by Pamela Clare
Grandpa beamed, his gaze meeting Jason’s. “I can remember people makin’ a fuss like this when Chaska and Winona were born. They grew up there—on the rez. The years pass so fast—like wind over the grass.”
A pretty woman with tattoos of skulls and roses on her arms rested her hand on Grandpa Belcourt’s shoulder. “Congratulations, Grandfather. You must be so happy.”
Grandpa Belcourt chuckled. “I’ve been waitin’ for my grandchildren to settle down for a long time.”
The woman turned to Jason. “I’m Rain Moffat, co-owner and general manager. If there’s anything you need, let me know.”
“Jason Chiago. I’m here with McBride.”
“We came to cash in our coupons for free meals.” McBride waved his around, a grin on his face.
“Right on. Do you know what you’d like to order?” Rain took their drink and dinner orders, and, finally, there was a moment of relative quiet.
Winona leaned across the table. “The first time Chaska brought me here, I was completely overwhelmed. I didn’t know anyone. I’d never seen a climbing wall. Everything was so new.”
Jason could understand that. “Why did you leave Pine Ridge?”
“Chaska left to study engineering at CU and fell in love with climbing. I missed him—we’d never been apart before—and I wanted to study to become a vet. CSU in Fort Collins has a great veterinary medicine program, so I followed him here.”
“Don’t you miss being home with other Lakota?” Jason had seen how respectful she was toward her grandfather and other living creatures. It made no sense that she could turn her back on the reservation.
“Sure, but Scarlet Springs is home, too. We visit Pine Ridge when we can, and Grandpa spends part of the year here with us.”
“My place doesn’t have the air conditioning,” Grandpa explained. “I like the air conditioning.”
Jason understood that.
A shadow fell across the table.
McBride got to his feet. “Hey, Jack, good to see you, man.”
“How have you been? It’s been a while.” A tall man with gray hair and sun-browned skin shook McBride’s hand.
“Is the rest of the family here?”
“It’s just me and Janet tonight. My wife had a craving for Vicki’s pizza.” The man—Jack—turned to Winona. “I’m happy to run into you, Winona. Can I have a moment of your time?”
Winona looked surprised. “Of course.”
She stood and followed Jack.
“What does Jack West want with Winona?” Megs asked.
McBride leaned closer, filled in the blanks for Jason. “Jack West is one of the wealthiest men in the state. He’s also about as honorable and generous a person as you could hope to meet—and a good friend. He and his family have been running cattle and breeding quarter horses for generations. He hosts the best barbeques.”
Then Winona was back. “Jason, can you come with me? We need your help.”
Chapter 5
Winona listened while Jack explained the situation to Jason, the three of them standing outside Knockers, the cold wind making her wish she’d worn her jacket.
“My son and I run black Angus on our ranch north of town. I’ve lost a few prime steers, and it looks like wolves could be to blame. The strange part is that we haven’t had wolves in Colorado for about eighty years.”
Winona couldn’t deny that the idea of wild wolves in the state excited her. “There have been confirmed sightings of lone wolves who’ve wandered down from Wyoming, but they never stayed. If wolves have settled in the mountains north of Scarlet, that’s going to be big news.”
Jason raised an eyebrow. “You want me to confirm that it’s wolves?”
Jack shook his head. “Based on the size of the tracks, I’m pretty sure it’s wolves. I want to know whether we’re talking about a pack or a lone wolf passing through. I was hoping Chaska could help me, but he’s doing more important things right now. Winona tells me you’re one of the best trackers in the country.”
Jason crossed his arms over his chest. “What do you plan to do if we find wolves on your land? Are you going to eradicate them?”
“God, no!” Jack looked appalled at the thought. “You’ve got my word on that. If it’s wolves, I need to change how we’re managing the herd—put a couple of ostriches in the pasture or something.”
“Ostriches?”
The look on Jason’s face almost made Winona laugh.
Jack grinned. “Ostriches make effective guard animals—llamas, too.”
