by Terry Spear
They finished dinner, and he thanked the ladies and told them he looked forward to seeing them again on the wolf run. He thought it would be fun if he prepared a meal for them tomorrow because he loved to cook, but then again, he should probably just do the run tonight and let the ladies contact him if they wanted to spend more time with him. He was sure Lexi wouldn’t want to.
“I’m glad you enjoyed the meal,” Lexi said, as he helped to clear the dishes away. “We’ll see you in a little bit.”
Kate was all smiles as she began to clean the dishes.
Lexi walked Ryder to the door. “Thanks for everything.”
“Thanks for the dinner. And really, you helped me find the bear cubs too.”
She smiled. He liked it when she smiled. He was a pushover for making a she-wolf’s day—or night—a little brighter, particularly when she held some unfathomable fascination for him.
Then he left and was glad she’d agreed to go running with him. He still wanted to know more about the two women though.
* * *
“I’m so sorry,” Kate told Lexi as she finished cleaning the dishes.
Lexi laughed. “Don’t worry about it. He’s wondering what we’re all about. Keep him guessing. It’s all good.”
“What if he wants to get together with us again?” Kate put the clean dishes away in the cabinet.
“We’ll play it by ear.”
“Really? I thought you’d say no way.”
Lexi smiled. “He’s too curious for his own good. But I doubt he’s into intellectual property theft so we don’t have to worry about him stealing our research.”
“Because he’s a hot wolf,” Kate said.
Lexi shook her head. “That would be a good way for one of our competitors to try to get into our business. But if he works for the Denali doctors, he wouldn’t be trying to steal our research. He’s doing just what he said he’s doing.” Still, she got on her phone and called Aidan Denali. “Hey, this is Lexi. We’ll be seeing you at your brother’s place to have a tea party with the ladies and dinner with all of you next week. My personal assistant, Kate, and I are staying at the Redwood Cabins, and we ran into a man who says he’s your bodyguard.”
“Uh, Ted, I mean Ryder Gallagher. He decided to go by his middle name a few weeks ago. Yeah. He was supposed to go with Mike Stallings to the cabin. But Mike couldn’t make it right away. Is everything okay?”
“Uh, yeah, he helped us rescue some bear cubs.”
Aidan laughed. “Mike will be disappointed he didn’t get to take part in that.”
“Well, I was just checking to make sure he truly works for you.”
“He does, and he’s great at his job and a good friend.”
“Okay, thanks, Aidan. We’ll be seeing you next week.”
“Looking forward to it.”
They ended the call after that. “Ryder works for Aidan and Holly,” Lexi said.
Kate snorted and got on her laptop to answer emails. “I could have told you that.”
Lexi smiled at her. “It’s good to be sure about it.”
“I agree. And if you hadn’t done it, I would have suggested it because I couldn’t find anything on the social network sites for him, which had me worried.”
“Me too.”
Kate glanced at her and smiled. “You did some research on him when I was in the shower. Interesting.”
“Yeah, I was curious about him. I still am. Why not be on any social network sites?”
“Maybe he’s afraid someone would befriend him and try to reach Aidan that way.”
“You could be right.” Lexi hated when her imagination took hold and she saw danger when there wasn’t any.
* * *
At the appointed hour, Lexi and Kate were standing on the back deck as wolves, waiting for Ryder. He arrived right on time, his tail and head held high. He looked grateful to see they were ready to go with him. The three of them took off through the woods, having a grand time. Lexi figured she wouldn’t be able to keep who she was secret from him when she went to the ladies’ tea and dinner at Rafe Denali’s home, but by then it wouldn’t matter. She wouldn’t be spending more time like this with him. Kate was welcome to see him if she was interested.
Lexi loved being successful, but it truly wreaked havoc with finding a mate who wanted to be with her and only her and not because she was so wealthy. Maybe someday she would get lucky.
In the meantime, she needed to figure out where her father’s message might have been hidden. She knew he had to hide it well, so no one else would find it. But did that have to include her?
