He didn’t dare take his eyes off the road to look at her. Cole concentrated on driving, alert for the moment the wolves would run out in front of the Land Cruiser. He didn’t doubt it was wolves. Jase and he owned several thousand acres, and their ranch backed up to the national forest where wolves had been relocated.
“The wolves have always stayed away from my ranch and well back into the forest. What’s bringing them out?” He glanced at her. Somehow she knew. “You’ve known the animals were there each time before we saw them, before they jumped out in front of us.”
“How could I?”
He didn’t listen to the words so much as her voice. It was strained and trembling. She was lying to him. She knew, but he couldn’t figure out how. “I don’t know, but you reacted, bracing yourself.”
“I must have seen them.”
A mournful howl rose, sending a shiver down Maia’s spine. A second, then a third wolf joined in. A chorus followed them, long, drawn-out notes of warning. She bit down on her knuckles to keep her teeth from chattering.
“What are they doing?” Cole asked. “Why are they running alongside the truck in hunting mode? And the owl, it was coming in as if hunting, head back, talons extended, coming right at me.” Even to him, it sounded completely ridiculous. Had he not been trapped in the middle of a snowstorm, he wouldn’t have ever said such a bizarre thing, yet it felt right, not strange.
“I have a certain affinity with animals,” Maia admitted. She sent up a silent prayer that he wouldn’t ask what it meant. She didn’t know what it meant. “Stop! Don’t hit it.” She flung out her hand to brace herself on the dashboard as he fought the Land Cruiser to a halt without even seeing what was in the road.
Before he could stop her, Maia was out of the vehicle, dragging a bag with her, disappearing into the swirling white flakes. Cole slammed his fist against the steering wheel, pulled a gun from where it was holstered in concealment on his calf, and checked the load before he shoved open his own door.
The snow swirled around him immediately, engulfing him in a white, silent world and as fast shifted with the wind to allow him glimpses of the animals and Maia. He heard the chuffing of the wolves as they surrounded the vehicle. Maia crooned to something in the distance. He began to move toward her, watching the wild creatures warily. Immediately the chuffing turned to warning growls. He froze, trying to peer through the heavy fall of snow. The wind blasted through the canyon, and he saw her crouched over something on the ground.
“Maia? I didn’t hit it, did I?”
“No, it was injured earlier. I’ll just be a minute. Get back in the Cruiser. The wolves are getting agitated.”
“I’ll stay here and watch your back.”
She hissed her displeasure. Actually hissed. He heard it. “I can’t protect you while I’m working. Get in the car and wait for me.” It was a definite order.
The wind blew a blanket of snow between them again, and when it lifted, he could see the darker shapes slinking around them. He stayed where he was, afraid of disturbing the precarious balance Maia seemed to have. The next blast of chilling wind revealed her straightening and backing away from the shape on the ground, clutching her bag in her hand. She walked quickly toward the Cruiser as the wolf jumped to its feet, shook itself, and hurried off.
The moment he slid in beside her, her gaze went to the gun in his hand. “Good grief. I thought you couldn’t carry a gun once you’d been in jail.”
“Ranchers need guns.” He shoved it back into his leg holster and glared at her. “The next time you decide to take a stroll with a bunch of wolves in a blizzard, let me know ahead of time.” He wanted to shake her although she was already shivering uncontrollably and covered in white and that instantly made him feel protective of her.
“I’ll do that.” She didn’t sound as tough as she would have liked with her teeth chattering. “Is that heater putting out any heat?”
“Yes, you should warm up again in a minute.” He was cautious as he began maneuvering along the road, alert for any more animals. “Are you going to explain what just happened?”
Maia pushed the alarming warnings out of her mind and shook her head. “I don’t think there is an explanation. Do you want to tell me how you get away with carrying a gun?”
“I hide it.”
“I’m not buying that. You wouldn’t risk losing Jase over it. You’re not even on parole are you? Is all the gossip untrue? Have you ever been in prison?”
He sighed. “Maia, I have a job. I’m good at what I do, and I’m good because I don’t answer questions. Most people I just tell to go to hell, or look at them and they shut up. Why don’t you believe what everyone else wants to believe and make it easy on me?”
She leaned back against the seat, for the first time relaxing. “Because it’s all made up, and I prefer to hear the real story. What kind of job do you have?”
Exasperated, he glared at her. “It isn’t going to happen.”
She thought it was progress that he didn’t tell her to go to hell.
chapter
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