“I’ve told Jack that I’m happy to help.” Winona owed Jack a favor, but she would have helped no matter what. “I’ll ask Dr. Keene to cover for me at the clinic. I can examine whatever remains are left and see if the scene looks like the site of a wolf kill, but I can’t track.”
Jason considered it for a moment. “I’m in. I need to get McBride home. He and I drove here together in my truck. I’ll spend the night at his place and pick Winona up from her house early tomorrow morning.”
“I’ll meet you at the gate to the ranch at ten. Is that too early?” Jack asked.
Winona met Jason’s gaze. “Does that work for you?”
“Yeah. No problem.”
“I’m much obliged to both of you. Lunch will be on us.” Jack’s brow furrowed. “We don’t want this reaching the media, so it’s best to keep it quiet. That’s why I dragged you out here in the cold. Word travels fast in Scarlet.”
Winona knew he was right. Wolves had been eradicated in Colorado in the 1940s, and people had strong feelings about their return to the state. Many supported it for environmental reasons, while others were vehemently opposed and believed they should all be hunted. If the media got wind of a pack of wolves north of Scarlet…
“We’ll keep it to ourselves.”
“I’d best get back to my family, and you need to get inside before you freeze.” Jack opened the door, held it for them. “See you tomorrow morning.”
Winona walked back to the Team table, one thought chasing another through her mind. If wolves truly were returning to Colorado on their own, there would be no need to fight legal battles to reintroduce them. It would improve the health of the entire mountain ecosystem. Ranchers wouldn’t be happy, but the state would reimburse them for lost livestock like it already did.
Jason walked beside her. “You’re excited. I can see it on your face.”
She was excited. “I love wolves.”
“We get Mexican gray wolves moving through TO land once in a while.”
“Have you ever seen one?”
“Only from a distance. Sadly, my job doesn’t involve tracking four-legged creatures, just the two-legged, criminal kind.”
They ended the conversation before reaching the table.
“You going to tell us what that was about?” Megs asked.
“I’ll tell you when I’m sure what’s happening.” Winona took her seat, tapped out a text message to Dr. Keene, the local vet.
Megs’ eyes narrowed. “My imagination will run wild.”
Their drinks were waiting for them—Winona’s Blackberry Izze, Grandpa’s root beer float, Jason’s brew.
“What’d you get?” Zach asked him.
“Smoke and Fire IPA.” Jason took a sip. His eyebrows shot up. “Damn.”
Zach raised his glass. “Told you.”
Their food came a few minutes later, the conversation at the table ranging from the new gear the Team hoped to buy to predictions for the first snowfall to Sasha’s upcoming photoshoot for Rock & Ice Magazine.
Then Sasha, who’d clearly had one too many margaritas, turned her attention to Jason. “What do you track as a Shadow Wolf?”
Jason seemed amused. “Bad guys.”
“What kind of bad guys?”
“The kind that wouldn’t hesitate to kill every single one of us just to make a buck—drug smugglers and human traffickers, mostly.”
That seemed to sober Sasha up. “Oh. Wow.”
Zach tossed back the last of
his beer. “I met Chiago when I was still working the line. Our paths didn’t cross often, but when they did, I knew he had my back.”
“Back at you, man.”
Winona found it hard to keep her gaze off Jason. He was everything she’d been raised to admire in a man—courageous, respectful of his elders, willing to take responsibility. He was what Grandpa would call a true warrior. Even when he was relaxed, there was an air of danger about him. If that wasn’t enough, he was so good-looking that she found herself wondering about things she shouldn’t.
Things like how it would feel to kiss him. And what he’d look like without that T-shirt. And what it would be like to have sex with him.
Stop torturing yourself! He’s taken, remember?
Yes, she remembered.
And tomorrow, she was spending all day with him.
Winona was just drying off after her shower when Jason knocked at her front door. Damn. “Coming!”
