Cole had been heading to find Leeza only to see her talking to Lance Cutter. He didn’t know much about the man, but from what he’d heard, he wasn’t sure if he liked the guy or not. Obviously, Samson wasn’t taking to him, and that said a lot. He trusted animals before humans any day.

“Well, let’s just say I misunderstood what Gemma’s been doing over here,” Lance replied, eyeing Cole. “And you are?”

“Misunderstood my old saggy ass.” Larry walked up with a frown. “You made her life miserable, Cutter.”

Cole watched Lance closely and was surprised when he saw regret in the man’s eyes. So what he’d heard was right. This man had tried to shut Gemma’s sanctuary down repeatedly. When Lance glanced quickly at Leeza, Cole wanted to punch him in the face… hard… knockout hard.

“True.” Lance sighed, then took his cowboy hat off. “And I’m going to make that up to her. To them.” He used his hat to indicate he was talking about the wolf-dogs.

“What can we do for you?” Cole asked, wanting him to leave. Something about the way the man looked at Leeza rubbed him the wrong way.

“I need to speak with Gemma and Eric,” Lance replied, not realizing how close he was to getting knocked the fuck out.

“I can give them any message you have,” Cole answered, knowing his tone was anything but pleasant.

“And who are you?” The man eyed Cole. “I don’t think you answered me.”

“I didn’t.” Cole waited a long second before answering, which wasn’t the response the man was looking for. Cole didn’t give a shit.

“Gemma’s in the trailer,” Leeza said, then picked up the bucket of meat, giving Cole a sideways glance. “I’m heading that way.”

“Thanks.” Lance followed Leeza, and Cole had a sudden urge to grab the man by the throat as he passed.

“Ah, son.” Larry’s voice penetrated the rage ringing in his ears. “You might want to stop standing there growling and go with them. Some may think Lance has turned the other cheek, but I have my doubts. I wouldn’t trust a turd with him, and that pretty girl is no turd.”

Cole’s eyes left the back of Lance’s head to look at Larry. “What?”

Larry stared at Cole for a long minute. “If you have any feelings for that girl, which I know you do, you best get your ass moving ’cause if Lance has his way, she will be one of ‘his’ girls, and let me tell you, that man has had many.” Larry picked up the bucket of meat. “He’s a charmer with the ladies, and he’s rich.”

Being a man, an alpha male, Cole’s first inclination was to play it cool like he couldn’t care less. That’s exactly what he tried to do. “And you’re telling me this because….”

Giving him a look as if he were a dumbass, Larry smirked. “Yeah, you go ahead and be a hardass, boy.” Larry snorted, then shook his head. “When that pretty lady gets taken from under your stubborn nose, don’t come crying to me.”

Cole watched as Larry headed away from him, his words fading. Obviously, the old man was trying to warn him about Lance Cutter. He already knew what a prize Leeza would be to any man, but that wasn’t going to happen. If it did, it would be over his dead body.

Shaking his head at the old man’s weird way of putting things, Cole headed toward Leeza, who just parted ways with Lance.

Seeing Eric, he waved him over. “That Cutter guy just went inside the trailer where Gemma is.”

Eric nodded, heading that way. He then waved Cole on. “Come on, I need to talk to you.”

“Shit,” Cole cursed, his eyes searching in the direction where Leeza disappeared. He couldn’t get a fucking break where she was concerned.

Following Eric inside the cramped trailer, Cole found a spot to lean against as he crossed his arms over his chest to keep from smacking Cutter in the back of the head. Man, he really didn’t like this guy and knew it showed, but he didn’t care.

“Everything is good with the police,” Lance was saying, as Cole stared a hole in the back of the man’s head. “Nothing will lead them here. I took care of everything.”

“So that’s it?” Gemma asked, suspicion thick in her voice. “After trying to shut me down for years, you took care of everything as well as watched my back?”

“Yes,” Lance said, with a nod.

“And knowing what they,” she nodded toward Eric and Cole, “are, what I’ve been doing here, you are going to just let all that go.”

