Mountain Lion (2 page)

W
yatt tried
to calm the rage flooding him at the sight he’d just seen.

He’d had his suspicions about the character under the duster being a female, so that hadn’t come as much of a shock when he’d accidentally knocked her hat off while trying to rescue her from Dirk.

No, the shocking part had been the bruises covering much of her face, from the right side of her forehead down to her split lip.

He’d never seen anyone so beat up before, and the fact that it was a woman sat extremely ill.

Wyatt hated anyone mistreating women. Anyone caught showing disrespect to a female was instantly fired on his ranch, zero tolerance.

But he’d never expected to see something like this in the world. He knew bad people existed, but someone of that caliber? It made every hair on his body stand up and the cat inside him scream for justice.

Not that anything could ever be just.

He pointed a finger in warning at the men at the bar, none of whom would want to take him in a fight, and then strode out the door after Val.

Valerie, presumably.

She had blond hair and bright-blue eyes. Her coloring reminded him of something, if he really thought about it.

But he wasn’t sure.

First, he had to make sure she was all right.

He found her starting her bike and ran over to it to hold the handles, keeping her still.

She looked up at him with fire in her eyes, plain even amongst the purple bruises surrounding them both.

“Who did this?” he asked.

“None of your business,” she said, trying to jerk her handlebars out of his hands. “Get out of the way.”

He sighed and came around to where she was seated and lifted her up into his arms.

She immediately started shrieking and hissing, clawing at his face, forcing him to set her down. “Don’t you ever do that again! When someone says no, when someone doesn’t want to do something, that’s that!” she spat, getting back on her bike. “Don’t any of you men
get
that?”

He took a step back, eyes widening. Someone had really messed her up. And when Wyatt got his hands on them, they would be more than dead.

“Come back to my place,” he said, putting up placating hands. “It’ll be dark soon and there’s nowhere else to stay. We can talk about a job, again.”

She let out a hiss. “You wouldn’t hire me then, so why would you hire me now? Because I’m a woman? Because you think you’re going to get something from it?”

“Because I can see your face and I know you’re not an axe murderer,” he said, only half teasing. “I mean, I don’t blame you for hiding your gender out here. Rough land. But now that people know, you should come up to my place. Or the McAllisters. I think you’d be safe either way. We wouldn’t let anything happen to you.”

She wrapped her arms over herself tightly, as if to protect herself while she thought.

The strangest protective urges kept surging through Wyatt, but he knew he needed to stay calm. This wasn’t a woman he could strong arm into something. This was someone he had to convince and cajole.

“I’m not going to touch you,” he said. “Or try anything. You’re not my type. Trust me.” That was the truth as well. He liked pretty women who knew how to dress. Not angry women who looked like they wanted to punch him and were determined to pass for a man.

Still, there was something that drew him to her, maybe just his natural protectiveness, maybe something more.

But either way, he couldn’t leave her here or let her out of his sight until he knew she was going to be safe.

“Come eat dinner with me. Stay at the ranch, no charge. We’ll talk about work.” He gestured to her outfit. “You’ll be able to do the job fine if you’re willing to adjust that just a bit.”

She shook her head. “I’m fine. I’m heading out anyway.”

“Not going to apply at the McAllister ranch?” he asked.

“No,” she said flatly. “They don’t need help.”

He felt like an ass. “I didn’t know or I wouldn’t have referred you.”

She shrugged. “It’s fine. Not your problem.”

He couldn’t make her features out that well with the bruises, but he suspected she had a cute button nose and full lips. “Oh, it very much is my problem because I’m the ass who sent you away and made you end up here.” He scratched his head. “You looking for somewhere to stay? That’s why you wanted a job, right?”

“I don’t need your pity,” she growled, trying once again to yank her handlebars out of his grip.

She wouldn’t succeed, though, not against Wyatt’s pureblooded mountain lion shifter strength.

“Look,” he said. “I’ve got horses who need a rider. I can always use more good trainers at the ranch. I have some really beautiful horses up there. You like to ride, right?”

