Cowgirls and Alphas

Chapter 9

*Warning! References made in this passage*

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Lottie POV

The number of curse words playing on repeat in my mind right now could put a sailor to shame. I’m mentally scolding myself for running behind after making a scene last night about being ready to go at 6:30. I still have five minutes left until I need to be in the car driving away. My original plan was to be out the door and ready at 6:15. That could have happened if I had slept more than a few hours.

For the first part of the night, I replayed the last conversation I had with Drake. I was so mad when I got to my room. I kept thinking of better things I could have said or done to show him how wrong he was to assume I couldn’t help him. After a while, I realized he never said that. He made a point to say that he didn’t want me to get hurt.

Then I started to feel embarrassed. I must have looked like a child throwing a fit. Ugh! Why did I get worked up before giving him a chance to explain what he meant? In my defense, Drake left the door open for interpreting what he meant when he said he wasn’t “comfortable with the thought of [me] being the one to come help.” I wasn’t about to let him walk all over me! Was he worried about me? Or was he only trying to save face after getting called out? I concluded that I would have to talk to him tomorrow and listen to what he had to say.

I finally went to sleep around one o'clock in the morning when that stupid nightmare came to me again! It was still nighttime like the dreams before, but this time I was riding Star. We were looking for some cows that separated from the herd. Out of nowhere, she bucked me off and took off into the forest. When I got up off the ground, I saw the pack of wolves staring at me. That’s when it got weird. The grey one started talking to me! He was creepy and shouting, “I’m going to make you mine!” The rest of the nightmare went on like normal. The wolves chased me, and when I got close to our cabin, I tripped and fell. Then, I feel the creepy-grey wolf breathing down my neck.

When I woke up, I got in the shower and scrubbed even longer than I do any other time. I tried to get the wolf’s words out from under my skin. Those words bring back terrible memories for me. Stupid subconscious must’ve brought them back into the dream. I gave up scrubbing when my body started to feel raw. It was 5:00 when I finished showering, so I convinced myself to sleep a little bit more before I needed to get ready. That was a mistake because now I’m late.

Thank heavens for my momma because she made breakfast burritos for everyone. I walk into the kitchen and notice that she’s sitting at the table reading and sipping her cup of peppermint tea.

“Morning, Momma! Thanks for breakfast!” I hurriedly tell her while grabbing a burrito from the microwave and a can of coke from the fridge. I go to leave when she takes hold of my arm.

“Lottie, wait!” I turn to her and give her a questioning look. “I wanted to make sure you are doing better. Last night you were a little hot.”

“I’m fine, Mom. We can talk more when I get back.“

She brings me in for a hug before I can break away. “Try to remember there is another side to everything, hon. Drive safe.”

I hug her back and thank her before running out the door to the group waiting on me. I notice that Jackson and Eric are in the front seats of their truck. Then I find Drake standing outside talking to them through the driver-side window. I thought he’d be the type to drive, but maybe he’s waiting to talk to me before he hops in the backseat. I take a deep breath before greeting them.

“Morning. Before we leave, I wanted to apologize for last night. I let my temper get the best of me, and I’m sorry that I lashed out at you, Drake. I assumed you were being a jerk. Instead, I turned into one.” I wait for him to make a sexist comment like most guys do.

“That’s alright. I am sorry I made you feel inadequate. That wasn’t my intention. I couldn’t bear the thought of something bad happening to you, so I jumped into protective mode. Your safety is important to me.” His eyes hold mine with an intensity that makes me feel like he is genuinely sincere.

I nod at him, “Thank you, that’s very kind.” We stand there for a moment smiling at one another. We seem to do this a lot for meeting just yesterday, but I can’t look away from him. There’s something about him that feels familiar and safe. An alarm on my phone goes off, pulling my attention away from Drake.

Once the alarm is taken care of, I ask, “Do you guys need to fill up before we go? We’ll pass a gas station on our way to the cabin.”

Drake answers, “We filled up when we got into town last night.”

“Great! My car is good too. Let’s get headed.” I say and make my way towards the Expedition. Walking away, I don’t hear a truck door opening and closing but footsteps behind me. When I look back, I see Drake following me instead of getting into his truck.

“Is everything okay?” I ask him.

He stops in his tracks, looking a little panicked. “Oh, yeah. I wanted to ask if you’d be okay with me riding with you?”

“Um, sure,” I reply and quickly turn away to hide my beet-red face. I don’t know how to feel about this. The butterflies in my stomach say I’m excited that Drake wants to ride with me. But my mind reminds me of what happened the last time I was alone with a man. I feel I’d be safe with Drake, but I’m wary of being in situations like these. Hopefully, I don’t regret this.

When we get to the car, I have to adjust the driver’s seat closer to the steering wheel and higher for me to see over the dashboard. I notice Drake doing the exact opposite to the passenger seat. I laugh at the sight.

He looks up at me in confusion. “What?”

I shake my head and answer, “I found it funny that we’re changing our seats so differently.” I get in and set my soda in the cup holder before closing the door.

Drake laughs too as he climbs in. “That is pretty funny. You are a tiny thing.”

I look at him and see his knees almost hit the dashboard with the seat as far back as it can go.

“And you’re a giant thing.” I chuckle.

After I start the car, I connect my phone to play some music. The first song that comes on is ‘Rise’ by Peyton Parrish. “Yes!” I exclaim and do a little fist pump as I drive away from the house. I look at Drake, who seems amused. I’m immediately embarrassed and feel my face heat up. I must look like a dork. Welp, too late to act normal now.

“This is the perfect song to wake me up. After it’s over, you can take over the music,” I tell him.

He smirks and turns the music up louder. The small act makes an impact on me. My ex would make fun of me for how goofy I am over music. Drake goes along with it and lets me be. Even if he’s only being polite, I greatly appreciate that.

We continue driving down the road listening to my wide variety of music, and I finish eating the breakfast burrito I grabbed earlier. Between songs, I turn the sound down so I can talk to Drake.

“I was serious when I said you can choose what we listen to now. You don’t have to suffer through it to be nice.”

He looks at me and shakes his head, “I’m not suffering a single bit. I like that you have a little bit of everything. That’s how my music is too.” Then he gives me a smile that makes my heart skip a beat. I turn my attention to the road before I lose myself in his charming smile.

Clearing my throat, I ask, “So, is there any specific reason why you wanted to ride with me?”

He shifts in his seat a little before answering. “I was hoping we could visit. I want to see how you’re doing with everything going on. The scene you rode up on had to be a bit traumatic to see.”

I shuddered at the memory. “I’ve seen plenty of death. Being raised on a ranch and hunting most of my life, you would think it wouldn’t bother me so much.”

“But it does,” Drake states softly.

I nod. “It does. Part of it’s because I was not expecting so many to be gone. The other part is silly.”

Drake leans on the middle console. “You can tell me. I want to help, and I can’t do that if you keep things to yourself.”

I take a moment to gather my thoughts before explaining, “I know the pack that did this needs to be ‘put down.’ Wolves that kill for sport like this are more likely to do it wherever they get transferred to after being here. That’s why we called you. You guys are good at taking down dangerous packs.”

“While that is true, I sense a ‘but’ coming.”

I sigh, “But I love wolves. And I wish there was a way to give them a second chance. It makes me sad to think that’s probably not possible for this particular pack.”

Drake thinks about what I said before responding. “There have been a few times when we’ve been able to give the wolves a second chance. I can’t promise it will work out for this situation, but I’m willing to try for you.”

Wait, what?