Miss Independent

“You bitch!”

        Dani rushed past Toby as he reached for her hand, concerned over its deep purple color and painful looking deformity. She moved towards the door, flinging it open as she stormed into the living quarters, irrate that once again Sam didn’t listen to her. 

“What in the hell-- Oh For the love of Loki.“ Dani stopped mid-sentence, grabbing her chest. Toby followed her closely, stopping short when she froze in front of him, causing him to almost collide with her on the stairs. Dani stared at the scene before her, her mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water, unsure of what to say.

Inside the trailer, lay Sam, propped up on the couch, looking a little better than when Dani left her on the ground with a bleeding head wound. The cut over her eye had been cleansed and bandaged, and was no longer bleeding. She sat with a cold compress to her head. A blanket from the cupboard above had been placed over her, along with a few pillows behind her so that she could rest comfortably. But it wasn’t the current state of Samantha that shocked Dani... it was who had invaded their trailer that had Dani on edge. She looked at the two cowboys perched precariously close to her friend. 

Ethan was leaning against the kitchenette’s counter, his arms folded across his chest, his muscles stretching against the fabric of his shirt. He stood with one leg crossed over the other, his jeans still looking as good as ever. He raised his green eyes, looking at Dani and gave her a small smile. 

Sitting on the edge of the couch, next to Sam, was another cowboy. He was built a little bigger than Ethan, more muscular and appeared to be a little older, with midnight black hair and  steel blue eyes. The muscles of his upper body strained against his green shirt, with his jeans that left very little to the imagination. What is it with these guys? Dani thought to herself. 

Toby stood next to Dani, assuming the same position as Ethan, looking remarkably like his older brother. It wasn’t until Toby cleared his throat a little that Dani realized the trailer’s door was shut and they were alone with the three cowboys. Oddly, the other three guys somehow disappeared during the search for Sam outside. 

“Um..Sam, what’s going on?” Dani stammered, looking back and forth from Ethan to the green shirted cowboy invading their trailer. She took a step towards Sam nervously, unsure of who the black haired man was.

“Well golly gee Dani, It’s good to see you too!. I’m fine” teased Sam, holding the small compress to her eye. “After you left, Ethan and his brother just appeared. They said they had heard what happened and they came to help. So lucky me, they found me laying on the ground, and helped me in here. I tried to tell them you said to stay right there, but Oh Noooo. This brute here didn’t give me much choice. They are as stubborn as you. Alex carried me in here and then he and Ethan took care of my eye. They offered to stay with me until Toby came back with you.”

“Oh...Well, SORRY it took me so long,” Dani replied sarcastically, walking into the kitchenette, looking for something to drink. Her hand was throbbing and she had a gut feeling. She could not figure out how they could have found out so quickly. She was gone for only a minute or two tops. And she didn’t see anyone with a radio. And how did they know Toby was with her?

“It was no problem, really” the dark haired brother, named Alex, responded, “I’m just glad we could help.” He was looking up at Dani with a quizzical look on his face. Dani avoided his stare, reaching into the cupboard and grabbing a set of mugs down with her purple hand. Toby nodded towards her, catching Ethan’s attention. 

What did she do? Ethan linked to Toby as Alex listened in, staring at the hand as Dani reached into the little mini fridge, pulling out a glass jar full of clear fluid and pouring it in the awaiting mugs. 

Punched a tree...and dented the trailer, Toby replied, his brothers looking at Dani. As if she knew they were discussing her, Dani purposely used her good hand when she handed Sam her drink. 

“So I guess this means no campfire tonight huh?” Ethan quipped, smiling at Dani who just gave him a dirty look. He raised his eyebrow at her, confused. She motioned to him with a  “cut it out” motion, knowing exactly where this conversation was heading.

“Like hell.” Sam sat straight up, dropping the cold compress on the floor. Alex moved slightly on the couch, giving her room to adjust to a sitting position, knocking some pillows off in the process. He bent over to pick them up, handing her the cold compress. She smiled as she took it, making eye contact with him. Her bi-colored eyes mesmerizing him. “I’m just fine.”

“Thanks,” Sam smiled, taking the compress, her fingers brushed against his, sending a sort of spark up his arm. His breath caught in his throat. What the hell was that? 

Sitting upright, Sam moved about and made room for Alex on the couch, sipping on her drink. He sat back resting his arm on the back as he looked her over. His thoughts straying back to when they had arrived into the clearing of the campsite. The scene will forever be etched in his memory.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

“Sam!”, Ethan called, stepping out of the trees, near four horses, tethered in a rope corral in the shade. When they received no response, the two split up, walking around the campsite, looking for the two girls. Ethan went to one side of the trailer, Alex to the other. 

