by Anne Bishop
“They will.” She hoped.
He studied Rusty a moment longer. “I’ll be back in a few minutes.”
And he was, with two crates for a medium-size dog, bowls for food and water, and a sack that held who knew what else.
“We don’t keep food here,” he said when he finished loading up the back of the vehicle. “I called the feed store since the people working there are collecting animal food from the houses. They’ll bring some over to the sheriff’s office. Not sure if you’ll be expected to pay for it since it’s not food for you, but you’ll figure it out.”
“Thanks for your help.” Jana drove to the sheriff’s office and parked. Then she looked at Rusty, all bright, hopeful eyes and wagging tail. “I sure hope Virgil doesn’t look at you and think I brought him lunch. Stay.”
Getting out and closing the door before Rusty could follow, she hurried to open the back and get the crate out.
“What’s that?”
Jana jerked in surprise, then looked over her shoulder at Yuri Sanguinati. “It’s a crate.”
“And that?” He pointed at Rusty, who was climbing into the back.
“That’s a dog.”
Yuri looked at Rusty, looked at the crate, and finally looked at the sheriff’s office. Grinning wide enough to show his fangs, he lifted the crate out of the vehicle and said, “You get the rest.”
“I could have done that,” Jana said. She could not afford to appear weak.
“I’m sure you could, but it would have been hard to open the office door if you were holding this instead of the smaller items.”
Practical, not condescending. She hadn’t realized she had such a big chip on her shoulder, had to stop hearing the echoes of instructors and fellow cadets telling her she wasn’t strong enough to be a cop. She had been hired for this job because Simon Wolfgard had seen something in her that he thought would suit this town and the sheriff. She’d better start showing everyone she was worthy of being hired.
“Thanks. I hadn’t intended to pick up a dog today. It’s thrown me off stride.” She hurried to open the door and point to the spot near her desk where the crate could go. By the time she dumped the bowls and sack on the floor and rushed out to fetch the dog, who was barking like crazy, she discovered the Others, in the form of a big-ass Hawk, had already found her new friend. Or found something of interest. It seemed to be ignoring the dog—which was good—as it worked out how to open the other crate.
That was not good. Some of the dogs Barb looked after were Hawk-size meals, and if Hawks or Eagles learned how to open the crates . . .
Jana opened the passenger door, picked up Rusty, who squirmed and barked to warn everyone that there was danger, danger, danger, and took her inside the office. Sliding the leash’s loop up a leg of one of the visitors’ chairs, she hurried out to her vehicle—where the Hawk was now comfortably perched on the tailgate, surveying the part of the town square that was visible from the sheriff’s office.
“I have to close up the vehicle now,” Jana said.
The Hawk eyed her, and she wondered if this one could shift to a human form that she would recognize as a new resident of Bennett or if this was one of the terra indigene who couldn’t—or wouldn’t—take a form so many of them considered an enemy rather than just a rival predator.
The Hawk flew over to a recently installed hitching post at the edge of the square. Several hitching posts had been added to accommodate the horses and horse-drawn conveyances. Around the square, the grassy side was now parking for horses, mules, and donkeys. The building side of the street was parking for cars. So far there weren’t many horses or cars coming into the business district, but having both using the streets was a concern that should be brought to the town council.
Jana returned to the office and to Rusty, who seemed frantically glad to see her. Crouching to give pats and reassurance, Jana said, “It’s all right. It’s all right. Now, you need to be good, okay? And you’ll need to stay in your crate when I’m working. But once you get used to being with me, you’ll be able to come out more. Now, I’m just going in the back to fill your water bowl.” She needed to put in her hour working with her horse, which was considered part of her workday since she had to become a sufficiently capable rider to handle her duties as a mounted deputy. And she’d better check e-mail before she slipped up on something important.
She grabbed the water bowl and dashed into the back part of the office to fill it.
Rusty barked. Bark, bark . . .
Silence.
Leaving the bowl on the counter near the kitchen sink, Jana returned to the front of the office and froze. Kane, in Wolf form, and Virgil, in human form, stared at Rusty, who was doing her best to hide under the chair.
Smart dog.
“Sheriff.” Jana’s heart pounded as Virgil walked past her and went into his office. Since Virgil wasn’t going to talk to her, she took a step toward Kane, whose attention remained focused on the dog. “Her name is Rusty. I adopted her. I was going to talk to the sheriff about . . .”
That was as far as she got before Virgil, now a massive Wolf, came out of his office and brushed past her.
“Sheriff . . . Virgil . . .”
Virgil knocked the chair halfway across the room and was on the dog before Jana could draw another breath. Poor Rusty yelped and tried to run, but Virgil’s jaws closed over the dog’s neck, forcing her down before he released her neck and used a paw to push her over on her back. As soon as she exposed her belly, he stood over her, her body between his big front paws.
“Stop it,” Jana said fiercely. Oh gods, please don’t kill her just because you don’t like me.
Virgil ignored her. When he finally stepped back, Rusty scrambled to roll and run, but Kane was on her before she got her feet under her. Same forced submission.
Furious but afraid to do anything that would provoke something more lethal than this bullying, Jana held back and watched—and resisted the urge to draw her weapon.
