Mountain Wolf's Courage (Daddy Wolves 0f The Wild Series Book 4)

by Serena Meadows

  Instead, she walked out the door and shut it firmly behind her, leaving the book on the floor where it was. Tonight, would be soon enough to face that little mystery; today, she was going to pretend that she was just what she appeared to be: the new arts counselor at Camp Serendipity. She wasn’t going to think of Melissa, or the paintings; she was just going to enjoy her new surroundings and the art studio Marley had promised, maybe she’d even be able to paint a little.

  In no hurry to get to the lodge where she was supposed to meet Marley, she walked slowly along the road, taking in every detail of the valley. With less than two weeks before the first campers would arrive for the summer, the place was bustling with activity, and she wondered if it would be quieter when the kids showed up. The sound of construction filled the air, and as she got closer to the main part of camp, the noise only got louder.

  But it was hard not to get caught up in the excitement, and by the time she’d walked the mile from her cabin, she couldn’t wait to get to the studio and begin making plans. She could see before she got there that Marley was late, so she headed for the firepit in front of the lodge, planning to sit and quietly watch the commotion.

  Wishing she had her sketchbook, she headed for a bench on the other side of the pit and sat down and watched as a group of men repaired the roof on one of the cabins. They were laughing and joking with one another, and it wasn’t long before she was smiling as well, thinking about how she’d capture the scene on paper or canvas. She was so lost in her thoughts that she didn’t hear Marley walk up behind her.

  “Good morning; sorry I’m late,” she said, making her jump and let out a little scream. “I’m sorry I didn’t mean to scare you.”

  Sarah put her hand over her heart, which was beating furiously in her chest. “That’s okay. I was lost in my thoughts,” she said, getting to her feet.

  She took a few steps toward Marley and then stopped when a blast of cold air washed over her, and the air around her began to shimmer. Bracing herself for the appearance of a spirit, she waited, but nothing happened. Then she began to smell perfume, and in only seconds, she knew that it was Melissa’s. She’d worn the same scent since they’d been in high school, and it brought with it a barrage of memories that took her breath away, and left her frozen in place.

  But then a breeze swept the scent away, the world came back into focus, and she found Marley watching her a look of concern on her face. “Are you okay? I think I lost you there for a second.”

  Sarah felt her face flush. “I’m fine,” she said, managing a shaky smile, but feeling anything but fine.

  Chapter Six

  ***Trevor***

  Trevor stood in the middle of the newsroom; his newsroom, and wasn’t sure where he wanted to start. The boxes he and Jake had hauled up the stairs were waiting in one corner, but there was new software on the computers, and the printing press in the corner was tempting him as well. He already had a list of campers who were interested in working on the paper, and it was impossible not to be excited.

  He pushed any thoughts of Richard and what he was here to do out of his mind; there would be plenty of time to explore the camp and find what he was looking for. First, he was going to have a little fun. With lunch less than two hours away, he knew that he didn’t have a lot of time left, so he grabbed one of the boxes and took it over to the window.

  When he lifted the lid, a cloud of dust rose out of the box, and he nearly choked on it. Waving his hand in the air to clear it away, he cautiously peeked into the box, afraid of what he might find. But to his surprise, the old newspapers had been slid into plastic shields, and while the outside was coated in a thick layer of dust, the papers inside looked perfectly preserved.

  Excited by his find, he wiped the dirt off the first one as best he could, then dusted his hands off and slid the newspaper out of the sleeve. It was only a few pages long but contained an interesting mix of world and local news, the stories well written and thought out. There were columns of editorials and a review of a play that had been given in front of the lodge, as well as a section of comics and even a few personal ads.

  He smiled as he read them, one a plea for the return of a lost watch, another asking for someone to trade cabins, and suddenly he realized that soon the camp would be flooded with kids. There was work to be done, and as entertaining and possibly informative as the papers were, they could wait, so he slid the paper back into its sleeve and shoved it into the box.

  A huge cloud of dust erupted from the container, filtering into his nose and making it begin to itch and tingle. He knew he was going to sneeze and tried desperately to hold it back, but the urge became too great, and he sucked in a deep breath just as the sneeze exploded out of him. Immediately, he began to choke on the dust he’d inhaled, and his throat began to burn. Desperate for fresh air, he leaned over the table and opened the window, relieved when a gust of fresh air washed over him.

  After he’d coughed and sputtered for a few minutes, he was finally able to take a deep breath, but what he smelled when he did, made him hold his breath again. It was the same sweet, alluring scent he’d followed the night before, and he couldn’t help leaning over the table and looking out the window. He let his breath out in a whoosh, then took another breath, sighing when the smell of vanilla and sugar filled his lungs.

  The yard around the barn was empty, but he knew that the woman from the night before had to be close, so he turned and headed for the door. But he’d only gone a few steps when he realized what he was doing and stopped. His instinct had taken over for a second and all he could think about was finding the woman. What he hadn’t considered was what he was going to do when he found her; kissing her like he’d wanted the night before was out of the question, but that was what he’d been thinking.

