Hunter Moon (Lupine Moon Series)

by Lavender, Cait

  “I know, I know. I was being stupid. But for some reason I felt safe. I haven’t lost any calves, so it hasn’t been out killing things. It didn’t growl at me or anything. The wolf just sat there and let me scratch its ears. It was kinda amazing actually. For some weird reason, I feel better knowing it’s hanging around.”

  Jesse stood with her hands on her hips, looking every bit like the wrathful fifties TV mom; her apron smooth and white and a pen stuck in the bun of her dark, chestnut hair. I didn’t think she bought it.

  “You got a death wish, now? What, finding dead bodies isn’t exciting enough for you, you have to try and get mauled by a wild animal?” Her voice had raised several octaves during the course of our conversation, and I was afraid the old guys would start listening in. I switched tactics.

  “Well, getting the life kissed out of me by the hot warden was pretty exciting, I guess.”

  She looked like she was going to have a stroke. “YOU WHAT?” Sure if Jesse’s voice went any higher, Reggie would start howling, I motioned with my hands for her to quiet down.

  “Sheesh, Jess. Shut up! I don’t want the whole town to know!” Her eyes narrowed as she slammed her hands on the counter and leaned over.

  “If you don’t tell me everything that happened right this second, I’m going to tell Matt that you secretly have been in love with him!” She hissed.

  I swallowed and nodded. “Well, it was after you and Ty left. We were just standing there, and one second he was all sweet and quiet and then he said some really stupid thing about me just calling him next time and not needing to find a body if I wanted to see him.”

  Jesse took in a sharp breath and I knew she thought about how well that must have gone over. My reputation was well founded; I had a temper.

  “I started to say this really wicked comeback,” Liar. “When all the sudden he was just kissing me.” Jesse stood back up, eyes wide and grinned. I continued before she could say anything. “It wasn’t a really big deal. I think he did it just to shut me up. And then he just left. Personally, I thought it was kind of rude to just invade my personal space like that. I’m sure Cash could tell I didn’t want him to kiss me.”

  Jesse laughed and looked over my shoulder. I frowned.

  “Oh, I don’t know,” a rich baritone voice behind me said. Oh crap! “It seemed like you enjoyed it to me. In fact, I’m pretty sure I heard you moan.”

  Jesse nearly doubled over with laughter. I was paralyzed with horror.

  There he was, in all his glory, standing right behind me. I opened and shut my mouth, knowing I must have looked like a fish, floundering at what to say. Ba dum, ching! Cash just stood there, all self-satisfied hotness. Finally my brain kicked back into gear.

  “I did not moan. I tried to tell you to stop, but you took that as encouragement and kept on fumbling around,” I said in my best haughty voice. “You might have heard me moan if you practiced kissing a little more.” I heard Jesse gasp for air behind me as she struggled to breathe.

  I glared at her. “A little warning might have been nice, best friend!” I hissed.

  I turned back toward Cash and he still had the same self-assured grin on his face. Matt Albert walked in behind him and I smiled.

  “Matt over there at least knows how to kiss a girl,” I said loud enough for him to hear. I knew I’d regret it till the day I died. Still, the look on Cash’s face was priceless. Jesse started wheezing. I put a ten on the bar, whistled at Reggie and stood up.

  “See ya, Jess. I’ll call you about tonight.” I turned toward Cash who glared at me. “Oh, and Cash? Be a stranger, okay?” Smug with triumph, I turned to walk out of the store, but he grabbed my arm and whirled me around.

  I started to object, when he pulled me against him and pressed his lips to mine. It was a good thing he had his arms wrapped tight around me, otherwise I’m sure my knees would have given out. As it was, when he was finished, I sucked in air with my head on his chest. He chuckled into my hair.

  “How was that, Shells? Do I still need more practice?” Holy crap, I’m done for. I knew a threat when I heard it, albeit a delicious one. I started to reply when I felt his arms tense around me.

