TEXAS // WOLFSTATE CHRONICLES BOOK ll
{just putting up the one chapter, if you want to read more, add the book from my profile}
"CHAPTER ONE"
Colten Turner shuffled into the small stuffy packed bar. Past the lonely drunks, past the giggling girls on the dance floor and over to his normal table of normal acquaintances.
They greeted him roughly with a heavy slap to his shoulder as some of the them got up to dance.
He sat beside the heavy handed male of messy dark hair and perfectly tanned skin as he took off his off white cowboy hat.
“Where have you been, Colt?”
“Hey, Pete.” He brushed the sweat that had collected under his hat from his forehead, “I hand to finish up with the Redding's horses...”
“Oh oh!” A rowdy, intoxicated male pointed across the table to him and smirked wildly, “Is that looker of their's home yet?”
Colten dropped his chin and stared at him with his dark simmering eyes, “No, Tyler.”
“Awe, man... she's a nice bit too.” The guy sighed, dropping his hand drunkenly to the table in disappointment.
Colten brushed him off, “She wasn't home yet.”
“Wonder how much she learned at College...” The drunk boy slurred and raised an eyebrow at him.
Colten sneered at him – now annoyed with his drunken stupidity, “Mind your own business, Tyler. Go have another drink.”
He nodded, “Not a bad idea, you sure are smart, Colt.” He stood quickly and disappeared into the crowd.
Colten was impressed and a bit surprised, “He actually listened to me, Pete...”
“He's so drunk, he don't know up from down right now... let alone what you just said...” Peter took a big swig of his beer, “So, what are you doing this weekend?”
Colten ran a hand through his damp hair again – he hated how hot and sticky the bar tended to get on a friday evening, “Nothing much. Just have Sarah coming over.”
Peter nodded, not overly interested in the comment but he amused his friend with conversation, “How's Sarah?”
“She's fine.” Colten looked around the bar and saw sweaty hammered Tyler jump up to a group of drunk girls, “He's gonna get it.” He pointed to Tyler as a bigger girl blonde with equally big hair puffed up her chest.
Pete laughed, “You should film this...”
“I would but I don't want to waste time on that sorry idiot.” Colten looked away, scanning the bar and taking in the line-up for a beer.
Peter smiled, “And how's Ella?”
“She's fine.”
“You'er sure with the conversation tonight, Colt.”
Colten looked to him, “I'm just tired. Long week...”
“Maybe Sarah can unwind you.” Peter chimed, smirking.
Colten sighed, “One of these days, I swear - I'm going to revoke the beta-card.”
His friend burst out laughing, “Colten, you're too nice to do that!”
Colten grumbled, “Be right back.” Mostly because his beta was right. He grabbed his cowboy hat and shifted it back on as he made his way across the bar. Dodging more and more people as the place filled.
He crept his way to the bar and ordered himself two beers to save the trip fifteen minutes later when he'd need another. As he waited he loosened another button on his plaid shirt and shoved the sleeves a little higher on his elbows.
It was getting sweaty and humid in the bar and he wondered why he ever chose to endure over priced beer with sweating involved over sitting out on his back porch. It made no sense what-so-ever.
Once with beer in hand, he walked back to the table and sat across from Peter who now had the company of two fine young girls by him. The two brunettes giggled and clung off his friend.
Peter pointed to Colten, “And this here... my best friend, Colten Turner. The guy I was telling y'all about.”
“Ah...” A bitty with lean legs lunged across the table at him and he steadied his beers to stop the toppling.
“Careful there...” Colten drummed off as he looked up to her.
She smiled and batted her eyes, “I'm Bethany!”
Colten shook her hand as Peter enjoyed the now closer company of the other brunette.
Bethany slipped up beside him and he shifted uncomfortably away, sipping his beer to distance himself from any further interaction.
“I like to dance...” Bethany cooed.
Colten looked to her and he smelt the hormones coming off her, “Hmm...”
She wrapped her hands around his bicep and tugged him close. Licking her lips with a pout so he could feel her sticky breath run along his cheek, “I think we could have some fun tonight.”
Colten peeled himself back from the smell of turned on wolf, “I'm good for tonight.”
She snorted and whipped around, grabbing her friend that had still been giggling over Peter.
“Ah, Colten!” Pete complained, “Come on, man...”
“She smelled...”
“Ruin it all for me, I should stop hanging around you.”
Colten rolled his eyes and took another sip of his beer, “Sure thing, Pete.”
“I really should if I ever want to take one of these girls home.”
“I didn't do anything. I just told her no.” Colten grumbled.
“Nah, you're just bitter...”
Colten tensed, “I'm fine.”
“I'm trying to help you, Colt. Maybe you'll find your mate one day.”
