Haunted by the Wolf- Shannon

by Margery Ellen

  “Gary, if you don’t need me tomorrow, I think I need to take Piccolo into the mountains for the day. It will also give Lizzi a chance to see some of the local countryside.”

  “If we get a call, I'm sure we can handle it. When do they expect you in Montana?”

  “I have ten days to wrap things up and report in. I’ve been given one month to make sure my support team is properly trained. They should arrive there about the same time I do. I should try to get there a couple of days ahead of them.”

  “What kind of place is it; do you know?” Stan asked.

  “I’m not sure, I think it’s an old fire station. It’s been totally revamped and updated. The helicopter has its own shed on the adjoining property. That’s all I know. I’ll have to wait and see.”

  “Take lots of pictures,” Lizzi added.

  “I will. I think we should call it a night. It’s been a long day,” Fletch announced. They all agreed and said good night.

  *****

  Sunday morning was gorgeous. Lizzi and Fletch fixed a picnic basket and took Piccolo to the mountains for the day. Fletch knew where there was a small lake. He found it when he was walking back from the wilderness.

  Piccolo was happy to be back and went exploring while Lizzi and Fletch relaxed.

  “It’s beautiful here, Fletch. The air smells so clean and fresh. I never realized the air could feel so different.”

  “That’s because you needed a change. You were stagnant in Bend.”

  “I really hope that job comes through.”

  “If I know Gary, it will.”

  “You really think so.”

  “I do. I think you’ll be happy here.” He gave her a sincere smile.

  “I wish you were going to be here longer. I just get to see you again and you’re going away. May I ask you something personal?”

  “You want to know what I’m going to do about Shannon.”

  “Yes.”

  “I don’t know. I guess I’ll have to let Shannon decide. I know I love her, and she is my mate. She’s been through a lot, but she has to get over being afraid of my bear, if she doesn’t, we can never be together.”

  “I'm sure she’ll come around, if it’s fate, you can’t fight it.”

  Fletch looked at her.

  “Listen to you. What’s going on?”

  “Can you keep a secret?”

  “Of course, I can. Tell me.” Fletch was intrigued.

  “I think Stan is mine.”

  “Mine? You mean your mate? Congratulations, does he know?”

  “Maybe, I'm not sure. I want him to make the first move. I get the impression he’s kinda shy, so I’m not going to rush into anything. I can wait for him to figure it out.”

  “I can’t believe it,” Fletch laughed. “You are so perfect for him, your exactly what he needs.”

  “I hope so. What do you think will happen to our jobs, if I get the job, if we get together?”

  “Worry about that when the time comes. Gary hasn’t told anyone, but I think he’s getting ready to retire. When he does, maybe I can come back and be the boss, I like it here. If not, the two of you can come and work for me, I have no objections of you working and being together.”

  “Thanks, Fletch.”

  “No point in wasting a beautiful day. Do you want to run or go for a swim?”

  “Is it safe here?” Lizzi looked around.

  “Oh, yeah. I checked it out. Piccolo loves it here.”

  “Then, let’s go for a run and swim when we get back.”

  “Sounds like a great idea.” They undressed and shifted. After going through what they had together, nudity didn’t bother either of them.

  They had a great afternoon. After their run, they played in the lake. Piccolo joined them for a swim, and they laid in the sun to dry off.

  “This has been a great day. Thanks, Fletch, I haven’t enjoyed myself this much in a long time. What time are you leaving in the morning?”

  “Kenney and I will probably get up early and leave right after a quick breakfast. Why?”

  “If I knew I had the job, I’d go with you. I’ll have to pack up my stuff and drive my car back.”

  “Don’t worry about it. The company will pay for your ticket to go home so you can take care of personal business. If they don’t, let me know and I’ll take care of it.”

  “Wow, thank you.”

  They got dress and Lizzi gave Fletch a hug and a kiss on the cheek.

  “Thanks, Fletch, you’re the best. Thank you for being there for me.”

