Reunion

by Karen Ball

  It was Luke’s.

  She frowned in confusion as she ran. Was Luke the hunter?

  She reached the top of the rise and looked down, scanning the valley below her. Relief surged through her when she saw no sign of the wolves, living or dead. Then a gunshot rang out, and she looked up in alarm. It had come from the other side of the rock formation, outside the valley.

  She raced back to her truck and backed out, spinning the wheels furiously. She stomped on the gas, and the vehicle shot forward. As she rounded the rock formation, she strained her eyes, searching. A glint of sunlight caught her attention, and her heart felt as though it had stopped.

  Luke was standing there at the top of a steep, rock formation, his gun to his shoulder, drawing a bead. About four hundred yards away, racing for the woods, was Sikis.

  “No!” A sob tearing at her throat. “No!”

  She laid on the horn, and she stomped on the accelerator in tandem. Luke spun, and when he saw her truck, he dropped his gun to his side. Taylor glanced back at Sikis and saw him disappear into the woods.

  “Oh, Lord!” Her breath caught in her throat. “Thank you!”

  Taylor pulled up, threw the truck into park, cut the ignition, and slammed out.

  “Are you crazy?” She stormed up the rocky incline, struggling not to fall as her feet slid in the loose dust and gravel.

  Luke flinched at her fury but stood his ground. “Go home, Yazhi.”

  She stopped and stared at him, stunned. “Go—” Her hands clenched into fists at her sides. “I’ll go home, all right. And you’ll go with me. And then we’re going to talk!”

  “There’s nothing to talk about. The wolves have to go. They are not safe, not for you, not for anyone.”

  “Luke, this is crazy—”

  “No!” He turned to her, and the intensity of the emotion in his eyes startled her. “I’ll tell you what’s crazy. Letting these killers come on your land. Letting them turn people against you. They’re the enemy, Taylor. You just don’t understand.”

  “They’re animals, Luke—”

  “No. They’re predators. Instinctive killers. I’ve seen them.” He raised a hand as though to reach out to her, then let it drop to his side. When he went on, his voice was resigned. “Taylor, my grandfather was killed by a wolf. I was young—too young to stop it … but I saw it all. It came out of the woods, just like that one.” His eyes went to where Sikis had vanished into the trees. “I was a boy, hunting with my grandfather. We’d killed a deer and were dressing the carcass when the monster came out of the woods. It attacked Grandfather. He didn’t have a chance. I ran. I ran and hid in the woods. But I couldn’t shut out the sounds of the screams … and the sounds the wolf made—” he shook his head—“they were the sounds of something evil.”

  Taylor took a step toward him. “Luke, you know animals and their behavior. You know how shy wolves are when they’re alone, without a pack. They do everything they can to avoid people.” She waited, hoping against hope he’d see the reason in what she was saying. Emotion flickered in his face, but he didn’t reply. She raised a hand, reached toward him. “Luke … please, that wolf must have been rabid. You must know that.”

  His expression hardened. “No, I don’t. And neither do you. No one does. Not for sure.” He turned to her then. “Has it ever occurred to you that no wolf attacks on humans have been recorded simply because none of the victims lived to tell about it?” “You know that’s not true—”

  He looked at her, and his expression grew tender—and then terribly sad. “What I know, Yahzi, is that wolves have brought only sorrow and loss to my life. And to yours. What profit is there in saving these animals when it may well cost you everything—” His voice choked and he looked away. “Maybe even your life.”

  “My life? The wolves would never hurt me—”

  “They already have. Your neighbors are turning against you. Some even speak of violence.”

  “Against the wolves?”

  He met her outrage with a calm look. “Or against you. I can’t take the chance, Yahzi.”

  Sadness and regret filled her … sadness for Luke and all he’d held inside for so long … regret that she’d been so wrong about Gavin, about Brad.

  About everything.

  “Luke, please, let’s go home.” She reached out to put her hand on his arm, but he stiffened. She turned, following his glare, and saw Sikis again, standing at the edge of the woods.

  With a swift motion, Luke brought his gun up, took aim.…

  Taylor lunged at him. “No!”

