by Vella Munn
“Not just that.”
Summer’s tone had changed just enough that Mia was all but certain the most important moment in their conversation was coming.
“I don’t know if you’re going to believe me,” Summer whispered. “But Kendall and Lyle wouldn’t have lied about this. Their expressions—it was like Christmas morning for them. They’d spotted the biggest elk either of them had ever seen. It was snow white.”
Mia could barely breathe. “They wanted to try to find the bull and kill it and for their girlfriends to be part of the experience of a lifetime.”
“Yeah. Mia, Lyle told his dad and uncle. I’m sick. Just sick.”
“Because you don’t want anything to happen to the elk?”
“That’s part of it. Damn it, I saw what was left of the cow Kendall shot and her white calf. It made me sick.”
* * * *
By the time she’d hugged Summer and sent her back to the hospital, Mia’s head was pounding. Before today, she’d been certain no day would ever equal the one when her uncle had died when it came to trauma, but she’d been wrong.
She could only hope she’d helped to ease Summer’s mind, to some extent, by telling her that she’d done nothing wrong by sharing what she knew about Kendall’s relatives and friends’ plans to go after the grays—and Ice. She’d thought Summer might object when Mia told her she felt obligated to pass the information onto wildlife officers. Instead, Summer had seemed relieved. Looking back, Mia concluded Summer had come here and said what she had because that was what she’d hoped Mia would do.
Jeff and Darick weren’t going to go up Dark Mountain until morning. Jeff was probably packing, needing to concentrate on what he was doing. Unfortunately, his evening was about to get more complicated.
However, instead of doing what she knew she should, Mia stalled by feeding Banshee and watching the evening news. She was surprised by how little coverage the attack on Kendall was given. A hospital spokeswoman simply said Kendall had been injured in an accident and was in ICU. He’d had extensive surgery but would need more at a later date. Jeff appeared for only a few seconds, during which he maintained that the investigation into what had happened was his agency’s top priority. The county sheriff essentially said the same thing. The reporter finished by saying the victim’s parents were too distraught to speak and witnesses had been unwilling to say anything on camera. He promised updates.
With nothing left to do except try to get her stomach to accept food, she punched Jeff’s number. He answered after three rings.
“I know you’re busy,” she started, “but I have some information I need to share with you.”
“Immediate information?”
“I’d call it that.” She had to stop trying to gage the emotion behind his words. “Summer was here a short while ago.”
“Hmm. I thought she’d be at the hospital.”
“I think she needed a break. Also she wanted to confide in someone about something. She chose me.”
“Oh.”
“Jeff, she told me that some of Kendall’s relatives and friends are determined to make the dogs pay for what they did.”
“Pay how?”
Darn it. She was skirting around what had to be met head on. “By hunting and killing them of course. The men might already be underway.”
“I see.”
He hadn’t given her nearly enough and she could hardly tell him to be careful if he decided to go after the hunters, so where did that leave her? Caring about him was so complicated—and unexpected. She wouldn’t tell him, of course, but he was becoming more and more important to her.
“That’s really all I know. Either Summer wasn’t certain who is in on this so-called hunt, or she didn’t feel comfortable sharing everything with me. I don’t blame her. She was pretty sure Kendall’s dad wouldn’t be with them, which is understandable.”
“But maybe his uncle and cousin.”
“Probably. Unless he’s too freaked out by what happened to Kendall to go back up there, I’d think Lyle would like nothing more than to shoot—of course they have to first find the dogs. Lyle knows where to look.”
“I have no doubt they’re all hunters. They know what they’re doing, but so do the grays.”
“Do they?” she questioned. “Here’s what I’ve been thinking. According to what Darick learned, the grays are wired to go after those determined to be abusive toward animals, but do they understand what that compulsion means in terms of their safety?”
“Good point.”
“I get animals, but this is different.”
Better than I do humans.
“They were raised by a man who loved and cared for them. They aren’t like wolves, hard-wired to be wild. That’s what Lobo brings to the table.”
This was crazy. Jeff and she were talking about the grays and Lobo as if they had human intelligence. As if the two of them were united in this.
“What are you going to do?” she asked.
“I’d figured revenge was a possibility and you’ve reinforced that. My first step has to be to learn everything I can about who Darick and I will be dealing with.”
He wasn’t going to tell her how he intended to accomplish that. Torn between understanding why he couldn’t explain and wishing he’d be more open with her, she walked over to her window and closed the curtains. Most nights she didn’t bother, but right now she needed to tuck herself in.
“There’s one more thing,” she told Jeff. “The hunters know about Ice. Lyle and Kendall saw him.”
“Damn.”
“Yes, damn.”
Chapter Thirteen
He could tell her over the phone. There was no reason to be getting in the four-wheel drive pickup he’d bought the day he’d accepted the job offer that took him far from what he’d been unable to handle. However, despite his arguments to keep distance between Mia and himself, Jeff backed out of the driveway and headed toward her place. The five-minute trip from the creek-frontage house he was buying to the main road didn’t give him enough time to organize his thoughts.
