Free The Cougar's Mate by Holley Trent

CHAPTER ONE
    Thirty-five Years Ago
    Glenda Baxter could never hear her neighbor Floyd Foye creeping up on her. Every single time he stepped out of the shadows, her heart nearly exploded. That moment was no exception.
    “You… ugh! ” She flicked the towel she was using to dry her horse Moonshine at Floyd, and seethed when he laughed.
    “It’s not funny.” She stomped her foot and pouted in that way that always made him chuckle. She’d never been the petulant type. She didn’t have the energy for it.
    “You get scared every time, Glen.” Barefooted and shirtless as always, he crouched in front of her, out of sight of her family going about their business on the Double B Ranch.
    She didn’t know what Floyd had against proper clothes, but he rarely wore them. Not that she’d complain. He cut an admirable figure: tall, dark, handsome, and so damned taboo.
    In spite of his family owning the neighboring slice of the arid New Mexican landscape, she wasn’t supposed to be consorting with him. “Those Foyes are trouble,” her father always said. Glen usually just nodded and moved along so he’d shut up.
    The Foyes had been living in the county for even longer than the Baxters, and she thought the families were long overdue to forge a peace accord of some sort. She didn’t try to understand it. So much of what her parents did didn’t make good sense to her.
    “Let’s go.” Floyd tucked his long hair behind his ears. He didn’t stand, though. He canted his head in the direction of some banging coming from the pasture.
    Glen’s brother August was working on the old tractor again. The machine needed to be replaced, but there was no money for it. There was never any money.
    “You know I can’t go anywhere,” she said. “I’ve got chores.”
    “They’re not gonna miss you, Glen. They never do.”
    “Floyd…” Her voice was scolding, but she knew Floyd was right. He was always right.
    If she were gone, hers would be one less plate her mother would have to put on the table. There were too many mouths to feed, and her mother wasn’t shy about reminding her of that.
    Glen was eighteen. She could have moved off the ranch like her brother Todd and tried to support herself elsewhere, but no one was hiring. She knew that because she put in applications every week when her father drove them all into town to pick up supplies.
    At least she was pulling her weight at Double B. Her horse training brought in pretty reliable money, but it wasn’t enough to feed everyone. With the droughts and having to send so many calves to market early, the cattle income had been stagnant for years.
    She draped the towel over a hook and shoved her hands into her jeans pockets. “Where’d you want to go?”
    “I know a little place.”
    “A place you’ve taken me before?”
    He shook his head. “Different one.”
    “How long am I going to be gone?”
    “Long enough for someone to notice, if that’s what you want.”
    She laughed. “Maybe I do. So, should I put some things in a backpack?”
    He nodded. “A few things. Yeah.”
    “Sleeping bag?” They camped a lot. Floyd liked it. Glen tolerated it because Floyd liked it. Sleeping out under the stars was one of the few ways they could steal a few hours together without having to spend money. The added perk was that they wouldn’t get caught. Their properties were vast, and even if anyone noticed she was missing, they’d need a long time to canvas the desert for her. If they cared.
    “Yeah. Bring that.” He knelt up a bit and peered outside. It was safe for him to go, so he did.
    “Floyd!” she called in a loud whisper. He had a tendency to leave conversations half done. She was used to it, though. His habit drove other folks nuts, but she’d learned to roll with it because she understood him. He was always on the go. She liked that he was so eager to keep himself occupied, unlike some men she knew.
    “Where do you want me to meet you?” she asked.
    “Usual