Davis set down his sandwich and shook his head. “How could she possibly know?”
Abram shrugged. “Dad told her all about it.” He didn’t want to acknowledge how right Davis was. Having his body betray him had been excruciating. Sometimes the urge to transform was so palpable he could hardly stand it. More than once he’d woken his mom up in the middle of the night to drive him out to the country or take him to a secluded wooded area where he could shift.
“Very few varieties of shifters are solitary creatures. Equine-varieties, in particular, are a social community. It had to be a tough life.”
Abram exhaled and looked up at the sky. “What do you want me to say? Mom did the best she could to raise me on her own.”
“Gram took your dad’s passing hard too. He was her baby boy. She wanted to help your ma look after you is all.”
“Mom didn’t need to be judged by standards she couldn’t possibly live up to. She was a terrific parent, and she loved me. That’s what really matters.”
Davis nodded. “Sorry. I know you miss her.”
“Cancer’s a bitch. Mom beat it once and the shit came back five years later.” He took another bite.
“I worry about Scarlett. Shifters rarely get cancer, but she’s human.”
“None of us know how much time we’ll be given. No one expected a car crash to take my dad so soon. All we can do is keep moving forward and cherish whatever time we’re given.”
Davis nodded. “Good advice. So how did you like Mittens?”
Abram squinted while rubbing the back of his neck. After he finished chewing, he shrugged. “Mittens?” He grimaced. “Did you name one of those uncivilized cats?”
Davis laughed. “This particular wildcat already had a name.”
“I don’t like cats, man.”
As he looked up, Davis’s lips curved into a slight yet enigmatic smile. He raised one eyebrow while tucking his chin a little. “Not even sweet smelling felines with long black hair and big, green eyes.”
Abram scrunched up his nose and curled his lower lip in disgust. “That’s nasty. I had no idea your sense of humor was so sick.”
Davis burst out laughing and continued until he had to hold his stomach. “Oh, my God. I can’t believe you didn’t figure it out.”
Abram placed his fingertips on his cheek and blinked rapidly. “Figure out what?”
“You’re so dense.” Davis laughed some more and even snorted. Abram took another bite of his sandwich and tapped his foot, waiting for the elusive point in this insulting tirade. “I reckoned you and Miss Maddie Mittens would hit it off.”
Hearing Maddie’s name elevated his heart rate, but he rolled his eyes to feign disinterest. “Are you kidding me?” He pinched the bridge of his nose and huffed. “That was a setup?” As the words sank in, he sat up straight and threw Davis a sideways glance. “Wait. Her last name is Mittens?”
“No, yep and yes, siree Bob.”
“What the fuck?”
“No, I’m not kidding you. Yep, it was a setup, and her last name is, indeed, Mittens.”
“She was hot, but I think I blew it. I told you I wasn’t a cat person. She took offense.” Plus she made me nervous as hell. Abram didn’t want Davis to know how attracted to her he’d been. If he told the truth, his cousin might think he’d never talked to a woman before.
“I have a feeling you could learn to love them.” Davis pursed his lips, looking away as if he had a secret he didn’t want to share.
Abram chose not to take the bait. “Doubtful.”
Davis smirked. “Regardless, Maddie’s family uses the area by the old cabin in the private hiking trails for a retreat every year, but she likes to take a tour and camp out for the night about a week beforehand to get reacquainted with the lay of the land. If I don’t help Scarlett pick out our wedding flowers and address invitations this weekend, I’m toast, and Oliver is out of town for the rodeo. It’s all you.”
He considered how hard his horse had fought to come out when he was near Maddie. There was no way he’d be able to control himself overnight, but he was too embarrassed to tell Davis. “Can’t Melly do it?”
Davis chuckled. “My sister and Maddie get along about as well as a rattlesnake and a honey badger.”
“What’s the story there?”
“Conflicting personalities—it comes down to lots of little things rather than one big blowout.”
Abram rubbed his chin. “Just me and her?”
“Yep.”
“I don’t know. That woman takes a lot of unnecessary risks. Her door was practically wide open when I got to her house. She’s careless—seems like a bad idea.”
Davis hooted and howled while pounding his fist on the table. “Oh, wow. That’s funny.” He shook his head and grinned. “Trust me. Mittens can handle her business. If you did try something shady, I’d be leading a search and recovery party for your lifeless body the next day.”
“Pfft.” Abram rolled his eyes. “Yeah, right.”
Chapter Three
When Maddie drove up, Abram was waiting for her by the barn with two ready horses. She couldn’t say she was surprised to be pawned off on Davis’s good-looking cousin. Her high school buddy was far too busy being head-over-heels in love to go camping with her this year. She watched Abram turn his back to calm one of the equines and took the opportunity to check him out. His sturdy build and broad shoulders whet her appetite, but the way his ass filled out his tight jeans was the main course. Yum. Too bad he doesn’t have sense enough to appreciate cats.
“Hey.” He nodded at her as she stepped out of the car.
“Howdy.” She couldn’t help smiling as he looked away shyly.
“Did you bring your gear?” He pointed towards