Then he reached the highway and the sea scents distracted him. This time of night, there wasn’t much traffic, but there were enough turns and narrow shoulders that he had to pay attention to what he was doing.
As he traveled, he wondered if Mia had ever been on his road. Maybe not, since there weren’t any commercial establishments and the zoning was rural, with each property owner having at least ten acres. The road eventually petered out.
The time might come when he felt the need to move on, but for now, he was content. Or rather he’d been pretty much at peace with the life he’d carved out for himself, before a couple of idiots had decided to go in search of something to kill.
How would Mia react to what he’d learned? Maybe she wouldn’t care, but he wanted to know. Caring about a woman’s thoughts and emotions wasn’t new to him, but he hadn’t experienced the impact on his gut for so long he didn’t know how to handle it. At eighteen it had been simple—pursuit with the hope of sexual conquest. Then he’d grown up, his brain had matured, and everything had gotten a lot more complicated. He’d fallen in love, gotten married, buried his wife. Been forced to start over.
After turning onto Mia’s dirt drive, he slowed to a crawl. If he had a stake in the manicured trees all around he would have graveled the drive, but probably she couldn’t afford to. Unfortunately after a few more rainy winters she wouldn’t have a choice.
The evergreens more than surrounded him. They welcomed him, stripping his mind clean of the baggage he’d brought with him. No wonder Mia Sandas had chosen this way to pay her bills. If she was anything like him, nature nourished her.
Banshee’s already familiar bark left him with no doubt that Mia knew she was about to have yet more company. As he parked where he had earlier today, he acknowledged that she probably wanted to be left alone. She’d been through enough for one day—more than enough.
Only he wasn’t done.
When she didn’t step outside, he realized she hadn’t seen this vehicle before. Hoping to ease any concerns she might have, he exited and loudly identified himself. Banshee punctuated his announcement with rapid-fire barks.
“It’s Jeff Julian,” he repeated when he was standing at the bottom of the stairs. “Mia?”
Light spilled out as she opened the front door. She’d changed into, what was probably, a nightshirt. It ended at her knees. Maybe that was all she was wearing. Her hair was down, loose. Getting to him.
“What are you doing here?” she asked. Banshee was at her side.
“Clarifying something for you. Can I come in?”
She nodded and ran her hands over her thighs. “I wasn’t expecting anyone this late.”
“I’m sorry.” He waited to continue until he was standing level with her. “I should have called.”
“Is it about Kendall?” She frowned. “No, I think Summer would have let me know if his condition had changed. You haven’t had time to look for the men who— Let’s go inside.”
There was nothing about her tone indicating she wished he’d go away. Neither did she sound as if she was delighted to see him. Probably she was reserving judgment. If she was uncomfortable because he was seeing her dressed like this he couldn’t tell. Maybe she wasn’t particularly aware of her body. She certainly hadn’t acted like it.
Don’t get distracted. This isn’t about a man and a woman, and even if it is, you aren’t ready.
Her house smelled of herbs and spices. Whatever she’d had for dinner, he wished he’d had some.
“Have I interrupted something?” he asked. She hadn’t invited him to sit, so he didn’t.
Even though the house was old, it had an open feeling. He wouldn’t have been surprised if she’d knocked down a wall that used to be between the living room and kitchen. Maybe she didn’t like being closed in. If so, he understood. He’d picked his place, in large part, because of the acreage and unobstructed view of the nearby creek. The downside was he hadn’t been able to get flood insurance, which had contributed to the low price. Would there ever be a reason to tell her that, to show her where he lived and tell her why? To have her understand why he’d bought instead of renting like before?
“Not really.” She pointed at an open door. He glimpsed a double bed beyond it. “I can’t settle tonight. I was doing some hand mending on the spread. Unfortunately, the task isn’t using enough of my mind.”
“I’m not sure anything would right now. How about we sit down?”
She wrapped her arms around her middle, the gesture letting him know she wasn’t wearing a bra. “This isn’t going to be good news, is it?”
“That’s for you to decide.”
Frowning, she lowered herself into the recliner with a small table next to it. A Kindle was on the table.
Taking her action for what passed as an invitation, he sat opposite her. The only light in the room came from a lamp several feet away. Her home had nothing in common with the modern condo he’d lived in as a married man, but neither did his place.
“I made some calls after talking to you,” he said. “I tried to reach Lyle and his father. Apparently, neither of them was home, but Lyle’s mother was. At first, she didn’t want to talk to me, but I made it clear that if she didn’t answer my questions she’d be hearing from law enforcement.”
“What did you want from her? To be told where her son and husband are?”
“That, and who they’re hunting for the grays with. What weapons they took with them.”
“You’d really involve law enforcement?”
“If necessary, but I didn’t have to. The woman respects authority. From what she told me, she’s never approved of her husband’s liberal interpretation of regulations. The way Parker sees it, people were putting food on the table long before rules were imposed. He refuses to consider any other way of thinking.”
“I imagine that makes things tense between husband and wife.”
Jeff suspected Mia was contributing to the conversation so she could see where it was heading. He wasn’t being fair by dragging things out, but it wasn’t going to be easy.
