“Come on,” he urged.
Sky knew that ever since the three wolf pups had been rescued from certain death, Gray had been working nonstop with several wranglers from the ranch to install a ten-foot-high cyclone-wire fence around a ten-acre parcel within the wildlife center. It stood among dozens of tall, towering fir, protected on three sides by thick brush outside the fence. The area was quiet in the morning as Sky walked at Gray’s side. The paths were strewn with cedar chips, wide enough for an ATV, an electric power chair or a wheelchair. “I always feel when I’m here, it’s like a sacred church in nature,” she confided to him quietly.
“I feel the same way.”
“And you helped design and build all of this?”
Gray nodded, always looking around. To his right was a path that led to two buffalo, a bull and cow. Off to his left was the thirty-acre parcel that was fenced in for the two wolves they already had. “I did, but the credit goes to my mother, Isabel. She created the blueprint, Iris approved them and the money, and I chose the land it sits on and was the construction manager who oversaw the project.”
“It feels as if we’re in the middle of nature, not on a ranch.”
“That was the whole idea. Iris wanted this built such that the animals felt truly at home and had a lot of land to live on, but also to bring nature to all the guests who come to the ranch.”
They walked up a slight knoll. Gray halted. He turned and pointed toward the original wolf enclosure. “The two wolves we have, the alpha male and female, have to be as far away from these three pups as we can make it for them.”
“Why? If you put in the pups with them, wouldn’t the alpha female accept them?”
Gray frowned and shook his head. “No way. The alpha male would more than likely kill them immediately because they aren’t his offspring. That’s the problem.”
“So these babies have to be raised alone?”
“Yes.” The desolation in her expression was profound, and without thinking, Gray reached out and slid his arm around her, giving her a hug. He released her and said, “Don’t forget, we’re their parents now. And I’m going to have to teach you wolf language and ritual real soon so you can continue to act like Mama Wolf.”
“I’ve heard they have a way of communicating,” Sky admitted.
“My mother worked with some of the pioneers of wolf communication, and I grew up watching her and helping her. It’s not hard to learn, but you have to understand you’re the alpha female, and certain things will have to be taught by you to train these pups accordingly.”
“I’m ready to learn, Gray.” Sky smiled up at him. The sunlight slanted silently through the awakening morning. Somewhere deep in the fir there was a gurgling call of a raven.
“You’re a fast learner. Tonight we’ll go over some of them after dinner.” Gray dug out the list from his pocket. “I need to bring you into town this morning, and we’ll do that after you take a look at the pups’ new world.”
Sky was amazed at the work that had been done in two weeks to make the orphaned wolf pups a place to live. In one corner, a huge dirt-and-rock den had been built. It looked so similar to the one the grizzly had torn apart that Sky was amazed by the careful attention to details. Inside the den, though, was a recessed sunlamp that would warm it for the pups because their real mother was no longer there to provide it for them. The den was strewn with cedar chips, something soft for them to lie upon. Tiny cameras had been installed in other recesses, and twenty-four-hour-a-day video would begin. These videos would help wolf biologists understand pup pack behavior, among other things.
The enclosure had trees, stumps and brush within it. Many other places were provided for the pups to play, run and learn how to be a wolf. There was a small pool of water at another end opposite the den, along with water running through a man-made concrete stream so they would always have fresh water and a place to swim and play.
Sky heard the excitement in Gray’s deep voice, watched his masculine gestures as he explained the layout to her. It was clear that he’d invested his heart and soul in this project, in managing the wildlife center. She reached out, her fingers curving around his upper arm beneath his jean jacket. Instantly, she felt his biceps contract.
“At one time,” she said softly, “you were a warrior in combat keeping our country safe. Now you’re a warrior for Mother Nature and protecting all her brethren.”