  “Is this guy bothering you, Shelby?” I wiggled out of Cash’s arms and turned toward Matt. His cheeks were red with fury and I knew, if he’d had a few already, he was inches away from throwing a punch. Not wanting for poor Matt to go to jail for assaulting an officer, I stepped away from Cash. I felt a twinge of regret. Jesse stared at us with her mouth gaping.

  “No, Matt, I’m okay. Thanks though. I was just leaving.” I walked out the door and started to open my Blazer door when a large hand kept it from opening. I turned around and stared into those amazing sapphire eyes.

  “I meant what I said last night about not riding out alone. Until I find out what happened to that man, I don’t want you going anywhere on that property by yourself.” He stood so close I had to lean against the truck door to get a few inches of space between us. I tried to think up a good reply, but he smelled like the forest and campfire.

  “I’m sorry, Cash, but that’s not going to happen. I have to ride to check on my cows. I can’t afford to lose any more calves this year, especially not now, even if it’s not the wolf that’s killing them.” He frowned, and I wanted to kiss the corners of his delicious mouth and make it better.

  “I thought I told you to call me when you see the wolf?”

  It was my turn to frown. “When I see the wolf? Why were you so sure I’d see it again?” That seemed to take him by surprise and he fumbled a bit before answering.

  “I guess I just assumed since you had all those calves that it would come back around again. That’s not the point. Next time you see the wolf I want you to call me so I can come over and get a look at it. This is not a good time to be proud, Ms. Flint.”

  Irritated again, I put my hands on his wide shoulders and pushed. I was no wuss, but it was like pushing against a brick wall. I resorted to crossing my arms in front of me instead.

  “So it’s back to Ms. Flint again, is it? Well, since I’m Ms. Flint, warden, I’m a big girl and I can take care of myself. I’ve done just fine on my own so far.”

  I threw open my door and tore out of the parking lot. When I looked back in the rear view mirror, I could’ve sworn he was laughing.

  I sat down on my couch and grabbed my phone. I had gone out and checked on my cows, in spite of whatever Cash wanted. I have too much riding on those cows to let them go unprotected. My whole year depended on the calf sale at the end of the month, and with a trial looming, I really needed the money.

  The ride had been uneventful. I didn’t find any dead calves, and the cattle were contentedly munching on the grass. I also didn’t find any dead men, so all in all it was a good day. Now all I wanted was to have some drinks with my friend and whine about my crappy family. I dialed Jesse’s number.

  “Hey Jesse. So, you’re good to come over tonight and hang out?” I was afraid her husband would convince her to stay home. He wasn’t too fond of our sleepovers. Mostly because we drank and watched movies with half naked men.

  “Yup! Tyler has to work late because of the whole dead guy thing, so it’s all clear. What do you want to watch?”

  “Well, I need some cheering up so we’ll need to pull out the big guns. I was thinking about some men in leather. Sound good to you?”

  “Huh, so 300? Gerard Butler does sound nice right about now. I’ll bring some soda.” Yes, Gerry would do nicely, along with a couple Jack ‘n Cokes. Most of the time when we watched 300 we muted it and just ogled all the men.

  “Sounds good. See you in an hour?” We hung up, and I got off the couch and walked out to the barn to feed my boys. When I walked in, Tahoe and Roanie had their heads over their stall doors and staring at the big wolf sitting in the middle of the barn. It surprised me that they weren’t terrified by the wolf, but stood there calmly regarding the animal, not even sparing me a glance when I walked in.

  “He
llo there, wolfy. Coming to check in on me again?” He tilted his head and stared at me as I approached him. I held my hand out and he didn’t move or growl, so I hesitantly scratched his ears again. His fur was softer than I remembered. Reluctantly, I stopped petting him and turned toward my animals. They just stood there, gazing at us.

  “Okay, show’s over. Here’s dinner.” I doled out the hay and oats, keeping an eye on the wolf the whole time. He simply sat there stoically as I got out the wheel barrel and mucked out the stalls. Some people minded the smell of horse manure, but it didn’t bother me. It reminded me of home. I dumped the poop outside, and then put the wheel barrow away. I turned to look at the wolf.

