by LoRee Peery
At the sound of gasps and aahs, Aiden met Rainn’s gaze and gave him a short nod of appreciation. He received the oversized duck-painted mug. Without asking, aside from meeting Beth’s stare, he pulled out the chair next to her, lifting the sack onto the table.
“You know Beth?” Moselle asked.
Aiden had them straight now. She was the newest Mrs. Eric Todd.
“We’ve met a couple of times,” Aiden said.
Beth appeared calm and serene, unaffected by the past.
He couldn’t help but be curious about the younger women’s relationship, yet he was here on business.
Before Beth had the chance to respond, Moselle’s aunt approached. Lanae, unusual name; might mean light.
The fragile looking co-owner with salt and pepper hair slid a plate onto the table. The hunk of cheesecake filled the dish, almost too fancy to disturb with its curlicue strips of chocolate and caramel.
Lanae pushed the dessert closer his way. “We had a pair of wolves wander onto the ranch where I lived in western Nebraska. But they wore radio collars and hied back to the Rockies before they had a chance to get any of our calves. How do you plan to keep the farmers around here from getting all riled up?”
“Someone will shoot him,” a voice behind Aiden spoke up.
Beth jumped to the wolf’s defense, no longer laid-back. “This animal looks well fed. Doesn’t anybody think he can live on deer and turkey? Not to mention, squirrels and rabbits? Why does the wolf have to be seen as a threat?” She leaned in on her elbows with fire in her eyes, close enough her fresh scent overrode the smell of his cheesecake. “We can keep him safe, can’t we, Aiden?”
His mouth went dry. The wolf could go to a dark place and stay there, for all he cared, but he was here to do a job, after all. “I don’t know if it’ll be me and you. The Game and Parks furbearing biologist in this part of the state is on paternity leave. I’ll look for the tracks, but like I said before, I’m much more comfortable with snakes.”
Beth’s wide-eyed reaction drew her arms off the table and her back ramrod stiff.
He hated seeing her return to eyeing him with caution. He wanted to see her eyes sparkle. He wanted to make her feel safe. But why did a wolf have to be in the picture?
With the Frivolities clan surrounding them, he swallowed any words of comfort with the cheesecake, regretful he didn’t have time to relish the flavor.
Beth slipped from her chair, grabbed the patchwork Frivolities sack, and took her mug to the counter. Aiden detected no apparent animosity as she and Moselle chitchatted.
He took it all in with interest. Putting two and two together, Beth had been married to Moselle’s husband. Seems these people knew how to put the past where it belonged.
He aped Beth’s example and took his mug and plate to the counter. “What do I owe you for the coffee?”
“First cup is on the house,” Geneva answered.
Geneva, meaning white. “Thanks. Anything beats gas-station brew.”
Aiden paused halfway to the door, where he studied a display of shadow boxes while Beth returned to the counter, holding something in her hand.
“Be careful around that wolf, Beth, you hear?” Geneva cautioned. “And you’re on for Thursday night, remember?”
“I’ll be here. And I really will be OK. You know the Lord watches out for me.” Beth added, “Besides, it seems the wolf likes me.”
“Please remember the wolf isn’t a dog. It’s a wild animal. Not a pet to teach new tricks,” Moselle added to her mother’s assessment.
Aiden offered a silent appreciation for good friends and held the door open for Beth.
****
As if I wanted to teach any guy new tricks. Man or beast. And speaking of men, why had Aiden waited to leave when she did?
“What’d you get?” he asked, nodding towards her purchase.
She showed him the blank journal with a pair of wolves on the cover.
He snorted loud enough Beth heard the air escape his nostrils.
He shook his head. “Have you seen the wolf today?”
There was her answer. Aiden wanted to know about the wolf. And he should. That’s why he was in town, Mr. fish-and-not-furbearing man.
“He showed up bright and early,” she reluctantly offered as they stepped into the street. She’d keep her little fun and dancing game with the wolf to herself.