“I’ll always be a warrior,” Gray agreed, his throat tightening. In that moment, the rapture in Sky’s gaze nearly made him lose control. It was so trusting that Gray wanted to plunge himself into her in every possible way and on every possible level. Sky understood him in ways no one ever had, his motivation, where his heart’s passion resided. Her answering smile tore at his senses.
“I think the babies will just love this enclosure, Gray. You’ve been so thoughtful and tried to give them everything they’ll need to grow up as well-adjusted wolves.”
“That’s my hope,” Gray breathed, feeling her release his arm. His skin burned pleasantly where she’d touched him. Heat scored up and down his arm. All Sky had to do was look at him in that special way, and Gray became putty in her hands. He came so close to leaning down, cradling the back of her head and kissing her. He could almost taste her.
Gray forced himself to take a step back so Sky was out of his reach. “Come on. We have to get you those medical supplies from Jackson Hole.”
CHAPTER ELEVEN
SKY COULD BARELY contain her excitement of purchasing items for her small medical clinic on the ranch. Gray had dropped her off at the Valley Drugstore, owned by Jay Johnson. She’d spent time with the older man, and she’d set up a wholesale account with him in the office. Gray was over at the Horse Emporium, getting sacks of grain and oats for the many dude-ranch horses. He would swing by when he was done and pick her up. Best of all, he’d invited her to lunch at Mo’s Ice Cream Parlor.
Jay walked with her to the front of the busy drugstore and pulled out a small wheeled cart for her. “Just use the list Iris provided and go up and down the aisles and get what you need, Sky. When you’ve got everything, Donna, our cashier, will add it all up.” He pushed the dark-framed glasses up on his long nose. “I’ll go over and tell her to give you the wholesale discount so there won’t be any problems.”
Sky smiled over at Jay. He was in his mid-fifties, thin as a pencil, and reminded her of an accountant. He wore crisp black trousers, a white, short-sleeved shirt and had a thin mustache. “Thanks, Jay. I really appreciate it.”
She wheeled her cart to the first long aisle. The drugstore was very busy, and Sky saw a lot of tourists in the building. Probably buying bandages and other items for the hiking trails of the Tetons. Looking down at her list, she got serious about what she needed for her little dispensary.
Sky looked back on the past two weeks and how her life had suddenly changed for the better. Not only had she gotten a job she passionately loved, but now she was going to be able to use her nursing knowledge and get back into medicine, which she missed. Best of all, she’d had only one nightmare in that time, an unbelievable turn from having them three to four times a week. Was it the job? Or was it Gray?
Sky didn’t want to look too closely at the connection between her and Gray. They were getting closer every day. His quiet and calm gave her support to continue her fight to heal herself.
Every time Gray smiled, Sky’s heart ached with need of an even closer emotional relationship with him. And sometimes, when they traded the wolf pups between one another’s hands, and he accidentally brushed her fingers, she ached with hunger.
She’d never forgotten the kisses he’d given her as she lay in his arms that dark and terrifying night after emerging from her nightmare. In a matter of an hour, he’d calmed her. The past two weeks had been a reprieve to Sky. A new window had been thrown open, offering her hope from her
symptoms that dogged her heels twenty-four hours a day. The energy she used to control those emotional reactions deep within herself left her exhausted at the end of every day. Now getting eight hours of sleep without waking throughout the night was helping her reclaim who and what she was before the capture. Sky woke up happy and hopeful, something that she’d thought had been destroyed forever within her.
Sky couldn’t tell Gray that waking up in that house, knowing he was out in the kitchen every morning making them breakfast, sent a keening ache of so many joyous emotions through her that she lay there awash within their rainbow colors flowing through her.
Sky felt as if she were emerging from a dark, endless tunnel, and the past two weeks had been a journey of unparalleled hope to her. She’d struggled so long by herself, refusing medications to dull her savage emotions. In addition to Gray’s support, Iris Mason was like a doting grandmother to her. How many times had Iris come over to the center to visit her? Hugged her? Loved her in a motherly way?
