Gunner bent over the calf, checking for who knew what while Rick dismounted and headed toward the gully on the other side. She didn’t have to ask to know what was lying there.
Gunner straightened up as his brother came to his side. “She’s dead?”
She trembled when Rick didn’t answer right away.
“No.”
The mother had survived. “Should I ride back to the house and call the vet?” At least there was hope for one of the animals.
Rick’s face said otherwise. “No. She’s too badly injured.”
“But I don’t understand. You said she was alive.” Did he plan on lifting it onto his horse? That didn’t make sense, given the weight of the animal.
Rick let out a ragged breath, and for the first time, appeared defeated. He strode to his horse, stopped as though reconsidering his plan, then pulled the rifle free of its holder.
He couldn’t be serious. And yet, the tautness of his back, the fierceness of his expression, said he was.
“Rick, no. You can’t kill her.”
He walked back toward the gully. “I have to.”
She jumped off her horse and ran to his side. The cow lifted its head and let out another baleful moan. Mallory turned away. The cow’s insides were pulled out of her body and she was covered in blood. It was a wonder that she was still alive. But she was alive.
“We have to try and help her. Please, let me get the vet. I can lead him back here.”
He yanked his phone out of his pocket. “Don’t you think I want to call him? But it’s no use. She’s already as good as dead. Even the vet can’t save her.”
“At least let him try.” She couldn’t, wouldn’t let him kill the poor animal. Wasn’t it enough that her baby was dead? She clutched his arm, but he yanked it away.
“Let it go. The only thing I can do now is to put her out of her misery.”
“No, don’t. We can think of something. Please, give her a chance.”
He broke away from her a second time. “Damn it. Stop grabbing my arm before you get hurt.”
“But you can’t. I’ll do anything. I’ll call for help and bring the best veterinarian in that I can find. You can’t just—”
It happened so fast that her mind couldn’t comprehend it. The blast of the rifle discharging stunned her, bringing her to an abrupt stop. Fresh blood spurted from the wound in the cow’s head.
Gunner took her by the shoulders and pulled her into his arms. She shook, unable to control her body’s reaction. Closing her eyes and blocking out the sight of Rick, the rifle still in his hand, she pushed her face against Gunner’s chest and let the tears she’d fought against so valiantly take over. Rick’s footsteps echoed in the ensuing silence as he strode back to his horse.
“She was still alive. He didn’t have to kill her.”
Gunner would agree with her. But if so, why hadn’t he stopped Rick from killing an animal that needed help?
She flattened her hands against his chest and lifted her gaze to his. “He shouldn’t have shot her. We could’ve gotten help. He could’ve at least let us try.” He was with her in this. He had to be.
“Mallory…”
She refused to believe he wouldn’t agree. “What is it? You know he was wrong to shoot her.” She searched him, trying, hoping he’d say yes.
“No, baby, he wasn’t wrong. It was the only thing he could’ve done. It was the humane thing to do. She was beyond help.”
Pain tore her apart like she had a rabies-infected animal caught inside her trying to get out. She stumbled away from him, too sickened to touch him any longer.
“Get a grip, woman.”
“Get a grip?” She whirled to confront Rick who had just shoved his rifle back into its case. “Get a grip? Are you fucking kidding me? You shot that poor animal without even thinking about ways to save her. You did it without feeling a damn thing about it, too.”
“Come on, baby, you know it’s not like that.”
“Do I, Gunner? I don’t think so.” She backed away, keeping her distance from Rick who had gotten back on his horse. “Maybe this is the real you. Maybe you’ve put on a show this whole time and now I’ve finally gotten to see the real Northman men.”
“Baby, you’ve got to listen—”
“No, Gunner.” Rick’s expression was filled with a sadness that she’d never seen. “Let her talk.”
She knew she’d better stop, but she couldn’t. Had she been wrong about them from the start? Had she given not only her body, but her heart to two men who could be so ruthless?
“You shot her and I think you liked it.”
“Mallory,”—the warning was clear in Rick’s voice—”you’re going too far.”
She kept her eyes on Rick as he leaned forward in the saddle. The softness of his voice chilled her more than any of his heated outbursts.
