An hour passed before the guys from the ranch strolled into the bar, including Adam in his red dress shirt and black-rimmed glasses. A couple of single guys were with him and a couple of younger guys who had their arms wrapped tightly around their ladies—probably their mates or girlfriends or wives. It was a bigger group than she’d anticipated. Helena had already left the bar with her sexy booty call. No help coming from her. Gretchen was a better wing-mate anyway. Kate waved off Gretchen’s cowboy and pulled her remaining cousin toward the edge of the dance floor. “I need your help. See the guy in the red shirt?”

“Mmmhmm. He’s cute, in a Clark Kent kinda way.”

“That’s Adam VonBrandt. I need to get him to sell a certain stud horse to the Trewitts and—”

“You’ve figured out a way to leave the pack,” Gretchen said, keeping her voice low. “I’ll be damned. Sneaky girl. That’s why you were here so early.”

“The Trewitt alpha offered me a job, but only if I can get Adam to sell him this horse.”

Gretchen straightened her shoulders and put a swing in her step. “Well…let the buttering up begin. I see the VonBrandt twins, and at least two other single wolves standing next to him. I’d be happy to remove one of those distractions.”

Kate smiled. “I knew I could count on you.”

Gretchen stepped ahead of her and waved to one of the mated pairs. “Hey, Luke,” she called out.

“You know him?” Kate asked, weaving through dancing bodies following on Gretchen’s heels.

“Yep, met him and his mate, Kara, earlier today.”

“Gretchen,” the blonde standing next to Luke smiled and waved. “So glad you girls decided to get out for a while.“

“This is my cousin Kate.” Gretchen made quick introductions to Luke and Kara, then to Noah and Emma—Luke’s twin brother and his mate. Kate shook their hands and moved toward Adam. He caught her glance and his eyes shuttered. Damn, he is tall…and…not super friendly. Gretchen continued to talk to the younger VonBrandts, but Kate only cared about Adam.

“Hey, you look like you could use some company. Want to dance?”

“Not really.”

She just about did a double-take. Kate couldn’t help the laugh that bubbled out of her. But she wasn’t about to be turned down. Not when there was so much at stake.

“Oh, come on, cowboy.” She extended her hand. “The course of love never did run smooth…”

The smallest smile ghosted across his lips and he looked at her like he was seeing her for the first time. “Well-well…maybe I judged you too quickly.”

“You probably did.” Kate crossed the last little bit of space between them and grabbed his hand. “I won’t hold it against you, though.”

He followed her out onto the dance floor. There weren’t any sparks like there had been the instant she and Ryan had touched, but that wasn’t what she was looking for. Focus on the goal. She needed him to be on her side.

“I’m not much for bars,” he said, twirling her a bit and moving her around the dance floor like he’d been doing it his whole life. He probably had.

“Well, you certainly dance well.”

“You quote Shakespeare well.”

“I do my best.” She gave him a wide smile and tried to decide how quickly she could segue into breeding stock and the stallion she needed to procure. The tattoo thing was a bit outside of her wheelhouse. “So tell me, Mr. VonBrandt, what’s your favorite thing to do in your downtime?”

“Well, between grading papers and overseeing my grad students, I don’t really have a lot of downtime.”

Kate stiffened. Grading papers? Grad students? “You’re pretty busy for someone who owns some of the best stock horses in the area.”

“Horses?” His chest heaved and a low laugh rumbled from his belly. “You’ve got the wrong VonBrandt for that. I teach literature at the university.”

“But…I thought—” Kate gulped a breath and studied the man in front of her. He was tanned, but it wasn’t the deep, dark color that came from being outside every day all day long. The hand holding hers wasn’t callused like it should’ve been from ropes and leather and riding. A quick glance at the floor revealed boots without so much as a scuff. “But Ryan said… You’re not Adam VonBrandt, are you?”

“Heh.” He shook his head. “I am definitely not. I’m Julian.” He twirled her again as the last chord progression faded out. The dance floor was silent for a few seconds before the next song started. “Adam’s cousin.”

Kate released Adam’s—nope…Julian’s—hand and fought back the emotions welling up inside her. Ryan had purposefully set her down the wrong path. And Dee had gone along with it. They’d both deceived her outright. “I’m sorry, I—”

“Who’s Ryan?”

She backed away from him. Why hadn’t she asked for his name hours ago? Why had she just taken Ryan’s word for it? Because you didn’t think Ryan would be so cruel.

“I’m really sorry. I’m supposed to talk to Adam about a horse and I—” She looked at the tips of her black boots and tried to take a deep breath. This was a disaster. Anger licked at her insides like a fire spreading through dry tinder. She wanted to kick Ryan’s ass clear back to Oklahoma. How dare he ruin her chances of getting the horse for his alpha—and getting the job with his pack. Was he so frightened of her and the potential mate bond between them that he would really screw with her life like this?

She’d wasted so much time. Who knew if she’d get another chance with Adam—the real Adam. She should’ve been getting to know him, finding out what it would take to convince him to sell the horse the Trewitts wanted. “I’m really sorry. This was all my fault. I didn’t mean to—”

“It’s fine. Misunderstanding.”

