Mountain Wolf Page 4

  Cassie smiled. "I really enjoyed the dinner. Hopefully, before it's time for me leave, I can return the favor. I used to be the worst cook in the world until I stumbled across several YouTube channels on how to prepare meals. Now I can make a mean grilled cheese sandwich without screwing it up."

  "Sound like a plan."

  A chorus of wolf howls broke out somewhere off into the distance. The impact of it and the resulting echoes throughout the forest made it seem as if the wolves were only meters away from Luke's backyard. A cold chill crept up Cassie's spine and goosebumps rose on her bare arms and legs.

  She looked across the table, meeting Luke's gaze with uncertainty. His hands gripped the edge of the table and his back was stiffened. A look of turmoil crossed his face. It all just seemed so odd.

  A flicker of a brighter amber color flashed within his irises. She leaned forward, her attention focused on his sudden change in demeanor, trying to decipher if he was afraid or just anxious. He tore his gaze away, looking out into the direction of the dense trees in his yard.

  She looked out into the forest too but saw nothing. All she heard were the wolves howling. This time she realized that the frequency and pattern of the howls were becoming more distinct.

  "Do you have a lot of wolves living out here in the mountains?" she asked, breaking the morbid silence.

  "Yes, but they're harmless."

  The wolves howled again but this time the sound came from different directions. Cassie was now certain that they were communicating with each other.

  "It sounds like there are a lot of them. A group of them. Calling out to each other."

  "It's a warning," Luke said.

  "A warning about what? To whom? To each other?"

  Luke nodded.

  "How do you know that?"

  "I just know," he said, quietly.

  "Are they natural wolves or…?"

  Luke didn't answer her question, but now that his full attention was on her, she saw that his lips were pressed firmly together and creases formed on his forehead, solidifying her earlier conclusion that he was dead worried about something.

  "There are shifters living out here, aren't they?" she asked under her breath as if what she'd just discovered was some deep, dark secret that no one could uncover.

  Luke rose from his chair. "Let's get you inside. It's getting cold out here."

  She rose with him. "Shouldn't we clean up the food? Won't the wolves smell the food?"

  "I'll take care of all that. Don't worry. And for the record, no one will be encroaching on this territory. Trust me," he said.

  Without hesitation she trusted him. Coming from an upbringing that taught her never to trust strangers, this feeling seemed odd to her. But physically and emotionally, she felt this instant connection to him. The fact that he still had a worried look etched on his face as they filed into the cabin brought out those same fears in her. Plus, she was a little irritated that their dinner talk had ended. It felt like he was just beginning to open up to her. But there was always tomorrow and she had plans to make the best use of her time out here living in seclusion on this beautiful landscape next to the mountains. The presence of wolves didn't bother her, but Luke's reactions to the howling did.

  Chapter 9

  “I’m sorry we had to cut this short, but I hope you at least enjoyed the food."

  Luke stood under the door frame and Cassie had her back leaned against the door.

  "I enjoyed every last bit. Thank you. I didn't mean to take up too much of your time, though."

  "No worries. I could use some company every now and then."

  "You mean you don't have anyone else out here…to talk to?"

  "Of course I do. My neighbors. My guests."

  She folded her arms across her chest and an innocent smile flashed across her face. "I meant like a girlfriend."

  "Nope. Not a one. I've had zero time to mingle around the city."

  "Earlier you said, that you barely get out to visit the bars and nightclubs much, but who says you have to visit the city to find some company?" she asked.

  He laughed. "You're onto something there, but why are you worried about me?"

  "I was just wondering. A man who has his shit together, works hard, is extremely good-looking, and knows how to cook…I would say that's a plus in any woman's book."

  "Too bad I'm not just looking for any woman."

  Cassie narrowed her gaze. "So you're just being picky?"

  He couldn't help but assess her from head to toe for a long minute. At this point, he wasn't even sure that he wanted to hide his blatant arousal anymore. She'd grown up a great deal since the last time he'd seen her. She carried a conversation at the dinner table like a person two times her age. She was well-educated, well-versed, and…well…she was perfect.

  "I guess I am picky as hell when it comes to who I want in my bed."

  She cleared her throat and shuffled around on the doormat a bit. "Well maybe if you step out of your comfort zone a little bit, you'll run into your future girlfriend or wife."

  "And maybe I'll never have to step foot off of my property. Maybe she'll come to me."

  "Picky, patient, and sure of himself," she said. "Before long, I'll have you figured out."

  "Are you sure about that?"

  "That's what I do. I didn't graduate from any fancy college or anything like that, but I like to think that I know how to dig deep to find out exactly what I need to about any person, place, or thing."

  She was ambitious. Probably even fearless in her pursuits. And she wasn't afraid to gain knowledge no matter what the outcome was estimated to be, that was for damn sure. Her determination had already backfired once, but he was certain there were many other instances in which she succeeded.

  "For the career you're in that drive will come in handy."

  "Sometimes my drive gets me in trouble too," she added.