“I’m going to say this once and that’s the end of it. Only God Almighty could’ve helped her. And if you hadn’t noticed, I’m not a god. I’m just a man trying to run a ranch in times that make it anything but easy. I treat my animals with respect and I try to treat people the same way. That fucking wolf terrorized her. He killed her calf, then dragged her through a barbed wire fence. Then he came after her.”
She took in the downed fence. What kind of wolf could break a fence like that? Not an average size one, but the one she’d seen in the barn could have.
“These animals aren’t our pets. We treat them right, but in the end, ranching’s a business. Sometimes it can be a rough business, a heartless business. When an animal needs to be put down, then we do it. We don’t like it, but we do it because that’s what’s right for the animal. Despite what you might think right now, we don’t let our animals suffer. To not put her down would’ve been cruel. That’s the way it is on a ranch. If you can’t handle that, then maybe you need to leave.”
He wanted her to leave? He couldn’t have hurt her more if he’d pulled out his rifle and shot her.
“Rick, shut the hell up.” Gunner shook his head, his glare still aimed at his brother. “He didn’t mean it, baby.”
She didn’t want to believe him, didn’t want to let the nagging idea that he was right surface past her heartache. Defiance and stubbornness joined her denial. “I know you’re hiding things from me.” The need to confront them had finally boiled to the surface. Her pain and her fury had to have a target, and right then, that target was Rick.
She’d gone that far and there was no turning back. Her plan had failed, so what did she have to lose? “I’m talking about how your eyes get this amber color in them whenever you’re turned on or angry.” She pointed at Rick. “See? That’s not a normal change in color.”
Rick closed his eyes. Had he done so out of frustration or to hide the amber from her?
“And your arm. You can’t tell me that your wound just went away. Hell, even a scratch would still have left a mark on your arm.”
He opened his eyes, eyes that were filled with pain. “Are you finished?”
“Answer me, damn it.” She clenched her fists, holding back the need to strike out. “I swear, if you two don’t give me some answers, I
will
leave.” She narrowed her eyes at Rick. “But I guess that’s what you’re wanting anyway.”
A flash of the tender side of Rick came back, but it was gone so fast she wondered if she’d even seen it.
“I shouldn’t have said that. Gunner’s right. I didn’t mean it. I spoke out of anger. But at the same time, if you can’t accept us the way we are, then what else is there to say? It’s your choice, Mallory. All I ask is that you make it soon. Don’t drag it out.” Rick took hold of the reins, then swung his horse around. He turned and gave her another sorrowful look, then put his horse into a gallop.
She couldn’t stand all the emotions warring inside her. Seeing the cow put down had struck her in the core, digging its sharp claws into her. Part of her denied that he was right, and yet, another part, the part of her that reasoned, grew louder.
“Baby, try and understand. Rick’s not the best with words, but once his anger takes over…” He closed his eyes as though gathering his resolve, then opened them and met her gaze. “We want you to stay. More than anything, we want you to stay. Let me talk to him.”
She yearned to hold him, but couldn’t give into the need. He sighed and stepped away.
“And what about the poor animals?”
Gunner mounted his horse. “There’s nothing we can do now except drag their carcasses back to the house and dispose of them.”
“He just shot her. Without even trying to get her help.” She clung to her need to be right. Was it a matter of ranch life? Or were Rick and Gunner not the caring men she’d thought they were?
“You’re wrong about that.” He glanced in the direction Rick had gone. “You pushed him when he didn’t deserve it, Mallory. He’s as torn up about the animals as you are. Maybe more so. Your pushing him didn’t help things.” He leaned back in the saddle and took the reins. “Are you coming?”
“In a minute.”
Gunner looked in the direction Rick had gone. “I don’t like leaving you out here by yourself.”
“I’m okay. It’s not that far anyway. I want some time alone. Please. I’ll be all right.”
He didn’t like it. That much was written all over his face. “Can you get back to the house on your own?”
“Yes.” She wiped fresh tears away, tears that had nothing to do with the cow and her calf. “Should I leave?”
“Hell, no. I’m asking you to stay. Don’t let Rick’s short temper run you off. Please, Mallory, stay. I promise you we’ll answer all your questions when you get back.”
She tried to answer, but the words caught in her throat.