“I'm good on the help, Pete thanks.” Colten said with a rolling yawn as he finished his beer, “Have my other beer. I'm going home...”
“Yeah, yeah. Sit at home... Alone. Will do ya' a lot of good.” Peter smirked quick, “Might want to pick up a bottle of Vaseline too while your on your way out...”
He pushed his other full beer to his friend, “Night, Peter.”
“See you later!” Peter called after him as he walked swiftly out of the bar. He got through the doors and out of the hot, country music filled bar.
Then headed directly for his pickup and opened the driver's side door, climbing inside the dually. He threw his hat to the seat beside him and stopped, staring at the blatant emptiness of it.
The hope of filling that seat was quickly being washed away.
He started the truck – pushing his thoughts far from his mind. His dog in the back sat up on the seat jumped up on cue and whined at him.
“No more stops, Boomer. Don't worry.”
He pulled out of the parking lot and headed south out of Silvertun, Texas. It was a little-big town in the middle of no where surrounded by ranch lands and tumble weeds, far beyond that - a rolling mountain side that was host to his pack's boarders into Mexico.
After a half hour, the truck glided up the long drive of the hundred and six acre property and stopped in front of the charming but old ranch house Colten Turned called home.
He jumped out and slammed the door, his boots kicking up dust as he made his way to the wrap around porch. Boomer barking at his side.
Colten smiled at the old dog, “Quiet down, you'll wake up Ella.”
The dog yelped once more and found his bed on the porch for the night.
Once inside, he dismantled himself of his hat and boots.
“Good evening, Mr. Turner.” A tan skinned, older woman appeared from the kitchen, taking off her apron.
He looked up to her, “Evening, Alma.”
“You have a good day?”
He nodded, “It was decent.”
She smiled at him, “I'm going to head home. I've left biscuits that I baked in the bread tin...”
“Thanks.” He nodded.
She hung up the apron on the near hook in the narrow hall of the farm house.
“How was Ella today?”
The woman walked towards him, “She was good.” She picked up her purse from the coat rack and pulled on a light jacket, “I'll see you Monday morning.”
Colten nodded, “Goodnight.”
“Goodnight.” She smiled softly and left the house.
He sighed, looking around as he scratched his neck and finally stretched out his sore limbs. He could have used some fresh coffee or even – a message.
Though he gave up on both thoughts quickly and headed up the creaking stairs, into his room as the fan rattled away, blowing hot air from one side of the room to the next.
He stripped his dirt filled shirt and then worked on his belt and wranglers, kicking them off as he fell into bed.
His shoulder was still tweaked from earlier. A palomino in the afternoon had given him issues and in turn had pulled a muscle on his right arm.
“Damn mare...” He grunted and rolled to his stomach, trying to get comfy in his boxers and dusty socks but he wasn't one to stay awake after a long day and he quickly fell asleep – rickety fan and all.
He woke as the sun blinded him by reflecting off his off-white ceiling, he squinted and heard the faint cries of his nine month old niece down the hall. The air was already blistering hot for eight in the morning and he fresh covering of sweat already.
As he sat up and forced himself out of bed, he heard the old rattle of a truck coming up the drive and perked up. The loneliness of the week had been getting the better of him.
He sat up and looked over his bed frame to the window. The old curtains blew softly out of the way and a lean dirty blonde jumped from the truck, wearing a summer dress and jean jacket with cowboy boots.
He stumbled up, sticking his head out the window, “Sarah.”
“Morning, Colt.” She smiled, waving up at him as two young kids jumped out of the vehicle.
“I'll be right down...” He grabbed a plaid shirt from the back of near sitting chair and found the jeans he'd worn the day before, dressing quickly. He pulled the shirt over his shoulders and walked to the small room at the end of the hall. The door protested, creaking loudly as he pushed into it.
“Morning, sweetie.” He picked up the baby in his arms and left the room, grabbing a clean diaper as he did. He jogged the staircase as the front door opened.
The little girl and boy of seven and eight crashed inside, laughing as Boomer ran circles around them barking.
“Boomer!” Colten cursed at the animal,“Morning, guys...” He smiled as they raced past him, taking the dog with them.
“Morning, hun.” The woman walked up to him and smiled at him. She took Ella from him as she leaned in and kissed him, “How was your week?”
He shrugged, “It was alright, I'm a bit worn out. How about you?”
“Colten!” The little boy shouted from the kitchen.
He smiled at Sarah, “They want their pancakes...”
She nodded and grabbed the diaper from him, “I'll change her.”
“Life saver.” He smiled at her and kissed her cheek before heading into the kitchen, doing up the buttons on his shirt as he did.
He walked in just as the two kids hauled a large bag of flour from a bottom cupboard.
“Whoa, guys...” He rushed towards them and picked up the flour as it dusted the air around them and got about getting a skillet out to cook in.
