He grimaced trying to figure out how to coax her inside to help Tom without stirring her sense of responsibility to the level of indignation. He was surprised when she picked up a bale and tossed it neatly into the barn nearly as far as he was tossing the bales himself. He admired her sheer determination and strength, but it was inevitable that she’d tire quickly. Especially in the rain.
“Why don’t you help Tom?” Galen glanced inside the barn, where Patrick was now struggling to help.
“I can do my part.” Her brows drew down.
“I have no doubt. You handle those bales well considering they are as big as you are. I simply thought there was no need for us both to be soaked, and I think Tom and Patrick could use the help more than I.”
He glanced at the two before chucking five bales off into the barn within a matter of seconds, with little effort, as if to prove his point.
“Holy cow!” Patrick giggled. “Are you like a superhero or something?”
“Something like that.” Galen chuckled.
He raised a brow at Myka, who was now staring at him in what he considered awe. It made his ego swell a bit to see his mate looking at him in such a way.
“It’s not right for three of us to be down there and only you out here,” Myka said as if determined not to give in easily.
He tossed another five bales into the barn, and a pile began to form as Tom and Patrick struggled to keep up and get them stacked.
He looked back at her and again raised a brow in question.
Finally, she lifted her hands in surrender. “Okay. Okay. You’ve proven your point.” She climbed down off the trailer and went inside to help Patrick and Tom.
Two hours later, the hay was stacked neatly inside the barn. Tom, Patrick, and Myka were plopped on a couple bales sipping on the water Myka had gone to the house for earlier.
“You don’t look fazed in the least by all of the work we just did, Galen,” Tom said before taking a swig of his water.
“I like to keep in shape,” he answered.
“Yeah, but six hundred bales, and you look as if you just took a casual stroll around the barn,” Tom grunted. “I miss the days of being young.”
“It usually takes us most of the day to get the hay put up,” Myka said.
Galen thought she looked beautiful with her dark hair mussed and exertion pinkening her golden skin. She’d probably look about the same after he made love to her. He closed his eyes for a moment to shake the image from his mind. The mere thought of touching her was enough to make his cock come alive and the wolf ready to leap.
He cleared his throat.”Anything else on the agenda for today?”
“The rest of the garden needs harvested, but it can wait until tomorrow, after the rain stops. The day after is Patrick’s play day in town. I’ll take the extra produce with me and drop it off at the grocer. Mr. Lee only buys local produce for his store.”
“That’s because it’s the best.” Tom winked at Myka before draining the rest of the water from his bottle.
“I noticed some areas on the inside of the barn that could use some repair. I might work on that this afternoon,” Galen said.
“Myka, thank you again for buying your hay from me, but I’m going to head home. This old man is tired. And thank you, Galen, for making this much easier than usual on all of us.”
Galen nodded and watched as Myka gave Tom a quick hug before he ruffled Patrick’s hair and made his way out of the barn. Within moments, the sound of the diesel engine roaring to life could be heard, but started to fade as Tom drove away slowly.
“You feeling okay, Patrick?” Myka bent down in front of him.
“Yeah. Just tired.”
“Why don’t you go in and take a hot shower or bath and get some dry clothes on? You can spend the rest of the afternoon doing whatever you like. Thank you for helping. We couldn’t have done it without you.”
She kissed him on the forehead.
“No, we couldn’t have. You were a big help,” Galen agreed.
Patrick smiled up at him as if he’d just had the best compliment of his life. “Thanks, Galen. You too, Myka.” He hugged her.
She laughed when he sprinted out into the rain for the house.
She stood and faced Galen. Her brows drew down, probably in response to his frown. “Something wrong?”
“I was just wondering why Patrick called you Myka instead of Mom.”
“Oh.” It was her turn to frown now.
“I’m sorry. It’s none of my business.”
“No. No. It’s a completely legit question. Patrick is not my son. He’s my nephew.”
While he hadn’t cared when he thought Patrick was hers, an extreme wave of relief washed over him. Patrick was a wonderful boy, and he felt no different about him knowing that he wasn’t Myka’s son, but he couldn’t deny his happiness at Myka not having a child with another man.
“He’s your nephew?”
She sighed, shook her head, and plopped back on a hay bale.
“I didn’t mean to pry.” He sat down beside her.
“It’s okay. It’s sort of a touchy subject still. My brother was killed in a freak accident six months ago at work. I suddenly found myself a mother, and Patrick suddenly found himself fatherless. It wasn’t easy for either one of us, but I never wanted anything else than to give him the home and love he deserves from the start. It’s been tough. I don’t think I’m cut out for mom material.”
“Hey,” he said softly before placing an arm around her back. “You are great with Patrick, and I can tell he loves you. I thought you were his mother from the start.”
“Thank you.” She smiled up at him.
“If you don’t want to answer, that is fine, but what happened to his mother?”
“She abandoned him when he was barely a year old. My brother was devastated, and Patrick had to grow up without a mother. Although Travis was a great dad. He adored Patrick, gave him everything he could. It was tough for him, though.”
“I can only imagine. I don’t know how anyone could abandon a child.”
“It breaks my heart. Travis would never talk about it with Patrick. I know at some point in time he will start asking about his mother. I don’t know what to tell him.”
“You will figure it out. You are a much better mother than you give yourself credit for.”
She looked up at him again. “Flatterer.”
“I only call it how I see it. You are pretty amazing.”
“Oh.”
The way her lips curved in that cute little o made need rush his veins. He wanted to devour her, drag her to the hay-strewn floor, rip all of their clothes off, lick every inch of her body, and claim her like his blood sang for him to do.
Do it. Do it. Son of a bitch. He couldn’t. It wasn’t right. After hearing what she’d been struggling with the past six months, he was sure she didn’t need a complication like him. A complication that would most likely bring only heartbreak, and possibly trouble, right to her doorstep.
He sighed and stood.”I’m going to get busy cleaning up in here,” he muttered, hoping she’d go back to the house before he let his needs get the best of him.
Chapter Four
Myka thought Galen was going to kiss her when he’d abruptly stood and grabbed a rake. Disappointment seared her insides even though she knew it was for the better. She didn’t need to get tangled up with him, but she couldn’t deny that she longed to know the feel of his mouth on her own. He had the most perfect full lips, lips that she had no doubt would be possessive, warm . . . hot, seductive. She squeezed her eyes shut for a moment and willed the image from her mind.