What else was she supposed to do, though? Let the wolf die?
Still, even though she didn’t regret saving the wolf, Hudson couldn’t help but feel guilty that Pike was out there potentially risking his life on her behalf. He was the last person she’d expected to volunteer to help her, but as touched as she was that he had, Hudson wasn’t able to relax until hours later, when Pike showed up at her door.
“You’re okay,” she blurted out.
He looked startled by the genuine relief in her voice. “Yeah, I’m fine,” he muttered. “No trouble on the road today.”
She opened the door wider, and he strode inside, a canvas bag slung over his shoulder.
“I was only able to get about two gallons, but I think you can start feeding her some mashed-up meat once her teeth come in.”
“They’re already starting to,” Hudson told him, watching as he removed a plastic jug of milk from the bag.
The wolf pup wobbled at their feet, making a squeaky noise that caused Pike’s expression to soften. Then he cleared his throat and reached into the bag again. “I got this too.” He held up a small baby bottle. “Alex and Danielle’s kid is two, so he’s not using it anymore. Hopefully your wolf will take to it.”
Her eyes widened. “Your friends at the farm have a child?”
He nodded, his expression hardening again. “Keep your mouth shut about it. You know what’ll happen to them if your Enforcer buddies find out.”
Hudson bristled, but decided not to touch that Enforcer comment. She was more concerned with making sure her wolf was fed. “I wasn’t planning on saying anything. I was surprised to hear it, that’s all.” She took the bottle from his hand and unscrewed the top. “Thank you for doing this. I owe you one.”
“Yeah. You do.” Pike zipped up the duffel bag. “Fill the bottle and then I’ll stow the milk in the cellar. It’ll go bad if you leave it out in the cabin.”
Nodding, she carefully filled the bottle and secured the top, then bent down to scoop up the wolf.
Pike’s gaze lingered on the animal. “She’ll make a good hunting partner if you train her right.”
“Maybe you can help me, then,” Hudson hedged.
“Maybe,” he said, his tone noncommittal as he stalked toward the door. “Good night.”
“Wait.”
He half turned. “What?”
“Why…?” She swallowed. “Why did you help me?”
“I didn’t help you.” He nodded at the wolf. “I helped her.”
“Okay. But why?” she pressed.
Several seconds passed before he answered. “I had a dog growing up.” He shrugged. “I liked him.”
“Oh.” She absently stroked the wolf’s head as she searched Pike’s unfathomably dark eyes. “What happened to your dog?”
He made a derisive sound. “Winters were a lot colder back then. Food supplies dwindled a lot faster. So we…” With another shrug, he reached for the doorknob.
Her stomach churned. “You what?”
“We ate him,” Pike said flatly, and then he slid out the door.
It took Hudson several hours before she worked up the courage to walk to the stables. It was past midnight by then, but she knew Pike wasn’t sleeping – she felt his gaze on her the moment she entered the main room.
“Are you awake?” she asked timidly.
“What do you want?” was his brusque response.
She ventured closer, her eyes adjusting to the darkness to make out the pallet in the corner of the massive space. The wolf pup wiggled in her arms, but she didn’t relax her grip. Pike made her so damn nervous, and holding on to the warm bundle was the only way to stop from fidgeting.
“I made her a little bed on the floor in my cabin,” Hudson began, “but she keeps whining to come up on my bed, and…” She shrugged. “I’m scared I might roll over and crush her if I let her sleep with me, so, um… I figured you have more experience with sleeping with animals, since you had a dog, and…”
Pike slid up into a sitting position and waited for her to continue.
“I don’t want her to whine all night, so… you’d be doing me a big favor if you kept her here with you.”
A harsh laugh slid out. “Don’t patronize me, Hudson. I’m not —” He stopped when he noticed her gaping at him. “What?” he muttered.
“You called me Hudson.” She fought a triumphant smile. “You never call me by my name.”
He harrumphed, which only made her lips twitch harder.
“And I didn’t mean to patronize you,” she added.
“Yeah? Then don’t pretend you can’t take care of the pup when we both know you’re more than capable.” He scowled. “Are you feeling sorry for me? Is that it? You think I need a furry little beast to keep my sorry ass company?”
“No. I think you want a furry little beast to keep your sorry ass company. I just didn’t think you’d have the balls to admit it.”