Come Moonrise (2 page)

"Something happened with Duke and
Marigold."

Well, crud. Trust her cousin to mess things
up. Whatever Marigold had done to Ty's older brother had to be
serious for the annual Thanksgiving dinner invitation not to be
extended. "Did they have a fight, or something?"

Aunt Rose bit her lip and looked away with a
sigh as she proceeded to roll out pie crust with a practiced hand.
"She won’t say, but his fiancée left town and now he cuts your
cousin dead whenever he sees her. No one in their family has
stepped foot on our land since Leah left."

"Have you been over to see Carolyn?" Ty’s
mom and Aunt Rose had always been almost as close as sisters.

"It didn’t feel right, not knowing what had
gone on between Marigold and Duke." But Frankie could see the loss
of the other woman’s friendship had hurt her aunt deeply.

Younger than Frankie, Marigold’s crush on
the older man had never been a secret. She would sympathize with
her cousin if she didn’t think that the idea of Duke’s wealth and
position in the community was even more tantalizing to Marigold
than the man himself.

Besides, at barely twenty, Marigold wasn’t
exactly mature in her dealings with others. A professional prima
donna, Frankie’s cousin rarely thought of anyone else’s feelings
when going after something, or in this case, someone, she
wanted.

"You wanted to see Ty," Aunt Rose
guessed.

"Of course."

Her aunt’s lips pursed in concern. "You’re
still in love with him."

"You don’t have to look like that’s the
worst fate in the world. Ty’s a good man."

"He’s not going to marry you, baby." The sad
certainty in Aunt Rose’s voice scared her, but Frankie hadn’t come
this far to turn back at the first fence.

"I guess I’ve got to know that for
sure."

If her aunt was right, then her cousin’s
actions could turn out to be a favor instead of frustrating.
Cutting her ties with the man she loved would be a lot easier if
their families weren’t so close.

"Another family moved into town. French
Canadian. They’ve got a daughter about Ty’s age."

"Really?"

"Her name is Olivia. She’s real pretty."

"That’s nice."

"Ty seems partial to her."

Frankie’s heart stopped in
her chest with a painful thump and then started beating so fast,
she could barely breathe. After all this time he was showing
interest in another woman?
Why now?
"How does she feel about him?"

"The boy seems to irritate her more than
anything, but with their kind you never know."

"You think French Canadian women are more
likely to hide an interest in a man behind dislike?" she asked, not
really understanding where her aunt was coming from.

Aunt Rose frowned. "I wonder..." She shook
her head. "No. A promise is a promise. Just don’t get your heart
set on Tyler McCanlup."

Her heart was already set on the gorgeous
veterinarian. So was her body for that matter. No other man had
ever stirred her senses like he did and he’d never even kissed her.
It had gotten so bad that she couldn’t even give herself orgasms
without thinking about him.

"I think I’ll go for a ride."

Aunt Rose shook her head. "Stubborn child.
Give the McCanlups my regards."

***

Hardened snow crunched under Flash’s feet as
Frankie guided the big black gelding from the barn. She missed him
as much as she missed her family since moving to the city. She
pulled her scarf down and breathed in the cold air.

Oh, man.

Her lungs seized on the freezing offering
before expelling it all in a rush. She breathed in another big
whiff of what she loved best. Fresh, clean air that smelled like
snow, wood smoke and nothing else. No car exhaust, no nearby
restaurants cooking for the lunch crowd...none of the stale city
smells she'd grown used to if not fond of.

Pulling her scarf back up to muffle her nose
and mouth, she kneed Flash into movement and the horse sprang
forward eagerly. Before long, they were galloping across the land
between her aunt and uncle’s and the Rocking M. Even with Flash’s
speed, it was a fair ride to the McCanlup homestead.

She slowed Flash to a walk far enough away
to cool the horse down. It was then that she noticed a trio of
riders coming toward her.

