Cowboy Wolf Outlaw by Kait Ballenger

Author:Kait Ballenger
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Sourcebooks
Published: 2022-04-19T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 15

Trixie was right back where she’d started with Malcolm, same old song and dance. It was the following evening and Malcolm had barely said two words to her, choosing instead to avoid her throughout the day and well into the start of evening. The moment the sun had crept into the salmon-colored sky that morning, he’d ridden out to the pastures alongside the other hands, leaving Trixie to fend for herself while they gathered the steers for sale.

Whatever the hell that meant.

Trixie settled into the front seat of the truck, the cracked, torn leather of the bench threatening to swallow her whole. A low, crooning country song played on the radio, the raspy tune drowning amid the rumbling of the truck’s ancient engine. At least she wasn’t the only one with a vehicle on its last leg.

The silence between them seemed to stretch for miles, as long as the open highway ahead. He’d refused to take his bike, grumbling something or other about her being too cold on the ride back and not having the right clothes or shoes. She hadn’t been pleased. She’d been looking forward to the closeness of wrapping her arms around him, snuggling close, however fleeting.

The sun had started to set now, the lights of downtown Billings still not seeable in the distance ahead. Trixie cleared her throat.

“So I’ve been thinking about your last name…”

Malcolm didn’t respond. He simply kept his eyes on the road, reached to his left, and switched on the truck’s headlights. The two yellow rays beamed through the twilight.

Trixie sighed. “How about White?”

Malcolm ignored the question. Only the slight curl of his upper lip indicated she was getting somewhere, though he was trying hard not to show it. She let out an annoyed huff of her own. Cat meet mouse. She shook her head. Except this particular cat was a mean, snarly thing who at the moment was trying to convince her he couldn’t be less interested when all she wanted was for him to show a bit of claw. Growl. React. Snarl. Anything.

At least one snarly beast in her life was on her side. Dumplin’ had been pleased at the prospect of staying with the pack’s cute veterinarian, Dakota, who’d immediately showered him with love and homemade dog treats. Trixie could see why Dakota made Blaze happy, though she still thought Malcolm had the better appeal. Like she’d said, Blaze’s loss. Or her gain.

If she ever managed to get him to speak again.

She let another few minutes pass.

“How about Washington?” she said, breaking the silence. “Or Williams? Something with a W. Any of those would pair well with Malcolm.”

He growled. “I have a name.”

Four words, but it was something. Progress.

She could see the city in the distance now. The dark form of the rimrocks filled the backdrop of Billings, still visible in the early evening light. The upper floors of First Interstate Center and a bank, the tallest buildings in downtown, towered over the others. There weren’t any high-rises out here.

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