“With the heavy dew this morning, I suspect tracks around the cabin now. I’ll grab a sandwich and head back out.” Aiden rested a hand on her pickup door. “D’ya care if I park near the cabin this time?”
“No problem. There’s room for us both.”
With a nod, he retreated onto the sidewalk, and she watched him all the way to his Jeep.
Beth lowered her eyes, retrieved the faded floral shoe from the bag, and tossed it beneath the toolbox.
“Suppose I could have a worse compulsion,” she muttered as she folded the sack and tossed it beside her purse.
She reversed with a lurch and hit the gas with a leaden foot.
Why did the man get to her? He was only doing his job. And she couldn’t help but appreciate his position. He was giving this assignment his best shot, even if he held some kind of animosity towards wolves.
Then again, if the real furbearing expert returned to work, Aiden would leave town. She tried to imagine another stranger’s intrusion and concluded Aiden wasn’t all that terrible to have around.
Beth was halfway to the cabin when she remembered she’d ignored her reasons for going into town. No library visit. No doggie/wolfie treats.
She needed to concentrate on work. She hoped to remove the last of the tile debris and get to the flooring beneath the filth in the living room before the day was done. The second bedroom was next on her to-do list.
As soon as she hit the river road, she searched the trees beyond the ditches for a glimpse of the wolf. Where did he rest?
Stepping onto her narrow porch a few minutes later, she spied strips of rubber and shredded black leather.
“What in the world?” Anything out of the ordinary made her heart pick up. Would she ever be able to relax?
At least the door was still locked.
Her electric blue purse slid off her shoulder. She located the trusty two-by-four she’d used earlier on Aiden, right on the porch bench where she’d left it, and took stock of her perimeter.
She tracked the area around the cabin. When she completed the circle, her gaze lit on the pile of single shoes. It wasn’t as high, more spread out, as though a child had pounced in the center to scatter the shoes like heavy leaves.
Of course. The wolf.
She relaxed by dropping her shoulders and couldn’t prevent laughing out loud at the picture her mind conjured up of the wolf diving into that heap of stacked canvas and leather and rubber, and coming up with a barely worn high-top.
She wondered if the chemicals in the make-up of shoes might give the wolf a stomachache. That thought was chased by another. Would Aiden know how to care for a wolf with a stomachache?
****
Aiden’s gut hurt. He tried to ignore the twisted ache in his stomach, wondered what had caused it. Cheesecake and coffee for breakfast, maybe.
But he knew better.
Instead of driving right off and getting down to the work of searching for wolf sign, he’d researched Beth’s last names. Ms. Nicholson at the Bed & Breakfast counter had reminded him which town was the county seat, which was too far for a visit to the sheriff today. He’d turned to the Internet, and tried to swallow the results of his search on the name Beth Littlefield.
What he’d discovered was more about Barton Littlefield. Barton, from the barley farm.
He’d been able to use the printer in the B & B office, and now sat in his Jeep on Main Street. The newspaper article stirred up anger and a sick stomach.
No wonder Beth had been scared when he’d traipsed around the cabin that first night. If he was in her shoes, he’d probably be running for hi
s life.
Once on the way to the cabin, Aiden pondered whether or not Barton Littlefield had beat Beth bad enough to put her in the hospital. If what Aiden read was accurate, Littlefield was more than capable of killing her. Because of her testimony, Littlefield was now serving eighteen months in jail.
Neighbors had called in the Littlefields’ raucous disputes before, according to the reported details. It was beyond his imagining how a woman like Beth could stay in an abusive marriage. What had Littlefield held over her to keep her with him?
How she’d put up with it, as though she enjoyed punches to the stomach and broken ribs, was beyond him. No one deserved that kind of treatment, so why had she stayed?
She hadn’t wanted to file charges, according to the neighbors quoted in the article. Was she that afraid of the man? The neighbors finally stepped in because the Littlefields’ fight disturbed the peace. The rest was recorded history.
The Jeep’s front tire jounced off the edge of the pavement. If Aiden didn’t get his mind on his driving, reports of his accident would become recorded history. He eased back onto the road.
