Hunter's Moon

by Angela Colsin

  “Hey,” Joslyn called in greeting as the men approached.

  “Hey yourself,” Conner returned, motioning to his wife's friend. “So, either this is Emily, or you're being robbed by a really inept thief.”

  Joslyn laughed, retorting, “This clown? I've never seen her before in my life!”

  “Oh hardy har,” Emily shot back, turning to properly introduce herself—and Joslyn immediately took the chance to rush up the steps and into the house.

  “I win!” she announced victoriously from inside.

  Conner seemed confused. “She wins?”

  “No, she's just being stubborn and thinks I can't move a couple boxes of clothes cause I drove so far today.”

  “But you're so tiny, shrimp!” Joslyn called.

  “I don't wanna hear it, string bean!”

  Clearing her throat, Emily finally held out her hand to Conner, then Cade, stating, “I'm Emily Sterling, and I'm sorry for what you have to put up with, Conner.”

  Conner grinned, motioning to his brother as he asked deviously, “Do you mean Joslyn or Cade specifically.”

  Joslyn announced from the steps, “She means Cade if she knows what's good for her.”

  Emily shook her head, refraining from commenting as Joslyn rejoined them and asked, “So what are you two doing here? And who's SUV is that?”

  “We're test driving it for Ashley,” Cade started, “and Conner thought we should come by and let you take a look.”

  “Okay, who's Ashley again?” Emily inquired. The name sounded familiar, but she couldn't quite place it.

  Cade explained, “My wife, who's nine months pregnant and waiting at Conner's garage where she's in a committed relationship with the toilet.”

  Finally, Emily recalled her identity, laughing at his description. “I bet she is! Oh, and congrats on the impending fatherhood!” With that said, she admitted, “It's nice to finally meet everyone, too, especially Conner.”

  “Why me?”

  Emily shrugged. “It's just good to know who Joslyn's gushing was about.”

  “I did not gush!”

  “Oh really? Who does this sound like?” Mocking Joslyn's voice, she started, “Emily, he's so sweet. Emily, you won't believe what he did for my birthday.”

  “Shaddap with that!” Joslyn retorted, laughing despite the reprimand.

  “It's okay, I know she worships the ground I walk on,” Conner remarked with a wink in his wife's direction.

  “Oh, we'll see who worships what.”

  “Looking forward to it.” He grinned, then asked Emily, “So when did you get in?”

  “Just now, with no real thanks to my car.”

  “Why? Is something wrong with it?”

  Joslyn qualified what they thought the problem was, and asked, “Maybe you could take a look?”

  “Sure, but we need to get back to Ashley first. So would you mind waiting, Emily? Or you could just come with us.”

  “Yeah, you could go meet Ashley! Caleb, too,” Joslyn pointed out.

  This time, Emily didn't have to think about the name to figure out who Caleb was—Conner had an older, identical twin. Though, seeing these two brothers in person, and knowing Caleb looked exactly like Conner, she had to wonder if their entire family was just made up of hotties. Hodgins? More like hot-gents.

  “Sure, I'd love to go,” she agreed. “Just let me dump the rest of my stuff out. It's not much.”

  “Nope!” Joslyn interjected, grabbing her upper arms to stop her from darting off toward her car. Then she addressed Cade and Conner, “Would you guys get the rest of the boxes outta her backseat?”

  “Sure thing,” Conner agreed.

  Emily groaned, thinking as they pulled her stuff out I'll just conveniently forget to mention the luggage in my trunk.

  “Oh, and check the trunk, wouldya?” Joslyn called.

  “I hate you,” Emily muttered playfully.

  “What are best friend's for, right?”

  “Apparently nothing but irritation.”

  “Bitch! You love me!”

  “Yes, but only because you're my soul bitch.”

  “Soul bitches for life!”

  The two were already laughing again, and as Joslyn released her after Cade grabbed the last of her things, Emily couldn't help thinking life in Arkin City was going to be great.

  It was just a matter of getting started.

