4. Conner

Conner went back home when his brother went through the ceremony to become the alpha and then when Zac went through the mating ceremony with Olivia.

"Beautiful ceremony," Conner said. "I know you two will be happy."

"Thanks. I know we will, too. She's amazing. You know how Dad always talked about how he knew Mom was his fated mate?"

"Yeah," Conner said.

"It was like that with Olivia. The first time I met her, I caught her scent and knew that she was mine."

Conner simply shook his head. "I just think that you're a hopeless romantic."

"That's Alpha Hopeless Romantic to you," Zac said, laughing. "You just wait, though. Some woman is going to turn your head. You're going to catch her scent, and you will know immediately, in your soul, that she is the one for you. There's no fighting it."

A slight niggle in the back of his mind was almost like an itch that he couldn't reach to scratch. It was a light tug at his soul, but he couldn't figure out why.

Conner was becoming very well known in the rodeo circuit. He and Gideon were always at the same events. As the years passed, they talked about walking away, but they both knew they wouldn't leave the rodeo life until they had to be carried away.

Cheyenne was one of his favorite places. The people there knew how to throw a great event. They were friendly and it was a lot of fun. Conner was sure that this time around wouldn't be any different.

He pulled into the grounds mid-morning and quickly unloaded Zephyr, rubbing him down and giving him treats. Conner made sure that his baby had hay and fresh water. His stomach rumbled.

"Alright, Buddy. I have to go in search of food for myself. I'll see you later." Conner turned around and groaned.

Kelly Brant, the rodeo queen, was strolling toward him. She purposely walked with a stride where her ass shook from side to side, catching the attention of every man in the area. She was an incredibly gorgeous woman with the perfect body, and she knew how to use it.

She flipped her long, blond hair over her shoulder. It was a move she'd practiced a million times in front of the mirror. Batting her big blue eyes at him, she cooed, "Hi, Conner."

"Kelly."

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"I'm going to get something to eat."

"How about if I join you?" she asked with a smile that was supposed to be alluring.

"I would prefer if you didn't," Conner said.

Kelly was probably the most physically beautiful woman in the entire state. She was used to men fawning over her. However, no one who worked in the rodeo scene wanted anything to do with her. She was mean and arrogant. Conner has asked her out on a date before he saw through her fa?ade. It was not an enjoyable experience, so he didn't ask her out on a second date.

Conner didn't know if it was because he had rejected her and she wanted what she couldn't have or what her issue was, but she had been infatuated with him ever since. She made it so obvious that it was humiliating and annoying.

"Don't be like that, Conner. You know I love you."

"I highly doubt that," Conner said. "Look, I've told you a million times that I'm not interested in you. Please, do us both a favor and go find someone who could love you like you deserve. That man is not me."

She crossed her arms over her chest and huffed. Tossing her hair back like a horse tosses its mane, she stomped away.

"One thing I can say about her is that she never gives up. Once she sees something that she likes, she chases it down until it can't run anymore." Gideon grinned.

"I can promise that I have more run than she does," Conner replied.

"She makes me glad that I'm just the clown. The rodeo queen just does not date the clown."

"Which is funny because the clowns have the most dangerous and important job in the entire rodeo – saving my ass," Conner said. "Come on. Let's find something to eat before this show gets started."

Conner was aware that he was getting a lot of stares as he walked through the fairgrounds. More than one woman turned around for a second look.

"I guess you're looking good for an old man," Gideon teased.

"They're looking at you. You are a handsome devil. It's just that no one knows that once you put on your make-up. Besides, I'm only thirty-one. That's not old at all."

He had started competing in the rodeo when he was eighteen and had been competing nonstop for the last thirteen years. That was a lot of beatings he had taken over the years. Gideon must have read his mind.

"That is thirteen years of having your brain slammed around in your skull, bones broken, internal organs all shaken up, and constantly jerked around. And don't forget when you were nearly killed."

"I'm a shifter. I heal fast. You've had quite a few injuries over the years, too. I'll never forget the look on that woman's face when the bull caught you with his horns and literally threw you into the stands onto that woman's lap." Conner laughed.

"The look on her face was priceless," Gideon said. "I guess that's why I ended up marrying her."

He had some time before his events so he watched the junior events. One of the young cowgirls looked very familiar. He couldn't put his finger on it. Conner racked his brain. The girl had long, red hair, and he didn't remember knowing anyone with red hair. It was really her face that nagged at him.

Shaking his head, he pushed any thoughts of her out of his mind. He must have simply seen her competing in the past.

Conner had a great night. He scored two first-place prizes and two second-place prizes. The adrenaline coursed through his veins, and he felt good. The cheering crowd, the snorting bulls, and the lights give him a natural high that no drug could ever match.

