He wanted to nuzzle her hand with assurances that everything was okay. Instead, he sat where he was and allowed his tail to flip in a friendly manner. The hardest part was controlling the animal side of his brain. He didn’t want her to know it was him. He could not think about her. Instead, he thought about simple, happy things like how the wind flowed through his fur when he ran, how the breeze brought new and exciting scents. He thought about how much he enjoyed chasing deer, the thrill of the… That was a bad idea.
Chloe made a strangled sound then backed further from him. There was no way she could see the pothole behind her. Her heel sank in and she fell backward onto her butt. Her mouth fell open, but she didn’t make a sound. Ryan assumed the fall had knocked the air right out of her.
He lay on the gravel and rested his chin on his front paws. His ears were forward, eyes wide. It was a warm morning and his tongue lolled out of his mouth as he panted. He inched forward on his belly.
She did not immediately get up and he worried that she might have sprained an ankle. Unable to wait any longer, he scrambled to his feet then trotted over. He nudged her arm with his nose and her entire body froze.
Ryan whined then licked her hand.
Chloe jerked it away as though he’d tried to bite off fingers.
He pushed the flat of his head against her shoulder as if to say, “C’mon, get up”.
His tongue flicked her chin and she squeezed her eyes shut. When he didn’t bite her nose off or anything as terrible as that, she opened them again.
“Good boy.” Her voice still sounded uncertain.
Ryan sat down next to her and did his best to keep his mind blank. Chloe pushed herself up slowly. She continued to eye him cautiously as his hindquarters rose off the ground to allow his tail to wag. He was certain he looked silly. For a big, black wolf to perform like a domesticated dog was just deplorable. He was thankful the pack wasn’t around to see this. If it were anyone but Chloe, he wouldn’t have bothered.
Still wary, she turned to walk up the road.
He scrambled to his feet then walked slightly ahead of her. Too soon Chloe’s house came into view. He immediately noticed two things. A strange car was parked in the drive and there were raised voices coming from inside the house. His ears twitched and his nose quivered. He didn’t recognize the man’s voice or his scent.
Chloe must have forgotten her fear of the big, bad wolf because she sprinted past him. “Dad!” She took the stairs two at a time then disappeared inside.
Ryan darted around the house and entered the thick grove of trees and underbrush. He had his answers but felt unfulfilled.
Chapter Eight
Chloe allowed the door to bang shut behind her. David stood then opened his arms, awaiting a hug. “Hi, baby!”
Karen’s eyes were puffy and red. David’s cheeks were flushed. They were doing what they always did when they were together: arguing.
“What’s going on?” She stopped short of reaching him. “Why are you here?”
Karen picked up the cup Chloe left on the table the night before. “I’ll let the two of you talk. I’ll be in the kitchen if you need me, Chloe.”
She watched her mother leave the room. Karen’s shoulders were slumped and she sounded as though she’d received terrible news.
Sitting on the closest chair arm, she stared at David. “It’s not your weekend.”
He offered a hesitant smile then ran a hand through his thick brown hair. “I wanted to see you. I missed my Chloe-bear.”
She ignored the annoying baby name. “What did you say that upset mom?”
He frowned and sat back down. After a glance toward the kitchen, he said, “Nothing. She’s still emotional about the split, that’s all.”
Chloe narrowed her eyes when she spied a tiny white envelope lying on the coffee table. It looked like some kind of announcement. “What’s that?”
Before he could answer, she snatched it up. The edge of the envelope tore when she pulled the fancy embossed card from it. The front was adorned with doves and silver bells. Realization crawled over her and her stomach dropped somewhere past her knees.
“Lisa and I are getting married,” he said, barely containing his excitement.
Something in the kitchen clanked. Chloe stared at David in disbelief. With trembling fingers, she opened the card. The ceremony was to be held in less than three months. “You sure didn’t waste any time.”
“We wanted to wait until school was out since you’ll be staying part of the summer with me.” David scooted to the edge of the sofa seat and took her free hand in his. “So what do you think?”
