“I’m not so sure.”
“Oh, boy.”
“What?”
“I learned about that in school. It’s called anthropomorphizing, and it means—”
“I know what it means.” Rachel sounded irritated. “I don’t think this wolf is like a human. But if he lived with people, and he’s really smart, he could understand some basic words.”
“Yeah, like sit and stay. But you just gave him a detailed explanation of what’s going on. He’s not going to get all that.”
“Then he’ll understand my tone of voice and know you’re not a threat. Ready?”
“Guess so.”
The door opened, and from his position under the bed, Jake saw Rachel’s running shoes and a pair of work boots coming in behind her. Rachel’s scent was already familiar to him—too damned familiar, in fact. Lionel’s was not, but Jake didn’t find it unpleasant—a little human sweat, a little Ivory soap, a little mint aftershave.
“Oh, dear, he’s gone under the bed again.”
“What do you mean, again?” Lionel didn’t sound happy with the situation. “Are you saying he did that before?”
“Last night, after I got out the scissors and razor.”
Exactly, sweetheart. If you’d kept those things out of the mix, I wouldn’t have had to hide. Jake still shuddered when he thought of what might have happened if he’d been more out of it.
“You slept with this wolf under your bed all night?”
“Part of the night. Lionel, he’s not dangerous.”
“How do I know that?” Lionel got to his hands and knees and peered cautiously under the bed. “Jesus. He looks enormous.”
“He’s pretty big.”
Lionel got to his feet. “I don’t like the idea of you staying alone in the cabin with a wild animal.”
Jake’s laughter came out as a snort, which made his side ache. Wild animal, indeed.
“Did you hear that?” Lionel became more agitated. “Like a sneeze or a snort or something?”
“Probably from the dust bunnies under my bed.”
“But there could be something wrong with him. I mean, he could have fleas, or ticks. . . . What if he brought ticks into your house and you get Lyme disease? Did you think of that?”
With great effort, Jake kept himself from laughing again. It hurt his side, and strange noises coming from under the bed scared the shit out of Lionel. A self-respecting Were wouldn’t tolerate the presence of a tick, but if Lionel knew Rachel had a werewolf in her house, he’d go ballistic.
“I’ll watch out for ticks,” Rachel said. “But he saved my life. I owe him—”
“What? He chose to attack the bear, but it might not have had anything to do with you. They might hate each other for other reasons, and you happened to be around for the smack-down.”
“I suppose that’s always possible, but I don’t think so. I think he was saving me.”
“Miss M, don’t be a hero. Call Fish and Game.”
Jake tensed. That was all he needed.
“I’m not doing that, Lionel.”
“Seriously, let them come out. They can tranquilize the wolf, check him for ticks and other parasites, and figure out where he came from and where he belongs. Don’t you want to know that?”
“Not really. I want him to return to whatever routine he had before he rushed in to save me. I don’t need to know all the details about his life.”
Lionel blew out a breath. “I think you’re asking for trouble keeping him here, but it’s your decision.”
“It is, and I’ll deal with any consequences.”
“But you have to promise me, if this turns into a big problem, you’ll call me.”
“You’d still help? Even if I’m ignoring your advice about notifying the authorities?”
“You bet I would, Miss M. If you don’t want anybody to know about this wolf, then that’s the way it’ll be. If he turns rabid and you need me to come and shoot him for you, I’ll do that.”
Rachel gasped. “Nobody is shooting this wolf!”
“If he becomes a danger to you, or if he harms a single hair on your head, I’ll shoot him without a second thought.”
Jake didn’t relish being shot, but he was glad to hear that Lionel was so protective. That meant Jake could leave for San Francisco without worrying so much about Rachel’s safety. Before he could catch that plane, though, he had to get out of this cabin.
“The wolf’s no danger to me,” Rachel said. “But I appreciate your support.”
“Anytime.”
“I guess he’s not going to come out from under the bed, so we may as well leave. We both have work to do.”
“Yeah, how’s the triptych coming along?” Lionel moved toward the door.
“I’m making progress.” Rachel followed him. “I’d like your opinion. Oh, and I’ve created an unholy mess in the shop. Sawdust everywhere.”
“I’m sure.” Lionel chuckled. “Hey, that carving on your mantel wasn’t there last time I was in here. Where’d it come from?”
“I sold that to Jake Hunter three years ago. He didn’t want it anymore, so I have it back.”
“What is he, dumb or something?”
“Yes, I think he is.” She closed the bedroom door.
Jake felt about as dumb as Lionel thought he was. What a situation he’d created for himself. He waited several minutes before he crawled out from under the bed. If he could be sure they’d leave him alone for a while, he could shift to human form and back to wolf form to speed the healing. In fact, in human form he could crack the front door a couple of inches so that he could leave as a wolf.
He’d have to be very sure she wouldn’t come in, though, because if she found him naked in her cabin, that would be extremely difficult to explain. But if he could pull off the maneuver, he’d be able to leave today. Rachel might think she’d left the door open by mistake.
Just as his plan began to seem possible, the bedroom door creaked and Rachel walked in. “I knew you’d come out once Lionel was gone, wolf.”
