Except for a couple of cars parked outside the town hall, the lot was empty, and it appeared the wolf biologist speaking here tonight wouldn’t have much of an audience to lecture to.

The Oregon air surrounding him felt damp and cool, not like the drier, much sunnier weather Leidolf Wildhaven had left behind in Colorado. He kept telling himself he’d get used to it. Old-time brass lanterns cast a golden glow over the sidewalk. A steady breeze stirred the spring leaves of the massive white oaks that lined the brick walk leading to the two-story building. An antiquated clock chimed seven times in the center of the tower on top, announcing to everyone in the listening area that the time had arrived for the lecture to begin.

He let out his breath and headed for the building.

Anything to do with wolves concerned him, and even though the “doctor” couldn’t say anything that he didn’t already know, he wanted to see how others reacted to her talk concerning them. At this rate, it looked as though no one was going to show.

He took two steps at a time up the brick stairs and strode into the building, his gaze focusing on the empty chairs and the speakerless podium. Dressed in a gray suit, Millie Meekle, the woman in charge of tourism and special events in the area, wrung her hands nearby and shook her head, her stiff, glued-together silver hair not moving a fraction out of place.

“Oh, Mr. Wildhaven, this is a disaster. Dr. Roux had a flat tire at the place she’s staying, and my husband dropped me off here, so I haven’t any vehicle to go get her.” She waved at the empty seats. “And no one has even shown up yet.”

“Where’s she staying?”

Several men sauntered into the town hall, their boots tromping on the wooden floor, their expressions annoyed.

“Where’s the doc?” one of the men asked gruffly.

Millie quickly spoke up. “She’s stuck at the Cranberry Top Bed and Breakfast. Mr. Wildhaven’s kind enough to offer to get her. She’s staying in the Blue Room, first door on the left down the hall from the entryway,” she directed Leidolf.

The man snorted. “We don’t need no damned wolf biologist telling us how we should reintroduce wolves into the wild out here.”

“Now, Mr. Hollis,” Millie said.

“Don’t ‘Now, Mr. Hollis’ me, Millie. You know I raise sheep, and if any damn wolf slinks onto my land, I’ll kill him dead. That’s what I’ll do.”

“I’ll go get her,” Leidolf said. He stalked out of the building with its oppressive heat and back into the cool out-of-doors. He hadn’t figured any of the livestock owners would bother to come to the meeting, but after seeing the burly men, he was afraid the professor was bound for trouble.

Climbing into his Humvee, he assumed the woman probably wouldn’t get a whole lot of lecturing done but instead would be faced with a barrage of condemning remarks. He still couldn’t figure out why in the world she’d come here instead of lecturing to a more intellectual crowd in the city of Portland, two hours away.

Putting the vehicle in drive, he headed to the Cranberry Top, a quaint little red-roofed home with white siding and a white picket fence. Like many of the homes in the area, the place had been turned into a bed-and-breakfast inn because it was situated on a creek perfect for fishing and picturesque Mount Hood could be seen way off in the distance. Great for a Portland getaway.

When Leidolf arrived at the inn, he saw the vehicle in question, a green pickup with California plates that was tilting to one side. Women. Probably didn’t know how to change a tire or call for someone to come and fix a flat.

He’d barely opened the door to his Humvee when a woman hurried out, red hair in curls down to her shoulders and bouncing with her every step, eyes sea green and wide and hopeful, brow furrowed as she clutched a leather satchel tightly against her chest and headed straight for him. Dr. Roux? At least he presumed that’s who she was, only he’d expected someone a lot less leggy and less stunning to look at.

What he’d figured he’d see was a gray-haired older woman, her hair swept back in a bun, with oval goldrimmed glasses perched on her nose. Instead, this woman looked to be in her midtwenties and in terrific form, with shapely legs and a body to match. He envisioned her hiking through woods on wilderness treks to observe wolves, dispelling the notion that she was strictly a classroom lecturer.

“Dr. Roux?” he asked, feeling more like a knight in shining armor now.

She didn’t smile but looked worried as hell as she chewed a glossy lip and then gave a stiff nod. “Did Millie send you for me?” She didn’t wait for him to answer and motioned to the truck. “I changed the tire already.”

He frowned and glanced back at the flat tire.

“Someone was nice enough to ruin the spare also when I ran inside to clean up,” she added, her tone peeved. “It was too late to have the spare fixed before the meeting.”

Irritated that any of the townspeople would treat her that way, he bit back a curse. Yet he couldn’t help being surprised for a second time. First, by her appearance. Now, by how capable the little woman was.

He motioned to his Humvee. “I’m Leidolf Wildhaven, rancher south of town. I’ll take you to the meeting and have one of my men fix the tires while you’re lecturing.”

“A rancher,” she said softly, her voice slightly condemning.

He cast her a smidgeon of a smile. “Yeah, but cougars are the only animals that bother me of late. Wolves? They’re my kind of animal. Protective, loyal—you know, like a dog, man’s best friend.”

“They’re wild, Mr.—”

“I’d prefer you call me Leidolf.”

“I’m Cassie. Never met a rancher before who liked wolves.” She sounded as though she didn’t believe he would care for wolves. Maybe even worried that he might cause her trouble when she lectured.

She climbed into his vehicle, took a deep breath, and her eyes widened again. He swore if he hadn’t blocked her in as he held the door ready to shut it for her, she would have escaped. He heard her slight intake of breath and her heartbeat accelerate. Her gaze swiftly swept over him as if he was suddenly someone of more importance.

