Chapter 30

Levi and I haven’t talked again. I haven’t even seen him on the ranch. He’d driven me back in almost silence and disappeared. So now I’m pretty sure he’s avoiding me. It’s not entirely unexpected, but it still hurts a little. Lucky for me, there are plenty of things to distract myself with. Like hanging out with Wiley as he goes through paperwork. Apparently, Steele Mountain is now one of the top horse breeding ranches in Wyoming because of him. Which means he has to plan for shipments, meet ups, and a whole host of other things. It also means we have so many foals or yearlings on the ranch at any given time. Baby animals are my favorite so there’s no complaints from me when I get to go with him to check them all over.

I assumed I’d be spending today with Wiley like most days, but when Dakota pops in with his stern look and waves me over, I follow him out.

“What’s up?” I ask, tipping my hat back. I’ve grown used to wearing it now but when talking to any of the three men, I have to tip my hat back to be able to look up at them.

“I need to go into town. Figured you could help me,” he muses.

“Help you with what?” I ask, tilting my head. “Picking up orders?”

“Nope, something better. We gotta get a gift from the ranch for Jenny and George.”

He gestures for me to follow him to the truck, so I do after I wave to Wiley to let him know I’m taking off. He smiles and goes right back to his work, absorbed. There’s still no sight of Levi. Ole Red trails along behind us and when he bays at Dakota, he smiles down at the old dog and pats him on the head.

“Oh, alright, old man. Come on then.” He opens the back door of the truck and then helps the coon dog up into the back. He wags his tail with happy thumps as Dakota rolls down the windows so he can look out. He only hops into the driver seat once Ole Red is settled. At my look, he shrugs. “He’s always been my riding buddy and it’s a cool day. He can hang out in the back of the truck while we go into the store.”

“I thought Jenny said she didn’t wanna make a fuss and that they have everything they need?” I ask as I buckle my seatbelt.

Dakota nods. “Yes, but they had all boys before. Now they’re having two girls, and only have one crib. I think Jenny is saving up to buy a used one, but we can’t have that. I need your help to pick out a matching crib and some other items.”

I glance at Dakota, at the way he explains everything matter-of-factly. “Naomi might have been better at this. She actually has a kid.” I’d met her teenage daughter a few times and she’s an absolute sweetheart. The dad’s no longer in the picture so the two are often together once her daughter gets out of school.

“Yes, but I wanted to spend the day with you,” he shrugs. A quick glance at me is all I get before his eyes focus on the road.

Something in my heart warms at his admission and I settle into the seat. “Sure. I don’t mind helping.”

Surprisingly, there’s a baby store on Main Street in town, a small boutique-looking shopfront that seems like it supplies everything baby for anyone within fifty miles. It’s well-stocked, and though the girl behind the counter looks bored when we walk in, she immediately bounces up with a grin.

“Dakota Steele,” she muses with a grin. “You here for yourself finally or someone else?” Her eyes flick to my stomach as if to check and I laugh.

Dakota shifts uncomfortably. “No, sorry, Helen. I’m here for Jenny and George Holden. They’re having twins.”

“Oh, I heard! How exciting for them. I was so sad when they didn’t start a registry with me. What’s this? Their third?”

“Fourth and fifth,” Dakota corrects, glancing over at me. “We’re looking for a crib and then I’d like to fill it up with necessities for girls.”

The woman, Helen’s, eyes light when he says he wants to fill it up. That’s certainly generous so I can see why she gets excited. I’ve only been to a few baby showers in my life, but baby items are expensive. Diapers alone are ridiculous, so to fill up a crib with essentials is even crazier, I’m sure. But I’ve accepted that the men of Steele Mountain Ranch are nothing but kind to those they consider family. Jenny likely didn’t want to make a fuss to avoid this very situation, but she’ll be showered either way. I look up at Dakota appreciatively.

“Absolutely! Feel free to look around. Let me know if you need any help. I’ll get some boxes ready to put things in.” She throws another appreciative look at Dakota before meandering away. I swear she has an extra sway in her step.

“Old muse?” I ask with a grin up at him.

He grimaces. “High School. Three months.”

“Seems like she’s hoping to fan the flames again,” I tease before going over to a rack of clothing. “If they only have boy clothes, we should get some girl ones. They’ll need things in different sizes, so they have clothes to transition to. At least, that’s what I saw at the few baby showers I’ve been to.”

“Clothes. Right,” he says, nodding and coming over. “What kind of clothes?”

My eyes flick to his. “I. . . don’t know. But maybe not something with a million buttons? Babies wake up in the middle of the night, right? Buttons seem like a horrible idea.”

“No buttons,” he repeats, flipping through. “What about this one?” He holds up a onesie that says “I’ll rope your heart” that has a lasso in the shape of a heart.

“Perfect. Yes,” I encourage. “Just like that.”

We end up gathering armfuls of clothing and taking it to the front. Helen’s eyes bug out at the number of outfits we dump up there and even more so when we go back for more.

“Diapers,” I say, looking at all the brands. “Did they say what brand they used before?”

“No?” he says, but it’s more of a question than an answer. “I have no idea.”

“The Holden’s got the Huggies before,” Helen offers helpfully.

I sigh in relief and grab a box of those.

“We should get a few sizes of these, too,” Dakota says. “Right? Plus, there’s two babies. Twice the need.”

“It’s up to you,” I say, grabbing another box. I watch as he grabs a few of his own and we set those by the counter. “Okay, other baby things.”