She shook her head, but there was a glitter in her beautiful blue eyes that said he’d gotten her.

“I have Arabians and quarter horses. Anything you could want.”

She bit her lip. “Anything?” Then she narrowed her eyes, which looked slightly painful given the bruising. “How do I know you won’t pull anything?”

He put up his hands. “I guess you’ll just have to trust me.”

She shook her head, sending her matted blond ponytail flying back and forth as a few stray strands whipped her face. “I don’t trust anyone.”

Well, that was apparent.

“I couldn’t run a business up here without a reputation,” he said. “Here.” He pulled his phone out of his pocket with one hand while keeping the other on her handlebars and handed it to her. “You can hold on to this for now. If at any time while we’re together I do anything untoward, you can call anyone on that list and tell on me.”

A slight smile spread across her face, just a little peek of sunshine, and then she frowned. “I can’t take this.” She tried to hand it back, but he wouldn’t take it, and she ended up dropping it on the ground.

He eyed it. “Shame. Now it’s dirty. I don’t want it anyway.” He gave her a look of challenge.

She looked down at it, and he could see her torn between wanting it and wanting to just take off into the night.

“I promise you no harm is going to come to you,” he said, gently retrieving the phone and holding it out to her again. “You have my word.”

She took it slowly and looked down at it.

“But I won’t force you. It’ll have to be your choice.” It was hard to make that look convincing, because he definitely wasn’t going to let her choose to just ride off unprotected. Even if he had to follow her for miles to see where she stopped.

That just wasn’t how he did things.

But he managed to look calm and neutral. At least he hoped he did.

Her fingers finally curled around the phone in acceptance, and then she slid it into one of the wide pockets of her duster.

She pulled her hat tighter down and did up the drawstring that held it on under her chin. “I guess we better head back, then,” she said.

Her voice was still low and a little more hoarse, but it was no longer the weird, disguised timbre she’d used before.

“I brought my truck, so I’ll be up just after you. You go ahead,” he said, releasing his grip on her handlebars.

She nodded, started up the engine, backed up onto the road, and then sped off in the direction of his ranch, her bike making a loud roaring sound that lit up the night.

He put his hands in his pockets, let out a long sigh, and then walked over to his truck to follow her home.

“
I
s this okay
?” Wyatt asked, showing her inside a small cabin that sat at the side of the hotel. It was spaciously appointed, with a fold-out sofa, a large flat screen, and a hand-carved desk and dresser. And in the bedroom, there was a queen bed with modest furnishings and a small bathroom to the side. A small kitchenette anchored the other side of the living room.

“It’ll do,” she said. But inside, where she wouldn’t let anyone see it, she was pleased.

Her own space to do with whatever she wanted. And a door that would lock. Windows that would close.

She’d be safe here. She could keep anyone out she wanted.

“Can I see the horses?” she asked.

Wyatt tilted his head. Gosh, he was handsome. Even with the stress she was under, even with the upset she’d experienced when she’d been outed in the bar, she hadn’t been able to avoid noticing it.

He was so good-looking it was almost painful. It was lucky she hated men enough to be immune to what must be a considerable amount of charm for most women.

“It’s a little late to see them now,” he said. “Why don’t you get some rest? I’ll have the cook bring over dinner so you can just eat it here. You seem like you’d like to eat alone.”

She nodded vigorously. Not that she wasn’t grateful, both for his help and the rescue at the bar, but she preferred to be on her own. It was safest that way.

And even though she was touched that he’d gone so far as to offer his phone for her to use to feel more secure, she wasn’t going to forget he was a man, and men had betrayed her.

Even if it was hard not to be won over by just how nice they could be when they wanted.

But she knew from first-hand experience that being nice one moment didn’t mean someone couldn’t turn into a monster the next.

“Thanks,” she said. “That would be great. I need to rest anyway.”

“Where did you come from?” he asked.

She caught his eyes moving over her bruises and that curious, heated expression that lit them when he did so. He was prying, trying to figure out who’d done it. But she wasn’t about to tell him.

“North,” was all she said.