  Chapter 2

  Canine whimpering could be heard the moment Caleb turned off his motorcycle.

  Removing his helmet, he stood and opened his bike's storage compartment to grab a brown paper bag containing his lunch while listening carefully. The sound was definitely coming from a young dog, probably a puppy, letting a series of weak whines too distant for any of the humans working in his auto garage to hear.

  But Caleb had no trouble picking it up, looking toward the northeast side of the lot at a gated fence separating Hodgins' Auto Garage from a large, forested hill he knew like the back of his hand. Not only had he combed those trees as a human and a wolf on several occasions, his home was located at the top of the hill to the north of the garage.

  And the whining was coming from that direction.

  “Hey, Caleb, back from getting lunch?”

  The question came from the waiting room door by the office, and Caleb looked back just in time to see his heavily pregnant sister-in-law, Ashley, stepping outside.

  “Yeah,” he answered, then waved a curious hand at her. “What are you doing here?”

  “I'm waiting on Cade to get back from a test drive with Conner. I would've ridden along but,” she ran a hand over her swollen belly and grinned sheepishly, “I've been going to the bathroom a lot.”

  Caleb grinned, suggesting, “So you got here and wanted to stick somewhere with a toilet, huh?”

  “Right,” she chuckled, walking toward him, or well, waddling anyway.

  Caleb had no idea how women handled it, but he certainly respected their fortitude, helping Ashley to sit sideways on his motorcycle without hesitation.

  In the process, she mentioned, “They should be back any minute. But uh … is it just me, or do you hear whining coming from the woods?”

  Her voice had gotten softer to keep the other mechanics from overhearing, and Caleb nodded. “Yeah, I was just about to check it out, actually. Hold onto this for me?”

  “Sure,” Ashley answered, taking his bag. “What is it?”

  “Nachos.”

  Hearing this, she gave a mischievous smirk. “You think they'll be here when you get back?”

  “Why? Haven't had lunch yet?”

  “Nope, and I'm starving.”

  “Well, in that case, I guess I'll be licking the cheese off the container.”

  Ashley laughed as he walked away, calling, “I'm just kidding!” and Caleb smirked, reaching the gate only moments later.

  A dirt trail stretched beyond it that wound through the trees, eventually leading to his home at the top of the hill. But the whining had already grown much louder, and as Caleb walked along the trail, he inhaled through his nose, trying to scent a direction.

  Among the aromas of both nature and car exhaust was the distinct scent of a wolf, and he quietly approached a nearby bush to see what he could find.

  Leaning down next to the branches, he lifted them up just in time to hear a bit of scurrying on the other side, followed by a brief streak of white zipping across his line of sight. But the animal didn't go far because it was anchored to a branch by a plastic grocery bag.

  Somehow, this wolf pup, which couldn't have been older than eight weeks, had gotten the bag's handle twisted around its neck, and the bag itself was now snagged on several branches of the bush like a short leash. Yet, because canines were naturally comfortable with lupines, the wild puppy didn't hesitate to come right over to him—or at least get as close as possible before the restraint halted its approach.

  Wasting no time, Caleb reached out to pry the plastic free of the limbs, then scooped the puppy
up from the ground in order to untwist the handle from its neck.

  “How did this happen?” he asked, looking around for signs of an adult nearby, or any potential siblings.

  But as the puppy barked happily and started licking his cheek, Caleb didn't detect a single trace of another wolf in the area. No paw prints, no distant barking, not even a scent to follow.

  Perhaps the mother had been hit by a car crossing the nearby highway, or was shot by someone under the assumption that she was attacking rather than protecting her young. Sadly, such occurrences weren't horribly uncommon, and judging by the way the puppy's ribs and spine jutted against his hand, it'd been on its own for several days at least.

  So Caleb decided to take it back to the garage for water, realizing on the way that the pup was a female, and asked, “You thirsty, girl?”

  Tucked beneath his arm, she squirmed, trying her hardest to lick Caleb's jaw as if saying yes!