Kate nodded, fighting back tears. If she didn’t get the job, she’d be forced to run. To take her pickup somewhere and throw herself on the mercy of someone like Aaron VonBrandt—an attempt that would almost certainly fail.

“Hey, it’s okay, really.” Julian laid a soft hand on her shoulder and squeezed. “Let me text my cousin. I’m sure he’ll be on his way here, once he finds Dee.” He pulled his phone from his pocket and typed out a quick text as they shifted to the edge of the dance floor.

“Done,” Julian said, tucking his phone back into his pocket.

“So, I have to ask you a question,” she said, stepping forward and grasping his hand again. Julian’s body stiffened for a moment, but he fell back into step with her as they returned to the sea of swaying bodies on the dance floor. It wasn’t Julian’s fault she’d zeroed in on him and monopolized all his attention. She at least owed him a few more dances. Plus, he was a really good dancer and she was always a sucker for a guy who could dance. Ryan probably can’t dance a single step. She couldn’t help the chuckle that slipped out under her breath.

“Is there an inside joke I’m not in on?” he asked.

“I really enjoy dancing. And have enjoyed having you as a partner, even though you technically weren’t my intended target. And I was just thinking that the troll of a man who sent me after you probably can’t dance at all.”

“That would be ironic. And his loss.”

Heat crawled up Kate’s cheeks and she turned her head away from Julian for a moment, composing herself. He was being so kind after she’d all but brushed him off. “First off, thank you for texting Adam—I really do need to speak with him about a horse. Also, someone told me something about you and I wanted to know if it was true or if they were just pulling my leg.”

He twirled her out and then pulled her back, flush to his chest. He was warm, like any hot-blooded wolf would be, but there was still no spark. Not like with Ryan. Dammit. Even after that lying-stick-up-his-ass-jerk-monkey had sent her on a goose chase, she still wished she were in his arms. Didn’t matter that Julian had a striking roman face, obvious muscles, and this sexy half-nerd-half-Indiana-Jones-cowboy-professor thing going on.

“So tell me, what rumors did you hear?”

“The Shakespeare one seems to be true.”

Julian nodded and put a hand on her hip to guide her through the next few steps. “I’m actually a Shakespeare scholar.”

Kate caught Dee’s eye and gave her a smile. No need to tip off Ryan’s spy. Dee shifted in her chair uncomfortably, but she managed to smile back all the same. Good thing Dee was moving to El Paso. Kate didn’t think she’d be able to stomach a woman who would go along with such a boldfaced deception. Girls should stick together. Always. Quade girls didn’t survive if they didn’t help each other through the shit their grandparents threw at them.

“What else did you hear?” Julian asked.

“Tattoos.”

“I don’t have any, so that was a lie.”

Kate pondered that statement and watched him carefully. “Not even a stallion outline on your hip that matches someone else’s hip?”

“Fuck no,” Julian said, his face a picture of surprise and horror. “And no way does Adam have that either.”

Kate giggled and fell into the rhythm of the next song seamlessly. “Good to know. It sounded like one of those drunk and stupid things teenagers do, but it’s really difficult for a—you know—to get that drunk.”

“It would take multiple bottles of really hard liquor, yes.” He grinned down at her mischievously. “Is that it? I’m curious what else you’ve been told.”

“There was just one other thing…” she let her voice trail off into the bass of the song. Heat crept up her cheeks again.

“Now you really have to tell me,” he said, a low chuckle shaking his chest. He seemed to be warming up to her.

“That you like to have...um…well…relations in public places where you could get caught.”

Julian stared at her for what had to be a full minute. It wasn’t, but it felt like she waited an eternity for him to answer. The song ended and they strolled to the side of the dance floor. He held her hand gently in his, walking with her as if they were boyfriend and girlfriend. So sweet. The man really didn’t deserve to get caught up in the middle of her bullshit life.

“You do not have to dignify that rumor with a response,” Kate whispered, once they reached the empty table where she’d first met him with the other VonBrandt boys.

“Not a complete…rumor,” he finally said, a sigh slipping from him. “Apparently Adam told someone he caught me with…” Julian rubbed a hand over his chin and growled. “Or he told many someones. Dammit, I owe him a broken nose next time I see him.”

“Please, not right now. I really need him to sell me that horse so I can get a job outside of El Paso.”

“That sounds like a story.” He gestured to the empty chair in front of him. “Can I order you a drink?”

“Water,” she said, automatically tensing for the judgment that would follow her non-alcoholic choice.

“Sounds good.” He waved down a waitress and order two waters.

Kate shook her head and plopped down into the wooden chair. “You’re Mr. Perfect—you know that, right?”

Julian snorted and sat down in the chair opposite her. “I wish more women thought that. Although, I don’t think you’re feeling any chemistry either.”

Kate nodded. “But if there was, I’d be all over you like white on rice.”

He chuckled again. “So tell me about this job you want.”

Kate took a deep breath. What did she have to lose? If she didn’t get this job, she’d be on her way back to El Paso and the end of life as she knew it. Julian seemed like a decent guy. Maybe he could convince Adam to sell the horse to her just because. Maybe this whole goose chase thing would work out in the end. Maybe…just maybe…she would break free from her pack after all.