Page 98 of Wrangled

Teague addressed me. “You’ve paid to be here, to go on the cattle drive next week. What you do with the rest of your time is of no concern to anyone here.” He glared at the hands. “Am I making myself clear?”

Murmurs rippled through the others, while Garrett looked on, clearly perplexed.

“I think I’ll go get changed.” I headed for my bunk.

“Good idea.”

More murmurs filled the air as I grabbed a clean shirt and a pair of briefs from the drawers where I’d stored them. Suddenly, Garrett’s voice rose above the others.

“He’s fucking the boss?”

I burst out laughing. That was everyone on the same page, and it had only taken Garrett five days to cotton on.

Teague came over as I was buttoning my shirt. “Keep an eye on the weather while you’re riding out with the boss. It’s not raining here, but therehavebeen rumbles of thunder.”

“So that means there’s rain coming?”

“Not necessarily. That’s the funny thing about thunderstorms around here. They’re usually dry. At this time of year, the rainfall isn’t heavy.” He smiled. “Now you’d better get up to the house. The boss is waiting.” He stilled. “I meant what I said, by the way. You’ve made him smile. So whatever you’re doing—keep doing it.”

I grinned. “I intend to, but thanks for the permission.”

He laughed. “You’re okay, Toby.” He strolled out of the bunkhouse.

I thought Teague was okay too, especially the way he looked out for Robert, and supported him.

Robert has a great bunch of guys here.

My phone vibrated, and I removed it from my pocket, peering at the screen. It was a text from Sean. My initial thought was that something was wrong, but the first line reassured me. Then as I read more, I smiled.

Damn it, I love being right.I re-read the text.

Hey, all is well here. Hope you’re doing better.

I have news—Tyler has a new Dom, Will. Shocker, right? But you should’ve seen them last night after they talked. It was like something out of a Hallmark movie. I swear, Tyler didn’t stop smiling all night long. Turns out Will’s wanted to approach him for a while, but wasn’t gonna tread on your toes. It took him until last night to get up enough nerve,

Talk about smitten—and I mean both of them. It’s fucking adorable.

Watch out for grizzlies. Come back in one piece.

Warmth flooded me.Tyler’s in love—and with someone who loves him back.

That went a long way to easing the ache that still lingered. Going back to the club wouldn’t mean walking into the awkward atmosphere I’d anticipated.

Except I didn’t want to think about going back, not when I had so much to look forward to right where I was.

Robert

I stared at the slip of paper they’d handed me at the clinic. It was official—I had the all-clear. The implications sent a trickle of anticipation down my spine.

Later, Toby had said. As if I’d expected anything different. He’d called it delayed gratification.

I called it torture.

I changed into my boots, ready for the afternoon’s ride. Toby was waiting for me at the stables, and Paul was getting the trailer ready to hitch it up to a truck. I was going to take Lightning and Rusty out to the Spanish Creek trailhead. I hadn’t done that trail in a few years, and I wanted to show Toby Mirror Lake. It was beautiful up there this time of year. There was still the odd rumble of thunder but the skies were clear, so I knew whatever was going on was far off in the distance.

My phone rang. It was Teague. “Boss… Have you got a minute?”

“I’m about to go out for a ride. What’s up?”

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