A few minutes later, Beth Phillips was in sight. She’d removed her flannel shirt, revealing toned arms. There was nothing quite like the picture of a healthy, hard-working woman. She waved a hand in greeting.
Aiden studied her, lost in thought, yet again. She’d stood up to her friends in Frivolities, taking the wolf’s side. She lived out here in the boonies, where a wolf cried in the night. She slept in an abandoned cabin and faced a big stranger creeping around after dark.
Beth Phillips showed mettle all right. He couldn’t understand what kept her in an abusive marriage.
“Hey,” he greeted after shutting his door. “Gotta minute?”
She dropped her bucket, dusted off her gloves, and approached the Jeep. “What’s the plan?”
“I can see you’re busy, but if you can take the time, would you help me find a place to set up my observation tent? And show me all the places you’ve seen the wolf?”
“He was here early this morning and again while I was in town.” She pointed out the exact spots. At one corner of the porch Aiden found a clear print along with some scrapes in the loose dirt. No doubt in his mind any longer. The distinct toenails and foot pad made it real. He had to call it in and get this wolf out of here.
He heard Beth’s voice, but not what she’d said. “Sorry. Could you repeat that? Got caught up in this perfect print here.”
“I said I saw him again here in front of the gooseberry bushes, the undergrowth where we first saw the wolf before he bounded off.”
He drew his brows together at the quiver in her voice.
Did she honestly think he’d hurt the beast? “I’m not here to hurt the wolf, Beth. But remember, he’s out of his element. Harm could come to him and people will freak, once word gets out.”
She raised her hands, palms out in supplication.
“How familiar are you with the landscape? I need a six-foot circle on level ground, a place to pitch the tent.”
“Let’s go north first, then. I might know a spot.”
He indicated for her to precede him as they entered the woods. Birds chittered. Squirrels chattered. The wind made its presence known in a cluster of pines.
They were alone in this little corner of the Platte River world.
“Living in the great outdoors is new to me,” Beth said. “I didn’t know if I would like it or not. But I never feel alone. And I believe the sounds of nature are true. No lies allowed in the animal kingdom.”
She had it pegged. Nature didn’t lie. He kept any comment to himself. She had obviously bought into lies from her ex, and no doubt lied on occasion for her own survival.
Her resilience slammed into him when he abruptly walked into her back. And retreated just as fast. “Wow. Sorry again. I wasn’t focused on what’s in front of me.”
“I know. You were watching your step, looking down for wolf sign.”
Aiden recognized the tremble in her voice as an attempt at humor to cover up for the way she jumped ahead, two full paces in front of him, with her stiff body on alert. She motioned with her arms, fingers spread wide. “Well, will this work or shall we keep looking?”
Sheepish, Aiden took heed of where they stood on a flat depression with no large tree trunks for several yards.
“I’m impressed. You are familiar with your environment. This is the absolute best spot to be.” He pointed as he swept the area with his arm. “I’m close enough to hear noises from the cabin. In case the wolf approaches again, you can holler. But I promise not to bother you. I can see the ridge of river bank. The road’s through those trees. Who’d ever guess civilization is a football-field’s length away?”
“Do you need help hauling in your gear? Or anything from the cabin?”
“No. But thanks. I’ll get it in one short hike. I have water. I’m an experienced camper.” He showed his teeth in a smile, tried a spot of humor. “I even carry a shovel for personal needs.”
“Well, you’re closer to the cabin than I’m comfortable with. But I guess we’ll have to trust each other at some point.”
The concept of earning Beth Phillips’ trust carried him through the afternoon. He still found her to be a dichotomy. He had a pretty good idea of who she’d been in the past. He’d seen the photo on her driver’s license and attempted to process the marriages.
Too many pictures swirled in his head, like whirling autumn leaves. The hometown girl, the party girl, the victim of an abusive husband, and finally the wholesome, church-going woman who lived alone, befriended a wolf, and even helped out at a store for women.