Alex, over here!, Ethan’s voice sounded urgent, almost shaken. Alex smelled the strong coppery scent in the air, his heart skipped. This was not good. 

When Alex appeared on the other side of the trailer, Ethan was kneeling next to a blonde, her white tank top soaking wet and see through, showing her pink sports bra under neath. Her jeans were soaked as well. Hell, she looked like she had been drowned in the river! Her right arm was raised, her hand tangled in what has now a snarled mass of bloodied hair. Ethan looked up at Alex as he knelt next to her, nodding to the right of her body. Alex followed his gaze and noted a set of rocks with her blood on them. A soft scent of vanilla and orchids caught his attention. He dismissed it as her perfume as he made his way towards her.

What the hell happened here? Alex looked around, his eyes searching the area for any sign of a struggle or a possible attack. His father will be furious if he finds out that she was attacked. 

Sam was laying motionless next to the fire pit, her eyes closed. Alex watched her chest, barely sensing a rise in it. He felt Zander pushing in the back of his mind, trying to read the beautiful figure in front of him. 

What is she? She’s not human... Zander paced in his mind.

Knock it off. Not now. Alpha says she is human...And we have orders. Back off! Alex blocked his wolf and shut the link. Dealing with him right now was not on his agenda. If anything happens to this human it would be hell to pay. He slowly reached forward towards her neck to feel for a pulse.

“Do ya like what you see boys?” 

He jerked his hand back, startled by the voice coming from what he had assumed was an unconscious person. Sam smirked, still not trusting herself to do much more than open her eyes at her rescuers. 

“I’m.. ah...I’m sorry.” Alex stuttered, looking at her, her eyes drawing him in. Never before had he felt an energy from anyone like this before. Her eyes seemed to glow, drawing him in. “Are you okay?”

“Oh sure.” Sam retorted, closing her eyes, flipping her hand dismissively at him. “I always lay in my own blood in the mud.” She opened her eyes, batting them as she smiled at him, “It’s great for the pores ya know.” She extended her bloodied hand towards him, “The name is Sam, Sam Collins.”

Alex stared at her. She had a fiery spirit about her, some would call her fearless even. He absentmindedly took her hand, shaking it gently, “I’m..ah, Alex, Alex Bennett.”

“Well hey there ah..Alex. Are you sure that’s your name?” Sam teased, looking at the handsome man staring down at her, butterflies trying to hold a gymnastic meet in her gut. “You're acting like you're the one who hit their head, not me.”

Ethan laughed. He liked this one. She was spunky. Ethan’s chuckle caught Sam’s attention. Turning her attention towards the noise, she recognized its owner. “Oh hey there cowboy, fancy meeting you here.”

Ethan smiled at her, sitting back on his knees next to her, tipping the brim of his hat at her. “Well howdy ma’am. Come here often?”

Alex let out a low growl at his brother, not liking the familiarity he had with his assignment. Ethan straightened up, not wanting to start a fight in front of Sam. 

“What happened Sam?” Ethan asked

“Well...you see,” Sam reached for Ethan’s hand for some help up but Alex beat him to it. Sam gingerly attempted to lean up on her elbow but the dizziness returned. “Yeah..bad idea,” she laid back down, causing Alex and Ethan to share a worried look. 

“Dani and I were kinda rough housing and she got the best of me.” Sam admitted, rolling her eyes without thinking, causing the dizziness to worsen. She closed her eyes until it passed. “So I decided to try and dance with these here rocks while blinded with water and, well, I fell, hit my head and here I am”

“I think we need to get you looked at.” Alex coaxed, brushing a few stray bangs from her forehead. 

“I just need to wait for Dani,” Sam argued, feeling her cheeks redden at his touch. What is wrong with you?, She scolded herself, he is just a cowboy. 

Yeah, an incredibly hot, blue eyed cowboy, a little voice in her head reminded her. Sam shook it off. Great, I hit my head hard enough thart I’m hearing things.

“I’m sure Dani would understand,” Ethan attempted to coax her.

“You don’t know Dani.” Sam responded, shooting him a dark look from under her hand, shading her eyes from the bright, hot sun. Alex saw his opportunity and seized it.

“Well, how about we at least get you out of the sun while we wait?” He bent low, scooping her up in his arms, standing up with ease. Sam gasped, feeling light tingles everywhere her body touched his.

What is wrong with me?  

Not a damn thing! This feels like home! The voice echoed feelings she didn’t know she had. She felt her face grow warm.