He stood still and watched her.
“I still think you understand a lot of what we say, and that conversation I had with Lionel might have spooked you. But don’t worry. I’m not going to call in the troops. This is between you and me. And you can trust Lionel not to squeal on us.”
Thank you. He hoped she could sense his gratitude.
“You’re welcome.”
Wow, that was strange. She’d responded as if she’d picked up on his thoughts.
“I’m going out to the workshop now, but I’ll come back from time to time and check on you. I’m not leaving you alone for the day, so don’t worry about that, either.”
Please do leave me alone.
She smiled. “I swear it’s like I can see the wheels turning in there. You’re too clever. I’m not giving you hours of solitude so you can figure out some way to get out of here.”
Damn.
“Boy, do you look disappointed! I swear you got the gist of what I just said. Well, just forget about escaping. You need more time to heal, and this is the best place to do that.”
Says you.
“Don’t look at me like that, as if you don’t believe me. I’m a doctor, or I was almost a doctor. I can tell that you’re supersmart, but I know more about this process than you do, so why not relax and let me do my thing?”
Her logic was impeccable. But she was working with the wrong information. If he were a true wolf, she’d be absolutely doing the right thing for him.
She couldn’t know that she was impeding the healing process. Because he’d been unable to shift fully soon after his injury, he would likely have scarring, something that didn’t happen when Weres took care of their wounds themselves.
He’d been hurt several times in his life, and he bore no marks as a result. But he felt certain he’d end up with red welts from the bear’s claws once he became human again. In time they’d fade, but his skin would never be perfect again.
“See you soon, wolf.” She had the audacity to wink before she turned, walked out the door, and closed it firmly behind her.
Curses, foiled again.
Chapter 6
Rachel’s famous concentration took a beating the rest of the morning. Even Lionel remarked on it. She kept pausing in her work to check on the wolf, and when she returned, she spent long moments staring into space, her carving tools lying unused on her bench.
Finally she turned to Lionel. “How are you at tracking?”
“Okay, I guess.” He dumped a large dustpan full of shavings into a plastic garbage can. “I learned from my best friend Willie’s dad, on account of mine not being around to teach me.” He said it without a trace of resentment or self-pity. His dad had left when he was a baby, and he’d been raised by his mother and grandmother, but he’d never said a word against his absent father.
“If I let the wolf go tonight, do you think you could track where he goes?”
Lionel stopped sweeping to glance at her. “I thought you didn’t want to know his story.”
“I don’t, and if I could keep him a few more days, I wouldn’t be worried. But I can’t figure out how to do that. He’ll need to go outside again tonight, and I won’t be able to trick him again.”
“Again? You already tricked him once?”
“Yeah, and it cost me a very large steak.” She described her maneuver, which made Lionel chuckle. “Anyway, the fishing line won’t work twice, so when I let him out to do his business, he’ll be gone.”
“And you want me to follow him?”
“Not so he’d know. He’s very smart. That’s why I thought if you could track him from a distance, then you’d have some idea of where he goes but he wouldn’t know you were doing it.”
“I could try. But Willie’s dad could do a better job than me. Even Willie’s a better tracker than I am.”
Rachel shook her head. “I don’t care. I don’t want anyone else in on this, so you’re my guy. I’ll pay you for your time.”
“Hell, no, you won’t. You pay me to help you out. And I’m already aiding and abetting you instead of notifying Fish and Game. If I take money for it, that’ll look even worse.”
“Would you rather not do it at all?”
He grinned at her. “Are you kidding? I’m dying to do it. First of all, I’m really happy that you’re getting this wolf out of your house before something bad happens. Second of all, I want to know where he heads off to as much as you, maybe more. This job has always been interesting, but today’s been the most interesting so far.”
“Glad I’m proving to be entertaining.”
“Definitely. What time are you planning to let him go?”
“As late as possible.” She glanced at the clock on the workshop wall. “I’m not sure how long he can make it without needing a trip outside.”
“I can’t say for wolves, but a big dog can go about ten hours, maybe a little longer if they have to. You think this wolf is housebroken, right?”
She nodded. “He seems to be. Anyway, that still puts us at six or seven tonight. The sun’s very bright then.”
“So what are you going to do?”
“Don’t have much choice. He’ll have to do the best he can to stay hidden. At least tracking him should be easier.”
“It should, but . . .” He sighed. “Seriously, I’m not a very good tracker.”
“At least you know something about it, which is more than I can say. Can you also look for blood spots along the way? In case he starts bleeding again?”
“And what if he does? Does it matter?”
She thought about that. “Good point. Once he’s loose, there’ll be no getting him back. If I could think of some way to let him out on a temporary basis, I’d do it, but it’s not as if I can take him out on a leash like a poodle.”
“Nope.” Lionel gazed at her. “If you’re that worried about whether he’ll survive on his own, there’s always Fish and Game. At least then you’d know that he—”
“I’d know that he’d be miserable and I would have broken the promise I made to him last night.”
“You made a wolf a promise?” Lionel shook his head. “But listen, it would be for his own good.”