Sky missed her parents, especially her mother. She had weekly phone calls to her, but Sky missed her mother’s nurturing and support. Iris had replaced that need in her to a large degree whether she knew it or not. Her father had called her several times, but Sky knew she wasn’t feeling strong enough yet to ward off his ideas about her PTSD. She hadn’t returned his phone calls.
Getting down on her hands and knees, Sky spotted several types of dressings she wanted to carry at her medical dispensary. She leaned down, reached in and snagged four of the packets.
It was then a shrill warning of threat arced through Sky. She froze, scrambling internally to locate the source of the incoming threat. Turning her head to the left, she saw a pair of shining black cowboy boots standing three feet away from her. Jerking her head up, she gasped.
The man looking down at her was darkly tanned, his brown eyes assessing her like a predator. He wore his black hair long, and it hung across his shoulders. His mouth was thinned, and he was staring at her as if she were a piece of meat.
“I like my women on their hands and knees,” he growled, leaning down, sliding his hands through her hair. “What’s your name? You’re new around here.”
Flashes of her captors, the tall, thin Taliban soldier with the long, dirty black hair falling over his shoulders, his dark brown eyes filled with hatred toward her, exploded through her mind.
Sky was no longer in a drugstore. She was back in that suffocating, airless room with the Taliban soldier carrying a bucket of water toward her where she lay strapped down to the wooden board. The flashback was so powerful, Sky fell backward, sprawling out on the floor. The packets of dressing flew into the air. She scrambled to get away from the stranger. Just when she’d found a sliver of hope at rebuilding her life...
* * *
GRAY HAD JUST entered the drugstore and saw a tall, lean man standing over Sky, staring down at her. The moment he leaned down and touched her hair, he reacted. Hissing a curse, he sprinted through the drugstore, understanding the danger.
“Hey,” Gray snarled, gripping the man’s shoulder and pushing him backward, away from Sky. “Get the hell away from her!”
The man snarled a curse while stumbling backward. “Who do you think you are! I’m not through with either of you. And I’ve got friends who could do some damage,” he yelled, his arms flailing as he caught himself before falling.
Gray glared at the man, whom he recognized as Chuck Harper, owner of Ace Trucking. “Leave,” he ordered. “Now.”
Without waiting, Gray turned and devoted his whole focus to Sky, who was on the floor, hyperventilating. Her eyes were glazed over. She wasn’t here. She was caught in a flashback. Dammit! Gray heard the man curse again and leave.
“Sky? Sky, it’s Gray. Listen to me. You’re safe. You’re here, not there.”
God, how badly he wanted to reach out and haul her into his arms. But he didn’t dare. She’d made such strides, and one bad encounter could set her off. He ached for her and held his hand out toward her.
Sky’s face had leached white, her eyes huge, her mouth contorted in a scream that never left her. She was trapped between him and the cart she had been filling with medical items. Her chest heaved with exertion, and Gray felt her terror.
He couldn’t stand her anguished look. She was reliving her torture. He was sure of it with every raw, uneven breath she took.
Gray became aware of a number of people gathering around them. He looked up.
“Leave us,” he told them in a growl. “She’s all right.”
Jay Johnson pushed through the gathering crowd. “Gray, is there anything I can do? Call an ambulance? 911?”
He shook his head. “No. Just get these people away from her. It’s the last thing she needs right now.” Because it would only make Sky feel suffocated.
“Okay,” Jay said and then turned, asking the people to disperse.
Cursing inwardly, Gray wanted to punch Chuck Harper in his smug, narrow face. The bastard was known to stalk young, beautiful women. Those that spurned him disappeared, never to be found again. That or they ended up in the hospital with broken bones. But Harper was smart enough never to be caught. The whole town knew he was a stalker. And what he did with those who were abused by him made Gray want to get up, find the bastard and deck him. He had spotted Sky, walked silently up on her, watching her like a predator before making his move.