He put his hand on the doorknob as if he intended to turn it, but then he stopped and turned back, slightly exasperated. “You know, I’m not going to force you to tell me what’s happened, but whoever did that to you should be in jail.”

“You should see the other guy,” she joked.

“Not funny,” he said, lips tightening. Then he lightened slightly. “Unless he’s dead?”

She shook her head vigorously, and he frowned.

“Then definitely not funny. He needs to be caught, and he needs to be stopped,” Wyatt said.

She frowned. With his fancy clothes and his perfect, unmarred skin and gorgeous hair, he had no idea the ugly things that could happen in life. He had no idea who he’d be tangling with if he got involved. And she didn’t need him acting like he could fix all her problems when all he could really do was make them worse.

“I’m fine,” she said. “And he’s really not a danger to anyone but me.”

Wyatt took a step forward, stopping when she flinched back. She could almost swear she saw hurt in his eyes that she was afraid of him.

It was nothing personal. Just something she was used to.

“I would never, never hurt you like that,” he said. “But if my staff or my clients are going to be in danger, I need to know.”

“He doesn’t know where I am,” she said, knowing that was true for sure. “And if he does, I’ll leave.”

“No, you won’t,” he replied. “Look, you’re going to tell me what happened, and you’re going to let me help you. It may take weeks to get to that point, for me to prove myself worthy of your trust, but it’s going to happen.”

She just stared at him, stunned. Why would anyone do this for someone they barely knew? He shouldn’t care what happened to her. She’d been treated much worse by people who
should
care.

“Until then, promise me you won’t leave,” he said.

“What does it matter to you?” she asked, throwing her hands up in the air. “Yesterday, you didn’t even know I existed, and suddenly, what happens to me matters?”

He looked taken aback by that, and his golden eyes darkened slightly as he lowered his lids. “It just does, okay?”

She shrugged.

“Tomorrow, meet me in my office when you get up and we’ll go meet the horses and the other trainers, okay?”

“Okay,” she said, brightening at that. She loved horses. They were soothing, amazing creatures and she’d always gotten along with them better than she did with humans or shifters.

Wyatt looked like he didn’t know what else to do, so she sighed and waved a hand.

“You can go now,” she said. “I’m fine.”

He looked over her face once more. “Do you need anything? For that? Has it been treated?”

She gave him a wry look. “And what would that do?”

He shrugged. “I don’t know. But it looks painful.”

She touched a hand to her lip. “Naw, it’s fine. Be better in a couple days.”

His jaw tightened and then he gave her a terse nod. “I’ll see you tomorrow. My other cell number is in that phone, so feel free to call me if anything makes you nervous or you’re thinking of leaving. Just don’t… run away, okay?”

She nodded. Not that she should have to be accountable to him, but he’d shown more care to her than anyone else had recently, and honestly, thanks to him, she was safe indoors rather than out in the woods, worrying about being found by strangers or wild animals.

And soon, she’d have food in her belly and a soft bed beneath her.

That was going to be awesome.

“I won’t run away,” she said.

And she truly wouldn’t, because she had nowhere to go.

He seemed to sense that in her eyes, because he finally gave her a hesitant wave and then walked out, closing the front door behind him.

She jogged to the door and clicked the lock into place, then slid back against it with a sigh.

The sight of his strong back was in her mind, and for a moment, she couldn’t help wondering what it would be like having a man like that. And having no fear of him.

T
he next morning
, Wyatt had to keep himself calm as he waited for Val to come see him.

Hopefully, she was just sleeping in.

He really couldn’t wait to get to the bottom of what had brutalized her and go take care of it, but he knew he had to wait until she trusted him.

And who knew how long she’d been traveling or how much sleep she needed to catch up on?

Dammit, he still felt like an unmitigated ass for the fact that he’d almost sent her on her way without help and without a job.

Perhaps the McAllisters were right and he just had truly terrible taste in employees. Perhaps he was just someone who didn’t give a lot of thought to things. Most of his life had come easy to him, and he’d never lived in a world where someone hitting a woman was regular or even possible.