  Shaken by the way he’d nearly lost control, he walked over to the window and shut it firmly and held his breath until the scent evaporated. Then he went over to his desk and sat down in front of the computer and switched it on, forcing himself to take deep breaths until the desire drained away. When the screen came to life, and the icon for the new program popped up, he clicked on it and tried to lose himself in learning something new.

  But when he’d watched the same tutorial for the third time and still didn’t understand what they were talking about, he gave up. He couldn’t get the woman off his mind, couldn’t stop wondering about her and who she was, why she was at the camp. It was becoming evident that until he knew the answers to some of those questions, getting anything else done would be impossible.

  Trying not to think about what he was doing, he got up from the desk and headed for the stairs, hoping he wasn’t on a wild goose chase. But the sweet scent hit him as soon as he stepped out of the building, and it wasn’t hard to follow it down the stairs and around to the other side of the barn. When he came around the corner, he could see her through the big windows that filled the entire side of the building and stopped to watch her.

  She was facing away from him, her golden hair streaming down her back, staring at a row of paintings wrapped in brown paper, and he saw a way out of an awkward introduction. Taking a deep breath because he was suddenly ridiculously nervous, he knocked on the window, wincing when she jumped and turned to face him, clearly startled.

  “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you,” he said, flashing her a smile most women melted for. “I was just out exploring and saw you standing there. Do you need some help?”

  “Do you always make it a practice to peep through windows or is this a special occasion?” she asked, scowling at him. “There is a door, you know, and knocking is always an acceptable way of getting someone’s attention.”

  Trevor wanted to come up with a witty reply, but she’d locked her impossibly green eyes on him, and even with the scowl on her face, she was incredibly beautiful. “Oh, I...I’m sorry,” he finally managed to stammer. “I’m Trevor from upstairs.”

  ***Sarah***

  Sarah’s anger rose before she even turned t
o see who had just scared her. She’d been so lost in her thoughts, she hadn’t heard anyone approach, but she was getting tired of being startled. When she turned and saw the man standing on the other side of the open window, her heart began to race, and a thrill ran through her. His blue eyes sparkled with amusement, and the way he was casually leaning against the window frame made his shirt come open to reveal a sculpted chest.

  The harsh words were out of her mouth before she could stop herself, her mind reeling with the extreme reaction her body was having to the man smiling at her. “Upstairs?” she asked stupidly.

  “Yeah, the newspaper upstairs. I’m the editor,” he said, letting his eyes roam over her body, making another thrill rush through her.

  Desire blossomed in his eyes, and she stepped back even though he was still on the other side of the window. “I’m Sarah,” she finally managed to say, turning and walking behind the paintings.

  “Looks like you might need some help with those,” Trevor said. “I’d be happy to come in and help you.”

  She peeked around one of the paintings. “That’s okay. I’m not sure I want to unwrap them yet,” she said, then walked over and started messing with her paintbrushes.

  “Well, the offer stands. Any time you need help, just let me know,” he said. “It was nice to meet you, Sarah. Maybe I’ll see you in the dining hall at lunch.”

  Her stomach did a little flip-flop when she thought about eating lunch with Trevor, and she suddenly felt like she was a teenager again, thrilled that a boy might like her. “Oh, I don’t know. I might just work through lunch. I had a late breakfast,” she stammered.

  “Well, I’ll save you a seat anyway. I’ll be there with Gabe; that’s my son,” he said. “I hope I see you there, and next time, I promise to use the door.”

  Sarah didn’t know what came over her, but she giggled. She covered her mouth with her hand, then still not looking at Trevor, said, “Sorry, that was the second time today someone startled me. I just took it out on you.”

  “That’s okay; you can make it up to me by having lunch with us,” he said.

  When she was sure that he was gone, she sank into a chair and sighed, wondering when she’d regressed. She was almost thirty-three years old, much too old to behave the way she had been, and somehow, she’d gotten tricked into having lunch with him. But it wasn’t a date, she assured herself; it was just lunch with a colleague, and nothing more.

  Still, she found herself getting to her feet and going to the door, hoping to get a glimpse of the man who’d awakened something inside her she thought had died that night so long ago. He was headed towards the barn, his back to her, but even from that distance, her body reacted to the sight of him, a thrill of anticipation shooting through her and taking her breath away.

  Her phone buzzing on the table in the studio made her realize that she was standing where anyone could see her staring at Trevor. Shaking her head at her immature behavior but still smiling, she picked up the phone and her heart sank. She’d completely forgotten to call Rachelle and didn’t particularly want to talk to her at the moment either but picked up the phone and answered the call.

  “Hi, Rachelle,” she said, barely getting the words out before she broke in.

  “You were supposed to call me when you got there,” she accused. “You did make it, didn’t you?”

  Sarah tried not sigh. “Yes, I’m here. I’m sorry I didn’t call. It’s just been a little crazy getting settled in. I was going to call you after lunch,” she lied.

  “Can you tell me how to get there?” Rachelle asked, surprising her. “I could leave tonight.”

  It took Sarah a second to answer, something felt off, but she wasn’t sure why, and then it hit her. “Don’t you even want to know if Melissa is here?”