Chapter 5
Ryder couldn’t help but be watchful as he and the she-wolves ran through the woods. The rain was no longer falling, although the sky was still overcast with only a hint of the full moon shining through. Wind blew through the redwoods, the whooshing sound soothing to Ryder’s ear. He glanced in the direction of his she-wolf companions. Lexi had a blonder wolf face and body than Kate, and her legs were a little longer. Both were pretty wolves, and they bumped into each other every once in a while in a playful fun way that made him smile.
A couple of black-tailed deer bounded in front of them and darted out of the wolves’ path, startling the wolves, the smell of panic surrounding the deer. Ryder and the she-wolves were keeping off the trails, running through the ferns and dense huckleberry shrubs, feeling the wind in their fur. Even though they were well equipped to handle the rain while in their wolf coats, he was glad it was no longer raining.
He was enjoying the run with the two she-wolves when he saw movement in the trees and turned to look. A black-haired, bearded man wearing camouflage pants and shirt, camo boots, and a hat was shooting pictures or video of them from a distance. Ryder’s heartbeat accelerated, and in warning, he barked at the women to run out of the photographer’s view.
He hesitated, allowing the women time to run off ahead of him so he could watch their backs. To his astonishment, Lexi turned and raced toward the man as if she was in killer attack form. What the hell?
She was bound to put all wolves into hot water when they had worked so hard to show they weren’t monstrous predators.
Kate chased after Lexi as if she was part of her hungry-for-prey wolf pack.
Ryder normally always had a plan. This time? He didn’t know whether to rescue the man, fight off the she-wolves, or take off to show the guy that Ryder wasn’t part of any of the wild wolf rampage.
Hell. He couldn’t let the she-wolves hurt the photographer. He chased after them, trying to shorten the distance between them. He wished he could head them off before they reached the man with the camera, who had immediately grabbed his camera bag and made a mad dash through the woods. There was no way the man could outrun the wolves.
Though the lupus garous tried to stay out of the news, some hiker taking photographs shouldn’t be that big a deal. Sure, they’d probably end up on some social media sites—didn’t just about everything?—and sure, some of their kind would know it was Ryder and question how he got caught at it. But this would be way worse.
Lexi caught up with the man, jumping at his back and forcing him facedown in the ferns. He cried out. “Don’t eat me! Don’t eat me!”
Lexi was growling furiously, the camera in her mouth, trying to yank it from his hands like she was playing tug-of-war.
Ryder had almost reached them when Lexi managed to yank the camera from the man’s grasp. Kate grabbed his camera bag, and the two she-wolves raced off in the direction they’d come.
Ryder stared at the man, who was practically hyperventilating. But the she-wolves hadn’t bitten him. They’d just taken his camera and camera bag. Ryder smelled the man’s overriding scent—fear—and recognized the guy as Don Morgan, an independent photographer with a nose for news who wrote for the tabloids. A paparazzo. As far as Ryder knew, Don might be a celeb
rity chaser, but he wasn’t a bad guy.
Ryder told himself that Lexi—and Kate—might have a very good reason for attacking the man. Who knew what past experience could shape a person? Still, he couldn’t believe they’d reacted the way they did, putting wolves at risk. Don would undoubtedly report the attack to the park rangers, and they’d be out looking for a crazed pack of wolves that didn’t like having their pictures taken. If they believed him. More likely, they’d think it was a pack of wild dogs.
As wolves, they ran fast, covering a lot of ground. Ryder had been here so often, he thought he knew where they were headed: to an isolated waterfall, though he easily followed their scent.
He was right. They finally reached the waterfall cascading through all the greenery. Kate set the bag down on the ground, and Lexi did the same with the camera. The adrenaline was still rushing through his bloodstream, and he could hear the women’s hearts beating hard.
They were still panting, but they all stopped to sip from the cold water. An owl hooted, the water splashed down the mossy rocks of the waterfall, and crickets chirped in the darkness.