  "But you're working on staying safe, right? Stay inside tonight, will ya? We can start the tour early in the morning. Most of my guests checked in midweek and since tomorrow is Friday, it should be a slow day. "

  Luke backed away from the door, putting some distance between them. But the scent of freshly bloomed honeysuckle flowers came with him. The innocent aura was driving him crazy.

  "Goodnight," she said, and then she warned playfully, "Don't let the wolves bite."

  He chuckled under his breath. "I'll try not to. Enjoy the rest of your evening."

  She closed the door and secured both the lock, the bolt, and the chain making certain that she was safe inside. Although, he had meant what he said. No other wolf would dare encroach on his territory bringing threats. The safest place for Cassie to be at the moment was in that cabin. Neil was right to bring her. The trouble she'd gotten herself into wasn't her fault. The issue had become widespread.

  A fellow wolf howled again in the distance, reminding Luke that it was his duty to appear when he was called. As a scout serving Dane, the Alpha of the Aspen Valley Wolf Pack, he had a duty to protect his Pack. The wolf calls that he and Cassie had heard earlier had been a forewarning and a call to strengthen protection around the Pack's borders.

  Luke moved out, shielding himself behind the massive trunk and thick, bushy branches of an Oak tree, took off his clothes and hid the garments behind a rock. He shifted into his wolf form seamlessly and quickly. When he had all four paws on the ground, he tilted his face up toward the moon and replied with his own unique howl. He started off, racing through the woods toward his fellow scouts, hoping that the meeting hadn't started without him.

  Chapter 10

  "It’s about time you got here, Luke," Grim commented as soon as a stark-naked Luke entered the barn.

  Grim Nathaniel was the current leader the of the Aspen Valley wolf scouts. He took orders from the Pack Alpha Dane Magnus and was put in charge of rounding up more than a dozen wolf scouts at any given time. With Nathaniel looking to retire in a couple years, Dane had already approached Luke a few times about steppin
g up in the role. Only that would add a third major responsibility to his current list with the twins and his business being a top priority.

  "Thanks for waiting. I have a personal guest who was visiting me when I heard the call," Luke said.

  On instinct, he moved toward a chest that held some extra clothes. He'd done some work here for Grim before, so he always kept clothes stashed here just in case he ever ruined his clothes during a shift. The barn was also the one place that the scouts could hold uninterrupted meetings as a group.

  Luke fished out a t-shirt and pants and pulled them on. Looking around him, he realized that only eight scouts were present tonight. Their next regularly scheduled meeting wasn't until the following week so the call to meet had been a little unexpected.

  "Well don't you always have guests?" Patrick, a fellow scout, inquired. He pushed off a wall, dropping his cigarette to the ground and squashing it with the toe of his boot.

  "I'm still in business, but she's different. I'm looking after her for a friend."

  "She?" Patrick grinned. "I get it now. I can tell when a man has got fresh pussy waiting on him. No wonder you were late."

  "It's not like that," Luke grumbled. "Her brother is a good friend of mine."

  "Uh-huh," Patrick replied, skeptically. "We all know where you'd rather be."

  "Enough about me. That call was pretty sudden. What's going on?" Luke asked.

  "More murders. We have reports of almost two or three shootings in almost every county east of Aspen Valley. At the rate this is going, and if it doesn't stop, these killers could wipe out a whole Pack if they wanted to," Grim said.

  "What have the cops been saying about this?" Luke asked. "I presume nothing since the killer is still at large."

  "They're saying the evidence doesn't add up and that none of the crimes can be linked. They claim these are random incidents. Even though the killer has been cornering stray, rogue wolves, we know better."

  "Of course we do," a shifter named Frederic offered from across the barn. "This is another ploy to chase us out of the area…maybe even annihilate us all."

  Grim pounded his fist down onto a makeshift table. "We won't stand for it. As a Pack, we're now taking matters into our own hands. A dozen other surrounding Packs are doing the same too. The Alpha and I had a long talk this afternoon and he's given us scouts the responsibility of bringing down anyone and anything threatening our livelihood. We can't wait for the police on this one or we'll all be shot dead when we least expect it. Our murders have been swept under the rug. Our coroner has two dead shifters at his station now. He found the cause of death to be gunshot wounds. However, the murderer tried to cover it up by throwing the carcass out onto busy highways where the bodies were rolled over a whole bunch of times. They were labeled roadkill until Coroner Jack picked them up."

  As Grim continued to hash out the details and discuss strategies, Luke's mind kept drifting to Cassie and not just because she'd been the center of his attention since she arrived but because of the incident that drove her to seek the safety of the mountains. He had no doubt that the two crimes were linked even though the cops were saying these were random occurrences not necessarily carried out by one person or group.

  What if Cassie really was onto something? What if she had gotten so close to finding out who was causing such fear among the wolf community that she'd rattled fear in the perpetrator himself?

  It was possible that Cassie had encountered clues that no one else could…or perhaps, no one else dared to pursue. Before bringing the story to his fellow scouts, he had to be certain that the facts added up. But would Cassie be willing to revisit her research and share her findings? By doing so, would it trigger the bad memories that caused her to hide in the valley to begin with?

  Chapter 11

  "Did you have a good breakfast?" Luke asked as Cassie pulled the door to the cabin close and locked it.