It felt as though someone had punched the air right out of her. Her pulse throbbed in her head. The sting of tears burned at the corners of her eyes. She jerked her hand away then tore the fancy little card in half. Dropping it at his feet, she said, “That’s what I think of it.”
“Chloe!”
She retreated behind the chair then curled her fingers into the plush upholstery like claws. If she had the strength, she might have thrown the chair at him. “Did you come to rub it in our faces? Did you want us to envy your perfect new life?”
“No, Chloe, I came to ask you to be there.” He spread his hands as if imploring her to understand. “It would mean everything to me if you could learn to accept Lisa.”
“I don’t want to see you and your whore get hitched!
Karen had entered the room at some point. Her hand squeezed Chloe’s shoulder, but did little to comfort her. “Calm down, sweetie.”
David looked shocked that his little girl would dare speak to him this way. “Lisa isn’t…”
“You were still married to mom when you were banging her!”
“That’s enough,” Karen said softly.
David looked at Karen in helpless confusion.
Chloe wasn’t finished even though she knew the words would also hurt her mother, she had to say them. “I’m not stupid, dad. All those nights you worked late, you were with her. Those weekend meetings, the extra-long errands, even on my birthday you were screwing that … slut. I’m the one who walked in on the two of you, not mom.”
David gasped then shot a shocked glance at Karen. All this time, he must have thought it was Karen who had witnessed them together, not Chloe.
Tears flowed down Chloe’s cheeks. Lisa had been her babysitter when Chloe was younger. Apparently, she’d slept her way into a better position as David’s secretary. The entire fiasco left a bad taste in her mouth. “You don’t give a damn about us. So stop pretending.”
David’s mouth flapped, but no sound came out. He looked at Karen again, clearly hoping she’d bail him out of this mess.
“So no, dad, I don’t want to go to your stupid wedding. I don’t want to be anywhere near her.”
“If you’d just give her a chance…” Her dad’s face had paled to a sickly shade. “The two of you used to be close.”
“That was before I realized what a whore she was and what a cheating liar you are.”
Karen’s arms looped around Chloe’s shoulders. To David she said, “I think you’d better leave.”
He stooped to pick up the torn card and stuffed into his back pocket. “What about this weekend?”
“What about it?” Karen didn’t attempt to hide the contempt in her voice.
“Can I have her?”
Chloe swiped at her eyes. “I’m not some freakin’ object you guys can swap back and forth. I’m old enough to decide where I want to go.”
Karen straightened then glared at her ex-husband. “You’re weekend was last week and you didn’t show.”
He looked bewildered. “I had a meeting.”
“Of course you did.” Chloe plucked a tissue from the box on the end table. She blew her nose soundly.
Karen scowled at him over the chair back. “You should have called her. She’s your daughter, David.”
David ignored Karen’s comment. “So how about it, Chloe? We can do anything you’d like.”
Chloe stood and smoothed the hem of her shorts down. “Is she going to be there?”
He blinked several times then answered, “It can be just the two of us.”
“No thanks.” She headed toward the kitchen.
“No thanks?” There was no mistaking the irritation in David’s voice. “What do you mean, no thanks? I want to take you out for your birthday. We can go shopping or see a movie, whatever you want.”
Chloe turned and scowled at him. “My birthday was two weeks ago, but thanks for the flowers.”
“I drove all the way out here to pick you up.”
“Then you wasted a trip,” Chloe said over her shoulder.
Karen bit back a laugh. “Next time you’d better call first.”
“I get her two weekends a month,” David protested.
“It’s not my fault you skipped your turn,” Karen snarled. “You’ll have to wait until next weekend, like scheduled.”
“But I have plans next weekend,” David shot back. “This is the only free weekend I have this month.”
Chloe leaned against the doorframe leading into the kitchen. “I’m spending the night with a friend.”
David stared at her a moment. “Can’t you reschedule? I’m sure your friend will understand.”