  “Let’s get going.” He called Piccolo and drove back to Frank’s.

  Chapter 39

  Everything went as planned Monday morning. Fletch and Kenney were in the air shortly after dawn. Frank would pick them up at the airport when they returned.

  Lizzi had called Ally and Misty, to tell them she was going to stay in Caldwell, Idaho, for a while. She asked them to pack a bag for her, some of her personal things, and Fletch would pick it up.

  Donald Smitherson, “DJ”, another of the unfortunate group from Oregon, would pick up Fletch and Kenney at the ranch and chauffer them around until it was time for them to catch their flight back to Caldwell.

  *****

  Fletch and Kenney arrived in Bend and landed at the Bend Air Rescue. Fletch had made arrangements to land and fuel before continuing to the ranch. Bend Air Rescue was happy to help. Most of them had known Fletch and his grandfather for years. Gramps took care of their helicopters. Bend Air Rescue would have loved to have Fletch join them, but they had a full crew, and no one wanted to go anywhere else.

  They flew to the ranch and were ahead of schedule. After putting the helicopters in the huge barn, Fletch gave Kenney a tour of the ranch.

  The ranch house was beautiful, it was more like a lodge, than a home. A huge metal barn was built to replace an old wood one, but it was made to look like the old one.

  “Man, this place is awesome. Your grandpa must have been really a cool dude.”

  “Hey, he taught me how to fly a helicopter when I was twelve. What does that tell you? I learned how to fly before I learned how to shift.”

  “Was your grandpa a shifter?”

  Fletch shook his head, ‘no'.

  “He was my maternal grandfather; my mom was human. My mom was killed by a drunk driver when I was little. After her death, my dad was always going somewhere. One day he never returned. That’s why I was raised by my grandpa.”

  “Yeah, I remember you telling me. That’s why you don’t drink, isn’t it?”

  “Yup, that’s why.”

  “I wish I could have met your grandfather.”

  “He would have liked you,” Fletch replied.

  Kenney took that as the best compliment ever.

  Fletch showed him a few more things before DJ arrived to pick them up. After introducing Kenney to Donald, he excused himself to talk to the caretaker before they left.

  Fletch found the caretaker in a beautiful farmhouse that had been built out of the wood from the old barn.

  “Fletch, I see you have made it here safely. Will you be staying?”

  “No, I’m afraid not, I’m on my way to Montana. How much time do I have before you’ll be leaving?”

  “My granddaughter has one more year before she graduates. I’ll give you until this time next year. Don’t worry, I’ll give you plenty of notice.”

  “Thanks. I wish you could stay, but I understand. My boss is thinking about retiring next year, things might just work.”

  They shook hands and Fletch went back to Kenney and Donald.

  “Are you ready to go?” DJ didn’t want them to miss their flight. “I went by the house and picked up a bag for Lizzi; I didn’t know how much time you had.”

  “Thanks. You may as well take us to the airport. What were Ally and Misty up to?” Fletch asked as he got into the car.

  “They were going to town to shop.”

  “Give them a call, see if they want to join us for
lunch, I’ll buy.”

  *****

  The girls were able to join them. They had great fun telling Kenney all the secrets they could share about Fletch. Fletch was able to share a few stories of his own about the rest of them.

  Donald informed Fletch that he was going to become a State Trooper. He was going to California to train with Josh Long. Jeremy Long, Josh’s older brother had been best friends with Donald’s father; they were in the service together. Unfortunately, Donald’s father died in Iraq.

  “Congratulations, when do you start your training?”

  “In a couple of weeks. Carol Cheshire and I are driving out there together. Carol has a job waiting for her.”

  “I remember, she’s going to take Paula’s job at some diner in Yosemite.” Paula gave up her job when she married FBI Agent Luke Adams.

  “Carol will come back here when the diner is closed for the winter, so we won’t lose contact completely,” Misty told them.

  “What about the rest of you?” Fletch asked.

  “Well, I think Franny and Becky would like to go and visit Charles and Jackie. They want to see the babies. Jackie had twins and Heidi is about to have triplets. She may have even had them by now.”

