Cowgirls and Alphas

Chapter 11

Drake's POV

“So you're telling us that Lottie is your second-chance mate?” Eric asks me. I nod in response as I pace across the cabin. He throws his hands in the air and shouts, “It all makes so much sense now!”

“Are you going to reject her?” Jackson asks quietly. I stop to look towards the dinner table where they are sitting. They, of all people, know about the plan I've had if I ever found my second-chance mate.

“No. I don't think I will.” They stare at me like I've gone insane. I sigh and shake my head. My eyes land on the floor as I continue my nervous march.

“I know this isn't going how I thought it would. I'm nervous as hell that this could be a disaster. But she's not a wolf; things could go differently. I'd be crazy to let her go without trying to see if it’ll work. Right?” Someone stops me by grabbing my shoulder. I look up and see Jackson smiling while he holds me in place.

“You would be an i***t to let her go,” he tells me.

“I second that! Good for you, man!” Eric says, walking toward us. He claps a hand on my back and smiles. “Whatever you need, we're here for you.”

I smile back and nod to them. “Thanks, guys. All right, let's get to work.”

The three of us walk outside to the truck to gather our equipment. I immediately reach into my bag and pull out a spray bottle that contains a scent inhibitor of sorts. We will put it on ourselves, the horses, and the traps. That way, we won't scare off any of the rogues.

Jackson asks, “What's your game plan here?”

“Eric, you will stay and keep an eye on the herd. Jackson, you will go to the north. Start making a semi-circle heading east. Then, ride back to the cabin from the south. I'll do the same but ride south, go west, and come here from the north. We will all set up cameras and traps where we see fit,” I explain.

“What time should I expect you back?” Eric asks.

“One o'clock. We’ll have lunch and then go from there.” I pause for a moment as I remember my conversation with Lottie. “I also think we should ask one of the Wildes siblings to come to open a doorway or two for us.”

Eric looks at me, confused. “Why do you want to ask Foster or Sylvia to open a portal to home? We only do that when we plan on taking prisoners,”

“You're right,” I tell him. “Lottie reminded me that we should try to give wolves second chances. If any of them surrender during the fight, we can take them as prisoners. Then, we’ll have the opportunity to interrogate them. That could give us an idea of what is happening down here.”

