Page 5 of Cowboy Wolf's Kiss

“In the back with them,” the Bear replied and smirked.

I shook my head and offered a three fingered wave as I pulled out onto the road.I could hear the damn goats bleating their opinions and Jed cooing to them softly.

I swore the old man was getting worse every day.He spoiled those old gals.

Still, I knew they were better off where they were—contained, safe, and away from the muddy chaos that surrounded us.

The ranch looked like hell, but if you could see past all that, even just a few days ahead, then you would see what I saw.You’d see Motley Crewd Ranch had potential.

Max knew what he was doing, giving us all a piece of this place.It tethered our animals to it.Made it belong to us.

Emotion filled me as I thought of the email I’d gotten, along with the rest of the Crew, earlier this week.It was from Mr.Henries, the Leeds family’s lawyer, and it explained that along with our wages, we would get a percentage of the income from the ranch and a shared stake in the property.Ten percent for each of us.

It didn’t sound like a lot.But it was.And it meant something.

For the first time in a long time, as the rain continued to fall, and the wind howled, I felt like maybe I wasn’t a lost cause.

Maybe I was less broken than I thought.

Demon snarled, and I winced, thinking maybe I thought too soon.

Okay, so the jury was still out on that one.I didn’t want to get sappy about it.But this sure felt a lot like progress.

One fence post at a time.

Chapter Two-Jezebel

The kettle whistled loudly, cutting through the heavy silence of my cramped office and pulling me away from the depressing task of sorting through the month’s bills.

I let out a sigh, rubbing my temples as I glanced at the piles of paper scattered across the desk—overdue notices, rising utility costs, and the inevitable reminder of my dwindling cash reserves.

For the last two weeks, the rain had poured down almost nonstop, a relentless deluge that mirrored my growing anxiety.

Each drop felt like a weight pressing down on my already wobbly finances, pushing me closer to the edge of no return.

I had always known that weather could make or break a business like mine—a drive-in movie theater in a small town was a fickle beast, reliant on the whims of both customers and the sky.

Bottom line, rain was bad when you depended on a drive-in movie theater to pay your bills.Typically, I was closed for about four months out of the year, but I was hoping to make it to Thanksgiving without having to shut it down for the season.

That meant I needed every ticket sale I could muster, and the thought of closing early was a crushing blow I was desperate to avoid.

“Dammit,” I said, groaning and biting my lip.

I stood up and walked over to the kettle, the steam swirling into the air like my thoughts—chaotic and heavy.

As I poured the boiling water into my favorite chipped mug, the one that said “book boyfriends keep it going longer” in a pretty pink font, I glanced out the window.

The rain continued to fall in sheets, blurring the view of the parking lot and making the fact that the neon lights were currently off even more gloomy.

I sighed.It was hopeless.Pop’s bills were due, and the retirement home had increased their fees again this year.

My relationship with my only parent had always been tenuous.After my mother had passed away, and it was just me and him, well, things had been strained.

Especially when I talked about things I was seeing, impossible things that he would have preferred I left unsaid.

Oh, Pop, why?

Shame was one of the first emotions I learned to recognize in my father.That was closely followed by resentment and trepidation.

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