Standing next to the stream, Lexi shifted, her creamy skin and curves glistening in the moonlight, her rosy nipples erect in the cool air. Then she picked up the camera and began looking at the pictures Don had taken.
Kate was still in her wolf form, the bag she’d taken sitting nearby.
Then Kate shifted and began rummaging through the camera bag. It was full of lenses, scandisks, and battery chargers. The camera had to have a night-vision lens so Don could capture night shots. Kate shifted back into her wolf form.
Ryder looked over the camera, but Lexi hadn’t damaged it. He wondered if she just planned to remove the memory cards so Don wouldn’t have any pictures of them.
“We can’t have photographs taken of us here.” Lexi shifted into her wolf, grabbed the camera, and headed back to her cabin.
“Right, we shouldn’t, but it happened, and we don’t attack humans for it.” Ryder shifted, then picked up the camera bag for Kate.
She woofed at him in appreciation, and they chased after Lexi.
When they finally reached the back deck of Lexi’s place, he set the camera bag down.
Lexi set the camera on the deck, shifted, opened the door, and grabbed the camera bag and camera. “Thanks for the lovely wolf run,” she said, by way of dismissal.
Kate headed inside the cabin.
He wasn’t going to be dismissed. He shifted. “Don’t you think that was rather a rash way of dealing with him for taking pictures of us?”
“If I thought so, I wouldn’t have done it. Good night, Ryder.” Then Lexi walked inside and shut the door. The lock clicked.
Hell. He was still staring at the door, not believing what had happened. He wondered how Mike would have handled the situation.
“Do you even know who the photographer is?” Ryder asked at the door, not knowing if either Lexi or Kate had returned to their bedrooms and could hear him.
Lexi opened the door dressed in a pink, lace-trimmed, floral pajama shorts set. She looked sweet and innocent, the vision before him at odds with the sight of the she-wolf who had made the mad dash to tackle Don and steal his camera. “Don Morgan, paparazzo. Good night, Ryder.”
That she knew him surprised Ryder. He couldn’t imagine Don had hassled her for any reason, which made him again wonder exactly who she was. Ryder quickly offered, “Breakfast in the morning on me? Something special?” He had to hear the whole story. He smiled amiably at her. “I’m not just a bodyguard. I cook.”
Lexi opened her mouth to say something, but clamped it shut. Then she smiled a little, appearing amused.
Wearing pj’s featuring sunflowers, Kate poked her head out the door. “I’m game.”
Lexi let out her breath. “You can join him, if you want.”
“Not without you.”
Ryder waited for Lexi to agree. Man, if he wanted to date Kate, she seemed perfectly agreeable. So why was he so hung up on the woman who wasn’t interested in him?
“Eight… No, make it nine,” Lexi said.
He thought that would make for a late breakfast, but maybe the ladies were sleeping in a bit on their vacation. “Is there anything you’d like in particular, or anything you don’t care to eat? Anything gourmet that appeals?” Ryder asked.
“Strawberry crepes filled with light vanilla cream,” Lexi said.
Ryder smiled at her, assuming she figured he couldn’t prepare such a meal. True, he’d have to run to the grocery store to pick up the ingredients, but he could do it. “And you, Kate?”
“That sounds yummy.”
He was thinking of something more filling. “Anything else?”
“That’s it, but if it’s not substantial enough for you, feel free to fix something else for yourself,” Lexi said.
Yeah, he was thinking he’d add some ham and hash browns on the side. “See you then.” He shifted and took off for his cabin, eager to head for the grocery store and pick up the ingredients he would need for the crepes. He hoped Lexi understood he had every intention of questioning her actions further, but he suspected she must have had a run-in with Don Morgan over something and this had been personal.
When he reached his cabin, he shifted, entered the place, and then locked the door. He called Mike. “Hey, you know those two she-wolves I met?”
“More exciting news? I should have gone with you.”