  With a muttered exclamation, he moved to dodge her, but she hit him broadside. His gun went flying, and he grabbed at her but couldn’t get a solid footing on the loose gravel. Neither, for that matter, could Taylor. Before she could catch her balance, they both were scrambling, slipping … and then they were airborne.

  She heard Luke cry out, thought she heard her name … but something struck her temple a fierce blow. Light exploded in her head, and then there was nothing.

  Someone was groaning. Taylor could hear the sound, but she couldn’t see anyone. Or anything, for that matter. But the sound was growing louder.

  “Ohhh …” Awareness flooded her, and with it came pain. Incredible pain. Her head throbbed like it was going to explode, and her arm was on fire. Then there was her leg—she didn’t even want to think about her leg.

  “God, I think I blew it.” She glanced around and realized she was behind the rocky hill she and Luke had been standing on. They’d fallen.

  Luke?

  She turned her pounding head and saw him laying motionless a few feet away. He was unconscious. “Okay, make that, I know I blew it.”

  She grasped her injured arm with her good hand and pulled it onto her chest, gritting her teeth. Oh yeah. It was broken all right. As for her leg, she wasn’t sure what was wrong with it, but she wasn’t going to be standing up anytime soon.

  They were stuck until Luke came to. Or someone found them.

  Taylor stared at the sky. Normally she’d be praying like crazy, asking God to help her, to save her. But she wasn’t doing that. Wasn’t going to.

  Because she knew everything was going to work out.

  There was no fear, no worry. She felt nothing but a strong certainty that God was at work on her behalf. As he had been all of her life. Tears of wonder stung her eyes. God had finally helped her to see.

  All this time she’d been telling God she couldn’t trust Josh, or Gavin, or Brad, or Connor, or anyone. Not even God himself. All this time she’d figured the problem was with them. With everyone else. But it wasn’t.

  The problem was with her. Within her. She hadn’t been willing to let go, to trust things she couldn’t see, couldn’t understand. Everything had to be proven, had to make sense. But that wasn’t faith. That was leaning on herself.

  “Father, I’m sorry.” Tears rolled down her face, making a soggy patch in the dry ground beside her throbbing head. “I thought I knew what to do. Thought I was right about Gavin. Thought I could handle Luke. But I was wrong.” She looked back up at the sky, regret heavy on her heart. “And I have a feeling I was wrong about Connor, too, wasn’t I?”

  “I have loved you with an everlasting love.”

  “I know, Lord. You’ve never let me down. When Josh died, you were there. When I thought Connor had betrayed me, you were there. I’ve probably jumped to conclusions again. You gave me my family and Gavin. You brought Connor into my life. And the wolf. And then Brad.” She sniffed, overwhelmed at the enormity of God’s care for her. “Even now, Lord, you’re with me.” She looked up at the hill, studied the fall they’d taken, the rocks where they’d landed. She gave a slightly hysterical laugh. “You kept us alive. Wounded, but alive. Forgive me, Lord. Forgive me for not trusting you. Again.”

  “Ask, and it will be given you.”

  The assurance floated through her, and a smile lifted her lips. She had asked, and God had forgiven her.

  “Seek, and yo
u will find.”

  Her smile broadened. Connor. Her family. When they realized she was missing, they would come looking for her. And they would find her and Luke. She knew it. She didn’t need to be worried. She was in good hands.

  “Do you see her?”

  Connor didn’t answer Brad’s frantic question. He was too busy running up the incline to the edge of Reunion. He reached the top and peered into the valley. His breath whooshed out in disappointment.

  “She’s not there.”

  “Maybe she’s in the tent.”

  Connor wished he believed it, but he didn’t. “I don’t think so …”

  Suddenly something caught his attention—a sound, floating on the wind. A mournful, sad, haunting sound. He looked up sharply, straining his ears. “Do you hear that?”

  “Howling. A wolf is howling.”

  They stared at each other for a moment, listening. “It’s coming from the opposite side of the valley,” Connor said, and he raced down the hill, not even pausing to see if Brad followed. He pounded around the rocky structure, but when he reached the other side, there was no sign of Taylor. Just the woods, and the dry ground, and a steep, rocky hill.