At dusk, before Aiden headed for his truck, bands of light kissed the tree trunks. Day and night were so different when viewed through the woods. No horizon or line of demarcation existed. The world was shades of similar earthy gradations of browns and grays. Soon, greens would add to the mix.
He stopped when Beth came into sight. But his mouth dropped open at the cabin scene before him. She was the picture of color, vitality a presence as she stretched her lithe body.
The pile of single shoes no longer existed. She was hanging them on a tree.
The woman was beyond interesting.
He couldn’t help but admire her graceful movements as she bent to the ground. She reached above her head to tie the laces of a heavy work boot onto a thick, bare branch.
Aiden stepped on a stick that snapped.
She jumped. The boot fell on her head.
He had to quit coming up on her like this.
And the wolf streaked from around the opposite corner of the cabin, coming to a protective halt in front of Beth, golden eyes locked on Aiden.
He wouldn’t be driving into Platteville for dinner quite yet.
4
“Oh, no, boy, it’s OK.” Beth covered her own fright to reassure the wolf. She had both man and beast in profile.
Aiden froze.
The wolf stood in a stiff-legged stance, motionless with head lower than shoulders, staring Aiden down.
“Tell me what to do, Aiden. Divert his attention? I don’t think he’ll hurt you.”
“You think I have experience? I’ve never been this close to such a beast. ’Bout the only thing that comes to mind is Canis lupus. Have to admit he’s impressive.”
“That’s his Latin name? OK, let’s try this. I’ll just talk to you. For starters, you scared the life out of me.” She kept an eye on the wolf, who fixed his eyes on Aiden with disconcerting focus. Beth kept talking as calmly as she could, while she circled the wolf, giving him wide berth. “Why did you choose to study cold-blooded creatures instead of furry four-legged ones?”
“I may have startled you, but he’s scaring me. How can you act like this is normal? Maybe you should be the one working with furbearing,” he said, with a hint of teasing.
“You obviously have something against animals with fur.” She suppressed a smile at the idea of this hunk of a wildlife ex
pert almost shaking in his boots. “We’re sharing the woods, so we need to come up with some kind of signal as we approach one another. A bird call, or a whistle maybe. That way we won’t startle one another. I might come close to your tent, you know. I wouldn’t want you to shoot me. And you park here at the cabin. Now, what do you think of my shoe tree?”
“You want to know what I think of your out-there yard-art when I wonder if a wolf is going to tear out my throat?”
“Come on, Aiden, this wolf is so handsome.” Interesting that he hadn’t answered her question about his choice of biology.
Addressing the wolf, she said, “Look, boy, Aiden is my friend. It’s OK with me that he’s around. But thanks for showing up. And shame on you for chewing up a shoe from my collection.”
The wolf turned unblinking eyes on her. The unwavering golden gaze peered into Beth’s soul on some intrinsic level. She was about to say, “Speak!” when the wolf broke their connection to shoot Aiden another penetrating stare.
“It’s about faith, I think. Faith is about believing in things that we can’t see, can’t explain. I don’t know how to say it any other way. I have faith that this wolf won’t harm me.”
“Woman, that is the very opposite of truth.”
That confession told her exactly where the man stood with the Lord. She wondered what he did believe in. And also remembered it wasn’t that long ago when she had a black void in her life. Before Christ had entered.
“Maybe if I talk without inflection the way you have been,” Aiden said. He lowered his chin a notch, gave the wolf a tentative smile. He spoke with a forced lightness in his tone. “Boyo, what shall we call you? Listen to me, talking to a wolf.” His pale face went from oyster to gray. “OK. Here goes. Talk about nothing… I don’t have an opinion on your shoe tree. I’d like to see the inside of the cabin, what kind of work you’re doing. Oh look, his ears are pointed higher. He lowered his tail a smidgeon. Can you whistle, Beth? What tune shall we agree on for walking up to each other? Do you think I should touch you?”
She released a gust of pent-up air. No explanation for it—she was more nervous of Aiden’s reaction than the wolf’s; maybe because the man was the one shaking. So even big guys have to face their fears.