  He was mostly silver with little black points on his ears, but his two back feet and the tip of his tail looked like they’d been dipped in white paint. It was cute. He sat on his haunches, his icy blue eyes looked blandly back at me. I decided that he must have been someone’s pet to be so tame.

  “Okay, Mr. Wolfy. I’m gonna have to ask you to leave the barn. As trustworthy as you might look, I still need my horse and mule alive.” I walked out of the barn and glanced over my shoulder. The wolf followed me out, so I turned and watched him walk into the trees and out of sight.

  I shook my head and walked back into my trailer. I collapsed at my kitchen table and stared at my phone. He did say to call him if you saw the wolf. I didn’t think the wolf was a problem anymore. He wasn’t aggressive, he hadn’t killed any calves that I could see, and I was strangely comforted by his presence. Would Cash still go after it if I told him what I thought?

  I leaned forward and thumped my head on the table a couple times. I didn’t know how I’d gotten myself into this sort of position. I never let men get to me like this, but something about Cash got underneath my skin. Part of me wanted to see the warden like a drug addict needed another hit. My skin tingled just thinking about him. On the other hand, his arrogant, chauvinistic attitude made me want to punch him in his gorgeous jaw.

  If you call him now, I rationalized. he’ll get here when Jesse is here. Oh, I liked that idea. He wouldn’t be able to pull any stunts with her here. And, said my little inner voice. With Jesse here, you probably won’t attack him and have your naughty way with him.

  “Shut up” I muttered to my stupid inner voice as I dialed Cash’s number. I got his machine, again.

  Isn’t this guy ever home? His machine message played again and I decided not to make an idiot of myself.

  “Hey, Ms. Flint here. Call me back when you get this.”

  It was only after I had hung up that I realized I hadn’t ever given him my phone number. Huh, how did he— Just then Jesse walked in with a bag of Coke, Candy and men in leather and Cash was forgotten.

  Chapter Seven

  Jesse left around midnight. Tyler had been working late, but she still wanted to go home to her husband. It would have been cuter if I wasn’t so jealous that she had a man to go home to. I had been so busy this past year I hadn’t stopped to realize how lonely I really was. I put the Jack Daniels away and the Coke in the fridge. There was nothing left of the candy.

  We had a few drinks, a few tears and lots of laughs. I had vented to her about the situation with my cousins and she was appropriately outraged. Her little violent streak that had gotten us in several fights in high school reared its ugly head as she threatened to take out Harry’s knees with a baseball bat. While appreciated, her violence wouldn’t help me save the ranch or find me somewhere to live and work.

  Jesse wanted to know all about what was going on with Cash, but I didn’t really know what was going on with Cash. We had sighed over Gerry and his 299 hot men, both of us decided the old guy wasn’t that hot. I locked the door and turned off the lights and walked with Reggie to my bedroom.

  I changed into my PJ’s and put my Glock .45 on my nightstand. With whoever killed my dead guy still on the loose, I was never far from it. I slid under the covers and clicked off my lamp. The weight of Reg was against my legs and his familiar presence relaxed me to sleep.

  The vibration of Reggie’s growl woke me. The sound was deep in his chest, and since few things bothered Reggie, I knew something was very, very wrong. Not wanting to alert whatever it was to the fact I had awakened, I slowly cracked my eyes open. The moonlight streamed through my window, and I could see clearly the shape of a man looking in. My heart stopped.

  Through slit eyes I stayed perfectly still and watched whoever it was stare at me for a minute. My fingers itched to get at my Glock, but I didn’t dare move. I didn’t want to tip off the man, I was sure it was a man, that I was awake. A few seconds later, he moved away from the window in the direction of my door.

  I leapt out of bed as silently as I could and tiptoed through my house, grabbing the pistol on my way. Reg just stayed curled up on the bed. Some watchdog you are. I stood with my back to the wall by my front door and made sure a bullet was chambered in my gun. You should call for help, that niggling little voice said. Like very sexy help. I scanned my kitchen and living room for my phone. It was on my couch, about ten feet away. Unfortunately, it was also right in front of a window.