“And between mother and son. Lyle wants to do everything his old man does. The whole macho business.”
“Oh.”
“I’m sorry. I need to get to the point. Lyle’s mother gave me names. A total of five men headed up Dark Mountain this afternoon.” He cocked his head hoping to improve his view of her face. “Ram was one of them.”
She closed her eyes and shook her head. “I shouldn’t be surprised.”
“That’s what I didn’t want to tell you over the phone.”
She opened her eyes. “Why not?”
Because I wanted to see how you’d react. “Would it have been easier if I’d handled it that way?”
“I don’t know.”
She sagged back and patted her knee to get Banshee’s attention. The dog had climbed onto the couch, but got down and pressed against his mistress’s knees. The act of sitting had drawn her nightshirt up until about half of her thighs were exposed. There was no missing how muscular they were.
Or him thinking about how long it had been since he’d touched a woman.
“Ram is decisive, but he sometimes acts before thinking things through,” she continued. “If we were still on friendly terms, I’d try to change his mind. Killing the grays wasn’t going to heal Kendall.”
“Didn’t the two of you recently talk?”
Eyes narrowed, she leaned forward. “You’re thinking Ram could have gotten in touch with me today? He might have given me details of their plans.”
“That’s not—”
“Let me finish. Ram and I used to, what, be a couple? Maybe you’re thinking we’re reconciled. We’re seeing each other on the sly because—oh, hell, I have no idea what you might have heard or are thinking.”
It occurred to him that she was stumbling over her words in part because she had little experience with romantic relationships. She’d been raised in Alaska, isolated from access to members of the other sex for most of her life.
“I don’t give a damn about your relationship with him,” he said. It wasn’t the truth. “What matters is getting a handle on your reaction to knowing I’ll be looking for Ram tomorrow. And that Ram is determined to kill the grays.”
She groaned and pressed a hand to her forehead. “I hope to hell he doesn’t succeed.”
“Do you want me to find him?”
Jeff wasn’t going after just Ram. That’s what she needed to think about. Her former boyfriend was one of several men who were reacting to a savage attack on someone they cared about in the only way they could think of.
“Do I want you to try to keep the grays alive?” she wondered aloud. “Maybe getting this straight in my head is what it all comes down to. When the dogs attacked Kendall, their action made sense to them. It’s not their fault that revenge is hardwired into them.”
“But should Kendall have to pay for the rest of his life?”
“Don’t ask me.” She groaned. “Jeff, maybe the dogs wouldn’t be here if not for Ice. Something charged them with protecting Ice, but look what happened. They got involved in a poaching situation. Now they’ve become hunted animals.”
“I doubt it if that’s how the grays see it.”
“I’m sure it isn’t.” Eating what she’d had in her slow cooker had eased her headache, but the pounding was returning. “You don’t have a choice in much of what you do. Your job calls for trying to keep order in the wilderness. That includes not letting a bunch of idiots—damn Ram.”
“He’ll resent having Darick and me show up. They all will.”
“Do you expect a confrontation?”
“Maybe. Is he violent?”
She could have pointed out that Jeff and Darick would be dealing with five men, not just Ram. Instead, angry because Jeff had thrown the question at her, she leaned back in her chair, but was too tense to relax. If Jeff had concerns about hi
s safety, he wasn’t sharing them with her. Why should he? It wasn’t as if they’d known each other for long.
All they’d done was share an experience that would define the rest of their lives. There was something else—physical attraction on her part. There. She’d thought it. Acknowledged it.
“Violent?” she repeated. “He occasionally got angry, but everyone does.”
“What makes Ram mad?”
“Me,” she admitted. “In the past. I don’t know if I could still get under his skin.”
“Why was his anger directed at you?”
“My being the boss. Not always agreeing with him. He thought things should be done his way when it came to the farm. Also, I wasn’t what he wanted in a girlfriend.”
“In what way?”
“In every way.” Banshee lifted his head and gave her what might be an accusing stare. She should keep her mouth shut, would have if her head was on straight, if Jeff Julian wasn’t getting to her. “I suck at relationships. Ram reminded me of that enough times.”
“Because he knew saying that would get under your skin.”
She nodded in reluctant agreement. “He was right.” Her leg muscles tightened in preparation for standing, but she forced herself to stay where she was. “My upbringing couldn’t have been more isolated. It was the three of us in a cabin without electricity. The only time we saw anyone else was in summer. Visitors would come to the lake we lived near. There were a few other off-gridders, as they call themselves in the area, but Uncle George considered it a waste of gas to use our snowmobiles to visit them.”
“You must have hated it.”
“I didn’t know anything else.”
Even with her eyes open, she saw the crude cabin with the stove that had kept them from freezing. Her aunt and uncle had a bedroom, while she slept on the couch he’d brought in by boat along with the rest of the furniture, such that it was. In winter she’d stare out of the one window and wonder what was happening in the world she barely remembered, and now existed only in the books she repeatedly read. The longer she lived in the cabin, the less sure she’d become of her ability to find her place in civilization.