All three men sat tall in the saddle and
wore almost identical outfits of faded jeans, flannel shirts over
dark Henleys and sheepskin jackets open down the front. She had no
problem telling them apart, however. Not one of the men wore a hat.
Their almost insane tolerance for the cold had always amazed
her.

Duke rode on the left, his dark hair the
same color as his dad’s. King rode in the middle and Ty, his golden
blond hair glistening in the stark sunlight, rode to his right.
None of the men were smiling, but that didn’t stop her heart from
speeding up at the sight of Ty.

She reined in when she reached them. "Mr.
McCanlup." She nodded toward the man in the center then to the
others. "Duke. Ty." Her voice softened just a little on his name
and she smiled slightly.

His expression showed no matching
welcome.

Had Marigold destroyed the relationship
between their families completely?

"I'm surprised your people let you go riding
alone right now," King McCanlup said with his usual emotionless
stare.

He and her uncle got along well enough, but
King had always been somewhat cold toward Frankie and she'd never
understood why. His apparent disapproval of her had never stopped
Ty from being her friend and so she'd never let it bother her.

She wasn't about to start now. "I always go
for a ride when I first get home. No one was available to come
along."

"Maybe your family didn’t expect you to ride
over this way." Ty shot a sidelong glance at his stone faced older
brother.

"I told Aunt Rose where I was going. She
sends her regards, by the way. As for being out riding right now -
I don’t see the problem. The storm front isn’t supposed to move in
until tomorrow, tonight at the soonest." Which was why she’d
traveled a couple of days earlier than she’d originally
planned.

She hadn’t wanted to be snow bound in
Billings on Thanksgiving. She'd felt an urgency about her trip
home, a certainty that if she didn't secure her relationship with
Ty now, it would never happen.

"The full moon is in thirty-two hours," King
said like that should explain his concern.

She rolled her eyes thinking he probably
assumed it did. He had the timing down to the hours no less.

"I know you all think the full moon has some
kind of weird effect on the wolves in the Rocking M's refuge—"

"It does," Ty cut in, his voice brusque, his
blue eyes cold. "You don’t have to believe it for it to be the
truth. You had no business riding out here so close to one."

She blinked in pained surprise at the
rebuke. Ty might have held back from deepening their friendship to
something more, but he’d always treated her like a person he was
glad to see.

Right now, she felt about as welcome as a
skunk at a picnic. She lifted the reins, prepared to turn Flash
around. "I’ll just go back then."

"You’re closer to the homestead," King said,
staying her. "Ty can give you a lift back to your aunt and uncle’s.
One of the hands will ride Flash back."

"That’s ridiculous. I can ride back
now."

"You’re on our land. You’ll do as we say."
Duke’s voice lacked even an edge of warmth.

She opened her mouth, but Ty forestalled
her. "Don’t talk to her like that, Duke."

"You got a problem with it? Why? I thought
you were interested that little French Canadian bitch."

Frankie’s jaw dropped. She’d never heard
Duke refer to a woman with anything but unfailing respect. "Don’t
you like her?" she blurted.

"Ignore him, he’s just feeling his age right
now."

She would have laughed if she wasn’t
battling pain at their obvious rejection. "You’re only gong to be
thirty. That’s hardly ancient."

Duke said nothing, but wheeled his horse
around. "Let her do what she wants," he called back over his
shoulder. "But don’t blame me if a wolf decides she looks damn
tasty right now."

CHAPTER TWO

Ty wanted to smack his brother upside the
head.

He knew Duke wasn’t alluding to one of the
pack eating Frankie, but to something that could be equally as
devastating.

Beyond being a woman alone in the wild, she
was single and she was ovulating. In heat.

Her scent would drive any unmated werewolf
crazy...or to do something both the wolf and Frankie would end up
regretting.

Hell, her scent was calling to the beast in
him and it was taking all he had to keep his wolf under control. He
could see that his attitude had hurt her feelings, but why did she
have to show up today? It was the last damn thing he needed when he
was mentally preparing himself to mate with another female.

On top of that, Duke was right. She was
definitely at risk out here on the range.

