Saddled Bearback (BBW Shifter Cowboy Romance) (Bear Ranchers Book 2) Read online

  “Morning,” he said.

  “Hi,” Jamie said frowning. “How did you get here so quickly? You live in Sun Valley, that’s what forty minutes away?”

  Jesse nodded and smiled. “You are correct. But I was over visiting my cousin Wyatt. He stays two farms over.”

  “That was lucky for us,” Jamie said.

  “Yes, now while you’re blabbing my cattle are being picked off,” her father said. “Let’s go.”

  He pushed them out into the early morning. Ander drove them in his truck. It was the same old workhorse that Jamie had ridden in as a kid and still going strong. The red paint was scratched and it was still dented a little over the front left light, where Jamie had driven into a post when learning to drive.

  Squashed into the front seat of the truck, since it was that or on the back in the still-falling rain, Jamie was terribly aware of Jesse. He smelled so nice, not artificial like Oliver, but natural. And his leg touching hers was warm. Jamie tried to keep her mind on the cattle, but the treacherous thing would have none of it. As they bumped along, knocking into each other when the going got really interesting and her father said, “Hold on now.” Jamie noticed each time her hand hit his, or her leg bumped up against his. It was like being in school and having a crush on someone you were supposed to be just friends with. Each touch was electrifying and secret.

  Jesse sat passively watching the rain in the headlights as around them the darkness and rain pressed in.

  They reached the field and Jesse hopped out making his way to the fence. Then Jamie followed him with her father staying in the truck. He turned on the truck’s floodlights angling them into the field. Now they could see the cattle. They were scared, huddled up in one corner of the paddock.

  “There’s something here alright,” Jesse said. He had his face tilted up as though he was smelling something. “It’s down there,” pointed into the area where the light didn’t reach. Ander was watching them from the truck and he quickly turned the lights, sending them streaming to the other end of the field.

  The rain had become a fine mist, settling on their clothes and hair. It made Jesse sparkle in the floodlights like he was surrounded in diamonds.

  Jamie’s gaze left him as a shape began to resolve itself in the light. She gasped.

  Not far from where they were a cow lay on its side in the mud. It was obviously dead. She could see great rends in the poor beast’s flesh and its limbs were at strange angles. Its head was turned right around so the mouth faced them, the tongue lolling out of the corner as though the cow was making a joke.

  “Those bastards!” she said hotly.

  “It’s still here,’ Jesse said, his eyes never leaving the carcass.

  Jamie wanted to ask him how he knew but he shook his head slightly and she stayed quiet.

  Suddenly a face appeared above the dead cow. It was a wolf face that was certain, but there was something odd about it. The expression on it, and it had a clear expression, was one of victory and taunting as though the beast had somehow won something. It didn’t take fright at the light, instead it stood up and bared its teeth, standing with its front paws on the dead cow like a hunter posing for a picture.

  Jamie felt rage build up inside her. How dare this animal take anything from her! This was her ranch, her family, her cattle. She took a step forward, bristling with indignant anger. Jesse put his arm out without looking at her.

  “Not if you want to live,” he said.

  Jamie looked up at him and noticed that his eyes never strayed from the wolf’s. They were staring at each other. She could feel something passing between them, an animosity that seemed greater than just a man or a wolf.

  And then her father raised his gun and shot at the creature. Jamie hadn’t noticed him come up from the truck.

  The shot went a little wide, hitting the cow carcass. The wolf should have taken fright and bolted, but it didn’t, it just stared at them, and then casually sauntered off into the retreating darkness.

  In a flash Jesse was over the fence and running through the field. He moved fast, very fast and Jamie and her father watched him go. He reached the carcass and stopped. Then he moved around it a few times, looking at the dirt. He knelt down once, and then again in a different spot. Then he walked back to them.

  “Mr. Campbell I think it’s safe to say that you have a very serious problem,” Jesse said, “One that is best discussed inside.”

  Ander nodded. “There’s nothing more we can do out here anyhow,” he said.

  The two men picked up the dead cow and, with an effort, loaded it into the back of the truck. Then they drove back to the house as all around them the darkness receded as the sun’s rays broke through the clouds and turned everything pink.

  Jamie put on a pot of coffee and sat at the table with her father and Jesse waiting for it to perc. The whole ride back Jesse had been tense and silent. Even her father had been rather terse, and now sat at his table with hands folded.

  “You know what that was,” Jesse asked his eyes on his own hands.