They both nod their heads in agreement and continue to get ready. My thoughts start to drift to Lottie. I hope she makes it home okay.

~~~~

Lottie’s POV

My emotions are all jumbled on the drive home. I’m excited at the thought of seeing Drake again. Yet, it makes me nervous about how quickly I jumped at that opportunity. What am I getting myself into here? I take a deep breath to calm my mind. There is no need to get worked up over this. I have two weeks to sort it all out! He’s a nice guy. We had a good time today. I will leave it at that and enjoy the rest of my day.

••••

When I pull up to the house, I see my parents leaving for my mom’s doctor's appointment. I give them a wave as they drive off. My poor Momma has suffered from severe ovarian cysts most of her life. Today, they will schedule a complete hysterectomy so she won't have to be in pain any longer. We’re hoping it’ll be sooner rather than later.

I go inside and see Ava on the couch reading. “Where are the other two?” I ask.

“They're in the game room. Destroying it like usual.” She tells me indifferently. I slump onto the spot next to her. A yawn escapes me, signaling my lack of sleep has finally caught up.

I begin dozing off when a loud bang comes from the game room. I jolt up and wait for a blood-curdling scream. Thankfully, there is nothing but silence. Ava and I look at each other and start to play Rock, Paper, Scissors. The loser has to go check out what happened and handle it. Today, that's Ava.

“Yes!” I do a fist pump and quote ‘The Hunger Games’ saying, “May the odds be ever in your favor!” She sticks her tongue out at me and walks upstairs.

My radio suddenly starts crackling before I hear a voice, “Lottie, it’s Drake. Do you read me? Over.” My heartbeat immediately picks up, and I scramble to get a hold of the radio. Why is he calling so soon? I hope nothing has gone wrong. I take a breath before pushing the button to respond.

“Hey, Drake. It's Lottie. Is everything okay? Over.”

“We're fine. I wanted to make sure you made it home safely.” Well, that was sweet.

“Oh, yeah! I made it home with no problems. Thanks for checking!”

“I’m glad to hear that! I’ll talk to you soon, alright?” Hearing that gives me butterflies in my stomach until I realize that I’m his contact while he’s up there. Of course, he is going to talk to me soon! Goodness sake, girl. Get a grip!

“Alright! Stay safe!”

“We’ll do our best. Out.”

I set the radio down on the table. It seems slightly silly to tell Drake to stay safe. Their job is not risk-free, but I hope they will be as safe as possible.

Ava comes back frustrated with the younger two trailing behind her. “What happened, Ava?”

“They were doing a science experiment.” She pauses to do air quotes with her fingers, then goes on, “With vinegar, baking soda, and an empty soda bottle. They wanted to see if a tightly closed bottle would hold everything in rather than explode.”

I gape at my siblings. “Why didn't you go outside?”

Katie shrugs, “We didn't because we really thought it would work.”

“It stinks in the game room now. We won't ever be able to go in there again because of the smell!” Austin groans. I bite my lip to hold in my laugh.

“I'm sure it will all come out, Austin. Open the windows in there, and the two of you clean it the best you can.” Katie and Austin nod their heads. Ava rolls her eyes before leading them out to gather cleaning supplies. “Come get me if you need help, Ava,” I holler.

I head up to my room and laugh at the whole debacle. Those two are always up to something. Wonder if Drake has any siblings and if they would have any crazy stories. I’ll have to ask him sometime. Once I close the door behind me, I flop onto my bed. It doesn't take long for me to start to fall asleep. Fingers crossed, it'll be a dreamless nap so I can get some rest.

••••

A quarter after six, I stop eating to usher everyone outside. There are a few protests before I explain, “We need to help Mom and Dad unload groceries! Your food isn't going anywhere.”

“Mom!” Austin shouts. “Lottie bought pizza! And she got a whole one just for me! I don't have to share with anyone.”

Mom chuckles, “She’s such a cool big sister. Isn't she?”

Winking, I say, “Of course I am!” We all load our arms up with bags and take them inside. “How did the appointment go?”

Mom answers me, “It was good! We’ll talk about it while we eat dinner. How did dropping off the guys go?”

I smile. “Good. There were no hiccups, and Drake checked in a while ago.”

“I bet he did,” my dad mumbles sarcastically. I raise my eyebrow at him, and Mom huffs, “Don't mind him. He talked to your uncles. They are all being weird about Drake.”

“Did something happen after I left them?” I ask.

She shakes her head. “No. They‘re all worked up because Drake was flirting with you.” In an instant, my jaw drops, and my face flushes. How the heck do they know that? Mom gives me a knowing look. “The men in this family pick up on things like that. It's like a superpower or something. But seriously, don't worry about them. They will get over it.”

I laugh, “Right... I’ll believe it when I see it!” Everyone laughs with me, and we finish putting groceries away.

••••

While we are eating, Mom clears her throat. “So, my appointment went well. I'm getting a complete hysterectomy in three weeks.” All of us kids look up at the same time in surprise. That's much sooner than we thought it would be.

“That's fantastic, Mom!” I exclaim. The rest of my siblings voice their agreement with me. “How long will your recovery be?”

“Six weeks. During that time, I won't be able to lift more than a gallon of milk and will need lots of rest,” Mom answers.

“We’ll need you all to help around here a little more than normal,” Dad adds. “If the wolves are still a problem in two weeks, Lottie, your uncles, and I will rotate watching the herd. Hopefully, Drake and his guys can take care of it so we can all be here to help your mom.” If this is anything like the last wolf problem, it’ll be over before we know it. I’m optimistic that we’ll be back to normal in no time.