The Guardian (The Wolfe Series)

by Donna Oltrogge

  “Of course,” Enrique snarled back. “Don’t I always take care of your little problems?”

  Luzaro waved his hand dismissively as he continued on toward the house.

  “You’re doing much better than the last time I saw you, young lady,” Doc Edwards said as he pressed a stethoscope to Laurie’s chest and listened to her heart beat. He’d already checked her for signs of fever and found none. “How’s the pain?”

  The doctor that Jake had insisted upon her seeing was older than Laurie had expected. Doc Edwards may have been old in years but the twinkle she saw in her eyes and the wink he had just bestowed upon her belied his chronological age by at least a decade.

  “It still hurts some, and I can’t walk on it yet,” Laurie confessed, her eyes meeting Jake’s for a moment. Her cheeks turned a becoming shade of pink when she remembered the shower they had taken together. “Jake helps me get up and around.”

  So that’s how it is, eh? The old man smiled inwardly. He had tended to the Wolfe family for many years and had always thought highly of Jake and his brothers, Taggert and Rand. All were upstanding citizens and always ready to lend a hand whenever needed. He’d been called to the ranch on many occasions such as this one where an explanation was not going to be made, nor would he ask. He’d never been the curious sort anyway, and he suspected it was a good thing where the Wolfe brothers and their scrapes were concerned.

  The shadow of fear he saw in the woman’s eyes bothered Doc, although he didn’t think that fear had anything to do with Jake, not with the seductive looks she’d been sending Jake’s way.

  “Anything else troubling you, anything at all?”

  “No, Doc, thanks for taking care of me. It seem I have a lot to thank you and Jake for.”

  “It’s nothing, dear. Those of us here in ranch country tend to take care of each other so don’t worry that pretty little head of yours, okay?” Doc patted Laurie’s hand.

  “Now let’s take a look at that leg, shall we?”

  “How’s our patient, Doc?” Taggert Wolfe asked as the doctor walked into the kitchen where Taggert was sprawled at the kitchen table, his long legs stretched out in front of him and his feet crossed at the ankles.

  “She’s coming along fine,” Doc said and helped himself to a cup of coffee. He took a seat beside Taggert and asked, “I don’t supposed you’d like to tell me how she came to be injured, and by a coyote no less, or what she’s doing here in Jake’s house with you two hovering over her, hmmm?”

  “Can’t tell you much, Doc, other than that we found her in the desert.” Taggert smiled that sheepish grin the doctor knew so well.

  Doc had brought all three of the Wolfe brothers into the world, and could still remember how happy Victoria Wolfe had been that day. He sighed, remembering the boy’s mother. Victoria Wolfe had been totally unaware of her beauty and of the effect she had on all of the men in the area. Her hair had been black as a raven’s wing, hanging nearly to her waist, and her dancing blue eyes could easily draw a man into their sapphire depths. She’d been a beauty and Doc had developed a serious crush on her which hadn’t set well with her overly jealous and possessive husband, Nate. Doc had also buried that same beautiful woman which had been devastating for him as well as for her sons. The only dry eyes at the funeral had been her husband’s. Nate hadn’t shed a tear.

  “She’s sleeping,” Jake said as he walked into the kitchen.

  “Best thing for her right now,” Doc commented, noting the dark circles beneath Jake’s eyes. “Looks to me like you could use some rest yourself.”

  Jake poured himself a mug of coffee and sat down across from the other two men. “I’ll do that now that I know she’s out of the woods.” He turned his attention to Taggert. “Did you get the results back from the vet yet?”

  “Doc Jeffers said the coyote didn’t have rabies. That still doesn’t answer the question, though. Why did that coyote attack Laurie?”

  “That’s a vicious bite on that young woman’s leg,” Doc said thoughtfully. “Wasn’t just a nip. That animal intended major bodily harm, and you say he was part of a pack? It’s a miracle she survived such an attack.”

  “Yea, there were lots of coyote tracks in the area near where we found her?” Jake was growing more and more uncomfortable with Doc’s line of questioning. He quickly finished his coffee and rose to his feet. “Lots to do today. Thanks for coming out, Doc. Send me the bill, okay?”