Thus, he couldn’t have known the weirdo hiding in a coat and speaking like a serial killer was actually a woman running from some kind of violence and needing a safe haven.

He’d have offered her the job whether he needed the help or not. That was just how he was.

Not that she needed to know that. She was averse to pity—well, to all emotions it seemed—and he didn’t blame her.

But maybe by the time those bruises faded, that look in her eyes that said she hated everyone would fade a little as well.

He just hoped she was as good with horses as she said she was. His head trainer was getting older and didn’t like riding as much with his arthritic joints. The other trainers seemed more interested in schmoozing with guests or going into town, and he’d had to fire a couple over the past year.

He hoped Val could be a good addition to the stable. He really did have wonderful horses, and a good, compassionate rider would be able to give them more attention per day.

He was making notes on a recent booking when a loud rap on his doorframe attracted his attention.

He looked up to see Val standing at the entrance to his office, face both defiant and shy as she stood there, arms folded over her considerable chest, staring him down.

“You look great,” he said, meaning it. She’d clearly showered, and the bruises were a bit faded compared to yesterday. Her sandy-blond hair was in a low, clean ponytail, and she was wearing a long, flannel button-up shirt that was rolled up to the elbows, and serviceable jeans over cowboy boots.

And she’d ditched the jacket, which gave him a much better view of her figure as a whole.

He gulped. She had a perfect hourglass, the type every shifter drooled over.

Large breasts pressed down by a presumably “functional” bra, and then her shape disappeared under the baggy shirt. But he guessed there was a gorgeous, curvy tummy under there that felt amazing to touch and then wide hips that looked perfect for holding…

His thoughts trailed off as he looked back to her face and the bruises there.

What the fuck was he doing having thoughts like that about his employee?

He resisted putting a palm over his face and stood, hoping his feelings about his new employee’s appearance weren’t evident in his jeans. Just in case, he walked quickly in front of her, grabbed a hat off the hat stand, shoved it on his head, and opened the door for her.

She went outside, and then he followed. She headed instinctively in the direction of the stables, and he didn’t correct her. Just followed behind, trying to keep his eyes on the swoosh of her ponytail, the beautiful shiny day, and the green, wonderful surroundings of his ranch.

Anything but that curvy, perfect ass that his eyes wanted to see so badly.

She turned back for a moment, sensing his puzzlement. “You okay? You’re lagging.”

He picked up his pace. “Sorry. Long night.”

She didn’t say anything about that, mercifully, so Wyatt charged on ahead, taking up the lead this time. When they approached the barn that housed the stables, he rapped loudly. He knew Wayne, his main trainer, often was up early, mucking out stalls, feeding the horses, or just bonding with the newer animals.

The door swung open and Wayne’s grumpy, grizzled face met them with a scowl.

“What are you doing here?” he asked.

Wyatt grinned. Wayne didn’t need to be so surly about it. Sure, Wyatt pretty much allowed him to do his own thing and run things as he liked while Wyatt ran the more human aspects of the ranch, but that didn’t mean he didn’t like to come be around the horses sometimes too.

He just hadn’t had a lot of time. As a result, Wayne had gotten a little too secure in his role of master over his horsey domain.

“I brought you some help,” Wyatt said, putting an arm at Val’s back to press her gently forward, as she was staring at the older man with wild eyes and shrinking back.

“I don’t need any—” Wayne cut off his words when he looked over at Val. “Help.” Wyatt saw Wayne’s eyes touch on her bruises, her masculine clothing.

And stubborn but frightened demeanor.

“You any good with horses?” he asked gruffly.

“Yeah,” she said. “I grew up with them.”

He snorted. “You’re barely grown now. But you’ll have to do. I’m too heavy to ride some of the younger horses, and John, my only other help, is a damn fool.”

Val grinned at that, and Wayne brightened, scratching his graying hair at the back of his head.

“Well, let’s go see how you do,” he said. “I’m gonna need to borrow her, Wyatt.”

Wyatt blinked. For some reason, he’d expected to be included on this, but he had to admit he had no idea what made or didn’t make a good horse trainer.

