Page 4 of Broken Mate

Ledger deftly moved the crane that lifted logs from the pile of stacked timber to the half-filled trailer that would lug the load to the processing plant. From there, the lumber would be milled down into flat boards and shipped to Jericho’s construction company in Colorado. The work kept his mind busy and his body fit. He wasn’t the type of man who liked sitting behind a desk and pushing papers. That was more fitted to Jericho’s temperament, which was great for an alpha, and Ledger was happy he wasn’t one.

The walkie-talkie beeped and he grabbed it to answer. “Yeah?”

“Call for you,” the dispatcher announced. “It’s Jericho.”

“Tell him I’ll call him right back, as soon as I finish this pile.”

“Will do.”

A few minutes later, he secured the crane and watched the trailer rumble away. Ledger hopped from the cab and into a golf cart, driving it across the lumberyard where the office trailer resided. He grabbed his cell phone and called Jericho.

“I’ve been trying to reach you,” Jericho said, not bothering to give a greeting.

“Left my cell in the office,” he explained. “What’s up?”

“I think I need you here.”

“In Sheridan?”

“Yeah. We’re starting the new houses and I can’t supervise.”

That was completely unlike his alpha. Jericho liked to keep his thumb on all projects. Even when he was sick, he’d demanded updates and ran the budget. “What’s going on?”

“Two refugee wolves arrived,” he replied. “An older woman and her niece, who survived wolfsbane poisoning, although it fucked up her legs.”

“Jesus,” he said. “How young?”

“Twenties, I think. Kinda hard to determine since she’s recovering.”

“Does she know who did it?”

“Her sister.”

Shock filled him. “Wow. That’s fucked up.”

“Yep. I’m gonna try my damndest to help her, but it’s going to be a long road for her.”

“Poor thing,” Ledger murmured. “I think Roger would be the best man to manage the yard here.”

“I agree,” Jericho said. “How long will it take you to get here?”

“I’ll talk with Roger as soon as I hang up, so I should be able to start driving first thing in the morning.”

“Thanks, Ledger. See you soon.”

Ledger hung up and grabbed his walkie-talkie. “Roger, can you come to the trailer?”

****

He woke up early, brewed coffee, and poured it into a travel mug. He packed a few changes of clothing, locked up, and hopped into his truck. He had no idea how long Jericho would need him, but if he needed more clothing he’d just buy more.

It was a nineteen-hour drive, and that didn’t include bathroom breaks and stopping for food. He arrived in Sheridan in the early morning the next day, too tired to do much of anything except pull into Jericho and Payton’s driveway, climb into the back of the cab, and fall asleep.

A knock on his widow roused him. Rubbing his eyes, he sat up and saw Jericho wave at him. Opening the door, he got out and stretched, then yawned as he scratched his beard.

“You could’ve knocked,” Jericho said dryly. “You didn’t have to sleep in your truck.”

“Eh,” he muttered and pointed to the mug Jericho held. “I could use some of that, though.”

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