  Grinning, he carried her through the gate, and the moment Ashley saw them coming, she stood from his motorcycle with a surprised gasp.

  “Aw, how cute! Is it okay?”

  “Yeah, she was trapped under a bush, and there's no traces of her mom or any siblings around. So I'm thinking they might be dead.”

  “Poor girl,” Ashley drew out as Caleb pulled some change from his pocket for the vending machine next to the office door.

  “What are you doing?” she asked curiously.

  “Getting her some water,” he replied, punching the button. As soon as the bottle hit the dispenser, he grabbed it and called, “Hey Frank, empty that bowl of bolts and bring it over.”

  One of the mechanics looked up from his work, then grabbed the bowl requested.

  As soon as Caleb had it, he placed it on the ground to pour the water in, then set the puppy next to it—and she immediately began to drink.

  Surprised by the wolf's calm behavior, Frank pointed out as he returned to work, “I'm surprised she's not growling atcha. Must be a runaway pet.”

  Caleb saw Ashley shaking her head knowingly—Frank was human, and didn't realize lupines existed, or that wild canines were friendly with them. But they didn't enlighten him, and put their focus on a pale blue SUV pulling into the lot.

  Cade was behind the wheel, and Conner sat in the passenger's seat. When they got closer, he could also see Joslyn in the back with an unfamiliar blonde sitting next to her.

  That's when Caleb recalled that her childhood friend, Emily Sterling, was supposed to be in that day. Must be her. She's … kinda cute actually. Not that he could see her clearly through the tinted windows, and he didn't bother taking a closer look either.

  As far as he knew, Emily Sterling was an uninformed human, and he wasn't at all interested.

  So, as his brothers exited the SUV, he ignored the thoughts to call, “Hey, look what I found.”

  “A wolf pup?” Conner asked as they walked over.

  “Yep. She was trapped in the bushes,” he explained, standing straight to look over Ashley's prospective SUV. “So how did it drive?”

  “It's a good car for the price the owner's asking,” Conner answered. “I think Ashley's found a winner.”

  Ashley beamed at the news, glad to have her brother-in-law's approval.

  “Good, because I'm already in love with it,” she admitted, slipping her arm around Cade's back while returning Caleb's bag of nachos.

  By that time, Joslyn had exited the sedan with her friend. Emily was several inches shorter, with fair skin, wildly curly, pale blonde hair, and a pair of glasses with thick black rims that made it difficult to tell the color of her eyes from a distance.

  But just as he'd glanced at her, an abrupt rip sounded, capturing his complete attention.

  Looking down, Caleb spied the puppy trying to get into the bag of nachos hanging from his hand by tearing the paper open with her tiny teeth.

  “Whoa, that's not dog food,” he chided, turning away from everyone to lean and lift her up so she wouldn't eat something that could make her sick.

  “Aw, where'd the puppy come from?” Joslyn asked.

  Without looking back, Caleb parted his lips to explain. Yet Ashley beat him to it because he was suddenly too distracted to pay attention, and all because of Joslyn's best friend.

  The moment Emily was close enough for her scent to hit his nose through the car exhaust, nachos, and everyone's personal fragrances, it captured his complete attention—and that wasn't a good thing.

  Lupines often knew whether someone would be likable through scent alone, and sometimes they could tell even more than that. But the only person Caleb ever met whose scent caused his thoughts to come to a complete stop wasn't someone he wanted to think of in that moment.

  Fiona Elliot.

  The reminder was like a fist to the gut, and he kept his back to the group, reluctant to turn around and face Joslyn's friend. Since Fiona's death three years prior, he'd run into a handful of humans possessing a scent that mildly piqued his curiosity, but no matter how modest that interest was, anxiety over the possibility of bonding with one again always set in.

  And this time was no different.

  “Caleb?” Joslyn asked.

  Without looking back, he returned, “Huh?”

  “I was trying to introduce you to Emily.”

  “Oh yeah, sorry,” he apologized, and when Emily's scent hit him again, he realized it was laced with citrus—and he liked it even more.

