“I’m not sure. All I know is that St. James thinks the ranch will do him good.”
“Did they give a notice?” Derrick asks. “Last I heard of this, we didn’t have a date.”
“I got a call last night,” I grit out.
“How crazy do you need to be for your granddaddy to send you away?” Jesse wonders as he stands up and starts looking over the cabinets.
“I don't like this idea. We do things on our own here,” Derrick grunts.
“We always need help. We could always use a ranch hand.”
Jesse starts moving things from the cabinets to the fridge, his eyes eager on every ingredient. I don’t fucking know why he does this when we all know I have to cook if we want something edible.
“Yeah, I don’t see a problem,” Jesse says over his shoulder. “Kid comes here and does some work. It doesn’t sound like a big deal to me. ”
I rub my hand down my face as I watch him take a piece of cheese and start snacking. The man is getting desperate; that much is obvious.
“Goddammit, Jesse,” I groan before pushing him out of my way.
Both Jesse and Derrick chuckle. They like to play with me like that, knowing I’ll take things into my own hands if they look lost enough. There’s too much to be done today. I don’t have time to deal with the mess Jesse will leave in the kitchen if I let him fend for himself. I push him to the side and grab the bacon to fry. He looks eager about my choice, and I grunt, shoving bread in the toaster.
“After breakfast, I’m bringing Chaos down to the north fence for repairs.”
“The storm last week did a number,” Derrick grunts.
“I can feed the animals,” Jesse says, his eyes on the bacon, hoping he’s the first being fed.
“Good.” I nod, my gaze turning to my brother. “The lamp in the chicken coop is broken. Can you take care of that?”
He nods but says nothing. I need to make a few calls regarding our late delivery of pesticide. The first thing our new ranch boy can do is walk around and identify what pests we are dealing with.
The bacon sizzles in the pan, and once it’s ready, I put it on the table, happy when Jesse and Derrick eat their fill. We might be a pack without an Omega, but we are still very much a pack. They don’t know how high the stakes are, but I’d do anything to keep the ranch and survive another year. Even if it means taking a rich delinquent into my home.
After breakfast, I go back to work. The north fence has more damage than I originally thought. I curse when I see the state of things, and I waste most of the day repairing it. Thank fuck Jesse and Derrick are taking care of the animals. Otherwise, I’d have to leave this for tomorrow. However, it’ll be hard to sleep knowing the real state of things.
The sun is setting when I hop on Chaos to head back to the house. My muscles are sore, screaming at me after hours of manual laborwithout a break, but it’s nothing a warm bath won’t fix. I’m in my head when the black SUV breaks the horizon, calling my attention to the newcomers.
My eyes narrow, and I rub my chest as the feeling of wrongness spreads through my body. I’m dreading this just like the rest of my pack brothers, though I try to keep the truth to myself. Betas don’t know anything about the Alpha and Omega townships across this country. They don’t understand what life in a pack means, never saw a knot at the base of an Alpha’s cock or wondered how good an Omega’s perfume is. In my own land, I never need to worry about Betas. They can live happily in ignorance for all I care, but now I’m inviting one to my home. Things are about to change.
I can’t afford to make St. James angry, especially after the storm. Repairs cost money; everything costs money in this damn world. I thought I was at peace with the choice I made, but as the driver hops out of the car to open the door for the kid, I wonder if desperation has clouded my decision too much. I hop off Chaos as I dust off my hands in my jeans, eyes glued to the people invading my land
“Afternoon,” I say to the driver.
He dips his chin, but says nothing in return. He looks out of place here in his black suit and fancy shoes crushing the red dirt. His eyes hold mine for a moment too long, my skin prickles when I feel he’s measuring me up. The moment breaks as his boss climbs out of the car.
Fuck me.
three
Jesse
“And who is this?”
Major’s voice carries from outside to where I sit with the cake I just baked. The kitchen is a fucking mess, and I wish Major wasn’t back already. He’s not going to like the state of things.
I raise an eyebrow at Derrick. He notices the tone in his brother’s voice, just like me. I dust off the flour over my clothes and make my way outside, surprised to find a fancy-ass car on our driveway and the most beautiful woman glaring at my pack brother.
Her curly hair is in a high ponytail, showing off her slender neck. It looks so soft, I have to fight the urge to feel it between my fingers. She’s dressed in a sweatshirt and pants, so fucking simple, yet its pale pink color makes me ache for some unknown reason. I lick my lips as I take her in, every curve and dip, every secret under her clothes. It’s wrong to salivate for some poor girl I just met, but damn, she’s too beautiful, and I’m losing my mind. She has the deepest brown eyes I’ve ever seen, framed by thick, long lashes. When the sun hits them, they look golden.