“Would it be? My instincts tell me that given the choice, he’d rather die on his own terms than deal with more human interference.”
“Then I guess it’s settled.” Lionel’s phone chimed, signaling the end of his workday with Rachel. He silenced the alarm. “I need to get over to the mill. Just tell me when you want me here.”
“Plan on seven.” Rachel wished she had reason to employ him full-time so he didn’t have to work at the sawmill thirty miles away. But cleaning the shop, buying groceries once in a while, and helping her with heavy pieces of wood didn’t take forty hours a week. And he’d be too proud to take more per hour than the job was worth.
“I’ll be here.”
“I’ll call you when I’m getting ready to let him out. If you park on the road instead of driving in, then he won’t know you’re coming.”
Lionel nodded.
“I really appreciate this. Are you sure I can’t pay you extra?”
“I’m sure.” He glanced at a shelving unit that held various pieces of wood waiting to become Rachel Miller originals. He pointed to a gnarled piece of cedar about two feet long. “If you’d be willing to let me have that, I’d consider us even.”
She happened to love that particular piece and had looked forward to carving it. But she was desperate for Lionel’s tracking skills and she was also thrilled at this first indication that he’d taken her suggestion about working on his own carvings. “It’s yours.”
“Really? I was sort of kidding. That’s a beautiful hunk of wood. You don’t have to give it to me. I’m sure you could make something amazing out of it.”
Sliding off her work stool, she walked over to the shelf and picked up the cedar. “I’ll bet you could, too. I only have one condition. Let me see it when you’re finished.” Using both hands, she held it out.
Instead of taking it, he stepped back. “Never mind. That was a dumb impulse on my part. I’m not ready for wood that beautiful.”
“Lionel, you are ready, or you wouldn’t have asked for it. Don’t wimp out on me.”
He eyed the wood. “I’ll probably screw it up.”
“That’s not the best attitude for beginning a new project. Try again.”
“You’re really putting me on the spot, Miss M.”
“I mean to.” She continued to gaze at him. “Daring to be an artist takes guts. You’ve only been here during the glory days, but I went through a lot of self-doubt before I arrived where I am now. I still have self-doubt.”
“You? That’s ridiculous.”
“Probably, but it’s true. So man up, Lionel. Take this piece of wood, put your heart and soul into carving it, and then show me the results. Because that’s what artists do. They put their heart and soul out there for everyone to see.”
Lionel swallowed. “Okay.” Moving toward her, he took the piece of wood. “Don’t expect miracles, okay?”
“I always expect miracles.” She smiled at him. “And so should you. See you tonight.”
• • •
When Rachel didn’t come in to check on Jake all afternoon, he wondered what was up. She’d made a pest of herself in the morning and then had left him completely alone in the afternoon. But he hadn’t been able to trust her absence enough to try a double shift. It had turned out to be a very long day.
Toward the end of it he desperately needed to relieve himself. He wondered how she planned to handle that. If she tried the fishing line again, he’d be ready for it, but she probably realized that. So how could she expect to let him out and get him back in the house?
&nbs
p; Around six he heard her come in the cabin, but she didn’t open the bedroom door. He paced by his quilt while he waited to see what would happen next. She had to let him out. And then what?
He was also hungry, but not as famished as he had been in the morning. If she tried to bribe him with food again, he wouldn’t be as susceptible. The ding of a microwave made him curious. Was she nuking her dinner, his dinner, or both?
The overriding concern, though, was the pressure on his bladder. She had to know he was in dire straits. Once she opened that back door, their time together would be over. Surely she knew that, too.
He scented her approach to the bedroom, both because he was attuned to her aroma and because his nose told him she carried a bowl of raw hamburger. Sadly, he was more eager to see her than to eat the hamburger. That indicated how enmeshed he’d become.
Halting his pacing, he faced the door. Considering the microwave ding he’d heard earlier, she must have used it to defrost some ground round from the freezer. Damn, he was turning into a regular Sherlock Holmes.
He appreciated the thought of the raw hamburger, but he looked forward to shifting back to human form. These days he preferred his meals cooked and well seasoned. He longed for a few side dishes and a bottle of good red wine.
She wouldn’t know that, of course. She viewed him as a wild animal that caught its prey on the run. Werewolves hadn’t done that for centuries. Despite his surname, Jake had never hunted anything, and the concept made him shudder.
As a carnivore, he required daily helpings of meat. As a thinking carnivore, he understood that somebody had to provide the fine cuts of sirloin that he enjoyed. But he preferred not to dwell on what he considered an unsavory process.
“I’ve brought your dinner.” She left the bedroom door open as she crossed the room and put the bowl in front of him.
He had to pee, but he wasn’t about to turn down the possibility of food. She didn’t seem to be using the hamburger as a trick to get him back inside this time, and he was grateful for that. He began gulping down the ground meat.
Halfway through, he paused. She could have buried a knockout pill in the hamburger and he’d never know. He glanced up. Did you hide a pill in this meat?
Werewolf in Alaska: A Wild About You Novel Page 7