I try to look away from his mouth, but it’s hard. I’m not an idiot or blind—well, not with my glasses at least—and can tell there’s something sparking between us.

“You really do have the ideal home here,” Logan says with a whistle of appreciation. “When we finally find our forever home, we hope to make it as nice as this. Who knows, if we’re not too far away, maybe we could even set up some sort of trade system.”

I cringe because I know Dad’s answer before he even says it.

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