“What do you think you are doing?” Sam shrieked, wide eyed, her arms instinctively wrapping her arms around his neck for security as her head swam. “Put me down this instant!”

“No ma’am,” he replied, nodding towards Ethan who led the way to her trailer. Alex felt an electric tingling with her in his arms, he didn’t want to put her down. But she was human. He looked down at her to see if she felt anything, Noticing her pale face and reddened cheeks. He didn't even flinch as the blood from her head wound rubbed off onto his shirt.

I guess it could be from the injury or the sun... he mused, holding her close to his chest, thouroughly enjoying the feeling of her in his arms.

They opened the door and headed inside. “You need to get out of the sun, and that head wound needs looked at. If you are refusing to come with us, then I guess we are going to help you here.”

He placed her on the couch and reached for the throw pillow at the opposite end, propping it behind her, making sure she was comfortable. “All right, so where is your first aid kit?”

Sam sighed, resigning herself to her predicament. She pointed towards the cabinet where her first aid items were kept. Ethan walked over, grabbing the kit and returning to Sam’s side. In the mean time, Alex found a warm blanket in a cabinet above them and placed it over Sam protectively, covering her up to her shoulders. 

“Thank you,” Sam muttered, snuggling in the warmth of the blanket, leaning back against the pillows. “But really, this isn’t necessary. Dani will be back soon. She can help me out.”

“It’s not a bother,” Alex sat next to her on the couch, their hips touching on the narrow piece of furniture. He reached forward, brushing her hair from the still seeping wound. “We need to get this cleaned up. And it could use a few stitches.” Sam could have sworn she felt a tingling in her body at his touch. 

What am I doing? Eyes on the prize...Eyes on the prize...she reminded herself, closing her eyes and attempting to slow her racing heart.

Oh yeah...eyes on that prize girl! There was that voice again. Sam released the breath she didn’t realize she was holding. I’m definitely going insane.

“Just go ahead. I’m fine.” Sam looked up at Alex, his blue eyes seeming to darken for a moment as he stared at her.

“Are you sure?” Alex leaned back, looking over at Ethan who was gathering items to clean up Sam’s wound. “It’s going to hurt like hell.”

“Do you think this is the first time I’ve hurt myself Alex?” Sam stared up at him through hooded eyes.

Alex’s heart skipped at the sound of his name coming from her mouth. He swallowed, taking the bowl of warm water from Ethan and putting it on the floor next to him. Ethan knelt next to them, clean rags in his hand. Alex placed a thick towel behind Sam on the pillows and she laid her head back, closing her eyes and taking in a deep breath, steeling herself against what was to come. This indeed was not her first time. 

Ethan wet the rags and began to gently clean the area around her hairline, revealing a jagged cut. Alex watched her intently. Sam never flinched, never even let out a whimper. She sat calmly, allowing Ethan to clean the area completely, the bleeding continuing now that the mud and clots were removed.

“We need to suture it. It’s rather large.” Ethan explained, watching Alex’s reaction to Sam. “I can go get the Doc...” He offered, placing the bloodied rags in the basin, and reaching across, placing it on the kitchenette’s counter.

“NO!” Sam demanded. opening her eyes and giving him the side eye. She looked straight ahead at Alex, her gaze never faltering, “Just do it. There are sutures in the kit.”

“Sam, it would only take a minute or two to go get the Doctor..” Alex stated, holding her hand in his, attempting to calm her.

“I said no.” her voice growing deep and dark, her eyes glowing as she clutched her pendant with her free hand.  Alex felt the change in the air and he nodded his compliance. 

“Okay Sam, no doctor.” He raised his hands in surrender. Sam nodded, looking like a warrior from old story books with a few red streaks running down her face from her wound. “we can do it. We’ve done it before with the horses.”

“Good.” Sam put the pendant back under her blanket, tucking it against her skin. “I don’t care who does it. Let’s just get it over with.” 

Alex sat with Sam on the couch, holding her hand as Ethan set to work. Six sutures and a cold compress later, Sam was all fixed up.The three sat talking about horses, the Red River Cattle Company, and the upcoming events when a loud thud outside interrupted their conversation.

“I told you so...” Sam smiled, knowing exactly what the thud was.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

“I’ve been through worse, and still managed to party the night away!” 

Sam’s laughter brought him back to reality. She tossed her hair behind her shoulder, enjoying the moment. Her dizziness and vision changes were gone, thank Odin, but the voice still popped in every so often. She definitely needed to tell Dani this one. But not in front of these guys. 