He took a swig of water as his eyes scanned the crowd. It was a great night. The stands were full. His eyes passed over a beautiful red-haired woman sitting in the crowd. Then, they jerked right back to her. Conner knew that he was staring, but he couldn't help himself.

Her eyes flickered toward him and opened wide. She looked away and closed her eyes for a few seconds. Then, she looked back at him. He was sure that the woman recognized him.

"Where could I know her from?" he muttered to himself. "I don't know anyone from Cheyenne." He scratched his head and thought about it. "It must be from a meet and greet. She does have one of those faces that a person doesn't forget easily."

He convinced himself that had to be the answer, although that annoying familiar niggle in the back of his mind told him that there was something more. Maybe she's someone I enjoyed the evening with.

Conner wasn't a dog but every once in a while, he had an itch that needed to be scratched.

I'm pretty sure that I wouldn't forget her if we had been together.

Gideon walked over for a drink. "Congrats. You did great tonight, as always."

"Not too bad for an old man, huh?"

"No. You still show all those young bucks and does up in the field."

"Do you see that red-haired woman in the stands? She's next to the first column on the third row."

"Yeah."

"She looks familiar, but I can't, for the life of me, remember where I've seen her before."

Gideon gave Conner a weird look. "That's Beth."

"Beth?"

"Your brain must have had a good shaking up," Gideon said. "Anyway, her daughter, Taryn, is one of the junior cowgirls. She is the red-haired girl on the white Shagya Arabian horse."

"That little girl handled that huge horse well. I was impressed," Conner said.

"She is quite good," Gideon said. "Well, I guess I best get back at it."

Conner hesitated for a minute and then decided to hell with it. He knew that the woman was tracking him and wasn't surprised when he sat down next to her.

"I know this sounds like a cheesy pickup line, but have we met before?"

Her face turned bright red and she gave a fake cough as though she didn't know what to say. "Where would we have met?" she finally managed to squeak out and coughed. "Pardon me. The dust sometimes gets to me."

"I understand. My friend tells me that your daughter is the barrel racer on that huge beast. She is very talented."

Beth smiled and said, "She comes by her talents naturally."

"I'm Conner, by the way," he said holding his hand out for her to shake it.

She hesitated for a moment and then grasped it. "Beth."

Instantly, a bolt of electricity raced through his hand to every cell in his body. The feeling was so intense that he groaned in the back of his throat.

Beth looked at him funny.

He wasn't sure what to say, so he sat there for a few minutes. Then, he said, "It was nice to meet you. I'm sure that I'll see you later."

The next morning after he made sure that Zephyr was taken care of, Conner called his best friend, Micah, who was a member of the same Nightshade Wolf Shifter Pack.

"How are things?" Conner asked.

"Great. Lucy is fantastic, and the twins are growing like weeds."

Micah had met Lucy, a bear shifter, through a surrogacy agency when Micah had decided he wanted kids and didn't want to wait until he found a suitable mate. She got pregnant with twins and they ended up falling in love. They had twins. One was a bear shifter and the other was a wolf shifter.

"Have they started challenging each other yet to decide who is more ferocious?"

"Shshsh, don't give them any ideas," Micah said. "How are things with you?"

"I'm good. Had a great night last night. I ran into a woman who looked very familiar, but I'm sure that I've never met her before. She has that incredible girl next door beauty with long, red hair."

"You might have seen her at the events the last time you were there. You might not have had a formal introduction. Some people's faces just stick in the back of your mind."

"Maybe," Conner said slowly. "But it really feels as though there's more to it."

"What are you going to do?" Micah asked.

"If she comes back to the rodeo tonight, which I think she will since her daughter is competing, then I'll try to figure out where I know her from. If she doesn't, then I will forget her. Short of playing private investigator or worse, creepy stalker, I would have no way of finding her."

"That sounds like a great plan," Micah said.

They talked for a few more minutes and then they got off the phone. Conner stretched and looked at his watch. He still had a few hours before he needed to be at the rodeo grounds. He remembered where the road to the nearest mountain was and pointed his truck in that direction. There were no other vehicles parked in the vicinity, which was a good sign.

He headed up the trail for a while, and when he thought it was safe, he took a detour.

"This tree looks good," he said.

Conner quickly undressed and folded his clothes neatly before putting them into a plastic bag and putting them in the crook of the tree. The bag kept the bugs out of his clothes. Putting everything in a tree kept other animals – two-legged and four-legged – from finding them.

He shifted into a magnificent gray wolf and trotted off into the thicket. The sweet air filled his lungs, and his muscles screamed with joy. Conner always found peace, beauty, and grace in the process of shifting and running, becoming one with nature. For a while, he was able to enjoy life and push the thoughts of the enticing redhead out of his mind.