Page 54 of Primal

“McIntire! Quit screwing the staff, you damn man whore!”

I checked Riley’s face to see ifany of their taunts bothered her, but her expression was soft, her big doe eyes wide.

“I love you, too, Cody McIntire.”

I grinned at her like the damn fool I was.

She gave me another quick peck on the lips. “Now get back to the drinks. I’ll be here all night.”

25

RILEY

I loved watching Cody work.Well, other than seeing all the women flirting with him. He flirted back, but I knew it was just his way–a role he played to make people feel welcome in his saloon.

I couldn’t fault the women because he was just that manly and gorgeous, but I wanted to claw all their eyes out with the newfound feelings of possessiveness.

Tonight it didn’t bother me so much. Especially not after he said he loved me. I worked for an hour, bussing tables and washing glasses until the crowd thinned. The big group of out-of-towners left and things got back to a normal Cooper Valley cadence.

The band scheduled to play came in and started setting up during the lull between the happy hour and late night dance crowd, but country music still blasted from the speakers in the meantime.

I slumped onto my stool at the bar where Cody poured me a club soda with lime, making it look like a cocktail with the thin cocktail straw and everything, but wasveryalcohol free in case someone from the sheriff’s department came back to card some more. Meaning Dad, but I figured he’d move onto some other petty idea if he was still being a cranky ass.

It was during this lull that Boyd Wolf and his wife came in. I didn’t know them personally, but Boyd had been a famous rodeo star before he quit the circuit and fairly infamous for Cooper Valley. He’d quit and settled down with Dr. Ames, the local OB-GYN. That was all I knew about them. Was. Past tense. This week, however, I now knew Boyd Wolf’s secret.

I studied him, looking for any evidence of his being a wolf. There was his physique. They all had that in common—Cody, Tyler, Boyd, and his brother, Rob Wolf. Big, good-looking guys with perfect, cut muscles. Growing up in this town, I just assumed half the men in the county looked so buff because they were cowboys. Their bodies had been shaped and hewn through hard work and manual labor. Now, Iknew it was probably because some of them were also blessed with wolf genes.

Cody waved at him and held up a finger, as he was talking with a customer at the end of the bar.

Boyd waved in return but smiled at me, like he recognized me, and tipped his hat. He led his wife over to the bar, and they settled in the empty stools beside me.

“Hey there.” Boyd stretched out a hand. “Boyd Wolf.”

The doctor stretched out a hand as well. “I’m Audrey.”

We shook. “Riley Abbott.”

“Right, Deputy Abbott’s daughter.” Boyd grinned.

“Yes,” I agreed. “And Cody’s girlfriend.”Girlfriend.There, I said it, and it felt good. No, better than good. I was proud of being Cody’s mate, and I wanted to show the other shifters that I was one of them now. Or, kinda one of them.

“Boyd, get down here and settle a dispute about rodeo belt buckles between these two yahoos.” Cody pointed to two men who seemed to be at odds with each other.

Boyd grinned and moved down the bar to referee while Cody made drinks.

With him gone, Audreyturned my way. “I’m so glad things are working out with you and Cody. He’s a great guy.”

I wondered if she knew that I knew. “Yes, he’s a keeper.”

“Listen.” Audrey leaned in closer, laying a hand on mine. Looked me square in the eye. I felt like she was going to tell me I needed my appendix removed or something. “I know how overwhelming it can be to find out your new boyfriend is also a different species.” She dropped her voice to almost nothing on the wordspecies.

“Youknow,” I said, wide eyed.

She laughed, then whispered, “I’m married to one, so it’s pretty hard to miss when your husband–mate–is not only growly by nature but can turn into a wolf.”

I gnawed on my lip, wondering if I should ask. “So… um, you’re not a wolf, too?” I lowered my voice to match hers. The band was tuning up, so the sharp twangs from a guitar cut filled the air, so it would be hard for anyone to overhear. Still…

She shook her head. “No. I was the doctor at the rodeo when Boyd got gored by a bull. Imagine the shock I was in when his wound seemed to heal before my very eyes!”