  “Over there!” Brad pointed at the hill. “I think it’s coming from over there.”

  Connor ran, his heart pounding in his chest. If anything had happened to her, if he’d lost her.

  No! He wouldn’t even allow the thought to form.

  The howls grew louder as he and Brad drew closer to the hill. There was no doubting it now. The wolf was behind the hill. Connor grabbed Brad’s arm, pulling him to a halt. “Hold it. I want you to stay here.”

  “No.”

  “Brad, I don’t have time to argue—”

  “Then don’t.” With that he ran around the base of the hill.

  Connor followed quickly, then stopped and stared.

  Sikis lay on the ground, his head tilted to the sky, howls flowing from his throat. As the last note died on the breeze, the wolf directed his amber eyes at Connor. For a heartbeat he lay unmoving, then jumped up and trotted to a safe distance, watching intently.

  That was when Connor saw Taylor, lying motionless on the ground. The wolf had been leaning up against her, covering her.

  “Father.” He sprang forward and was beside her in an instant. “Oh, Jesus, please …”

  He saw another someone sitting a few feet away from Taylor, his back against the large rock.

  “Luke?”

  The man watched Connor and Brad approach, his expression filled with pain … and something else. Sorrow?

  “She’s alive,” Luke said to Connor as he knelt beside Taylor, and Brad moved to Luke’s side.

  “What happened?” Gently he ran his hands over her, checking for injuries.

  “Luke’s leg is busted. Bad.” Connor nodded at this news. Taylor hadn’t fared much better. Her swollen forearm told its own story, as did the tear in her jeans and the bruise he could see forming on her shin. Her forehead was badly bruised as well.

  “It was my fault.” Luke’s words were soft.

  A towering rage swept over Connor, so potent that he felt dizzy. He fixed the older man with a glare.

  “Care to explain that?”

  Brad put a restraining hand on Connor’s shoulder. “This isn’t the time or place. We need to get Luke and Taylor back to the ranch. And get the doctor in to patch them up. You can sort through the details later.”

  Connor held Luke’s gaze. “Count on it.”

  Luke gave a short, curt nod.

  “Con?”

  He looked down at Taylor, relief flooding him. She was conscious, and the look she gave him was one of pure calm and contentment.

  “Hi there.” She tried to smile.

  “Hi,” he croaked.

  “I’m ready to go home now,” she told him, and he uttered a short laugh.

  “Okay. I think that can be arranged.”

  Her eyes traveled past him to Brad, then came to rest on Luke. “I’m sorry.”

  Connor frowned and looked at Luke, then stared in amazement. The man was crying.

  Luke shook his head. “I was wrong.” His voice was hoarse, broken.

  “You two can tell us all about it after we get you home.” Brad looked from Taylor to Luke with concerned eyes.

  Her light laugh was like music in Connor’s ears. “It’s okay, Brad. I’m not delirious.” Her gaze came back to rest on Connor’s face. “Well, no more so than any woman who’s madly in love, anyway.”

  Connor stared at her, torn between the desire to laugh and his urge to slip his arms around her and crush her to his chest. “You’re a nut.”

  The slow smile that eased across her face made his pulse pound. “Well, of course. I’d have to be to fall in love with you.”

  Stay focused, Alexander. Now is no time to get all weak-kneed! “Taylor, it’s going to hurt like crazy when we move you.” He touched her scratched face with his fingers. “I’ll do my best to be careful.”

  “It’s okay.” Her eyes were shining with a light he’d never seen in them before. “I trust you.”

  When Taylor opened her eyes, she had to blink to bring things into focus. One glance told her she was in her room, tucked safely in her bed. She moved and grimaced at the resulting pain. Looking down, she saw she had a cast on her left arm.

  She turned her head, and her eyes widened.

  Luke.

  He was sitting in a chair, staring out the window, his face drawn and haggard.

  She said his name, but it came out in a dry, raspy whisper. He turned quickly, saw she was awake, and grabbed a pair of crutches. Hobbling over, he came to balance on the edge of the bed. She reached out and took his hand.