  I was home alone, in the dark, miles away from my nearest neighbor. Surprise was all I had and I didn’t want to risk it calling for a man who in all likelihood wouldn’t even answer. Damn that man! In the dark, I focused on quieting my breathing, which seemed so loud in my ears.

  I stood there for what seemed like hours but didn’t hear another sound. I decided I could risk being seen, so I scampered over to my phone and then ran back to my place by the door. Quickly, I punched in Cash’s number.

  “Hello?”

  At any other time, Cash’s rough, sleepy voice would’ve made me warm all over, but at the moment it meant that the small hope I had been entertaining that Cash was the man outside my house was dashed to pieces.

  “Since you answered your phone, I’m guessing you’re not the person circling my house right now?” I whispered into the phone, my ears still straining to hear any sign of my intruder.

  “Shelby? What are you talking about?”

  I could hear him getting out of bed and it was another testament to my state of mind that I didn’t immediately envision him in bed, naked. I only did that a few seconds later.

  “I woke up to a man standing outside my bedroom window, Cash. That’s what I’m talking about. Are you going to do something or not?”

  “I’m on my way. I’ll go ahead and call the sheriff’s office while I’m at it, unless you already have?”

  I cursed and hit the receiver against my forehead a few times. Stupid stupid stupid! That would have been the rational thing to do, but no, I had to call a big hunky man to save me.

  “Ah, no. I haven’t . That’d be great. I’m going to go now.”

  “Shelby, no! Stay on the—”

  But I’d already hung up. Feeling a little better, knowing help in all his glory was on its way. I relaxed into the wall. That’s when I heard a twig snap outside. I jumped and stifled the yelp I’d nearly let slip. I sidled over to the closest window and slowly looked outside.

  The man walked around the other side of my trailer and paused in the middle of my driveway. He stopped and just stared at my front door. He stood there for probably ten minutes. The waning moon was bright, but the man was backlit so I couldn’t make out any of his features. I did, however, see the light glint off of a gun. Probably a .22, I thought to myself, but mine’s bigger.

  I heard him before I saw him. The deep, visceral growl raised the hair on the back of my neck as I watched my wolf pad into the moonlight. Erie green light shone from his eyes where the moonlight reflected off of them. His grey fur looked like silver and it undulated over his massive shoulders as he stalked toward the man.

  Whoever the man was, he must not have heard the warning because he didn’t turn to face the beast until the wolf was a mere three feet away. The man spun around to face him, his gun leveled at its head. The wolf’s rumble grew louder and its shoulder
s crouched down a hair. My breath hitched. Something in my heart gave, and I decided I didn’t want to see that beautiful animal die in front of me.

  With the man’s focus on the wolf, I opened my front door as slowly as I could. Luckily, the screen had been on my to-do list, so it had a fresh coat of WD-40, swinging open like a dream. I stepped through the door gun drawn and I could hear the man whispering.

  “Down doggie, good doggie.” This guy is an idiot, I thought to myself as I crept up a little closer to him, pistol trained on his chest. The wolf’s glare might have shifted to me for an instant, I wasn’t sure, but his growl grew even louder still and he moved forward. I took the opportunity and spoke up.

  “If you don’t put that gun down right now you’re going to have a few extra holes in you, and I promise they won’t be the fun kind.” As soon as I spoke, he whirled his arm around. Not hesitating, I squeezed off a round into his right shoulder just as the wolf barreled into him and knocked the man to the ground.

  He scrambled to his feet again after aiming a kick at the wolf’s head and took off into the shadows. His gun had landed a few feet away when he’d fallen, but he didn’t stop to collect it as he ran.

  Unfortunately, the laws in California are such that shooting an unarmed man in the back is frowned upon, so I let him run. I knelt down by the wolf and gave it a big hug. I rubbed my face in its fur, it smelled of the forest and campfires. It didn’t resist, but when headlights came down my driveway it pulled itself loose and bolted. Disappointed at losing my new hero, I sat there as the sheriff car pulled up in front of me.

  “What the hell, Shelby? Why are you out here? Cash called in about a trespasser outside your trailer.” Tyler slammed the car door and he and the sheriff strode up to me. I nodded and motioned toward the stranger’s gun.