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Chapter Eight
Tadeo
“Where is she?” I came in to find the place lit up like a Yule tree and Sawyer in the kitchen stirring a pot that smelled like his “famous” chicken soup. It started out in a can, but he added so many ingredients it was hard to tell. You didn’t lose the female along the way, did you?”
“If I had, would I be cooking her dinner? There was some steak left, too, so I thought soup and sandwich? And maybe we’d have a mug of soup to keep her company.”
“And the trespasser we took into our custody is doing what right now?”
“I was showering.” The bathroom door opened, letting out a blast of steam and the scent of our shampoo and soap. “For which I’m grateful.” Her blonde hair was wrapped in a towel on her head, her body enveloped in a set of my mate’s sweats, leaving only her face and hands and feet visible. But in the well-lit room, I was able to see what I hadn’t before. Those luminous eyes were green with flecks of gold and a gold ring around the iris. Her cheeks were flushed, her stance determined. “I would be grateful for a place to sleep, but in the morning, I’ll be on my way.”
“You will?” I leaned an elbow on the pass-through counter where my mate was setting out the food. “Just like that? You remember being caught trespassing on our lands? Upsetting the cattle? We’ll require an explanation before we decide what to do with you. I’m not sure what your pack considers criminal, but for ours, you’ve violated several rules.”
“I didn’t see any no trespassing signs or anything else to indicate I’d crossed onto your lands. If I had, I’d have gone around, but I don’t see how I can be held responsible for walking through a public mountain pass, down the trail, and into an unmarked field.”
Sawyer came around into the living room. “You didn’t see the signs hung on the fence, Analise?”
“I didn’t see a fence.” Her hands perched on her hips, her defiant posture verging on disrespectful.
“You had to have,” he argued. “You must have climbed it or opened a gate to enter the pasture. If you’re not truthful, we can’t help you.”
Not that helping her concerned me, much, but if my mate sought honestly, I’d have to give it to him as well. “I don’t think she’s lying. Remember I said I was concerned about fencing?”
He nodded.
“A section was down. Near the trail from the pass.”
“You said you weren’t familiar with this side of the mountains, didn’t you?” Sawyer helpfully put in, and while she didn’t agree neither did she deny it.
I pictured the damaged fence in my mind, recalling its location and the length that had come down. “You had to have walked over it, especially as torn up as your feet were.” I lowered my gaze to where her pink-polished toes with their cuts and scratches showed under the bottom of the too-long sweatpants. “As torn up as they are.”
She looked, too, and winced. “They’re fine. I washed them in the shower and found some antibiotic ointment in the cabinet. I hope that was all right to use.”
“Of course.” I brushed aside her query. “But do you expect us to believe you didn’t notice the downed fence?”
“Believe what you choose. I did not notice, but I was very tired and cold and bruised, and my wolf might well have been more focused on making distance than a piece of wire or something.”
Wood and wire. “I fixed it, temporarily, Sawyer. In the morning, if the weather holds, I’ll take a crew out, as we discussed, but it should hold a few days at least, if necessary.”
“Good. Could we continue this discussion over some hot soup before it’s lukewarm?” Sawyer pulled the stools out, and I sat on the left, the female taking the one on the far right. If it was good alpha, bad alpha, the female, Analise, had chosen which was which.
She waited until we both lifted our mugs before reaching for hers. “It’s good,” she commented, the only words spoken then while we sipped soup and our guest/trespasser ate every crumb of her sandwich and accepted a refill of soup. “Really good. And the steak was the best I’ve ever had. Your own cattle?”
“Yes,” Sawyer replied. “I’m glad you like it.”
“I expected a housekeeper to come in and cook. We had—” Her cheeks flushed again. “I mean, you’re alphas, and probably very busy with pack business.”
“No.” Sawyer stood and went around to the kitchen side where he gathered the dishes and carried them over to the sink. “We prefer the privacy of taking care of ourselves to having someone here all the time. And yes, we’re busy, but we don’t mind. The others in the pack also have dirty dishes and laundry to take care of. Why should we expect them to do ours?”
Shock reflected in her expression, but she clamped her mouth closed and gave a nod.
“In your pack, the alpha has household help.”
“I thought all alphas did.” She shrugged. “But my experience is limited. Thank you for the shower. And the meal.”
“You’re welcome. We would do the same for anyone on our lands, but we need to ask you some questions about how you happened to come here. Why don’t you go sit on the sofa while I help Sawyer straighten up?”
“Oh”—she hopped to her feet, dislodging the towel wrapped around her hair and sending it to the floor—“let me help.”