“Okay, then. See you at the house. But if you’re not back in five minutes, I’m coming back here.” Settling his hat farther onto his head, he spurred his horse into a gallop and rode off.
She wanted to do more for the cow and her calf, but what? Knowing that the ranchers, and most anyone else, might think her crazy, she stood over first one then the other animal and said a small prayer.
The ride back to the house lasted longer than she’d thought it would. It was as though the horror had seeped into her body and taken away all her incentive to hurry.
* * * *
Gunner wasn’t like a lot of werebears who didn’t like werewolves. He figured they were like anyone else. There were good ones and there were bad ones. Jacob Carr was one of the good werewolves from the nearby town of Forever. Still, it wasn’t a welcomed sight to see Jacob standing in front of their house talking with an already irritated Rick.
They were deep in conversation by the time he’d looped his horse’s reins around the hitching bar next to Rick’s horse. They’d take care of their mounts, brushing them down and giving them feed after Jacob left.
“We’re doing all we can. You know that, Rick.”
“Then you’re not doing enough.”
Jacob was a reasonable man, but Gunner had to admit that Rick could get under even the most level-headed man’s skin when he was in a mood. And he was definitely in a mood.
“And what are you bears doing about it?”
“It’s a damn werewolf that’s doing the killing. That makes him your problem, not ours.”
Rick took a step forward, his gaze locked with Jacob’s. For both werewolves and werebears, it was a confrontational gesture. Gunner got between then, then shot his brother a warning look.
“We’re going out every night. Hell, we haven’t had two hours a night to rest or to spend with our new mate. And it’s getting harder to keep things from her.”
“Then why didn’t you tell her?” Jacob’s intense look said it all. “If she’s really your intended mate.”
“Mallory’s the one, all right, and we should’ve told her before now. But I wanted to have enough time to explain it to her, time enough to stay by her side while she tried to accept it. No way would I leave then even if the damn wolf came onto our land again. I wanted to break it to her without all this other shit getting in the way.” Rick growled. “Fuck, I don’t know why I’m telling you any of this.”
“I did tell her, but she didn’t believe me.” Gunner’s own bear twisted his gut, warning him that it was about to break free. “Rick’s right. When I told her she didn’t believe me. It’s going to take time to prove it to her and more time to get her to accept it.”
“It’s none of your damn business anyway how we handle her.” Rick’s inner beast was at the surface. His eyes blazed amber and his growl was filled more with the sound of a beast than with a man’s groan. “Just know this, Jacob. Once we catch up to that fucking werewolf bastard, we’re going to get payback for our losses. After that, you werewolves can have him.”
“Rick”—Jacob’s face hardened—“you know that’ll cause problems. If you get to him first, you hand him over, unhurt. Do you get my meaning?”
Shit. If he didn’t diffuse the situation soon, there’d be hell to pay. It had taken a while, but the werewolf pack of Forever and the werebear clan of Shatland had forged a tenuous truce, hoping to live in peace. The vampires, who for some unknown reason tended to favor the werewolves, had helped in the process. He didn’t want to see a war break out now.
“Jacob, we’re in this together.” He pushed back a snarling Rick. “We’re doing whatever we can to help out, but this is a rogue werewolf.”
It was almost funny to see a werewolf look sheepish. No shifter wanted to see one of their kind go bad. “Yeah, he is. We still don’t have any idea who he is. Or if he’s working with others. I can promise you, though, that he’s not from Forever.”
Rick snorted, a derisive sound that had Jacob pulling back his lips in a snarl. “Like we can trust a werewolf’s word.”
“Damn it, Rick, knock it off. Jacob’s one of the good ones. He keeps his pack in line.”
Rick met his gaze, then backed off. “He got two more of ours.”
Jacob groaned, but at least the sound held more groan than growl. “The town had a meeting about the problem. We’re going to do our best to compensate any werebear who lost stock.”
That was more than he’d expected. He had to give Jacob and his brothers, Jayden and Jackson, respect for that. Being the unofficial leaders of the werewolves in Forever, they’d no doubt had a large part in coming to that decision.
“That’d be appreciated. Tell your brothers that we’ve got most of our people out checking their herds every night. If anyone catches this werewolf, we’ll give you a call.”