She swallowed hard and smoothed her skirt over her lap, drawing his eye, and then she pulled away from him as much as possible. She took another deep breath and met his gaze. “Wolves are wild and unpredictable. But you’re right. They’re also protective and loyal. Thanks for coming to get me.”

He smiled in response, appreciating that she was a wolf advocate yet understood wolves well enough to realize how dangerous they could be, and felt a slight connection to her right away. Before he could shut her door, she quickly added, “You… are taking me to the town hall, right?”

“Yeah. Millie Meekle said you needed a lift.”

Cassie still looked a little alarmed when Leidolf climbed into the vehicle, and he supposed he could understand her wariness. Millie should have called to let Cassie know he was coming to get her.

“I never figured I’d have trouble out here.” She snapped her seat belt in place and pressed herself against the passenger door, almost as if she was attempting to keep as far away from him as she could.

For someone who studied wolves, she seemed a tad skittish. Which made him wonder if she’d had trouble with men before. Instantly, that thought gnawed at him, no matter that he’d just met her.

Leidolf glanced at her as he drove back to the meeting place. “Why not lecture in Portland? You’d have had much more of a draw.”

A long silence filled the air.

 “People need to be educated in places like this,” she finally said.

Leidolf didn’t respond, but he was already bothered by where this was leading. And he had a sneaking suspicion it was the very reason she had come here.

She looked out the window and didn’t say anything further.

He cleared his throat. “Why in places like this?”

A prolonged silence filled the space between them, elevating his concern.

Turning her head in his direction, she gave him a sad kind of smile. “Because unless the wolf is in the Oregon Zoo, the people of Portland are unlikely to see any wolves running around their fair city.”

“Out here?”

He felt her observing him while he concentrated on the road. Like she studied wolves? Wouldn’t she be surprised to learn he was one also, whenever he had the urge to shift.

“They might be out here, some day.”

“You don’t seem the type who wastes time talking about future events. Have you seen a wolf in this area?” he asked, very much to the point. He had to know. Had she seen one of his pack members running in his or her fur coat in the woods around here?

She looked back out the window.

Hell. “Cassie, have you seen a wolf in these parts?”

“They’ve been spotted in several different locations all over Oregon. People everywhere need to be educated. That’s what I do,” she said evasively.

Concerned about what she’d observed, Leidolf pulled into a parking space at the town hall. Several vehicles now filled the lot. He hoped that most of the good citizens of the area would behave themselves. And if she’d seen what he suspected she had, he hoped the hell she didn’t mention it in the lecture. He suspected that she was worried he might want the wolf eliminated if she told him she’d actually witnessed it—because he was a rancher, despite saying he liked wolves.

Before he could climb out of his Humvee to get her door, she hopped out, thanked him, and hurried up the brick walk. “Sorry,” she said, in a rush to get to the front door. “I’m fifteen minutes late.”

He thought she hurried to stay away from him for some other reason. He couldn’t fathom what that reason was. He had brought her here safe and sound and would have one of his men fix her tires. So why would she fear him? The fact he was a rancher? Or maybe she was so used to being around wolves—the real kind—that she wasn’t equipped to deal with the wolfish human kind. On the other hand, maybe he was making something out of nothing. Maybe she was just anxious because of being late to her own speaking engagement. That was all.

He stalked after her and opened the door before she reached it. “It looks like most everyone just arrived, so I’d say you were right on time.”

She gave him a tight smile, but the attempt at a friendly response didn’t reach her eyes. She hurried inside, her heels clicking on the wooden floor, and the conversation died to absolute silence. Leidolf took a seat in back where he could observe everyone. As attractive as the woman was, he’d have preferred watching her, the way she slid her hands gently over her notes, the way her full, glossy lips parted as she spoke, the sweet tone of her voice, even when she was worried about being late or annoyed that someone had ruined her tires.

He forced his gaze from her and glanced at several kids, who appeared to be high-school students, seated to one side of the room with pens and notepads in hand. Probably would receive some kind of special credit for coming here tonight. Even a couple of twin girls from his pack were in the audience, although pack members home schooled their own. Their father must have made them come. Alice and Sarah glanced back at Leidolf and smiled. He bowed his head in acknowledgment.

On the other side of the hall, he recognized most of the men, ranchers all of them. One man raised pygmy goats; six others, cattle like him; and the sheepherder. The man who really caught his attention was a blond who also garnered Cassie’s. Her eyes widened, and she fussed over her notes, but she looked back at him as he grinned broadly. Someone she definitely knew but apparently wasn’t overly happy to see. She didn’t seem to be from the area. In fact, her bio said she was from California, and Leidolf didn’t remember seeing either of them here before. So had the man followed her here?

Leidolf studied the man again. Tall, thin, wearing hiking boots, jeans, and a camouflage jacket. He looked like a hunter. Leidolf already didn’t like him.

Pulling his cell phone out, Leidolf texted his second in-command, Elgin, telling him which vehicle to have repaired, what needed to be accomplished, and to take his time in getting it done. And then Leidolf sat back to listen to the little lady’s speech. After she finished her talk, he meant to speak to her again and learn the truth.

What kind of wolf had she seen, and where?

***

Cassie couldn’t believe all of her rotten, bad luck.

First, the idiot or idiots had to ruin not one, but two of her tires. Then the absolute hunk who comes to rescue her was one of her kind. How could she get so lucky? And to top all that off? Fellow wolf biologist Alex Wellington had to track her down again. What was his problem? What part of I work alone did he not get? Not that he wasn’t cute or good at his job, but sometimes she liked to shift while she was working, and she sure as hell didn’t want him studying her as one of his wolf projects.

(c) Terry Spear, 2009