  Her father nodded. “Seen it before. A long time ago but I remember well.”

  “This one has a problem with you, you can tell by the way it’s behaving. Showing off like that. It’s messy, a way to get caught,” Jesse said.

  “I’ve heard the younger ones can be cocky,” Ander said looking grave.

  Jamie looked from Jesse to her father thoroughly lost.

  “What are you saying? We have a cocky wolf problem?” Jamie asked laughing. “That’s absurd.” Then seeing the looks on their faces she said, “Well it is!”

  “Not really,” Jesse said with not a trace of his usual humor.

  Jamie looked at her father, hoping for some clarity but he just sighed, looking more exhausted than she’d ever seen him.

  “Sometimes I wonder,” he said. “I just don’t know any more.”

  “We can beat this,” Jesse said with such conviction Jamie was impressed. “It won’t be the first time or the last. With your permission Mr. Campbell I’d like to call some friends. They are real good at dealing with this sort of situation.”

  “Hell, call me Ander. Since I seem to have drawn you into this mess we might as well be on first name terms,” Ander said. “Yeah, call them. We have to keep the cattle and what’s left of my family safe.”

  Jamie felt horribly left out of this conversation. She stood up with force, making her chair grate on the floor, scraping it loudly.

  “Jamie!” her father scolded, “The floor!”

  “Oh, how nice of you to remember I’m here,” she said sarcastically. “So are you two going to let me into this little club or what?”

  She glared at them both. Her father looked ready to explode at her and Jesse looked uncertain. Then he stood up, lifting his chair carefully.

  “I’ll make that call,” he said and left the room. He headed out of the back door into the yard where the sun was peeking over the trees.

  Jamie rounded on her father. “What the hell, dad? I need to know what’s going on as much as anyone. This farm is my home too you know and I work very hard…”

  “You do,” he said. “I know I’ve been stupid. You’re not a little girl anymore, and you deserve to know the truth.”

  “What truth?” Jamie was just about jumping out of her skin.

  “There aren’t only humans in this world. There are other creatures too, ones that look human, right up until they don’t. You saw one just an hour ago.”

  Jamie considered this and then folded her arms pursing her lips, “Really? Dad how gullible do you think I am? Werewolves? Please!”

  “They are real Jamie. And that thing that killed the cow tonight, it was a werewolf!”

  “How do you know?”

  “By the way it acted. You can’t tell me that you think that was normal for a wolf? You know how wolves behave, never that sure, that openly aggressive and not afraid.” Ander pushed his chair back and stood up. “You want me to take your opinions seriously
around here, then start believing me. I don’t lie to you Jamie. Werewolves are real and if we’re being targeted then we have a very serious problem.” He left the room.

  Jamie stood for a moment stunned and then sagged into a chair.

  She looked up a moment later when the backdoor opened. Oliver strode into the room.

  “Thought you’d be up at the cattle,” he said.

  “Why would you think that?” Jamie said.

  He looked flustered for a moment and then said, “Aren’t you always up at the cows?”

  Jamie nodded. “We lost one last night. Killed by a wolf.”

  “That’s unfortunate, but it’s the circle of life I guess.” Oliver said and walked over to the coffee pot. He grabbed a mug from the cupboard and poured himself a coffee. Then he sighed, “Well I’m going up to change.”

  “Where were you all night?” Jamie asked. She was in no mood and something about her cousin was annoying her more than ever.

  He sipped the hot liquid and met her stare. “I was out on a date.”

  “Who with?”

  “You don’t know her, she’s from Pritchard. We watched the sunrise together. What’s it to you?”

  “Nothing,” Jamie said and turned away. She needed a holiday from her life.

  Just then Jesse came back in smiling. “My guys will be here in about an hour. Then we’ll get busy. Oh hi Oliver,” he said extending a hand to him. “I’m Jesse.”

  “I’m Operations Manager of this place. I know who you are,” Oliver said not shaking his hand.

  Jesse smiled and took his hand back. Then he leaned a little towards Oliver and nodded once so slightly Jamie almost missed it.

  Suddenly the kitchen was the last place on earth that Jamie wanted to be so, taking Jesse’s arm she led him outside.

  In the yard she stopped walking when they were halfway to the barn.

  “He annoys the living shit out of me!” she swore.

  “That I can see,” Jesse said smiling. “Hey it’s okay. He seems like a douche bag.”

  “He is. But do you think my father sees it? Oh no! Oliver got his degree in business management and now my father thinks the sun shines out of his ass.”