Karen’s sudden bark of laughter startled Chloe. “That’s so like you, David. You always put your needs and wants before others.”
“And you’re still a bitch,” David growled back. “You always have to get the last word, don’t you?”
“Stop it!” Chloe shouted, but was ignored.
David glared at Karen. “Maybe if you weren’t so icy, I wouldn’t have looked elsewhere.”
Karen gasped and her eyes filled with new tears. Chloe stared at her parents. Who were these people and why were they being so cruel to each other?
David hung his head and muttered, “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said that.”
He reached for Chloe’s hand, but she jerked away. “Come on, at least have lunch with me. I saw a diner on the way here, we don’t even have to leave town.”
“You need to leave now,” Chloe said in an exhausted voice. She was tired of this misery and of their constant bickering.
David swiped his keys from the coffee table then brushed past Karen. On his way to the door he said, “I don’t know when I’ll have another free weekend, Chloe-bear.”
“Just go, David.” Karen said over her shoulder. Her voice cracked and Chloe feared she was close to tears again.
Her dad slammed the door behind him. Karen and Chloe looked at each other in silence until they heard the engine of his new car start. Her mother reached for her. “I’m so sorry, honey.”
Chloe backed away and shook her head. More tears fell. She was so sick of crying over this. “I just want to be alone for a little while.”
A sigh escaped Karen as she wiped at her eyes with the back of a hand. “It’s probably not the best time to tell you this, but I have plans for lunch.”
“With who?” Now Chloe understood why Karen was wearing one of her newest tops and a beige skirt that showed off her legs. She reached for her hair and thought, please don’t say Coach Lewis.
The corner of Karen’s mouth kicked up in a pleased smile. “Mike invited me to have lunch with him. I’m sure he wouldn’t mind if you came too.”
Her initial reaction was to scream and throw a tantrum like a three year old. Instead she said, “I wouldn’t want to be a third wheel.”
“Are you sure? I don’t want to leave while you’re upset.”
“Just go on your stupid date.” Her voice caught on a sob as she whirled to exit the back door.
Chloe trudged across the yard and stopped at the entrance to the woods. Birds chirped high in the trees and small creatures skittered amongst the fallen leaves and grass. On the other side of the yard, Karen’s car started then rolled down the driveway.
She blinked away the tears that filled her eyes. It seemed like everyone had moved on. Everyone except her, that is. The need to be alone was a lie. She wanted someone to confide in, someone to hug her close and tell her everything would work itself out, even though she knew it was a lie. She needed a friend. She needed to see Jenna.
One step into the trees and the overwhelming feelings of concern, wonder and familiarity touched her. She used the hem of her shirt to wipe the tears from her face. All she had to do was move her feet forward and she’d reach Jenna’s house within a few minutes. The only thing separating them was a rather wide forest filled with all sorts of creepy, crawly things.
“It’s so unfair,” she whispered then kicked at a fallen branch. It struck the tree opposite her then splintered. A startled bird took to the air. Something heavier crunched through the leaves. She refused to listen to the forest’s thoughts and emotions buzzing in her brain. Try as she might, she couldn’t drown them all out and their emotions weighed heavy with her own.
She gripped the closest tree and struggled to breathe. How could David be so insensitive? He had to know his news would rip her apart. Karen was no better. She was just acting silly about the first man to show any attention since the divorce.
A sob rattled up her throat. She’d been a fool. When she’d first spied David’s car, she’d thought he was here to make amends. She’d imagined him begging Karen for forgiveness and admitting that he’d made a horrendous mistake. In her fairytale, Karen would take him back and they’d all live happily ever after at their house in Fort Collins. So much for happy endings.
At some point she must have slid to the ground. A new round of sobs shook her as she wrapped her arms around her knees and laid her head on them. “Why is this happening to me?”
Some of her schoolmates back home had divorced parents. At what point had it become fashionable, just part of the norm? How could split custody, battling over holidays and child support be normal? She leaned against the thick trunk of the tree and stared up at the canopy of leaves and branches. Patches of sunlight peeked through to warm her face.