“I’ll say.” Ryder explained what had happened while he got dressed. “What would you have done in my place?”
“Hell. Rogue wolves?” Mike asked.
“I suspect it’s something else. The first thing that came to mind is that Lexi has been hurt by a photographer before when she was in her wolf form. But if it isn’t that—”
“Don’t tell me. Don’s gone after her because she’s someone important. What did you say her last name was?”
“She didn’t give it to me. Neither did her friend Kate.”
“A celebrity?”
“Maybe. I don’t get out to the movies much. Singer? I don’t know.”
“Hell, well, get a picture of her and maybe I’ll know who she is.”
Ryder laughed. “I can see her taking my phone away from me and deleting all my photos.”
“I have got to meet this woman. I’ll be there in two days. Let me know if anything else goes on with her, will you?”
“Yeah, will do. Maybe she’ll tell me something tomorrow.” At least Ryder sure hoped so.
“Call me when you learn what’s up.”
“I will.” If she’d had a run-in with Don before as a human, Ryder could see that, but as a wolf? He still couldn’t figure that out.
* * *
“I can’t believe he is out here.” Kate was making them blender margaritas.
“Don Morgan?” Lexi let out her breath. “I swear he’s like a hound dog when it comes to knowing where I am. I’m sure he wouldn’t be here for any other reason. If I didn’t want to be responsible for him and his wife and two kids, I’d turn him.”
Kate smiled and handed her a drink. “What if Don returns with another camera? Maybe he’s got a couple of spares in his vehicle or wherever he’s staying?”
“I know. I thought the same thing. He can’t see us digging for that message. That’s why I had to take his camera. I hoped it would scare him off and he’d return home and give up trying to take pictures of me out here. How did he even learn we were out here?” Lexi took a good swallow of her margarita. “Perfection.”
“Thanks. You don’t think he knows about our wolf secret, do you?”
“No. I think he just stumbled across what he thought would make a good story: wolves that aren’t supposed to be in the redwoods.”
“What are you going to do with all this camera equipment?” Kate loaded the pictures from
the camera to her laptop.
“I’d give it to the rangers at the ranger station, saying we found it, but that might corroborate his story that wolves ran off with it and then we found it abandoned. I’d rather no one finds any of it.”
“Plus, we are taking the memory cards, and he would probably assume whoever turned the equipment in stole them. The wolves wouldn’t remove them. I wondered how he could take pictures of us in the dark, but this is a video camera with night vision.”
Lexi joined her to look at the photographs. “He took several shots of us before Ryder saw him and warned us.”
“Before that, he took all kinds of shots of celebrities. He’ll hate to lose all this, unless he backed it up already.”
“He wouldn’t have any of the pictures he took of us as wolves tonight. Are there any of us that show us hiking earlier?” Lexi asked.
“Yeah a couple of us hiking. You were right. He was out here looking for you,” Kate said. “This is a picture of one of the ranger stations.”
Lexi peered at the photos some more. “Looks like he didn’t take any photos of us at the bear den when Ryder shifted as a wolf and joined us.”
“No. He would have had to have been where we were at the time and then climbed down the cliff. He couldn’t have managed it without us being aware of it. Though if he’d gotten shots of us crossing the creek with a naked man carrying a bear cub, he would have had a sensational hit once he sold the story to a magazine,” Kate said.
“Good thing he didn’t. He doesn’t have any of our cabin either.”
Kate said, “Maybe he doesn’t know where we’re staying yet. Okay, so when we have breakfast with Ryder tomorrow, you know he is going to ask you how you know Don and why you terrorized him by chasing him down and stealing his camera.”
“Yeah, he will. Don sure has a powerful grip. I didn’t think I would manage to yank his camera free from his grasp unless I bit him. Which”—Lexi smiled at Kate as she raised her brows—“I wouldn’t have done. And thanks for grabbing Don’s camera bag. He won’t be coming around here for a while. Not until he gets another camera. Hopefully he’ll be gone until we locate the message.”