The Wolf Wore Plaid

by Terry Spear

  Enrick hadn’t given a damn about the cameras, only about protecting his new kinsmen and chasing off the aggressor wolves. Plus the brothers were both beta wolves, which probably had something to do with them just trying to defend themselves instead of attacking the other wolves back. He was certain Colleen would be mortified that the other pack’s wolves had attacked them.

  “Can we go on with the shoot?” The director sounded a bit concerned.

  “Aye, sure. One of the wolves is injured in the scene. That can be that wolf, if he’s up to it,” Grant said, motioning to Colleen’s cousin William. “Your men are in a fight. Our wolves will do their part and fight my men who are playing your enemy,” Grant said. “The wolves are fine. We have others we can bring in if you’re worried about the two that were bitten.”

  “If you’re sure they’re okay, we’ll go with them. But I am also concerned about further wolf attacks,” the director said.

  Guy agreed with the director. “Yeah, what if they attacked us next?”

  That was another thing that differed between Enrick and his clone. Enrick didn’t have any trouble taking the real enemy to task. Though he understood how Guy felt. He didn’t have big teeth like a wolf did to deal with the other wolves.

  “Some of our men are chasing the wolves down. They’ll tranquilize them and return them to their owner,” Grant said. “They’ll be taken care of. I’ll show you pictures of them to let you know it’s been dealt with. And that no harm will come to the wolves.”

  Enrick wished he’d been on the detail to take down the wolves that had fought their own. He just hoped his packmates would catch them before they got away. He knew Grant wouldn’t be turning them over to the “owner” of the wolves. They would hang on to the aggressors, just like they were holding the woman who had tried to make everyone sick.

  At this rate, they could have a bunch of the Kilpatrick/McKinley clan locked up. But the MacQuarries needed to deal with the ones responsible for ordering the attacks. The problem was that others could still take up the cause and fill their shoes. That was what had happened in the past, and the clans couldn’t seem to move forward without taking several steps back.

  Colleen’s cousins’ ears perked up to hear they would still be able to act in the film. They both wagged their tails, trying to show their enthusiasm.

  Enrick smiled at them. “They’re eager to please.”

  William even gave a little woof, and his brother followed suit, as if he thought it was a good idea to play it up for all it was worth.

  The director nodded. “Okay, let’s get on with it.”

  Everyone took their places again, and Guy and his men were soon fighting the MacQuarrie men, the ones who were supposed to be the enemy, led by a couple of the main villainous characters. The wolves were helping Guy’s guards fight the onslaught. William fell onto his side, pretending to be injured, though since he had been wounded in the earlier wolf fight, Enrick hoped he was really all right. After filming was done, Enrick would give William an earful if he had been pretending not to be too badly injured to continue in the film.

  In the meantime, the fight went on while Enrick and others watched for any signs of the real enemy coming to cause more trouble. They’d tripled the number of men out there to act as security. Grant had even called Ian to see if he could scrounge up some more of his men to do battle with the enemy clan if they showed their wolf faces there again.

  Enrick knew Ian would be all too eager to help.

  They continued to redo scenes until the director was satisfied.

  As soon as the battle scene was finally over, everyone took a lunch break. The MacNeills served a variety of meat pies from their pie shop, and the MacQuarries provided other meals for some of the staff. Everyone was enjoying having their lunch in the field, just like the Highlanders would have had in the past, minus the modern meals. In olden times, meals might have consisted of something they caught on the hunt and bannock bread cooked over a fire.

  Heather was there with a number of women who would participate in the next scene where the campfire was set up. But everyone needed a hearty meal and their half-hour break before they nibbled on some food in the campfire scene.

  In the meantime, Grant informed the director that all three aggressor wolves had been caught and were caged in a wolf run until his clan could deal with the consequences. But Grant was handling it. He showed the director a picture.

  Enrick knew that in truth the wolves were caged at the MacNeills’ castle. Grant would explain more to Enrick and the others in charge at a meeting after the last scenes were shot today.

  Enrick realized how different things were for him now. Instead of wanting just to get on with business, as much as this was so important, he was doubly angered at the rogue wolves for interrupting his time with Heather. Tonight, he’d wanted to spend all the rest of his time with her, not dealing with this other issue.

  Heather joined him, bringing him a steak pie, knowing it was his favorite of all the meat pies she made. She brought her little picnic basket, water for them because she knew he needed to stay hydrated, and a wash bucket so he could clean up. They had stations set up for everyone else who needed to wash their hands before they ate, but she made him feel like a star by providing his very own bucket of water, like the stars had.

  Even the stars ate in the field, knowing if they didn’t, the time allotted for their lunch hour would be depleted just coming and going from there.

  Enrick and Heather chose a spot away from the others so they could have some privacy. Not only because they were newly mated, but because he knew she would want to know what had happened to everyone on the hunt and he couldn’t say in front of the humans.

  “They’re all talking about it.” Heather sounded upset about the wolf attack as she sat down on the picnic cloth.

  Enrick sat next to it, though he wasn’t muddy like before, and leaned over and kissed her cheek.