“Families are supposed to love each other. They’re supposed to stay together.” Her knees were sticky and wet from tears. She groaned in frustration and swiped angrily at her cheeks. “He’d better not expect me to call her mom.”
The words stuck in her throat. Her heartbeat kicked out a couple extra beats. Just inches from the toe of her left sneaker sat the black wolf. His head was cocked and inquisitive blue eyes focused on her face. Chloe gasped, forgot she was sitting against the tree, and tried to scramble backward. Gnarled tree bark bit into her skin.
The wolf’s ears twitched. How had she missed its approach? Stranger still, she couldn’t pluck any thoughts from its mind. And this time, she was trying! It was as though a wall had been erected between them. She couldn’t see over it or hear anything through it.
“Go ahead and eat me.” Her voice cracked and she sniffled. “My life’s ruined anyway.”
He flopped down beside her and made a strange noise deep in his throat. It wasn’t exactly a growl, but more of a yawn. Goosebumps formed on her arms and the fine hairs stood on end. There was something so familiar about this wolf. It was as if they’d known each other for some time. He seemed comfortable around her and she didn’t sense any danger.
Perhaps it had escaped from the zoo or wandered away from one of the wildlife preserves up north. That might explain his willingness to be around humans.
He laid his head across her legs. Silken fur tickled across her thighs as he rolled onto his side and stared up at her. Eyes half closed, pink tongue lolling, he looked like a family dog in the lap of his favorite person. His nose quivered as he turned gorgeous blue eyes up to her.
The hand nearest his head lifted then stilled. Would he allow her to touch him without nipping off her digits? His moist tongue lashed against her fingers in answer. Somehow, she relaxed enough to lean back against the tree. She certainly wasn’t going anywhere with the big canine lying across her legs. Her fingers stroked lazy circles in the fu
r of his neck and the underside of his jaw. When they smoothed across his ear the wolf snuffled with contentment.
A little braver now in the silence of the animal’s mind, she placed her palm flat on his side and stroked across his ribs. He lifted his head to look at her then allowed it to fall back to her lap. Then he rolled to his other side and licked her shin. His back was to her and even under the umbrella of branches his thick fur seemed to glisten like a wet seal’s.
Chloe’s legs tingled and numbed beneath his weight, but she didn’t dare rouse him. She sighed as he rolled again, this time presenting his chest and belly. His big paws rested on his chest as he looked up at her with intelligent, somewhat sleepy eyes. Long ears flattened to his head and he yawned again, exposing sharp white teeth. They looked dangerous and she wondered what the heck she was doing sitting on the forest floor, petting a wild animal.
“I wish everything was as sweet and quiet as you,” she murmured as her fingertips traced over a thin, silvery white scar. It ran from his chest down to his tummy. A few smaller ones criss-crossed the worst one and she thought he must have been in a terrible fight.
After a few moments, the wolf’s eyes closed and he even snored softly. Thankfully, he’d rolled from her legs and now lay curled beside her. Every now and then his ear would twitch or he’d make a soft noise. She almost laughed out loud when his feet jerked as though he was chasing after something in his dream.
Then a memory, she realized it was from the wolf’s mind, invaded hers. He tracked a medium sized deer through the dark forest. Chloe’s heartbeat accelerated as the deer cut to the right just as the wolf leapt. The wolf’s teeth sank into the back of the animal’s neck. He gave it a fierce shake and bones snapped in his powerful jaws.
The memories and emotions kept coming now that he was asleep and unable to block them. Jenna was there, staring at her or maybe the wolf. Chloe had just placed cookies onto a table then leaned over…. Was that Ryan Neal? He intended to kiss her and run fingers through her hair until he spotted Jenna grinning at him. He’d been embarrassed and somewhat annoyed that he hadn’t acted upon his wishes.
The Bad Wolf Page 9