Sarah walked into the old kitchen a minute later and put Ella in her wooden high chair. She then piled the magazines and newspapers together that were laid out across the table, “What's that house keeper do all week, Colt? This house is always so cluttered.”
Colten turned to her as he started the coffee machine, “She does a good job.”
She laughed softly, “Colten, stop lying to yourself. You pay her good money...”
“Ella likes her.” He fought some pots and pans in search for a mixing bowl. The kids laughed at him in the process. He looked them, “What are you guys laughing at?”
The kids perked up and smiled, zipping their mouthes shut.
He threw the skillet to the oven and the bowl to the counter, “Grab eggs, children...”
They raced to the old fifties fridge and ripped it open, looking for their goal of eggs as they giggled.
He walked over to Sarah as she started organizing his counters, “Stop...” He grabbed her wrists and pulled against his chest.
She smiled, “You need a woman in this house, not an old bat-crazy nanny.”
He chuckled at her, “No woman wants to live with me. It's better if I continue to pay one.” He kissed her cheek quickly, though it didn't always sit right in his stomach - the contact was soothing on his loneliness – even if it was just on weekends.
She looked to him and sighed, a soft sadness breaking across her brow, “Colten...”
He walked over to the oven, “No more cleaning.”
The kids had dug out most of what they needed to make pancakes and the cooking began. He'd somehow over the many months trained them to basically make breakfast by themselves but with his constant supervision, they tended to be quite messy and he didn't trust they wouldn't set his house on fire.
Sarah set the table and made sure Ella had a bib as well as feeding her a jar of homemade baby food which the baby ate diligently.
All the while the cooking commenced but only after one spilled batch of pancake mix of course. Once breakfast was ready, they sat and dug in, the kids drenching their cakes in chocolate syrup.
“And how are your children not small blimps?” Colten joked.
Sarah smiled, “That's what keeps them going all day... you should know.”
“Point made.” He ate some of his breakfast and soon the kids were done and out the back door, chucking hay at each other in the small barn across the property and likely annoying his two ranch horses to death in the near corral.
Sarah cleaned the plates and brought them to the sink, “What are you doing next weekend?”
Colten thought as he looked up from the newspaper, “Oh, I don't know... I haven't really thought about it much.”
“It's the rodeo.” Sarah stacked a dish in the drying rack.
He sighed, “Right...”
“You aren’t going?” She asked softly.
“I wasn't really partial either way.”
“Would you go with me?”
Colten swallowed, their weekend relationship over the last six months must have been getting the better of the widow and he hadn't really taken that into consideration. It was routine now to see her and her children Saturday morning and say goodbye Sunday evening and he hadn't thought much more of it.
He cleared his throat and stood, “We can take the kids, I guess...”
She turned to him, wiping her hands in the dish rag, “My mother said she could watch them in the evening, so I was thinking we could go to the dance Saturday night together. She'll watch Ella too.”
“Oh...” Colten paused and swallowed, “Is that like a date? Cause we...”
“I just wanted to go have fun, Colten. It doesn’t have to be a date or anything.” Though she looked a bit sad and he was sure it was from his hesitation.
He decided he'd suck it up, “Yeah, I'll take you, Sarah. Of course.”
A smile graced her lips and it eased his nervousness, though he still couldn't shake the uneasy feelings about it. His other side was telling him no but his remorseful not animalstic side was telling him it was the right thing to do and that Sarah Fuller deserved something from him for being in his bed for six months.
He walked to the back door and looked out, “Your children are dumping hay from the loft on my mare.”
“Oh, Jesus!” She rushed to the door and opened it, “Jake! Sally! No more! Leave Honey alone!”
She turned into him and tensed.
He smiled, the blonde had her nervousness around him that actually caused him great amusement, “Maybe they'll get that baby out of her quicker with the torment...”
She laughed and inched herself closer to him, her tongue ran over her soft pink lips and he couldn't help but know what she wanted.
Their relationship had at first been impulsive, both being desperately lonely but in the mean time - Colten had learned her. He knew what she wanted and when she wanted it.
He kissed her, ducking in slowly.
The kids broke it up though, running up the back porch like a herd of elephants
“Honey bit my finger!” Sally whaled.
Colten was quick to pull away and he crouched down to inspect the finger, “She's a bitter ol' nag...”
Jake laughed at his sister, “You're the one that teased her with the oats...”
Colten smirked and looked the bruised finger over, “She doesn’t like to be teased, you know that.”
Sally sighed, “Yeah, I know.”
Sarah shoed the kids away, “Get out of here, you little trouble makers.”
They laughed at their mother and ran back out the backdoor, this time dragging Boomer from his bed with them.
Sarah watched, “Poor Boomer.”