  "Lots of oatmeal and fruit," she replied. "Plus the chocolate candy bar I forgot to eat yesterday on the car ride here."

  Luke grinned. "Sounds good, but we'll wrap up a bit early right before lunch. I'll show you where the market is. They have a small restaurant there and Pat owns the grocery store. She can pretty much order just about anything so if you need something over the next couple weeks, let her know."

  "I'm pretty stocked up for now. As far as food, I kind of put myself on a diet."

  "Why?" he asked, narrowing his gaze.

  "Well look at me."

  "I am looking at you," he said.

  It seemed like his eyes undressed her as he made his point by staring long and hard.

  She blushed and gestured toward her hips.

  "I gained like ten pounds these past few months, just in case you haven't noticed.

  They walked down the path to his work truck.

  "I haven't noticed," he told her. "A little advice: Don't diet. You're perfect. And by the way, once we make our rounds this morning, you'll have worked off that chocolate bar…and the breakfast. I guarantee it."

  "Then let's get started."

  They reached his truck where he opened the door for her. He took the mini cooler that stored some drinks and snacks and pushed it toward the center of the seat and then gestured for her to get inside. When she swung her bare legs into the truck, she didn't miss his lingering look on her thighs. The tiny shorts and fitted tee she wore weren't exactly secretary or office help type of attire.

  "There were reports of the weather being in the mid-eighties today," she noted.

  He tore his gaze away and cleared his throat. "That's okay. I want you to be comfortable."

  Luke pushed the door close and walked around the front of the truck to get to the driver's side. Cassie admired his manly, sexy gait. His trimmed beard made him look older than his years and a little rugged. She loved it. Even though he was ten years older than her he carried himself better than the guys she was used to dating back in Aspen Valley. Luke was nothing like the young men fresh out of grad school that would say anything to get her in bed with them. He didn't have to say anything at all.

  Something had been missing from Cassie's love life for a long time. She hadn't quite pinpointed it before, but now she was almost certain what it was. More responsible men like Luke who had a bit of mystery surrounding them. Men had become too predictable these days and that was boring. Why would she settle for the rich playboy who had already bedded every woman in town when she had access to a rugged mountain man who was both seasoned in age and experience?

  Even if she could experience what it was like to be with an older man for just one night, she'd be satisfied enough to come to her own conclusion. Was she just not interested in men or was she just being choosy? Funny…just last night she'd teased Luke about being picky when it came to his dating life, but she'd been doing the same.

  Luke slid into the driver's seat and started up the engine. He looked at her and grinned. "Ready? We've got a lot of ground to cover."

  "I'm excited. I brought my journals and everything," she said, pointing to the small satchel next to her feet.

  Luke laughed. "I wouldn't expect anything less from a journalist."

  Chapter 12

  "Does all this land belong to you?" Cassie asked as she sat on the back of Luke's truck. As she'd requested, they'd stopped next to a lake so she could snap a few pictures of the scenery.

  "Just about. There are three main landowners out here. The Nathaniels, the Landers, and the Lombardis. My eldest brother and I split my dad's estate fifty-fifty shortly before he passed away. And then when my brother died in the house fire, the twins got his share."

  "So the family lodging business was being run by your brother before he died?

  Luke nodded. "For the most part, my brother was the brains behind why we became so profitable."

  "But I thought you were the one in charge of building and renovating the new model cabins. And keeping things running."

  "I was. I guess you can say we equally transformed it into what it
is today."

  It seemed like he wanted to say more, but he remained quiet after that. Instead, he leaned against the side of the truck, looking out at the lake.

  "Do you miss him?" Cassie asked.

  "Yeah, I do…after all these years. I looked to him for guidance but he used to claim I never listened to him. But I was listening. More than he'll ever know. I should have gotten over his death by now."

  "I understand. Trust me. I know what it's like. Like with my parents being going, I want to move on but the void still exists. Not just a physical void but the emotional ones they used to fill when they were here."

  "Yes, my sentiments exactly."

  Cassie drew in a deep breath, pulled her legs up toward her, and then rested her chin on one knee. "It's so beautiful out here. I could stay all day and do nothing but daydream and write."

  "It's certainly peaceful, that's for sure, especially if you park yourself right under that big oak tree in the shade. You might see a wolf or two out here jumping in and out of the lake trying to catch lunch but you won't find any aggressive wolves out here. This stretch of land was deemed a non-hunting zone by the State decades ago. Which is why it's so peaceful."

  "So I've been told. And according to my research, this is why the camping grounds come highly recommended in several regional magazines. Not all areas with wolves living about can get a recommendation like that," she said.

  Luke nodded. "That's mostly what keeps Lombardi Lodging in business. Along with the help of my neighbors, we plan to keep this a danger-free zone."

  "About last night…" she started.

  He turned to her, his eyebrows drawn together in concentration. "What about it?"

  "You never answered me. Are the wolves harmless because they're natural wolves or shifters?"

  "Most wolves are harmless. The same can be said about most humans."

  "Aspen Valley is full of shifters. What about here? Do shifters live out here? You would know if they did, right?" she questioned him.