We go to the wall and look over at the toys and chewies and everything there. They’ll probably have bottles and stuff. I specifically look for girly things they may not have and end up handing Dakota a few of the chewies and then turning for crib sheets and blankets. I grab a few pink things and then some yellow to give variety. There’s lots of cowboy and girl themed stuff here at least.

“The boots,” I say, pointing to the tiny little baby shoes that look like cowboy boots. “We need those.”

Dakota laughs and grabs two pink ones. “Absolutely.”

In the end, Helen ends up saying a wild number that Dakota pays without hesitation. When I glance up at him, he shrugs. “They’ve been working at the ranch with me for ten years. I think they’ve deserved an extra bonus.”

Wow. Maybe I picked the greatest place to work, after all.

“I’ll have everything delivered to their house,” Helen beams. “Oh, and Dakota, if you’d ever like to go out for coffee sometime, let me know. I’m always free after work.”

Dakota tenses, the corner of his eye twitching. “Will do, Helen. Thanks.”

He tips his hat as we leave but the moment we’re outside, I burst out laughing. “Why so tense?”

He grimaces. “I didn’t want to be disrespectful to you.”

I shrug. “It’s a small town. It’s bound to happen that I run into old flames from the three of you. Besides, we’re not exactly dating,” I point out.

“We’re not?” Dakota growls. “Why aren’t we?”

Raising my brow at him, I poke him in the chest. “Not a single one of you have asked me to be your girlfriend. There’re no titles, so that means we’re not technically dating.”

I’m turning toward the truck when his hand lashes out to hook on my belt loop. He spins me and jerks me close. “Just because we haven’t put a title on it doesn’t mean we aren’t dating,” he grunts.

“That’s exactly what it means,” I say, looking up at him. “Back home, if you didn’t have a title, that means you’re just one in a stable.”

“Is that what you think you are?” he murmurs, leaning down. “A broodmare?”

“I. . . no?” I hazard. There’s something flashing in his eyes, something I don’t recognize. I’ve never seen that look on Dakota Steele, the man who’s as hard as his namesake. He looks dangerous right now, like he either wants to gobble me up or punish me for my words.

“Would you like to be?” he purrs in my ear. “We can take you to the stable, a clean one. I can string you up before us while we each take our turn making you scream. You’ll be helpless against your pleasure, begging us to stop as our come runs down your thighs, begging us to keep going as you cry out for us to pleasure you more.” His warm breath fans across my neck and I shiver. “Would you like that, Kate?”

My legs threaten to buckle. Holy shit. This is not the Dakota Steele I know. This is some other monster, one I haven’t met before.

“Does that mean I still won’t have a title?” I croak, my fingers coming up to clench at his waist. I’ve completely forgotten we’re just out on the open street where anyone can see us. I don’t care though. Fuck, what bitch would care when a man is saying shit like this in their ear?

“You have a title,” he growls and nips my neck. I jump at the sharp pain, gasping as my pussy floods. Fuck. I’m so wet, I worry I’ll start leaking through my jeans. “Ours.”

That shouldn’t be hot. Possession has never been my jam, but fuck if it doesn’t make me weak in the knees now. “Only if your title is Mine,” I counter, leaning back to look up in his eyes.

I almost expect a protest, but that’s silly. He smiles, his eyes sparking with desire. “Deal,” he says, his voice like gravel. “Now let’s go get some coffee before we head back.” His hand splays along my hip, burning me through my jeans. “I have a stall to clean.”

I stumble after him, my eyes wide. “What?” I croak. “You were being serious?”

He glances down at me from the corner of his eye. “Do I seem the kind to joke about that?”

“I. . .” You know what. I have no idea. I don’t know what I thought so I clamp my lips shut in case he changes his mind. My mind is filled with images of what he’s described as we stroll into Ugly Mugs and Georgia greets us.

“Kate! Dakota! I was wonderin’ when you two would be comin’ on by when I saw your truck pass. I’ll start your regular orders.” Dakota nods and looks down at me with a saccharine expression, as if he knows what I’m thinking. My face is flushed. I can even feel the heat coming from it. Luckily, Georgia doesn’t comment on it as she turns back around.

“Oh! Kate! A package came by for you here, but I haven’t had time to bring it up to the ranch yet. Perfect that you came in.” She reaches beneath the counter and pulls out a small box.

“A package?” I say, staring at it. “I didn’t order anything. I certainly didn’t order it to come here.”

“Maybe a friend sent it?” Georgia asks with a shrug. “It’s definitely labeled for you.”

She turns back to continue making our drinks as I come up to look at the box. There’s no return address on it but it’s definitely addressed to me. My full name is scrawled across the top of it in elegant handwriting. Georgia was right about that. But whoever sent it had it sent here instead of the ranch, which means maybe they don’t know where I’m actually at. I didn’t tell anyone where I was going. Only those at Steele Mountain know where I am.

“Who’s it from?” Dakota asks, picking up a mug when Georgia slides his simple black coffee in front of him.

“No idea,” I say, grabbing an envelope opener Georgia sets on the counter for me. I slide it through the tape and set it aside before lifting open the lid. The moment I see what’s inside, I go cold.

“What is that?” Dakota asks, frowning when my face must pale. When I don’t reach inside for it, he does, lifting out a black leather collar. The front of it sports a medallion with a crow on it. I’ve seen it before. The news got the scoop at some point that the girls who stay with The Crows wear them.

And now they’ve sent one to me.

“A dog collar?” Dakota says, his frown deepening. “Who would send you a dog collar? You have a cat.”

It’s a claim, a warning that they haven’t forgotten about me. And now they know the town I’m in.

Oh god. Oh no.

I have to grab the counter to keep from collapsing right here.