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He wondered what it would be like to be a part of a pack that had families in it. Nice, he thought. He liked Horse Creek for that reason. The club’s winter home was not far from a small human town, down in California’s Humboldt County. There were kids there. Some of his wolves had families even. But Ryder had experienced growing up in a shifter-human home. He knew the pain it had caused his father to have to die and leave his mother. Knew the nights his mother had grieved, missing her husband.
He had never been tempted to put a woman, or himself, through that. Now, he wouldn’t have to.
“You know, making love among the sagebrush has its downside,” Jessie said in her normal voice.
He raised an eyebrow.
“It’s stickery,” she complained. He grinned, and rolled over, putting her on top. She sprawled across him. “Whoa,” she said. “Less stickery, but it’s damned cold out here.”
He laughed. Then he heard her stomach growl. He just bet she was hungry. After that fight, and then the run? Not to mention all the sex. Good sex. But it burned calories.
Sure beat going to the gym.
“Time for us to go back,” he agreed, his eyes going to her mate mark. It was practically healed — just a small scar there now. He supposed he had one like it. He didn’t think it was supposed to be a two-way marking, but he didn’t care about traditions.
He didn’t care about much right now. He feltgood.
“Ryder, what did I do?” she said, more controlled now, but still troubled.
He shook his head. “You killed a bastard who deserved it,” he said firmly.
“But these voices?” she asked in a small voice. “What are they?”
Ryder had some ideas, but he wasn’t going to tackle this question. “I don’t know, babe; that’s a question for Benny,” he said. “But I do know this, we’re in this together, you and me.”
She searched his face. “You’re a good man, Tom George Garrison,” she said.
He snorted. “So you were awake last night? Figured you were,” he said, accurately guessing where she’d learned his full name. She just smiled at him. “But, no one’s ever called me a good man, and for good reason. I’m not. I’m a mean son of a bitch. But I stand with you. You remember that.”
She smiled and patted his cheek. And then she shifted, taking him by surprise, and headed back to the camp. Ryder swore, shifted, and ran to catch up with her. They trotted into camp side by side.
He wasn’t surprised that the camp was running smoothly when they got back. Titus had real shoes on, and potatoes were baking in the firepit underneath the grill with more venison on it. Two men were missing, so he assumed they were back up on guard duty. His brother was a cautious man.
Jessie changed and dressed rapidly. She went to say something to Titus, and the old man laughed. Ryder changed and dressed too. Jessie was right; it was cold out here. He’d been too focused on other things out there to care —or even notice. He grinned and caught two of his men staring at him. What? They hadn’t seen him grin before?
Well, probably not happily, he conceded. Usually his grin came out right before someone was going to get a beatdown.
Benny was sitting on his bedroll again, in his ‘spot’ next to a large rock. Jessie stood before him, and Ryder scrambled to get there so he could hear. Damn the woman, she needed to learn to wait for him!
And that made him laugh too. His club was going to think he’d lost his mind.
“What did I do?” Jessie was asking Benny when he walked up. Ryder squatted down. It was more comfortable than standing, and it didn’t require his butt being on cold ground.
“Looks like you sealed a mate bond,” Benny said, smiling up at her. “Congratulations. To you both. You’re luckier than you deserve, Ryder.”
“I know,” Ryder said. And he did. Lucky to have found a mate at all. And Jessie was a woman to ride with.
“That’s not what I mean, and you know it,” Jessie said impatiently. Then she softened a bit. “But thanks. We’re both lucky.” She leaned against Ryder, and he shifted his stance a bit so that she didn’t knock him over. That would look just great in front of his men who were pretending to do all kinds of things but were actually focused on the three of them and this conversation.
Benny glanced around, and apparently came to the same conclusion. “Eat,” he said gently. “And then, we’ll go for a walk, the three of us, and we’ll talk it out.”
Ryder got up. Food sounded like a fine idea. Meat, potatoes, and... apples? He rolled his eyes. Apparently, Benny was getting soft these days. But he noted that Jessie grabbed one eagerly and made a mental note. They were going to have to broaden their grub.
Besotted fool, he thought to himself, and couldn’t bring himself to care.
The three of them didn’t talk while they ate, so it didn’t take long for them to head out of camp. Benny led the way up the hill toward the lookout.
“Talk to me, Benny,” Jessie ordered. Ryder was startled by her familiarity until he remembered the two of them had been working closely for the past week at Margarite Lewis’s place. She actually knew Benny better than she knew him.