  “They would have let us know,” Ally added, “but I’m sure they are due any day now.

  “That’s a lot of babies for one house,” Fletch laughed. “I wish I could go with you, but I have to report to Great Falls next week. I have a new crew to whip into shape.”

  “What a change for all of us in the past year. Well, it’s almost time for your flight.”

  Misty stood and went to Fletch to give him a hug.

  “Don’t wait so long next time to come and visit. Kenney, it was a pleasure meeting you.”

  Everyone stood and more hugs were exchanged.

  “I’ll keep in touch,” Fletch told them.

  “I hope you and your girl get back together,” Ally added before saying goodbye.

  “We’ll see,” was all he said. Fletch and Kenney headed for their plane.

  “What kind of shifters are Misty and Ally?” Kenney inquired. “I didn’t want to be rude and ask. I should have asked you earlier.”

  “They’re eagles.”

  “Really! I’ve never met an eagle before.”

  “Yeah, they’re pretty cool. It’s too bad you didn’t get to meet the rest of them. Did DJ tell you he’s a cougar.”

  “He did, I’ve never met a cougar before either.”

  Nothing more was said until after they boarded their flight.

  *****

  Their flight arrived on time; Frank was waiting for them.

  “How did it go?” Frank asked.

  “Couldn’t have been better. The choppers performed perfectly, and the weather was great.”

  Fletch threw their bags in the back of Frank’s truck.

  “Where’s Piccolo?”

  “She wanted to stay with Lizzi.”

  “Really,” Fletch was surprised.

  “Don’t misunderstand, Lizzi was cooking,” Frank told him, “Piccolo was much more interested in what was for dinner."

  “That sounds like my fickle lady, always thinking about her stomach instead of me.”

  “She’s a pup and she’s growing in leaps and bounds. You are taking her with you?” Frank asked. “You’ll have to take her out to hunt on a regular basis or you’ll go broke trying to keep her fed until she’s full grown.”

  “She is definitely going with me. I think she’s going to like Montana. She’ll be able to come and go as she pleases.”

  “You don’t think she’ll take off?”

  “That’s her choice.”

  “Kenney, want to join us for dinner?” Frank invited.

  “Sure. Is Lizzi a good cook?”

  “I don’t know, I guess we’re going to find out,” Frank laughed.

  When they arrived home, they could smell wonderful aromas of food.

  “Hey, Lizzi, what’s for dinner?” Fletch called out when he entered the house. Piccolo ran to him when she heard his voice.

  “Hey girl, I missed you.” He pet Piccolo and gave her a rub.

  “How was the trip?” Lizzi asked.

  “It was great.” He handed her the bag the girls had sent her.

  “Thank you, dinner is almost ready. I'll be right back.”

  She took the bag from Fletch and took it to her room. When she returned, Frank and Kenney were there.

  “Do you have enough for one more?” Frank asked.

  “Sure do.” Lizzi gave him and Kenney a brilliant smile. She had cooked a huge pan of homemade lasagna, made salad and garlic bread. She loved to cook.

  During dinner, Gary called and informed Lizzi she had the job. Dinner became a celebration.

  Chapter 40

  Shannon and Michelle searched the internet for everything they could find regarding Great Falls, Montana. Shannon searched for any information on the new Air Rescue for that area.

  “Maybe they won’t list it until it’s officially up and running,” Michelle suggested.

  “Yeah, you’re probably right.”

  Shannon was worried.

  “What if they changed the location. I remember Fletch mentioned they hadn’t decided exactly where it was going to be. What if it isn’t in Great Falls?”

  “You could always call your boss and ask him.”

  “No, I can’t do that. He’ll want to know when I’m coming back.”

  “You’ve only been here a couple of days; besides, you’ll have to go back eventually.”

  “But what if Fletch wants me to stay with him? What do I do then?”

  “Look, forgive me for saying this, but what if your Ex had succeeded in killing you, what would Gary have done then?”

