Winnie leans in. “You think he’s hot.”
“Don’t you talk about your brother that way.” I slap at her and back away, my hands raised in defensive mode.
Winnie raises an eyebrow.
“Fine. Yes, Cord is gorgeous. I’d have to be blind not to see that.”
“I knew it!” Winnie straightens and then wrinkles her nose as she studies my moose tee. “If I can’t convince you to change, then you need to do something with your hair.”
“What’s wrong with my hair?” I lift a handful of braid from where it hangs down my back. “You’ve been fussing with it all morning—oh.”
Winnie sighs at the mess fluffing out from either side as I send her an accusing glare. “Bathroom. Now.”
Forty minutes later, I boast a head full of dark curls that glint black cherry red in the weak Cloakton morning sunlight.
“I love your hair. You don’t even have to color it,” Winnie moans.
I pull my new curls away from her grasping hands, curving about them like a protective mother eagle about her chicks. “Keep your hands off. I’m going to belate.”
“Oh, he’ll hate that.” Winnie’s eyes light up with undisguised glee.
I shake my head and leave her to her plotting. Who am I to get in the way of my matchmaker BFF extraordinaire? I take a breath meant to calm myself and manage to inhale Cord’s ghost instead. Goose bumps prickle my arms. There’s a cowboy I have to meet.
Valiant Peak boasts a population of 831 souls, according to the peeling sign at the southern edge of the small township. My car meanders along the mostly deserted main street, searching for the building with the dire wolf sign. Spotting it, I pull into an empty parking lot in front of a shiny red six-wheeler truck. The vehicle glows brand-new, apart from a smattering of dust beneath the wheel arches, and practically hasI can’t afford to scratch the paintworkwritten all over it.
I fuss with my water bottle, my stomach clenching as I try not to look for Cord, who is hopefully somewhere nearby on the sidewalk. My personal contingent of butterflies returns in force.I can’t stay in the car forever.Sucking in a deep breath, I stare at the dire wolf banner. Today is about wolves, not cowboys… But then the Valiant Peak Rodeo sign flaps and all I can see is the silhouette of Cordell’s broad shoulders.
Focus on the wolves, Lanie…
The driver’s door pulls open at my side. An ignominious squeak escapes from my mouth as a hand twice the size of mine wraps around my own, and a jolt runs up my arm before I recognize the callused hand’s owner.
“Hey. Are you okay in there?” Cord’s ice-blue eyes stare into mine. A smile that’s anything but chilly steals my remaining oxygen.
I resemble a guppy seeking air as he tugs me out of my seat. My eyes level with the same broad chest I’ve been perving on thanks to the version of the man in front of me. His silhouette also hangs over our heads. Either way, he fills out his blue shirt way too well.Cord’s breath brushes my cheek as he leans one arm over me, braced against the roof of my car in a steadying gesture.
“Sorry, I’m a bit late. Winnie—” I break off.
Frisson ekes its way along my arm wherever his bulk brushes my body, despite the layers of jacket and shirt. My excuse that his sister primped me like a show dog gets jammed somewhere between my brain and my mouth and never makes it any further.
“Don’t worry about it. You look gorgeous. I love these.” Cord’s deep voice shatters my wayward thoughts as he slides his fingers into my hair. He twists one curl around his fingers, drawing me in. Warmth emanates from his chest, creating a flush beneath my jacket. His gaze drops to my lips. “I got here a little early. Figured there’s someone you should meet.”
“Thank you,” I manage, sure my cheeks match my everything as he releases the captured curl. Crisp air replaces his touch. I suck in a breath, the cool air a much-needed reprieve.
He leads us along the sidewalk, dodging a granny who seems intent on her walker path with a singular focus I envy. Cord halts in front of the building bearing the giant dire wolf sign before I realize he still holds my hand.
“Who’s heading up the witc—ah, the tourist attraction?” I ask, trying to focus on the building, despite that the sheer presence of the man towering beside me sets every nerve ending tingling.
“Pollux Jenkins.” Cord grimaces. “He’s reasonably fanatical about removing anything with sharpened canines from the face of the planet, but he makes up for that little gem of a personality flaw with his total lack of personal hygiene. Are you ready, or do you want to ease into this with a coffee first?”
Cord’s thumb brushes circles over the back of my hand as he speaks, sending extra shivers along my arm. I wonder if he knows he’s doing it. Not that I’ve tried detaching my hand from his.Mynot-date. Ha. I shove Winnie’s snickering shade to the recesses of my mind. I’ll deal with her later. Cord’s presence alone draws me closer to him, but when his attention turns fully to me, it’s like standing under a powerful spotlight.
I nod, pressing the pads of my fingers to the back of his hand, trying not to react to the goose bumps sliding over my skin beneath the cover of my tee, thankfully.
“Mister Pollux Jenkins sounds attractive. Let’s do it.” Besides, we can top up on coffee later and debrief afterward.
Cord pushes the dire wolf building’s door open, leading us into a dimly lit room. Overhead, taxidermized beasts of all sorts snarl at anyone who dares enter their domain. Stuffed and balding, most look like they could use a good dusting.
“Two of those are on the endangered list,” I murmur, counting dire wolf pups in my head so I don’t scream their injustices aloud the moment I see the first other human in this place of horrors. My hand tightens around Cord’s by reflex. I’m grateful he doesn’t pull away when I spot endangered creature number three, plus the poorly patched hole on its side where something went in…or got pulled out.