  “If I didn’t know better I’d think you were trying to get rid of me, Jake.” Doc got stiffly to his feet. “Bernie Thompson said he saw your dad up Montana way about a month ago.”

  Jake stiffened and replied, his voice gruffer than he intended, “Haven’t heard from the old man, nor do I expect to.”

  He had watched his mother slipping deeper and deeper into depression because of that bastard. He’d been young and had felt powerless and unable to help her. He stubbornly continued to believe that it was the flash flood that had claimed his mother’s life, and that she had struggled to live and had not just given up and let the water steal her life away the way Rand believed.

  “Well, just thought you’d like to know,” Doc said as he headed for the door. “Call me if you need anything.”

  “Pretty rude of you, bro,” Taggert said as he finished the last dregs of his coffee.

  “He knows I can’t stand the old man. Why does he insist on trying to patch things up between us?”

  “All I know is you and Rand need to get over it. What’s done is done and a long time in the past.” He uncrossed his long legs and rose to his feet. “I’m headed back to my place. Let me know if you need anything.”

  He was a large scent hound, originally bred for hunting deer and wild boar with the ability to discern human odors even days later, over great distances and even across water. Bred specifically to track human beings, it’s keen sense of smell and tenacious tracking instinct made the bloodhound a valuable asset to law enforcement agencies as well as lawless individuals, much like the animal’s handler, Pedro Mendosa, who was holding the liver-colored bloodhound’s leash.

  “Ole Beau, he’s tireless when following a scent,” Mendosa said as he held a silky scrap of pink material beneath the dog’s nose. “He won’t quit until he finds her, senor, of that you can be sure.”

  Enrique looked at the raw-boned, 110 pound behemoth and nodded his head. “He had better find the woman or what’s left of her,” he said, his eyes promising retribution if the dog and it’s handler failed him. “I don’t like failure.”

  Pedro swallowed hard, his adam’s apple bobbing up and down in his scrawny throat. He was a wiry little man with deep grooves imbedded in the leather-tough skin of his face, a coyote who had seen and done much in his fifty-five years. Pedro handled himself well and there were very few men he feared, but he feared the man following too closely behind him. Enrique Perez had a well-deserved reputation for brutality that was known to all. Anyone who failed him was dealt with harshly, usually by a bullet to the back of the head when the man or woman was least expecting it.

  “Nose to the ground, el perro, nose to the ground,” Pedro encouraged the hound as they headed off into the desert. Do your best my friend, for both our sakes.

  Enrique followed the coyote and his bloodhound into the desert and noticed that Laurie had tried to stay parallel with the highway and yet just out of sight of anyone who may have been searching for her. There hadn’t been much daylight left when he’d found her and that was probably why she’d eventually veered away from the highway, most likely losing her sense of direction and heading straight out into some of the most inhospitable desert in southern Arizona. Enrique had dressed for the harsh desert terrain in camouflage fatigues and sturdy hiking boots. He carried two canteens, one on each hip as well as a rifle and a handgun. A floppy-brimmed camouflage hat and dark glasses shielded his eyes, the glasses catching the edge of his bandage occasionally, reminding him of how the Kincaid woman had savaged his once handsome face. Despite the feeling
s of revenge that drove him, Enrique was coming to grudgingly admire the Kincaid woman’s tenacity, especially the way she’d tried to steal his car after she’d attacked him. It was lucky that he had removed the keys from the car’s ignition before getting out to confront her – unlucky for her. Reluctantly admire her he might, but that slight admiration wouldn’t save her. Nothing and no one would save her from his wrath when he finally overtook her. If she was alive, which was looking more and more doubtful the further they went into the desert.

  The sun beat down relentlessly and both men’s shirts were soaked with sweat when they reached an opening near a rocky outcropping. The bloodhound stopped in its tracks and circled the area, the breath from its nose lifting the fine desert sand. Without warning the dog lifted its head and howled, a long drawn out howl that startled a flock of nearby Gambrel Quail and sent them flying past the outcropping of rock.