And Sky was probably completely unaware of him until it was too late. The shock of someone standing that close to her, confronting her, running his hand through her hair, had sent her back into the past. Without even knowing him, Sky had sensed the threat.
Sonofabitch! He’d deal with Harper later. Right now, he had to get Sky to come out of the flashback that held her in its grip. Wrestling with his own emotions, his protectiveness toward Sky, Gray concentrated and shoved his own feelings aside.
* * *
SKY HEARD GRAY’S CALM, deep voice calling her back. The more she homed in on the low timbre, the more she felt the grip of the flashback dissolve. Blinking several times, tears running down her cheeks as she sat frozen on the floor, her back against the cart, she finally saw him and not the torture room.
Gray’s eyes were a darker brown in color, although she could see the green and gold in the recesses. He was patiently extending his hand toward her. At first, she couldn’t understand what he was saying, such was the depth and power of the flashback.
Desperately, Sky wanted the pictures slamming into her from memory of her torture to go away. Disappear. She could feel the white-hot pain in her wrists and ankles. Her bones grinding against the metal chain as she tried to escape the water being systematically poured into her nose. She tried to breathe, her breath exploding from her as she felt herself suffocating and dying beneath the relentless water.
Gray moved closer. His knee near her foot, he inched his hand toward hers. Sky felt the warmth and strength of his fingers curling gently around her own. Her hand was so cold and damp. The heat and warmth he provided brought her back. Suddenly, she was staring into Gray’s hard, unreadable face. The sense of fierce protection radiating from him was unmistakable.
Gray tightened his grip around her fingers, which sent a frisson of stability through her. And then Sky realized she was sitting on the floor of the drugstore. People were gawking her way, staring at her openmouthed as they slowly passed. Shame pummeled her. Oh, God...
“It’s all right, Sky. Look at me.”
Sky burned with humiliation, but she lifted her lashes and clung to Gray’s tender gaze. “Oh, God, Gray, I blanked out. A-a flashback...”
She pushed her hand through her hair, suddenly nervous, wanting to get up and escape the drugstore. Escape the curious looks.
“It’s okay,” he soothed, noting the sudden look of a trapped wild animal on her face. Sky searched for the man who had triggered
her episode.
“Wh-where is he?” Sky’s gaze darted around. “I looked up, and he touched me,” she choked out as tears rushed into her eyes. “He looked like one of the Taliban soldiers that hurt me.” Her scalp crawled where he’d reached out and slid his hand into her hair.
“Come here, baby. Come on.” Gray moved forward and easily lifted her to her feet and into his arms. Sky buried her head against his chest, clinging to him, physically shaking. Gray gently enclosed her with his embrace, kept her pressed against him as she wrestled to stop her sobs. He slid his hand across her silky hair, pressed a kiss to it and rocked her a little, trying to take the edge off her terror.
His heart cleaved open, and Gray no longer tried to tell himself that he wasn’t fully invested in Sky. She made him feel more deeply than any woman ever had. And the rampant, tender feelings he held for her suffused him as he surrendered to them without a fight. “It’s going to be all right,” Gray whispered thickly against her ear. “You’re going to get through this, Sky. I’m here. We’ll do this together. You and me. You hear me?”
Sky couldn’t speak, the lump in her throat preventing it. She rested wearily against Gray’s tall, strong body. His arms were so protective-feeling, and it fed her strength to halt the terror ravaging through her. Just his hand gently sliding across her hair, his mouth against her brow, the warm moistness of his breath flowing across her damp cheek, was a balm.
Finally, Sky pulled away. But not far enough to lose contact. His hands settled on her sagging shoulders. “I—I’m okay,” she managed. Lifting her hands, she tried to wipe the tears off her cheeks.
“No apologies,” Gray growled, looking down. “Don’t say you’re sorry, Sky, because you couldn’t help what happened here. You don’t need to apologize to anyone. Not ever again.”
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