“I’ll stay,” he said, eyeing Val, wondering if she’d be more comfortable with him there.

“Don’t you have about a million things to do?” Wayne asked, narrowing his faded blue eyes on Wyatt, multiplying his many wrinkles. “What makes you suddenly so interested about what goes on in my barn?”

Wyatt’s gaze darted to Val, which was a mistake, because Wayne straightened, all prickly and defensive.

Wyatt had to stifle a laugh. Val might not know it yet, but she’d found herself a powerful ally in Wayne, and he’d apparently decide to instate himself as her father figure.

She’d be safe. He should probably just leave her to…

He looked around. Somehow she’d disappeared from his side and was walking down the long row of stalls, looking at the horses.

She stopped in front of one and reached a hand out for the horse to smell it. Then she started petting his neck, making soothing noises as the horse pressed forward against her.

“That’s Molasses,” Wayne called out. His forehead wrinkled as he looked at Wyatt. “The girl is good with animals. That much is clear. Molasses doesn’t take to people easily. Where’d you find her?”

They stepped to the side of the barn to talk outside of her earshot.

“She came for a job yesterday, all dressed up like a man. I couldn’t hire her like that. Referred her to Maverick. Thought it’d be a better match. Didn’t realize she was a female. She went down to the bar, and I thought I’d better follow, just in case.”

Wayne nodded. “Good call. They don’t take well to strangers down there.”

Wayne would know. He rarely left the ranch and much preferred the company of horses to people.

“Well, I like her. I think she’ll be good help. Quiet. Obedient,” he said.

Wyatt laughed. “I wouldn’t bet on it.” His eyes grew serious as he looked in her direction. Tenderness flooded him as he saw her coo to the horse, stroking against him. “Make sure not to touch her. She doesn’t like being touched.”

“I’ll bet,” Wayne growled. “Someone’s done entirely too much touching on that young woman.”

“I know,” Wyatt said. “That’s why I brought her back here. I need to figure out where she’s from. What’s going on with her.”

“You know, now that I think about it…” Wayne scratched the back of his neck again. “I think she does remind me of someone. Do you think…?”

Wyatt shook his head. “I have no idea. I’m not even going to explore that right now.”

“Still wary of upsetting the McAllisters?” Wayne asked, a knowing look in his eye that Wyatt didn’t much like.

“No,” Wyatt replied. “They just have a lot on their plate right now, and I don’t want to dig into it until I’m sure. Val doesn’t need any drama.”

“Okay,” Wayne said, shrugging his shoulders. “Whatever you say, boss.” Wayne could be difficult, stubborn, and ornery as anything.

But there was no one Wyatt trusted more. He’d been like a surrogate father or a grumpy uncle.

Val was in the best of hands.

“I’m going to just let her settle in for a few days, okay?” Wyatt said. “Give her space. You let me know if either of you need anything.”

Wayne nodded, folding his burly arms. “We’ll be fine.”

“Val?” Wyatt called, and she removed her hand from the horse, looking like she would reluctantly come over. “No, don’t worry about coming over,” he said. “I’m going to leave you in Wayne’s hands.” He winced at the wording. “I mean, he’ll be taking care of you. You can just let me know if you need anything. You know where to find me. I’m always in the office.”

He expected a fight, but she just nodded calmly, all of her attention on the horse in front of her.

“Anything she needs, you let me know,” Wyatt told Wayne.

Wayne gave him a long, piercing look that made Wyatt shuffle on his feet. “You got it, boss,” he drawled.

But he said it in a way that implied Wayne knew Wyatt was already treating his new employee in a way that was entirely inappropriate for a working relationship.

Not that he looked like he wholly disapproved.

But Wyatt shook his head as he turned around and walked back to the mansion.

Wayne was wrong, there was nothing to worry about. He wasn’t going to do anything to interfere with Val or her recovery. She wasn’t his type, despite the attraction, and she seemed to hate all men in general.

He’d be a good friend to her, though. That was all.

Even if a little voice in his head laughed at him as he said it.