  “Oh, I...I just assumed,” Rachelle said. “Is she there? I mean, did you talk to her spirit?”

  Sarah had an uneasy feeling but answered anyway. “I smelled her perfume at the firepit in front of the lodge, but that’s it.”

  Rachelle sighed. “You have to try harder, Sarah,” she ordered, her voice taking on a hard edge. “Maybe I should come up there and help you; we could use a spell to bring her spirit back from wherever it is.”

  “What do you mean wherever it is?” Sarah asked, suddenly alarmed.

  “Oh, you know what I meant,” Rachelle said quickly. “Look, Sarah, there isn’t much time. You have to find Melissa before it’s too late. I’m counting on you. We’ve been friends for a long time, and I need your help. Just tell me where you are, and I’ll come to you.”

  Sarah didn’t like the way Rachelle was pushing so hard to come to Serendipity, was uneasy about her being in such a hurry, and her cryptic statement about there not being much time alarmed her. Luckily, she couldn’t have told her the way up the mountain even if she wanted to.

  “It’s not that easy; the only way here is by horse or wagon, and I couldn’t even begin to tell you the way through the mountains,” she explained.

  “You’re making that up,” Rachelle accused. “You just don’t want to help me; you still hate me for a mistake I made years ago. Let it go, Sarah; it happened a long time ago.”

  Sarah wanted to feel bad for Rachelle, but the memory of that night surfaced, and she hardened her heart. “In case you’ve forgotten, that little mistake changed my life in ways you’ll never understand,” she said.

  Then Rachelle said something that surprised her. “Maybe if you help Melissa, that will cleanse you.” Then she hung up.

  Chapter Seven

  ***Trevor***

  Trevor watched Gabe canter around the training ring thinking that only one morning of lessons had turned his son into a pretty decent rider. But he was distracted, looking anxiously over his should for Jordan, who he’d been told was out exercising some of the horses. Richard was convinced that his daughter wouldn’t recognize him, but he wasn’t sure; he’d been married to her aunt after all.

  But over the years, he’d barely seen her, she hadn’t even been at their wedding, so he might just be able to pull it off. He wasn’t sure what he’d do if she figured out who he was, could probably pull off some kind of lie, but he hoped it wouldn’t come to that. When he saw her coming towards the barn, a string of horses trailing along behind her, he knew the moment of truth had come.

  To his relief, she only glanced at him as she rode by, and he let out the breath he’d been holding. But he wasn’t going to push it, so he stayed right where he was and waited for Gabe to come out of the barn. He was grinning from ear to ear when he finally came thought the big doors, and Trevor couldn’t remember when he’d seen his son so happy.

  “I’m starving,” he said when he got close enough to Trevor.

  “Well, the dining hall is open for business. Let’s go,” he said, ruffling his son’s hair.

  As they walked, Gabe rambled on and on about his new friend Alex, but they were almost all the way to the dining hall when he said something that caught his attention. “Alex’s step-mom Jordan has a really mean father. He tried to make her marry someone she didn’t love, so Alex’s dad married her instead,” he said. “Don’t I have a cousin named Jordan?”

  Trevor’s stomach felt like it leaped out of his body and he searched for an answer. “Yes, on your mother’s side, but I haven’t talked to her in a long time,” he finally said, satisfied that he hadn’t lied to his son.

  “Wouldn’t it be crazy if she were my cousin or something? That would make Alex and I related,” Gabe mused as they walked along.

  Trevor knew he had to change the subject, and fast. “What are your plans for the afternoon? I’ve got a pretty cool printing press just waiting to be fired up at the newspaper.”

  “You mean like an old one with those little metal letters?” Gabe asked.

  “Yep, and I need to get it running to see if it still works. Want to help me?”

  He could see that his son was torn between the horses and helping him. “I guess I can ride some more tomo
rrow,” he finally said, then grinned up at Trevor.

  “You can ride every day this summer if that’s what you want to do,” Trevor said, ruffling his son’s hair again, glad that he was still happy to spend time with him.

  When they got to the dining hall, it was crowded with people, but they were able to find a table after filling their plates. He had to shake his head at the amount of food that Gabe piled on his plate, but when he gave his son a look, he shrugged his shoulders and just kept piling the food on.

  “Are you really going to eat all that?” he asked when they were seated.

  “I’m hungry,” Gabe said, then began eating.

  Trevor picked at his food, watching the door for Sarah, feeling disappointment beginning to build as the minutes ticked by. She hadn’t said that she would be there for lunch, and he knew he shouldn’t have been disappointed, and certainly not as much as he was. But then he saw her come in the door and sprang to his feet, then sat back down again, suddenly nervous.

  Gabe looked over at him. “What are you doing?” he asked, giving him a strange look.

  “Nothing, I just asked someone to join us for lunch, and she just came in,” he said, shrugging his shoulders and trying to look calmer than he felt.

  Gabe looked over at the door. “Who is that?” he asked, looking over at Trevor again.

  “That’s Sarah; she’s the arts and crafts counselor. She’s a painter from what I can tell,” he said. “The art studio is on ground floor of the barn where the paper is. I met her this morning.”