She slipped into her bathrobe and hurried on bare feet to answer, her hair hanging uncombed and wet. “Sorry. I forgot to set my alarm. I’ll get dressed.”
“No worries. I’m early. We’ve got plenty of time.” He stepped into her living room, faded jeans riding low on his hips, a fleece-lined denim jacket covering a gray T-shirt, black boots on his feet. His gaze slid over her.
Great.
He probably thought she looked like a half-drowned cat.
“Make yourself comfortable. There’s coffee in the kitchen if you’d like some.”
“Thanks.”
Winona hurried into her bedroom, dressed in layers—jeans, a warm silk jersey camisole, her purple long-sleeved T-shirt with the yellow feather on the front, and warm socks. Then she combed the tangles out of her wet hair, squeezed the moisture out of it with a towel, and left it loose to air dry.
She found Jason sitting on her sofa with a cup of coffee in his hands. “Have you had breakfast?”
“Yeah, thanks. I’m good.” Jason wasn’t much taller than Chaska, but he dominated the space, the coffee mug seeming small in his hands.
She stuffed things she might need into her backpack—a water bottle, gloves, a hat, a notepad, and pen—and laced into her hiking boots. “The local vet is covering the clinic later today, but I need to do morning rounds.”
She let Jason feed the eagle, his fascination making her smile.
He sucked in a breath when the big bird flew down, talons out, to dig into its meal. “Look at that.”
The morning was cold and crisp as they walked to Jason’s truck, the air fresh with the scent of pine and golden aspens.
Winona had to hurry to keep up with his long stride. “I texted Jack for directions to the Cimarron last night.”
Jason touched a button on his keychain fob, starting the truck’s engine. “It’s already programmed into my GPS. McBride gave me the address. He has nothing but praise for Jack West and his family.”
Neither did Winona. “When the fire hit, most people were at work and couldn’t make it home to evacuate their livestock. Jack and Nate showed up with trailers and rescued other people’s horses. No one asked them to do it. No one paid them. They just showed up. They helped me evacuate the clinic, too.”
“They sound like good people.” Jason opened her door, then walked around to the driver’s side and climbed in.
They headed toward the Peak to Peak Highway.
Winona stowed her backpack by her feet. “Naomi was so happy to see the photos of the cabins. Thanks again for all you did to see that through.”
“I was glad to help.” Jason turned up the heater.
“I got to hold little Shota again.” Winona had kissed his toes and held his tiny fingers. “I had no idea how much I would adore him.”
Jason smiled. “What does his name mean?”
“It’s the Lakota word for ‘smoke.’ It’s an old-fashioned boy’s name. But, really, they named him after my wolf.”
Jason stared at her as if he hadn’t heard her correctly. “Your … wolf?”
She laughed. “Yeah. What? Doesn’t everyone have a wolf?”
He chuckled, the sound warm. “I don’t even have a dog—well, unless you count that stray that comes around sometimes.”
She told Jason how Shota and his two littermates had been rescued from a smuggler by a game warden and how she’d managed to save only Shota. “I got a special permit and built an enclosure for him. We became a pack—me, Shota, and Chaska. We brought him inside, played with him, took him for long hikes.”
“You went hiking with a wolf?” The disbelief on his face made her laugh.
“That’s how Chaska met Naomi.” Winona told him how Naomi had been taken captive by a couple of fugitives while camping in the mountains west of Scarlet. “She escaped, but they shot her in the arm. She fell into a ravine trying to hide from them and broke her tibia. She lay there all night alone in the rain. Shota found her the next morning and saved her life. That’s how she and Chaska met. He helped Zach track them.”
“Did they catch the bastards?”
“One died in a shootout. They caught the other one a short time later.”
“Good.” He glanced over at her. “I understand your nephew’s name now. That’s a good name. But where’s Shota, the wolf?”
Winona had known he would ask. “During the fire, I had to evacuate him to the Forest County Fairgrounds. I sedated him, but it just wasn’t safe for him there—so many people, so many other animals. I found a wolf sanctuary that would take him for as long as he needed a safe home. I dropped him off there.”