“Yes,” Lance repeated his answer, his face showing no emotion and then his eyes opened a little wider as he smirked. “Not that I really understand what they are, but I do know that it is remarkable and something I want to learn more about.”

“You do know you could use this situation to close me down.” Gemma’s voice shook a little, but Cole was surprised by the strength of his brother’s mate. She was a good match for their alpha.

“You’re right, I could, but I won’t,” Lance replied with a sigh. “Listen, I know I was a total asshole to you, but after all of this, I know I was wrong.”

“Excuse me?” Gemma’s head snapped back. “Did you just say you were… wrong?”

“Yes,” Lance announced, then took out his wallet from his back pocket. “And to prove to you how wrong I’ve been, I want you to accept this as a token of my apology.”

Cole watched as Gemma took what looked like a check. She paled visibly as her eyes shot up to Lance. “What’s this?”

“A donation,” Lance replied, then looked around the small trailer. “I’ve also made a call, and your meat will continue as usual, before I pulled my asshole move.”

Cole walked over to glance at the check and about fell over. Larry was right; this fucker was loaded. Ten thousand dollars. Holy shit. Cole was well off, but not well off enough to just jot down digits like that.

“I don’t know what to say.” Gemma’s voice cracked this time and her eyes filled with tears. “Do you know how much this will help?”

Lance didn’t answer her, but instead, looked at Eric. “I know you bought the property next to this. I don’t know what you plan to do, but I also own a construction company. Anything you need, you just let me know.”

“Well, aren’t you just full of help suddenly,” Cole growled, his eyes narrowing. Yeah, jealousy had a way of making him say stupid shit at weird times. He saw the way he was looking at Leeza, and didn’t like it, didn’t like this man. He also didn’t like the fact this man knew about them, even if the asshole didn’t fully understand it. For a stranger to know was dangerous to their kind.

Lance gave him an odd look before glancing back at Gemma. “Again, I’m sorry for everything, and I know what you’re thinking. No, this isn’t a bribe with strings attached.”

With that, he turned and walked out of the trailer. Everyone was quiet until Gemma reached up and kissed Eric on the cheek, before running out after Lance with the check in her hand.

“So, what do you think of all that?” Cole still glared at the door. The guy’s donation was amazing, but Cole didn’t trust it, which may just be because the man dared talk to Leeza.

“I think the money will come in handy,” Eric said, then headed toward the door. “But I still don’t trust him… yet. Hey, I need you to help me with some things as soon as I find Kile. We need to make some decisions about lodging and such.”

Cole grumbled as he followed Eric out the door. “I need to take care of something first. Then I’ll meet up with you.”

Eric stopped just outside the door to turn and look at him. “You haven’t talked to her yet?”

“No,” Cole responded, not liking the disapproving look on his brother’s face. His brother knew him well, too well.

“Hurry up, we have a lot to do,” Eric growled.

Cole nodded, then glanced around for Leeza. Rage overtook him when he saw a smiling Leeza looking up at Lance as Gemma flashed the check around talking a mile a minute. Yeah, this guy was really starting to wear out his welcome.

* * *

Leeza stared up in shock at Lance as Gemma waved the check in front of her face. “Wow.” Leeza glanced up at Lance with wide eyes. “That’s some donation.”

“I sold one of my prize horses, so I felt it was the least I could do.” Lance smiled down at her with a wink.

“And what do you expect in turn?” Larry, who had joined them, took hold of the check.

“Larry!” Gemma frowned at him, snatching the check out of his hand.

“Hey, a snake may shed his skin, but he’s still a snake.” Larry eyed Lance before looking at Gemma. “Just because he comes here with his fancy check doesn’t mean diddly squat where I’m concerned.”

“He apologized.” Gemma frowned at Larry, then frowned up at Lance. Leeza saw the uncertainty in Gemma’s eyes and felt for her.

“And I’m sure he meant it,” Leeza added. “People can change, Larry, and it seems to me he wants to do right by his apology.”

“Oh, is that so?” Larry frowned, then picked up a bucket. “Then he can do right by pitching in and helping out with the animals he wanted to shoot.”

