Cowgirls and Alphas

Prologue

Warning!! Please Read Before Starting This Book!!

This book is a romance novel but it takes place primarily on a cattle ranch. There are passages referencing the death or injury of livestock and other farm animals. This is a natural occurrence on a ranch. I DO NOT go into gory details concerning this though because I believe it’s unnecessary. That said, just to be safe, I will put a notice at the head of a chapter: *Warning! References made in this passage* to warn those who might be sensitive to these scenes that the chapter will contain them.

Thank you! And I hope you enjoy it! :)

*Warning! References made in this passage*

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5 years ago, January

Third person POV

“Damn it! They got another calf. That’s the third one in two weeks!” Jason Wright yells in frustration and anger. He crouches next to the carcass that’s been fed on by wolves. This new pack is starting to cause trouble for Jason and neighboring ranchers. Something needs to be done about them as soon as possible before they completely take over the area. Wolves are magnificent creatures that are important to an ecosystem. But, once they start preying on livestock, the predators rarely stop. This becomes problematic for everyone involved.

“What should we do J?” one of his brothers, Seth, asks.

“Hell if I know,” Jason gruffly answers. He sighs, rubbing his hands over his face with a groan. “Let’s head back to the house. I need to make some calls and figure out what to do next.”

When they get back, Jason tells his three younger brothers to get some dinner and rest for a bit. It’s going to be a long night guarding the herd. He takes his boots and winter gear off after he enters his house. When he steps into the kitchen, the smell of his wife’s homemade chili and cinnamon rolls comforts his tired soul.

“Daddy! Daddy! Daddy!” Four children come running and tackle him with their hugs. Jason playfully falls to the ground and then wraps them in his arms.

“Daddy, you’re safe! I was so worried the wolves were going to get you!” His youngest, 5-year-old Austin, cries.

“What? No way buddy! I scared them away with my singing. They won’t be coming near me anytime soon,” Jason jokes trying to get his only son to smile.

“I told you that you had nothing to worry about! His singing even scares me away sometimes.” Lola, Jason’s wife, chimes in. Everyone bursts out laughing. Jason stands up and holds her close to him. Standing at 6’ 3”, his wife is a whole foot shorter than him so he picks her up when he hugs her. He takes a minute to breathe and remind himself that he can’t let the kids see that he’s struggling. They’re already afraid of the wolves. Seeing their strong father vulnerable like this, won’t put their minds at ease. Lola senses what he’s doing, so she places a hand on Jason’s scruffy face to pull him into a long, tender kiss.

“Eww! That’s gross!” Katie, their 8-year-old exclaims.

“Hurry, run! Before we’re scarred for life!” Their 11-year-old, Ava, yells. Screaming in horror, they all run up to their game room to hide from Jason and Lola’s display of affection. Except for their oldest daughter, 14-year-old Lottie. She hid behind the wall that separated the kitchen from the living room. Lottie knew her parents were trying to get a moment alone to talk about her dad checking on the herd. She stayed because she wanted to know what happened.

“So?” Lola asks once she thinks the coast is clear.

“We lost another one. I’m going to call the DOW and see what they think our next step needs to be. I just don’t know what to do. I’ve talked with other ranchers and they swear that nothing will slow these wolves down. They’ve tried everything. Mr. Dawson got a good look at a few of them the other day and he said they’re at least twice as big as any wolf he’s ever seen. It’s all so unsettling.” Jason takes a deep breath trying to calm his nerves.

“I was talking with your mom about it today. She mentioned that your dad’s father had a similar situation when he was running the ranch. Maybe you should call him and see if he has any advice?” Lola says softly.

“That’s a good idea. Thanks, baby.” There is a moment of silence as they hold each other, letting everything sink in.

“Okay, dinner is ready. Will you go get the kids and I’ll set the table?” Lola says.

“KIDS! DINNER IS READY!” Jason’s deep gravel voice echos through the house.

“I could have done that!” Lola says annoyed and Jason laughed.

“Yeah, but if I left to get them I wouldn’t have this extra time to love on my smoking hot wife.” He says seductively. Lola giggles and pulls him in for another kiss. Meanwhile, Lottie is thinking about what she heard. Wolves are her favorite wild animal. It would break her heart to know if they were hurt in any way by this situation. She also understands that they are a threat to their lively hood at the moment. All Lottie can do is pray for a positive solution to solve the issue.

••••

The next day, Jason leaves a message for the DOW asking them to call him back to discuss the wolf problem. Then he calls his grandfather, Leonard, as Lola suggested.

L: “Hello?”

J: “Grandad! It’s Jason. How are you?”

L: “I’m alright son, how about you? I heard from your mom that you're having some issues with wolves?”

J: “Yes sir. That’s actually why I’m calling you. Mom said that you had a wolf problem back in the day?”

L: “I did. I went through my records and found the number of a guy who was a wolf expert of some sort. He took care of everything quickly and as humanly as possible. I doubt that he’s doing it anymore, but I wrote down in my notes here that he said it was a family business type of deal. This is something they’ve done for generations. He also said that this number would always be open if we ever needed their help again.”

J: “That’s interesting. I’d be willing to give them a call. If that guy helped you, maybe whoever runs it now can help us.”

L: “That’s possible. Okay, so the guy’s name is Wade Reynolds. His number is 555-****.”

J: “Got it. I’m going to give him a call now. I appreciate it Grandad, thank you.”

L: “Not a problem son. Let me know how everything turns out.”

J: “I will for sure. Bye.”

••••

Jason got ahold of the wolf experts that same day. He discovered that instead of Wade being the one in charge, it was his grandson, Malcolm Reynolds. Jason explained to him the situation and asked if this would be something he could help with. Malcolm said he could send a few men to take care of it and assured him that after a month of them working, there would be no more attacks. At the end of the month, he would have an invoice ready for Jason. It could be paid in full or he could split the bill with other ranchers who had been affected by the wolf attacks. ‘That plan sounds absurd! There’s no way this is going to work,’ Jason thought to himself. However, he knew that he was running out of time and options so he needed to take this chance. Jason asked if he would need to contact the DOW about the plan, but Malcolm said that he would take care of everything.

••••

Sure enough, the month had gone by and not a single ranch had any attacks on their livestock. Everyone kept their guard up though because it seemed too good to be true. After another 3 weeks and no signs of wolves anywhere, everything went back to normal. Jason called Malcolm to make sure he received the payment he had made and to give his thanks for their help. Malcolm assured him that the money came through so he didn’t need to stress over that. He appreciated Jason’s gratitude and said he’d pass on the message to his guys. He also reiterated that if a problem like this arises again call him and he’d get it taken care of. Jason thanked him once more before ending the call. A wave of relief flooded over him. “One less thing to worry about,” he sighed.

“Hey, Dad?” Lottie peaked in knocking on Jason’s office door.

“Hey there my little Lottie! Come in!” He grins seeing his oldest daughter. “What’s up, sweetheart?” Lottie smiles back at her dad.

“I was wondering if it’s safe for me to go check the mommas with you or the guys? I miss seeing the babies born throughout the night and bringing them home to keep them warm.” She said with a hopeful expression. Jason couldn’t be prouder that one of his children loves this life as much as he does. He likes to think that Charlotte will be taking his place one day. She has the desire and drive to work like him.

“Let me talk with your mom about it first, but I think that might be okay now.” Lottie squeals! She runs over to give him the biggest hug her little self could give.

“Thank you, Dad!” Jason hugs his daughter back, “Thank you Charlotte for always being so willing to help.”