Her throat went tight, tears blurring her vision, an ache in the part of her heart that belonged only to Shota. “When I went to get him, I saw that he had bonded with a female—a beautiful white wolf named Aput. He had a much larger enclosure and a new pack. I couldn’t take that from him, so I … I left him there. I let him go.”
She blinked her tears away, hoping Jason hadn’t noticed.
He took her hand, squeezed, his fingers warm. “That must have been hard.”
“It was best for him, but I miss him.” She willed herself to smile. “I visit when I can. He’s always excited to see me.”
“I bet he is. You saved his life and raised him. You’re his mother. Now I know why you love wolves.”
Winona was touched that Jason seemed to understand.
For a time, they drove in silence.
Jason glanced down at the GPS screen. “McBride tells me that if Jack offers us his chili or a steak, we can’t say no. He says the Cimarron is like nothing I’ve ever seen.”
Winona couldn’t deny that she was curious. “I’ve never been there, but from the stories I’ve heard, Zach is right.”
Jason fought to keep his eyes on the road. “McBride wasn’t kidding.”
“Holy smokes!”
The Cimarron sat in an open valley surrounded by white-capped peaks, the mountainsides gold with aspen. Nestled in the middle of the valley was perhaps the largest family home Jason had ever seen. Constructed of stone and logs, it had a steep, multi-gabled roof, high cathedral windows, and a portico driveway accented by a colonnade of polished logs.
“It looks like a Swiss chalet that grew up, married rich, and became a mansion.” There was a note of awe in Winona’s voice.
Jason laughed. “Good description.”
“Can you imagine living here?”
“Hell, no. For most of my childhood, our house didn’t have plumbing or electricity.”
Off to one side stood several large outbuildings, including horse barns, a bunkhouse, an enormous riding hall, and several corrals.
Jason followed Jack’s pickup around to the back and parked. “Check that out—a five-car garage.”
Jason climbed out and met Winona at the back of his truck.
Jack walked up to them, hand out. “Welcome to the Cimarron. I’m grateful to both of you for coming up today. What do you say we head inside so you can refresh yourselves after the drive? Then we can talk.”
“Make yourselves comfortable. We’ve got coffee and fresh-baked cinnamon rolls if that tempts you.” He pointed to a large pot. “I’ve got my world-famous chili heating up for lunch.”
Winona glanced over at Jason. “We’ve heard about your chili.”
Jack grinned. “It wouldn’t be world-famous if you hadn’t, now would it?”
Winona sat at the table. “I’d love some coffee and a cinnamon roll. Thank you.”
“Milk or sugar?” Jack asked.
“Milk, please.”
Jason took the seat across from her. “Just coffee for me, thanks—black.”
From upstairs, came the happy sound of children’s laughter.
“Where’s Emily?” Winona filled Jason in. “She’s Jack’s oldest grandchild.”
“She’s at school—second grade now.” Jack handed Winona her coffee first, then poured Jason’s. “My wife, Janet, would love to meet you both, but at the moment, she has her hands full with our grandson and daughter, both in their terrific twos. My daughter-in-law Megan is in court this morning with a client. I’ll tell you what—I never thought I’d welcome a child and a grandchild three weeks apart.”
While they drank their coffee and Winona savored her cinnamon roll, Jack gave them the whole story. “Six weeks ago, we lost a steer. Nate found only its skull, the bones picked almost clean. Other than blood in the grass and a few wolf tracks, there was nothing else—no bones, no hide. Nada.”
“Would a wolf take down something as large as a steer?” Jason had no idea.
Winona dabbed her lips with a napkin. “Yes, but wolves typically stick with wild game and only go for livestock if other prey isn’t around.”
“A month ago, it happened again. No remains apart from the head. There were lots of canine tracks in the area, including a couple of prints the size of my hand.” He held up a callused hand, fingers splayed. “It sure looked like a wolf to me.”