“Shoot?” Leeza gasped, her eyes going to Lance. When she saw the look on his face, she knew it was true. “Why would you want to shoot them?”

Lance took the bucket Larry all but shoved in his stomach. “Because I thought they were killing my cattle, but I was wrong.”

Larry snorted, then spat on the ground. “But he didn’t believe that until a bunch of them saved his sorry ass.”

“I said I was wrong, Larry.” Lance shook his head. “What else can I do?”

“Prove it.” Larry gave him a nod with squinty eyes. “Work with them. Prove yourself like a man, not with money.”

“Fine.” Lance took the bucket, then stared at Larry. “Where do I start?”

When Larry didn’t say anything, but just gave him a nasty grin, Leeza stepped in. “I’ll show you.”

“I need to talk to you.” Cole had walked up and stood beside Gemma and Larry.

“Come on, Lance.” Gemma led the way. “I’m dying to see you get your hands dirty.”

The last thing Leeza wanted to do was talk to Cole about anything. With a heavy heart, she watched as everyone deserted her, leaving her to deal with what she dreaded most. Her face-to-face with Cole.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Cole frowned down at her as soon as everyone disappeared.

Man, she really didn’t want to have this conversation. She’d wanted to have this conversation weeks ago, but now, not so much. Leeza wasn’t sure how to answer, so instead, she decided to play the smartass. That usually got her out of situations she didn’t want to be in.

“Why didn’t you ask?” she countered, hoping to piss him off enough that he stormed off.

Surprise flittered across his face. “Why didn’t I ask?” His voice rose before he brought it back to normal. “After what I walked up on, I didn’t think I had to ask.”

“You thought wrong, obviously,” Leeza replied, then decided to end this right here and now. “Listen, Cole, it’s done and over with. Let’s just forget it and move on. I’m fine.”

“You didn’t seem fine last night.” Cole’s eyes narrowed. “I think your exact words to me were ‘fuck you.’”

“I had a moment.” Leeza glanced away from him, but quickly looked back when she heard him chuckle. Damn the man and his smile. When he smiled at her like that, she turned into a smitten woman, and wasn’t that pathetic! It was even more pathetic that the word smitten came into her thoughts. What the hell did that even mean?

“Oh, a moment was it?” Cole’s dark eyes sparkled when he laughed. The fine lines crinkled at the corners, making him even more handsome. His grin slipped as he stared at her. “I’m sorry, Leeza.”

Okay, now she was hearing things, because never had she heard Cole say those words before. To be fair, he’d never really had a reason to say them to her before now, but still, a man like Cole, an alpha male, didn’t spew those words easily or often.

“It’s just when I saw you, the condition you were in, I thought…. Well, you know what I thought, and I went crazy.” Cole tilted his head. “To think something like that happened underneath my nose isn’t something that sits well with me.”

Those words were like ice water over her head. Smitten she may have been, pissed she now was. “So, if it hadn’t happened under your nose, you’d be—”

He threw up his hand, stopping her. “Don’t even say it,” he growled back, reverting to his overbearing self. “You know exactly what I mean. Why are you making this so hard?”

Good question. Why was she making this so hard? Maybe because she was hurt beyond anything she had ever felt by the way the whole situation was handled, especially by him. Maybe she was afraid to feel that way again, so being a bitch pretty much solved that problem before it was even an issue. This was her chance to do what she could to make sure no woman in this pack would feel the way she had if it should, God forbid, happen to someone else.

“I’m not the one who made this situation hard, Cole.” Leeza made damn sure her voice was strong and steady. “The men in this pack, the leaders in this pack, as well as the women made it hard. I know how we’re made. It’s bred into us to protect, the feelings of frustration when we fail at that. I had them also, but the way we react to the people who we failed has to change. I hope this never happens again to anyone, but if it does, I want to make damn sure they never feel the way I felt.”

When he remained silent, staring at her, Leeza decided that was it. She’d said her piece, and if he had nothing else to say, then she needed to cut her losses and walk away. That was exactly what she did.