  The thought prompted him to put his full attention on the pup while lying about the source of his distraction. “I was just noticing how bony this girl is. Gonna take her home and give her something to eat. I'll be back in a few minutes, Con.”

  Thankfully, Conner didn't throw up any roadblocks, answering simply, “Right, let me know how she does.”

  Nodding, Caleb headed toward the fence and away from the human standing in the lot, knowing from experience that the longer he was around her, the less his instincts would allow him to let his curiosity go.

  And he truly hoped Emily was long gone by the time he returned.

  “Well, the back of his head seems interesting at least.”

  Joslyn snorted at Emily's assessment of Caleb Hodgins as he disappeared from the lot, qualifying, “He's just oblivious when something's on his mind.”

  Conner chuckled. “You mean like the time he paid for a meal at a drive thru window, got his debit card back, and took off before they gave him the food?”

  “He what?” Emily asked incredulously.

  Grinning, Cade explained, “He said he was thinking too much about a girl he'd met to notice.”

  She snickered, wondering just how awesome this girl must've been to distract him so thoroughly, but didn't pry for information, listening as Cade asked his wife, “So, you ready to go home?”

  “Yeah, I think so. But can we stop for something to eat on the way?”

  “Sure,” he agreed, waving everyone along to his truck parked next to the SUV Ashley was planning to purchase.

  Before they left, Conner made sure to give Joslyn a loving goodbye kiss, and the sight of it made Emily smile. She knew from listening to Joslyn talk about her relationship that they were a devoted couple, and actually seeing it warmed her heart. Her friend certainly deserved such happiness, and after their affectionate embrace, Conner promised to take a look at Emily's car when he got home.

  Emily thanked him, and climbed into Cade's truck with the rest. There, she asked the driver, “Would it be cool if we went with you guys for food? I'm starving, too.”

  “That's fine with me,” Cade answered. “So where we goin', Ash?”

  “Anywhere that serves nachos,” she qualified. “Caleb had some, and now I've got a craving.”

  “Nachos sound awesome,” Joslyn chimed in. “We can go home, eat, and then unpack your stuff, Emily.”

  She was all up for that idea, watching the scenery go by as Cade exited the lot and pulled onto the main road.

  There, Emily caught Ashley's gaze in the rear view
mirror just as the mother-to-be asked, “So you and Joslyn are both from Phoenix, right?”

  “Close, but I'm from Flagstaff,” Emily answered. “Joslyn moved there when we were in kindergarten, and we bonded over finger painting.”

  Ashley grinned. “How long has it been since you saw each other?”

  “About seven years. Her family moved back to Phoenix when I was sixteen, and the day she had to go, we locked ourselves in my bedroom to keep her parents from taking her away.”

  Joslyn snickered at the memory. “Yeah, and after Emily's dad got the keys to her door, I locked myself in her closet.”

  Ashley laughed. “I guess it's hard leaving a good friend behind. So you must've jumped at the chance to move here.”

  “I did,” Emily confirmed. “It was hard leaving my parents, too, and I'll miss them for sure, but when Joslyn told me about the photo studio, and how the apartment next to hers was vacant, I was game for a change of scenery.”

  “That's almost what I did,” Ashley mentioned, “except I moved just to get away.”

  “You're not from Arkin City either?”

  “Nope. I'm from North Carolina, and was on my way to Atlanta when I had a wreck that totaled my car. Then I met Cade, and he let me stay with him until I was back on my feet.” Rubbing her swollen belly, she smiled at her husband and added, “You can kinda guess what happened from there.”

  Emily grinned. “You fell in love, got hitched, and now you're having a baby. When are you due, anyway?”

  “Any day now, but the official due date is Saturday.”

  “Is it a boy or girl?”

  “We decided to keep that secret until it gets here,” Cade answered. “But Ashley's convinced it's a girl.”

  “A mother knows these things,” Ashley remarked confidently.

  Emily snickered. “Got any names picked out?”

  “Some,” Cade returned, “but the list is still too long to make up our minds.”