“Hey, what you doing?” All the signs were there for her to read—classic nonaggressive behavior, curiosity more than anything. Pam smiled. “Come on, don’t be afraid.”
Even though the beast didn’t act hostile, once its full head popped through the doorway, Pam swore.
“Holy shit, no one told me they kept wolves as pets here. Good…wolfie. Stay.”
The silver-grey creature had made it into the room and obediently sat at her command. Pam blew out a slow breath of air. Thank God for well-trained animals. She came around the couch cautiously to examine the wolf. It seemed to be staring back just as intently, panting softly, its tongue lolling to one side. She held out a hand and allowed herself to be sniffed.
“So, I’ve got a buddy for tonight. You tired of dancing as well? Going to hang with me for a girl’s night out?”
The wolf snorted, a gust of air rushing past her hand. Pam touched the animal’s muzzle gently, brushing the coarse fur, rubbing its ears.
“There you go. It’s okay. I’m not going to hurt you.” What a beautiful creature. She wasn’t sure what other lineage had been crossbred with the wolf, but the mix was stunning. Its fur was soft—softer than the German Shepherds she was used to working with. Pam unconsciously examined the beast like she would any of her partners. Whoever owned this animal took excellent care of it. She passed a hand along its belly and laughed when he jerked back.
“Oops, not a girl. Sorry about that. Still, I’d be glad for you to stick around if you don’t have any big plans for the night.”
She rose and the wolf stepped beside her heels. Very well trained, and to be honest, just the kind of company she needed after the strange ending to her evening. Pam curled up in the corner of the couch. The wolf laid its chin on her knee and stared at her with a completely lovelorn expression. She rubbed his head again. She loved how completely honest and simple an animal’s affection was. You could trust them to act according to normal patterns.
She missed her partner, but it had been time to let him retire.
“You like comedy or action movies better, wolfie? Come on, hop up. Maybe you’re not allowed on the couch usually, but tonight is a special deal.” She patted the seat beside her and suddenly there was a large furry rug draping itself over her legs. She scratched his neck, checking for a collar and a dog tag. “I don’t understand why the heck people don’t collar their pets. What am I going to call you?”
A long wet tongue smeared its way up the side of her cheek and she laughed out loud.
“Cool it, I don’t need a bath.” She grabbed him by the scruff of the neck and maneuvered him into a less accessible position. It might be a way of showing affection, but canine slobber wasn’t her favourite. She clicked the TV back on and tried to get into the show.
It was impossible. The edginess that had started earlier in the day still rode her hard. Damn TJ for getting her motor running then abandoning her. She tangled her fingers in the wolf’s fur and tried to relax. The lingering heat of the day and the rest of the day’s excitement finally got to her. Plus the warmth radiating from the wolf as he lay nestled alongside her. There was something comforting about having an animal around. She missed her partner. When she caught herself yawning for the third time in rapid succession she gave up, clicked off the screen and stretched lazily.
“Okay, wolfie. Time for you to head home.” She rose to push open the kitchen door only to see the animal’s rump disappear up the stairs. “Hey, where do you think you’re going?”
When she found him curled up on her bed, she laughed. “Bet you’re a bed hog. Fine, as long as you don’t snore, you can stay.”
She stripped off the sweats she’d changed into after abandoning the party before pulling on an oversized T-shirt. One hard shove moved him over enough she could crawl under the quilt. He didn’t do any of the usual canine things to settle down, just stuck his nose by her ear and licked her once before plopping on his belly close to her side. She chuckled and draped an arm over him.
Sometime during the night when she rolled over, he was gone. How poetic, she’d been dumped by another male. She sighed and slipped back into her dreams.
Chapter Four
Glorious blue sky greeted them for the first day of the tour. With the weather cooperating, Pam checked out the other hikers with a wary eye. This was the biggest concern she’d had with Maggie’s suggestion she take part in an organized expedition—you never knew who your companions would be, and at times too many people made for trouble.
Keil called for everyone’s attention before pointing at the stack of supplies piled on the picnic table.