  “What’s wrong with him?” Enrique questioned irritably. He was hot and tired and what little patience he possessed was at an end.

  Pedro pointed toward a patch of dark sand not far away from where they were standing. “Something died here. Lot’s of coyote tracks,” Pedro said, shifting uneasily from one foot to the other. “But I don’t think it was the woman.”

  Enrique paused, gazing at the bloody sand as he considered the ramifications. So that’s what happened to the Alpha coyote. How could that woman have killed such an aggressive animal?

  Pedro was nearly jerked off his feet as the bloodhound put its nose to the ground again and headed toward the nearby rocky outcropping. It didn’t take the animal long to find the campfire beneath the rocky ledge. “There’s more blood here, might be the woman’s the way Beau is acting,” Pedro commented as he watched the bloodhound sniff the ground and then lift his head to howl once again before dragging Pedro toward an open spot a hundred yards away.

  So she had help, did she? Enrique kicked at the ashes of the campfire, smiling a malevolent smile before following after Pedro and the hound. He was secretly pleased that the woman was still alive. The fact that someone had obviously rescued her only added spice to the hunt.

  The bloodhound circled the open area for several minutes, its nose to the ground, searching desperately for the woman’s scent before finally sitting back on its haunches and whining mournfully.

  “Now what’s the matter?” Enrique asked, his scowl digging a deep furrow between his eyes.

  Pedro scratched his head thoughtfully. “The woman left here but not on foot. I don’t think she was carried out either because Beau would still be able to catch her scent on the wind.”

  “You’re saying she was air-lifted out of here?” Enrique asked skeptically. “I didn’t know anyone in this area had a helicopter and I don’t see any sign that an airplane landed here.”

  “I don’t know, jefe. The dog would still be tracking her if she’d walked or been carried out of here. That much I do know.”

  Enrique turned and started walking back the way they’d come. “I want you to spread the word,” he threw back over his shoulder as Pedro scurried after him dragging a reluctant Beau behind. “I want the bounty on Laurie Kincaid’s head increased, a very large bounty that will be paid for any news of her and of anyone who might be helping her.” She must have been wounded in the coyote attack but that still left the question as to who had killed the Alpha male and what had happened to its body. It would have taken more strength than the woman possessed to overcome that pack leader.

  The question of who had actually killed the Alpha male intrigued Enrique and he smiled broadly as he looked forward to the coming hunt.

  Slipping on her sundress and sandals, Laurie tested her leg to see if it would hold her weight and was glad when she found that she was able to walk, albeit slowly and with a pronounced limp. She was grateful that Jake had been kind enough to launder her clothing for her. There was a lot she had to thank Jake Wolfe for. She wondered what he’d been doing out in the desert alone the night he’d found her, her savior, her knight in shining armor.

  The house was quiet and Laurie saw no one about as she limped through the living room and into kitchen. Grabbing an apple off the kitchen table, she rubbed the fruit against her hip as she opened the back door and stepped out into brilliant sunshine.

  Fleecy white clouds sailed through an azure blue sky. A red-tailed hawk soared high overhead, floating effortlessly on the desert wind currents. Laurie heard a commotion as she walked toward a building that was obviously a stables, glad to find that the interior was ten degrees cooler when she entered.

  A golden palomino whinnied at Laurie, it’s ears pricked forward as she walked down the center aisle of the stable and toward the animal’s stall. Her limp had become more pronounced since she’d left the house and she supposed that she had pushed herself a little too hard and a little to early in her recovery.

  The palomino whickered softly as Laurie gently stroked his velvety soft muzzle. Oh, my, you’re a beauty, aren’t you? The animal backed away and tossed his head from side to side before once again sticking his head out of the door and allowing her to stroke his satiny neck.

  Laurie admired the palomino’s rich golden color and flaxen mane and tail. The palomino’s head was small and refined with a straight profile. He had a strong, well-muscled body with a broad chest and powerful rounded hindquarters. She guessed that he was a real handful and could probably only be ridden by an accomplished rider.