“He'll live.” Colten went to walk away to Ella but she stopped him, pressing into him – about to continue the kissing with him but the phone rang and broke the moment.
He sighed, “One second...” He walked across the kitchen and grabbed up the phone. Sarah returned to the dishes as he pressed the old phone to his ear, “Morning...”
There was a pause and then the older woman's voice came through, “Morning Colten, sorry to call you so early...”
He smiled, “It's alright, Mrs. Redding. Is everything alright?”
“Well, not really... Fiesta seems to be suffering some colic.”
Colten turned away from Sarah and swallowed, “Isn't that Abi's mare?” Now Abi was cemented in his mind and he was sure the girl was home by now. On top of it, her prized barrel-horse colics? It was just his luck.
“Yeah, that's the mare... we've called the vet in but he can't be here for five hours... you have experience with this. I was hoping you could come down and check her out quickly.”
Colten swallowed and tried to release the tension building in his body, “Sure, I'll be right over.” He couldn't really believe he was so easily agreeing to go over there at that moment, especially with Sarah and the kids over...
“Oh, thank you, Colt. That would really ease us a bit, Abi just loves that mare.”
“No worries, see you all soon.” He hung up the phone as Sarah was looking him over.
He grabbed his keys off the counter, “The Redding's have a horse in colic, so I'm just going to go take a quick look and I'll be back.”
“Can't they call a vet?” Sarah asked.
He nodded as he grabbed a cookie from the near jar on the counters, “They are... but he's tied up.”
“I see...” Sarah sighed.
He walked to her and kissed cheek, he couldn't bring himself to kiss her on the lips, “Be back soon.” That would be too much for his brain to handle, “Hour or so... won't be long!”
“Bye.” She breathed.
He walked to his front door and jogged the porch steps before getting to his red truck – surprisingly quickly too.
He lived close to the Redding's so really, this would be a quick visit and once he looked at that mare he decided he could book it out of there quick and if he had luck on his side, Abigail wouldn't be there.
He pulled up to the well-run ranch and parked by the new barn. Once walking in to the large building, he found Abigail's dad looking in a stall with a farm hand leaned against a near wall.
“Hey, Charlie.” Colten greeted the older man.
The man looked up, he was heavier set with a white moustache and cowboy hat on his head, “Colten, thanks for coming...”
“I wasn't doing much.” Colten looked into the stall and saw the mare lying down.
“We can't get her up...” Charlie explained.
Colten opened the stall door and walked inside. The mare looked to him but she was sweating and tired looking, the twisted up stomach was getting the best of her. He sighed and crouched down next to her, “What's up, girl...” He patted her forehead, then looked up to Charlie, “I'll try to get her up...”
Charlie sighed, “We've been trying.”
“Up, Feista, come on...” He went to her other side and pushed her, but the mare just heaved and didn't move.
“Up.” He spoke up, though the horse showed signs of the more direct voice getting to her, she didn't move.
He sighed and looked up to him, “Might need more man power to get her up.”
“We tried three of us on her. I told Abi it's not looking good.”
Colten groaned as the mare dropped her chin to her stall shavings and blew out.
He sighed, “That vet's going to be a bit Mrs. Redding said...”
Charlie nodded, “Abi's on the phone with him but he's about two hours away delivering some stuck calf...”
Colten swallowed, he knew he had felt her near but he had just thought he was going insane. He really should have known better.
He walked out of the stall, “We need to get her up and walking. I don't care if it's just one step every five minutes. I want to know if her gut's moving at all... she's not making a lot of sounds...”
Charlie grumbled, “I'll go see what's going on with that vet.”
All of sudden, Colten was determined to save the mare.
He stepped out of the stall, “I'll get you up, horse.” He stalked away to the tack room and started to rummage around.
That's when he heard the sweet, melodic voice of Abigail Redding and the soft click of her boots on the cement isle of the barn.
He swallowed and turned back around and then he stopped dead in his tracks. Her sweet scent of a flowers on a summer night and it him like a ton of bricks. He slowly looked up as Abigail halted her step in the doorway of the tack room.
He tried to hide the wince in his face as his body filled with burning, scorching pain that ran the length of his limbs and across his chest to basically everywhere imaginable.
It made him need her, want her... he studied her lean legs in the white washed cut of shorts and the white tank top that was resting just above her hips, showing off her tiny navel and goose-bumped skin and... his hands tightened on the rope in his hands.
“Hi, Colt.”
... CONTINUE READING "TEXAS" BY ADDING THE BOOK TO YOUR LIBRARY EITHER FROM THE WEREWOLF SECTION OR GRAB IT OFF MY PROFILE AND ADD IT ... thanks for reading, Bella xx
PS - Chloe and Gray will be in TEXAS ;-)