  She wrapped her arms around him and gave him a real kiss. “Grant said there would be a meeting this evening about it.”

  Enrick kissed her deeply and then she handed him a bottle of water. He took off the cap and drank a swig. “Aye. At least we caught the wolves.”

  “They’re not going to stop, are they?” Heather glanced back at the rest of the men and women eating their meals.

  “I doubt it.” Enrick ate some of his steak pie, loving how much steak she put in the pies, making them good and hearty. “This is great.”

  “Thanks. I’m glad you love it. It’s one of the reasons I mated you.” She took a deep breath and let it out. “Are the wolves who were bitten okay?”

  “Aye, as long as they’re not faking it.”

  “Did Grant mention to Paxton McKinley that the woman who contaminated the fish stew is a McKinley?”

  “He did, but since she won’t give us her first name, I guess they’re trying to figure out who it is. We sent a photo of her, but Paxton said he didn’t know who she was,” Enrick said. “He wanted her turned over to them so they can question and deal with her, but we don’t trust them to do anything but praise her for her actions.”

  “I agree with that. Still, it doesn’t seem like holding her hostage is giving us any bargaining chips. They’re still pulling stuff.” Heather pointed her slice of bread at Enrick. “What if she’s somebody important and that’s why she won’t give us her name and why they won’t admit who she is?” Heather took a bite of her bread.

  “Then if her pack leader got hold of her, he would give her hell for this because he hadn’t sanctioned the poisoning. He might even kick her out of the pack. You never know.”

  “That’s what I told her. She seemed surprised at the notion. Hmm, I want to question her again. After the meeting we have with Grant following the wrap-up of today’s shoot. Maybe she will tell me her name and we can get further with her pack leader over this. You would think they
would say something about wanting her back.”

  “You’d think so. Their wolf pack is darn stubborn. Then again, so are we. But, sure, we can do that after the meeting.” Though he wanted to have a quick bite to eat and take Heather to bed! He had to remind himself he had a whole lifetime to enjoy her in mated bliss. But that didn’t lessen his need to have her writhing under his touch again tonight.

  “Why is your kilt rising?” she asked, smiling at him.

  “Och, lass, you know why. Thinking of you in bed with me in the throes of passion after all these blasted meetings is the reason.”

  Chapter 19

  After the lunch break, the director had part of the hunting party scenes reshot, this time with Enrick serving as Guy’s double to check on the wolves who had been injured. He wasn’t supposed to speak, but Enrick did anyway, saying in Gaelic, “Rest well, my friend.” Then he ran his hand over William’s furry head. William licked his hand and Enrick smiled.

  He hadn’t had a chance to talk to William or Edward or the other wolf who’d been caught up in the fray, so he guessed William was showing he was thankful for Enrick intervening on their behalf.

  Then Enrick left the wolf to speak with one of his advisers and the director called, “Cut!”

  Guy quickly took Enrick’s place and began speaking while Enrick stood off to the side, watching the woods, the actors, wary in case the Kilpatricks or McKinleys pulled anything more. He really didn’t think any more of their wolves would turn up after he’d torn into the three who were now in a cell at Argent Castle.

  Heather joined Enrick while four other women were standing by to serve food in the next scene. She snuggled next to him and he smiled down at her, raising his brows.

  They had to be quiet, nobody saying a word while the main actors were speaking in the woods to each other.

  After seven reshoots of the scene with Guy and his adviser—with one or the other stumbling over their lines, which had everyone laughing and relieved some of the tension everyone was feeling after the wolf attack—they finally got it right.

  “Cut!” the director shouted.

  The campfire scene was next in a small patch of cleared land surrounded by woods to give the feel of Guy and the others still being on the hunt while eating some of their wild boar catch.

  Lachlan had made sure the area was safe with no booby traps anywhere and nothing else that could be a problem. Men were wearing kilts and carrying tranquilizer guns beyond that, watching for any trouble to occur. At night, the wolves’ vision was good, so they really could see what was coming if anyone intended to give them further grief.

  Enrick had planned to join the security detail until Heather and the ladies came down from the castle to play their part. He wanted to protect them at all costs.

  Lachlan glanced in his direction and smirked.

  Enrick smiled back and folded his arms, his duty just as important as Lachlan’s.

  Men set up a nice campfire, tents, and a couple of logs for the main characters to sit on as a boar was roasting over the fire, the one Colleen had ensured was already fully cooked before they set it over the campfire to warm up.

  The hunting party took their seats before the campfire, some of the men serving guard duty while the “lord” and his key men were getting ready to eat.

  The women were serving “mead,” though Guy was drinking water and his adviser was having a soda.

  Guy was supposed to pet one of the injured wolves and was trying not to look nervous about it. Though the director said Enrick could stand in for him, Guy wanted to do it this time, since Enrick had made it look so easy and safe.

  Enrick got the biggest kick out of Edward licking Guy’s hand in an attempt to reassure him that he was friendly, not vicious. Guy’s eyes widened, but he didn’t pull away, thankfully.