  Alex adjusted on the couch, attempting to move closer to her without drawing attention. He sniffed deeply, attempting to catch her scent. Surprisingly, she smelled like a normal human, but there was so much more to her. Why did her eyes change and what was with the copper ring to them? What was the energy she put off? Why was it not always there? What did Zander mean? Alex moved her blanket and covered her up a bit more, a protective urge motivating him. Another spark shot from her body where he touched her, shooting down his arm. 

What was that? He continued to stare at her, taking in her golden hair, noting the crimson streak where her cut had stained her silken hair.  His gaze traveled towards her cut, it was healing nicely.  His eyes widened...healing nicely?!?  The jagged edges were already healed and there was no further bleeding or swelling. 

        Ethan, Toby, look at her wound. He linked his brothers, as he attempted to casually sit back.

Alex eyed Sam. The bruising above her eye was almost gone, and the cut that had caused so much bleeding looked no worse than a scratch. He shot Ethan and Toby a quick look of confusion before slipping his soldier-like mask back on. 

“We can always just have it tomorrow night. You need to rest.” Ethan offered, trying to keep the conversation light as he stood up, fidgeting with his hat.

“I’m just fine. There is no way I’m not having a good time just because I’m a klutz.” Sam stammered, feeling the tension in the room. She knew what they were giving each other looks for. She did it again. Healing fast. It was something that had happened for as long as she could remember. Her father always told her it came from her mother’s side of the family. But up until now, no one but Dani had seen her do it. 

“Next thing you’re gonna tell me is that I can’t compete.” Sam joked, trying to lighten up the situation. She took another long sip from her mug, needing the liquid courage the moonshine gave her, not to mention the pain relief.

Dani sighed, knowing there was no talking her out of it. She picked up her drink, sipping on the liquid, once again feeling the burn in her gut. Toby grabbed her hand, snapping her attention back to reality, drawing the attention of the group. 

“Let’s at least get your hand looked at, I saw you hurt it when you punched the trailer.” He picked it up, looking for the injuries he had noticed outside. The bloodied knuckles, the deformed hand, the purplish bruising and swelling. But when he held her hand in his, to his surprise, the bruising and swelling was all but gone, and there was no bloodied knuckles at all. Dani’s face heated up and her cheeks turned bright red. She pulled her hand from his grip, holding it in her other hand. She looked at Sam nervously.

“I’m okay, really.” Dani rubbed her injured hand like it was a mere bump, walking to the small freezer, and wrapping it in a small cold wrap the girls use for minor injuries. She covered the injury quickly, walking back over to her drink, taking a large gulp from it. “It seems Sam isn’t the only graceful one around here.” Dani bowed dramatically towards Sam, curtsying sarcastically.

“Bitch..” Sam swore, raising her glass to her friend, smirking.

“Jerk.” Dani swore back at her, Raising her glass to meet Sam’s. “Daughter’s of Freya!” she cheered, clinking her glass with Sam’s before the two tossed back the remainder of their drinks. The two quickly dissolved into laughter. The three guys glanced towards each other.  Daughters of Freya?? the guys echoed in their link. 

“The two laughed out loud at the looks on their visitors faces. 

“Long story boys...” Dani attempted to explain, grabbing Sam’s mug and placing it on the counter next to hers. 

“Well, since you ladies seem to be a bit indisposed,” Alex offered, standing up and adjusting his jeans as he grabbed his hat from the counter near Ethan. “The Bennett brothers are at your service.” Sam stared at Dani, not quite grasping his meaning. 

Ethan smiled, Toby nodding in agreement as he stepped up to join his brothers, the three standing in a line of crossed muscular arms and tight blue jeans. 

“We will gather up some more wood for the fire tonight, take care of those horses of yours, and maybe bring you guys some food?” He handed out orders looking at each brother in turn. He nodded his head towards Sam and Dani before following Toby and Ethan out of the trailer.

“Um... what?” Sam sat on the couch, shocked. No one had ever told her what to do, least of all a cocky cowboy. “We are...” Sam threw off the blanket, struggling to get off the couch, but Alex didn’t give her a chance to finish.

“Nope, it’s settled. You two rest up.” He escorted her back onto the couch, placing the blanket back on her, “My brothers and I will handle everything. And your horses will be perfectly safe up in our stables. I promise you that nothing will happen to them.” 

Then, just before he closed the door he peeked his head back in, “See you ladies soon.”

Sam just sat there, her mouth open, shocked. Dani stood by the counter, staring at the closed door of the trailer.

“What the hell just happened?” Dani breathed, staring at the hand Toby had held onto only moments ago.

“Who the HELL do they think they are?” Sam fummed.