  He pressed her palm to his heart. “Yahzi, forgive me.”

  She started to nod, then stopped abruptly when fireworks went off in her head. “Are you all right?” She glanced at the cast on his leg.

  “I will be.” His hand tightened on hers. “The wolf—” He stopped, looked away, then tried again. “I thought I was doing the right thing. Thought I was protecting you. I thought you were deceived, that your heart was too tender, that you’d taken in a pack of monsters.”

  “Luke—”

  “No, child. Let me finish.” His face was filled with remorse. “We both were knocked unconscious when we fell.”

  “I suppose landing on rocks will do that.”

  He smiled at that, and she squeezed his hand as he continued.

  “When I came to, I saw you were hurt. I tried to move, to go to you, but I couldn’t. The pain was so bad, I passed out twice just sitting up. The last time I came to …”

  She waited, watching the emotions in his features.

  He cleared his throat. “The last time I came to, I saw the wolf. He was standing over you. I didn’t have my gun … couldn’t protect you.” He closed his eyes, and she could see how awful that had been for him. When he spoke again, his voice was low and hoarse. “But he wasn’t there to harm you. He was protecting you.” He opened his eyes, and there was a stark awareness there as he met her gaze. “He protected you, Yahzi. He lay down beside you, stretching out as though to keep you warm. And then he began to howl. I thought I would go mad with the sound.…”

  Taylor’s mouth fell open. “That’s how Connor and Brad found us.”

  Luke nodded. “The wolf led them to us. And when they came, he stood and walked away. As though his mission was over.” He stroked her face gently. “I was wrong, child. Wrong in so many ways. Can you forgive me?”

  Tears held her mute for a moment, so she placed her hand over his where it rested on her cheek.

  They sat that way, in silence, until Taylor drifted off to sleep.

  THIRTY

  “TAYLOR MOIRA, YOU’RE AN AMAZING AND COURAGEOUS woman.”

  Taylor looked at her brother and laughed. “So I’m amazing and courageous, am I?”

  His grin was impish. “Either that or you’re—”

  “Plumb daft.
I know. Seems to me we’ve been through this before. So what have I done now?”

  Ryan leaned back in his chair, plopping his booted feet on Taylor’s kitchen table. “Well, you agreed to marry Connor, which takes an incredible amount of courage right th—”

  The rest of his sentence was cut off when he received a sharp smack to the back of his head. Ryan spun around to find Connor standing behind him.

  “For crying out loud.” Ryan rubbed his head. “You’re already acting like a member of the family.”

  “I’ve always been a bit of an overachiever,” Connor replied smugly as he moved to wrap his arms around Taylor, cast on her arm and all. “That’s why I’m marrying the most beautiful, most intelligent, most wonderful—”

  “Puh-leeze!” Ryan crossed his eyes in disgust.

  “—woman in the world,” Connor finished, and Taylor smiled up at him demurely.

  “See?” she told Ryan. “I told you he was brilliant.” “You two are pitiful.”

  “Yup,” Connor agreed. “So, you guys ready to go?”

  “All set.” Ryan dropped his feet on the floor with a thud. “Mom and Dad and Lisa and the boys are outside.” He grinned, wagging his eyebrows. “Let’s go howl with the wild ones.”

  The sun was just setting as Connor drove up to a line of trees and put it into park.

  “Well.” His eyes met hers, filling her with warmth. “The moment of truth.”

  They got out, then went to stand beside her family and Luke.

  “Wow!” Mark stared in wonder at the line of cars coming behind them. “There’s a zillion cars there!”

  “Maybe even a trillion zillion!” Mikey’s face shone. “And they’re all coming to see your wolves, Aunt Taylor.”

  “God’s wolves,” she corrected him gently. “They belong to God, not me.”

  Mark cast a quick glance at the cars again. “Yeah, well I hope God told his wolves to show up tonight.”

  “Me, too,” Taylor said, laughing. “Me, too.”

  “There aren’t exactly a zillion cars.” Connor shook his head in amazement. “But there are sure a lot more than I expected.”