Many members of the pack gathered on the
Rocking M before the change so they were someplace safe to run when
it happened. If another male found her alone out here this close to
the full moon, there was every chance she could wake up tomorrow
morning mated.

And that would be less than ideal for both
her and the wolf. She’d have the trauma of an unwanted werewolf
mating to overcome and if it turned out to be a sacred bond, some
poor bastard would be rendered effectively neutered when she
refused to stay with him.

"Ride back to the homestead with us,
Frankie," he said, forcing his voice into a friendlier tone even
though all he wanted to do was growl and rip her clothes off.
"Mom’ll have a fit if she finds out you were close enough to say hi
and didn’t."

Frankie was still watching Duke’s
disappearing figure, but she turned to face Ty at his words, her
soft brown eyes still filled with the wounding of their initial
reaction to her. "Are you sure? Things are more strained between
our families than I expected."

"It's not your fault," his dad said shortly.
"Come on to the house."

For King, who hated the thought of either of
his sons mating a non-wolf, it was practically an engraved
invitation. He turned his horse and followed after Duke, his
assumption Frankie would follow obvious in the set of the pack
leader’s shoulders.

Frankie looked at Ty, her expression
troubled.

He smiled, letting the warm feelings he'd
always had for her show in his expression. "You don't want to
disappoint my mom, do you?"

"No."

"Then come on." He spurred his horse and
went after his dad. With a muttered imprecation about arrogant men
that he was sure he wasn’t supposed to hear, Frankie followed
them.

They reached the yard a few minutes later
and Frankie let Jed take Flash into the barn.

They walked into the house together. He
picked up the scent of his mother’s cinnamon snaps and her concern
over having a human visitor this close to the full moon at the same
time. She was smiling when she came into the living room
though.

It was something he hadn’t managed when he’d
first seen Frankie, but then he’d been too busy trying to fight his
reaction to her scent in heat. He still was and he wasn’t
winning.

Hell. The last thing he needed right now, or
ever, was a hard-on for his best friend.

"Frankie, what an unexpected pleasure." His
mom’s voice held all the welcome his dad, his brother and he had
not extended.

Frankie’s pleasure in the greeting came off
her in waves and she rushed forward, her sexy hips swinging
slightly with her graceful walk. She hugged his mom, dwarfing the
smaller woman, and kissed her cheek. "It’s been too long."

"You didn’t come home this past summer."

"The partners all took their vacations over
the summer."

"And left you to work the clinic while they
were gone?" he asked, anger at her being treated like that boiling
through him.

She turned one of her brilliant smiles on
him...finally. Apparently, she’d forgiven him his earlier coldness.
She was like that, rarely holding a grudge, especially against him.
It was one of the many things he liked about her.

Her doe eyes filled with a
warmth he’d never been able to break his addiction to. "They didn’t
all go at once and it
is
my job, Ty."

"You could have come home and worked with
me," he reminded her. "I wouldn’t have forced you to go without a
break all summer."

It had surprised him when she’d refused the
job offer right out of college. It had hurt too. He’d thought that
after she broke up with that pathetic fiancé of hers she’d be
willing to come home, but she hadn’t.

If he needed more proof that thinking of her
as a possible mate was beyond idiotic, there it was. He didn’t
belong in the city and she’d rejected life out here. Not to mention
the fact that she was no more stable in relationships than any
other human, as her ex-fiancé could attest.

There was no official pack law against
taking a human mate, but it was strongly discouraged. While a
werewolf mated for life, a human could leave his or her mate behind
and seek another. It had happened often enough to make the pack
leery. Every werewolf was taught from the time they were a cub that
humans made poor choices for mates.

That didn’t stop it from happening,
unfortunately.

Ty’s own grandmother had been human and had
left Ty’s grandfather to marry another man when the cubs were less
than half grown. Ty’s father had been more adamant than most about
drilling into his sons the need to mate with pack. Or if not with
pack, at least with their own kind.