  “You’ve got a point, but what if I can’t stay there? I mean, what if I can’t work for the new Air Rescue. What do I do then?”

  “Now that you have recovered from your memory loss, you could go back to being a doctor. You are one of the best.”

  “The best at being an ER surgeon. I don’t think I want to go back to that madness.”

  “In a little town in northern Montana, you could be a small-town doctor. You know, the kind that gets paid with apple pies and fresh eggs.”

  That had them both laughing.

  Shannon got serious.

  “I still have to find him and hope he’ll forgive me. What if he doesn’t want me?”

  “Didn’t you say there was some guy you could talk to?”

  “Frank Miller. He’s not a shifter but he knows a lot about them. You’re right, maybe he can answer a few questions.”

  “Call him.” Michelle handed her her phone.

  Shannon dialed the phone and waited for Frank to answer. She was just about to hang up when a woman picked up and said ‘hello’.

  Shannon was caught off guard and fumbled a bit.

  “Hello, I’m sorry, I must have the wrong number. I was trying to reach Frank Miller.”

  “You have the right number. He’s not here right now. Can I take a message?”

  “I just needed to ask him a question. Will he be back soon?”

  “Not until this evening,” Lizzi told her.

  “Just tell him Shannon called, I’ll try again another time.”

  “Shannon! Bradley Fletcher’s Shannon?”

  “I’m not Bradley Fletcher’s anything. Who is this?”

  “I’m sorry, I’m Lizzi Houston. I’m an old friend of Bradley’s. You really need to go and be with him.”

  “I don’t know if he told you, but he was the one that left me.”

  “Well yeah! You didn’t exactly greet him with a kiss. Did you know he couldn’t wait to see you? To be with you?”

  “If that was the case, why did he leave? Why didn’t he tell me?” Shannon asked.

  “Because your eyes don’t lie. He didn’t leave because you slapped him, he left because you were terrified of his bear.”

  Shannon didn’t say a
nything for a long time.

  “Shannon, are you still there?” Lizzi asked.

  “I’m here. Where is Fletch now?”

  “He’s gone. He and Piccolo left this morning. They are on their way to Montana.”

  “I don’t mean to get personal, but what are you to Fletch and what are you doing at Frank’s?”

  “I came here with Fletch. I was supposed to drive his truck to Prineville, so he could drive it back here after moving the helicopters. I stayed here and they flew back instead.”

  “They?”

  “Fletch and Kenney. I’m looking forward to meeting you when you get back.”

  “You’re staying?”

  “Your boss just gave me a job as his personal assistant or secretary, I’m not sure which.”

  “Really, that’s great. He needs someone to help him. Lizzi, maybe you can help me after all. Do you know exactly where Fletch is going?”

  “Great Falls, Montana. When he gets there, he’s going to send me some pictures. I'm going to set up a website and Facebook page. I’ll do one for Gary as well.”

  “That’s why I couldn’t find anything on the internet.”

  “Not yet, but it will be up soon.”

  “Gary is a great boss; you’ll like working for him. You wouldn’t happen to have an address for Fletch?”

  “Don’t you have his number?”

  “You have to understand something. Fletch and I have never been together. Sorry, let me rephrase that, we were just friends, and not very good ones. We hardly know each other.”

  “You wouldn’t know it the way he talks about you.”

  “Oh?”

  “When I picked him up at the airport in Bend, he told me all about you.”

  Shannon quickly wrote Lizzie’s name and Bend on a piece of paper and waved it at Michelle, she pointed at the computer. Michelle quickly pulled up the article about Bend and turn the laptop so Shannon could see the screen. It listed Lizzi Houston as one of the victims, along with Fletch.

  “Lizzi, tell me something, have you ever been with Fletch?”

  “Oh, heavens, no. We’re friends, but not like that. Shannon, you’re his mate, he can never be with anyone but you.”

  “I don’t understand?”

  “You don’t know anything about us, do you?” Lizzi questioned.