I’m renewed with hot satisfaction when I spot her mouth curl a little to the side after my introduction. She doesn’t say I’m funny and handsome, but I decide I’ll make sure she does one day.
“Let her stay,” I tell Major.
The words make him stop and watch me with narrowed eyes, but I shrug as if it’s not a big deal. It’s a big deal, and I don’t know if this is the right answer, but the problem remains the same as before. Girl or not, St. James asked for a favor, and we have to say yes.
Major wants to take care of everything, but we all need reassurance from time to time. Heneedsto know we’ll be okay, and I know we are. I can give him this. I wished we had talked more and I had been a part of the decision before it happened, but now is not the time with Vedawatching us carefully. After a long moment of indecision, he accepts my words.
“Great,” she says, while it doesn’t sound truthful. “Can you show me my bedroom?”
“Follow me,” he grunts and takes the lead, marching down the hall.
We all follow him, and it’s not because I’m scared that he’s frustrated enough to start screaming at a girl, but because I need to follow her scent. Is this normal with Betas? I’ve been to Willow Ridge, the nearest town, plenty of times, and I’ve never noticed anything like this.
Major stops by the last room down the hall, an empty guest room that we had to clean up for her. He pushes the door open, a sarcastic wave of his hand that serves to welcome her.
“There you go. This is it.”
It’s probably the Alpha in me that makes me recoil as she steps into the bare bones of a bedroom. We are wired to make the perfect nest for Omegas, and I have to assume that the instinct didn’t die even though Omegas don’t exist anymore.
“We thought you were a guy,” I blab the excuse, rubbing the back of my neck.
The shame burns my cheeks, especially when Major turns to me with a question in his eyes. I shrug because I can’t tell him I want to peel my own skin off. It feels wrong not to give this stranger everything I have.
“We start things early tomorrow, St. James.”
“Call me Darling.” She steps into the room, gripping her luggage after her.
Major scoffs. “You want me to call you darlin’?”
“If you’re going to call me by my last name, then call me Darling. But I’d really prefer it if you don’t call me at all.”
Before we can make sense of those words, she slams the door closed, leaving us three stunned behind.
A moment ticks by, and then Derrick starts chuckling, breaking the tension. I follow suit, and damn, it feels fucking good to laugh. Major seems to have a problem understanding what’s so funny, but eventually, he gives up and walks away, too.
“So a girl,” I say as we come back to the kitchen.
Major’s eyes search the walls as if she’s about to jump out from hiding at any minute.
“St. James forgot to tell me that part.”
“What exactly did he say?” Derrick asks.
Major sighs, throwing the hat he forgot to remove when we entered the house. That’s how rattled he is. He’s forgetting his manners.
“He told me he had a grandkid getting himself in trouble back in Dallas. He said “kid,” but obviously, I assumed it was a man. Why would he send me—” He points at the hall and over to Veda’s room.
“We were expecting a farm hand, and instead we got Barbie?” Derrick chuckles.
She sure looks delicate. Her face is round and soft, with a button nose and full lips. Her nails are painted in the most gorgeous pale pink, which looks so beautiful against her brown skin. She’s all feminine when we are anything but. We are all well over six feet tall, and our shoulders are twice the width of hers.
Major sighs, shaking his head. I wish that he would share more with us. We are all Alphas and supposed to be in brotherhood, but it never feels that way. It feels like Major is our parent, working hard and shielding us from the tough truths. It hurts the bound, but he can’t see it.
“She’ll have to make it work.” He gives the verdict. “Everybody has a job on this ranch. There are plenty of women who are ranch hands.Maybe she's not gonna be strong enough to flip hay, but she can do other stuff. She can feed the animals. She can help.”
He nods to himself, letting us know his mind is set. With a final look around, he leaves, giving the excuse that he has to bring Chaos back to the barn, but we all know he needs time alone on his horse to think things through. The man can’t verbalize his feelings.
“Do you think this is gonna work?” I ask Derrick when we’re alone.