  Jesse chuckled. “You are so cute when you’re angry.”

  Jamie slapped him on the arm, but it was half-hearted. “I’m serious!”

  “So am I,” Jesse said smiling at her.

  Something came over Jamie then. She was never sure if it was the morning sunlight on Jesse’s blonde hair making him shine like an angel, or the smile that really would be the undoing of saints, but she stood on her tip toes and gently planted a kiss on his lips.

  At first Jesse was clearly surprised. Jamie sank back down and was about to turn when Jesse pulled her to him. “You call that a kiss?” he said and he leant down to her. Then he kissed her. Jamie felt her knees go weak. He tasted as fresh as he smelled and it didn’t help that she could feel his tight, muscular body pressed up against hers.

  After an age, they separated and Jamie looked around. “Sorry,” she said feeling the blush start. “I don’t know what came over me.”

  “Oh, it’s not your fault,” Jesse said, “It’s my animal magnetism, you were powerless to resist it.”

  An hour later, Jesse’s friends arrived. Tyler was the first one out of the truck and he enfolded Jamie in a bear hug.

  “Jamie!” he said squeezing her. “You look tired and stressed, but do not fear, your salvation has arrived.” Then he turned to the rest of them his arms wide, “Am I right?”

  “You’re an ass,” Jesse said but he hugged his brother. “Thanks for coming, bro.”

  “Hey, it’s nothing and you know it,” another man said. He was tall and broad shouldered with dark blonde hair and a joker smile. He extended his hand to Jamie, “The name’s Kyle, ma’am. Pleased to be of service.”

  “Jamie,’ Jamie said. “Ma’am was my mother.”

  Kyle nodded gravely. “Good woman from what I hear.”

  ‘She was,” Jamie said.

  Then she was introduced to the last two members of the gang. They were Ryan Hunt, tall with dark hair, and Wyatt Wade, who doffed his hat to her.

  “And just so as you know, Wyatt’s about to get married so no flirting with him,” Jesse said. Jamie slapped his arm again.

  “Do you have any social filters at all?” she asked.

  He shook his head. “Not really.”

  They took Wyatt’s truck out to the cattle with Jamie directing them. She and Jesse were sitting next to each other up front with him, the others in the back. They could hear them laughing and cracking jokes. Jamie noticed that Wyatt had the exact same eye color as Jesse and remarked on it.

  “Well, he’s my cousin,” Jesse said smiling.

  “Yup,” Wyatt said. “Guilty. So if this little squirt gives you any trouble, you call me and I’ll sort him out for you.”

  Jamie laughed at that.

  “I think I can handle him,” she said.

  Wyatt eyed her. “Of that I have no doubt,” he said.

  They spent a long day in the fields. The sun came out breaking the clouds into huge floating islands. This made the day humid and uncomfortably warm. Soon all the men had their shirts off as they worked. Jesse had a plan and everyone took direction from him Jamie included, even though she didn’t really understand what they were doing all the time. Some of it seemed highly suspicious but they assured her that when it came to werewolf proofing, they were the best in the business.

  “How do you know what to do?” she asked Tyler when he was taking a break. He rubbed his arm across his forehead.

  “Well.”

  “We’re were-bears,” Kyle said with no preamble at all.

  Then when Tyler and Wyatt threw clods of earth at him, he held up his hands saying, “What? She was going to find out anyway.”

  “How do you figure?” Wyatt asked.

  Kyle just smiled. “It’s all over her and if you can’t smell it then…”

  “What is?” Jamie said, sniffing her arms but the guys just laughed. “No seriously guys, what are you talking about?” And then as it sank in, Jamie stood with her mouth open. Of course. That’s why Jesse was so good with animals, why he had known that the creature who killed the cow was a werewolf. It all made sense now. Jamie searched inside herself to see if this revelation about the guy she had kissed earlier changed how she felt about these people.

  “What’s going on here?” Jesse asked as he walked over to them.

  Jamie just about choked on her own saliva. He glistened, each perfectly formed muscle just there. He stood so close to her that her arm hairs stood on end. And then he smiled and Jamie had to go back to the truck urgently to get more water for everyone.

  Standing at the truck she realized that she didn’t give a rat’s butt that he was a were-bear. She was falling for Jesse in the worst possible way and his species was the furthest thing from her mind.

  When she came back she was much more in control and she handed out water bottles. Jesse took his and their fingers touched. Jamie broke out in goosebumps.