  Then the actor returned to his seat by the fire and began to talk to his men about the hunt and how he had to track down the villains and end their miserable lives. They bit into loaves of brown bread freshly baked for them and sliced off pieces of the wild boar with their sgian dubhs and ate the food for the scene.

  The wizard stood nearby, listening in on the conversation but also glancing in the direction of the woods as if hearing sounds the men weren’t privy to.

  “What do you hear, Malachi?” Guy asked the wizard.

  “There is an ill wind blowing our way.”

  That was for sure, if the Kilpatricks and the others continued to threaten the making of the film.

  When they were finally finished with the campfire scene, the party was filmed returning to the castle for one last scene of the day, torches in hand. Two of the MacQuarries were carrying the injured wolf on a medieval stretcher to show how much the wolves meant to Guy and his men. The other six wolves were walking beside the horses, escorting their lord back to the castle, protecting him and his men. That was another reason the director decided to use the MacQuarries’ horses. The horses knew the wolves and were comfortable with them, having been raised with them.

  Back at the castle, the director was telling Guy he needed to pet the wolf again one last time today, to make it look realistic, and then get on with his scene.

  But William had been groaning from his injured shoulder. Enrick hoped he wasn’t truly in a lot of pain. Some of their women had tended to his wound during lunch, Colleen at the forefront, but then everyone involved in the film went back to shooting again.

  “No way am I petting the wounded wolf again,” Guy said as Enrick, Heather, and others looked on. The actors were seated by the fire in the great hall and the wolves were lying nearby on the stone floor. Two of them were pretending to sleep, and two were watching their fallen wolf on the stretcher. Two were sitting up, ears perked, acting like guard dogs as they watched the people coming in to sit by their “lord.” Heather brought him another cup of “mead,” and two of his men came to speak to him about the situation with the time-traveling wench.

  Enrick knew Colleen hadn’t wanted her cousin to do any more scenes for the day and wanted him to rest from the ordeal. He hadn’t been in a wolf fight for eons, but he wanted to play the scenes out and then take it easy tomorrow, as they were doing some inside scenes with the hero and heroine.

  “Enrick?” the director asked. “Would you pet the wolf?”

  “Aye, sure. I’ll do it. Just tell me what you want me to do.”

  “No speaking part in this scene, just comfort the wolf as if the animal were one of your kinsmen like you did earlier, as long as you do it safely. Stand right there, and when you finish comforting the wolf, get up and take a seat on the chair over there and Guy will take it from there.”

  “I can do that.” Enrick’s clansmen and friends were all smiling, since the wolf was truly his kinsman.

  Enrick was already wearing the double’s costume, and he stood where he was supposed to before the camera started rolling. Once the director called “Action,” Enrick crouched down and lifted William’s head off the stretcher and looked him in the eye. “You did good, lad. Real good. I owe you my life.” In Gaelic, he added, “You are a true Highland warrior.” He knew William wouldn’t know what he said, but he wanted to tell him in a way that meant he truly was one of them and he was proud of him.

  William lifted his tail and wagged it lightly as if showing he loved his master but didn’t have the strength to give him much more of a wag than that.

  “Sleep, my friend.” Then Enrick laid William’s head gently down on the stretcher, rose to his feet, looking down at the wolf with admiration while the wolf closed his eyes.

  Then Enrick turned and walked over to the chair and sat down, trying to look like a warrior, but with compassion as he glanced down at the wolf.

  “Cut!”

  Enrick knew it wasn’t supposed to be a speaking part, but how was he supposed to totally convey his feelings of gratitude to the wolf without saying
something? The wolf would understand how much he loved him when he spoke to him. And if this had all been for real, he would have done it just like that.

  He quickly moved out of the chair so Guy could take his place. The actor was scowling at him, not looking happy in the least. It appeared the director was going to leave the scene as it was—seemed to like how Enrick handled the part.

  Not that Enrick would be able to manage long speaking roles he would have to memorize beforehand. He could imagine making a real muddle of it. He’d watched as they’d done take after take when one of the actors had messed up his lines. Or like in the one scene where the enemy was sword fighting with Guy in close combat and hit Guy’s sword really hard. Guy’s weapon went flying through the air. Which wasn’t supposed to happen. Everyone in the vicinity of the flying sword had scattered and then everyone had laughed. Guy too. At least when mistakes were made, he was a good sport about it.

  But doing what came naturally for Enrick when it came to filling in for Guy? That worked well for Enrick.

  Heather was all smiles as he stood beside her, watching the scene continue with Guy now playing his part to the hilt. He was good, Enrick would give him that, but when it came to certain parts, like being comfortable around the injured wolves, sword fighting, or swimming in the cold Irish Sea, Enrick had him beat.

  When the director said it was a wrap, and everyone left to run into the village to shop and eat dinner before retiring for the night, Heather said to Enrick, “You were superb in the role. Don’t let it go to your head, but you and William played the part perfectly. I so love your brogue.”

  “It comes naturally.”

  She laughed. “Guy was not happy you could show warmth and affection to a wounded wolf and the wolf would show how much he loved you back.”