  “You’re lucky you’re not missing any fingers,” Jake scolded as he walked into the stables. “Golden Cloud doesn’t take to many people.” He ran his hand lovingly along the stallion’s arched neck. Laurie backed away, licking her bottom lip nervously, totally unaware of what she was doing to Jake’s libido.

  “He’s a Quarter Horse, and as the name implies, he can outdistance other horse breeds in races of a quarter mile or less,” Jake explained. “Golden Cloud is tall for a Quarter Horse, standing seventeen hands. He’s more of a hunter or racing type, taller and smoother muscled, exactly the type of Quarter Horse that I want to start breeding. Not at all like the horses my brothers prefer, short, more compact stock, well muscled yet agile.

  “I don’t know much about Quarter Horses. I’ve been around mostly Thoroughbreds and Hanoverians, the best of the European Warm Bloods.” Laurie took another step back, uncomfortable with the sensations that Jake’s well-developed body was invoking. She trembled unable to deny the way her body responded to him. She was warmed by his body heat and he aroused her without even trying.

  Jake felt her sudden discomfort and backed off, for now at least and said, “I’ve clocked Cloud at speeds of up to fifty-five miles an hour. He’s no good for ranch work, though. My brothers like to tease me about it, but I’ll show them.”

  Laurie limped over to a bale of hay and sat down before she fell down Her legs felt as though they had turned to rubber. “Oh, what kind of work is that?”

  “The stockier Quarter Horses that my brothers prefer are better suited to the speedy maneuvers required in reining and cutting, events involving live cattle.

  “I’d love to see that,” Laurie’s eyes grew wide, deep pools of liquid green and she clapped her hands enthusiastically.

  “We’ll be having our yearly ranch roundup in a couple of weeks. It’s a time when we relive our cowboy traditions, roping and riding. We have wagon rides and a kid’s corral, live Western music, food and a whole lot more. People come from miles around.” He watched Laurie’s expressive eyes cloud over, with what, regret?

  “I can’t stay that long, Jake,” Laurie said, her eyes suddenly awash. “I appreciate everything you’ve done for me but I have to move on as soon as I’m able.”

  “Nonsense, you’re not well enough to go anywhere yet. I won’t allow it.”

  “Do your really think you could keep me here if I wanted to go?” she asked a hint steel hardening her soft voice and showing a determination that Jake couldn’t help but admire. “I’ve spent most of life having people tell me what
I can and can’t do, no more!”

  Jake could almost hear his brothers chiding him for being such an idiot. Way to win her over, bro.

  Jake noticed the kitten that had crawled up on Laurie’s lap and the mongrel dog that now lay at her feet, its worshipful eyes trained on her face. Hell, it had taken him weeks to get within ten feet of that mutt.

  “I’m sorry, you’re right. I have no right to tell you what to do. Is there someone I can call for you, someone who can come and get you?” It tore Jake’s heart out to ask the one question he should have been asking all along. He didn’t want anyone coming for her, he never wanted her to leave, he just didn’t know how to go about getting her to stay.

  Laurie didn’t know quite what to say. “I have no family, Jake, so there’s no one to call.” She couldn’t help wondering what it would be like if she stayed at the ranch with Jake. He seemed to be more than a little interested in her and who knows where that could lead given enough time. Didn’t she deserve to give herself, and him, a chance to find out? What would it be like to always feel safe and protected, to be held in Jakes arms and made love to each night?

  Jake tamped down his wolf’s desire to conquer and dominate his future mate, and that’s what he was sure Laurie was, his mate, for a lifetime together.

  “You can have all the time you need, Laurie,” he assured her as bent down and scooped her up into his arms, scattering her playmates. “Maybe we can even find a job here at the ranch for you so you won’t have to leave?”

  The dog started to howl and stopped immediately when Laurie frowned in his direction.

  “You sure have a way with animals,” Jake laughed at the dog’s disgruntled expression. “Yes, siree, we can use someone like you around here.” He could feel Laurie’s heart rate accelerate as he carried her toward the house. He enjoyed watching the way her emerald eyes darkened and the way she struggled to control her breathing.