When Kane released Rusty, Virgil moved into position, keeping the dog between them. And then . . .
Rusty timidly wagged her tail. And Virgil and Kane wagged their tails. An understated wag, to be sure, but it seemed to encourage Rusty to quietly submit to being sniffed while she licked them. And then . . .
Done. Virgil returned to his office. Kane went outside. Jana lunged, grabbing Rusty’s leash before the dog could dash outside and flee.
“Come here, girl. Good girl. You stay with me. Come over here.” Coaxing, Jana half led, half carried Rusty to the crate and put her inside before unclipping the leash and securing the door. Dropping the leash, she stormed into Virgil’s office, too mad and scared to think until she saw him adjusting himself before he zipped up the jeans.
“What?” Virgil said.
“Why did you do that? She’s young and—”
“She’s yours now?” he interrupted.
“Yes!”
Virgil reached for the checked shirt. Blue today. “Then it’s important for her to know her place in the pack. It will keep her safe.”
Jana stared at him. He sounded so unconcerned, so matter-of-fact.
Virgil returned her stare. Jana lowered her eyes and stepped to one side when he approached. He walked out of the office, buttoning his shirt, then stopped when he reached her desk and the crate nearby.
“That is like a den for her when we aren’t around?” he asked.
“Yes.” Scrambling to adjust her thinking, she added, “I just picked her up, so it’s better for her to stay crated or on a leash until she gets to know me—to know us.”
He considered that. “You should let her out to sniff around so that she recognizes the scent of her new territory.”
“I will. I’ll let her settle down first.” And give myself a chance to stop shaking inside.
“When Kane comes back, you sho
uld ride the horse. Then she will still have pack nearby and know she’s not alone.” Virgil gave Jana one sharp look before leaving the sheriff’s office.
Jana collapsed into her chair and remembered Tobias Walker’s words: You’re thinking like a human, and he’s thinking like a Wolf.
Could it be that simple? This was her third day on the job, and she’d been angry about having all the desk work dumped on her, had been angry about Virgil walking her around the square like some inadequate pet while he made the rounds. Even when he’d scared her yesterday, she’d been thinking of him as a human male sending the message that she couldn’t be a cop on her own, but what if she considered his actions from the point of view of her being part of the pack? Virgil was dominant. Even in human form, Virgil was darn scary. In Wolf form . . . She wouldn’t want to see him coming after her. Kane was next, being the senior deputy, not to mention being a Wolf. That made her third in the pack. That didn’t make her less; it was simply her place. And the typing and filing and handling the e-mails? Her ability to do those things were human skills she was providing for the benefit of the pack, like Virgil’s and Kane’s superior sense of smell and ability to track because they were Wolves. Like their ability to communicate with other terra indigene even when those beings weren’t in human form.
Virgil hadn’t thrown her down and rolled her on her back, forcing submission the way he’d done with Rusty, but had he been sending clear, to him, signals that she needed to acknowledge his dominance and her place in the pack?
Jana went into the kitchen and returned with the bowl of water. She opened the crate door enough to let Rusty have a drink and managed to close it before the dog could escape. Then she turned on the computer and checked the e-mails.
More there than she expected. There were probably a ton of e-mails sent to the previous occupants of the sheriff’s office, but she didn’t know the username or password. Maybe there was someone in town now who had the computer skills to get access to those e-mail accounts or just eliminate them.
Rummaging in her desk, she found a notebook. Dating the top of the page, she wrote a summary of each e-mail, putting a big star in front of the time-sensitive ones—like the meeting of the town council that Tolya Sanguinati had called for tomorrow afternoon. She printed that one out and put it on Virgil’s desk. She could show him the others if he wanted to read the full text.
The only message that gave her a moment’s pause was from someone named Jackson Wolfgard, who was located in a place called Sweetwater. He asked for confirmation that this was the correct e-mail address to reach Virgil and Kane Wolfgard and also asked for confirmation of the phone number.
Jana hesitated. The name Wolfgard meant he was a terra indigene Wolf, but being a Wolf didn’t mean he was a friend. Still, this was a public e-mail address and phone for the sheriff’s office, and other communities should know how to contact them.
She replied to the request for information, signing the e-mail as Deputy Jana Paniccia, Bennett Sheriff’s Department. Before pushing the SEND button, she copied the e-mail to Tolya Sanguinati. Having finished that administrative task, she sat back and considered what her role as the human deputy could be.
* * *
* * *
Jesse eyed her son, who was holding a fuzzy gray puppy against his chest, the fingers lightly scratching the pup’s neck and shoulders. Damn him, but he’d always known which critter would tug at her heart if he brought it home. Didn’t mean she wouldn’t put up some resistance.
“When I said I’d consider adopting a dog, I didn’t mean I wanted to raise a baby.” She gave Tobias a stern look.
“But she needs a mom.” Tobias looked at the pup, then looked at Jesse. “I already took her to the vet and had him look her over. She’s weaned, and the vet gave her the shots she needs right now.”
“Weaned doesn’t mean housebroken.”
“No, but she’ll learn fast. She’s got a real good brain inside that small head. And given her age . . .”
Jesse drew in a breath. “Weaned” meant older than eight weeks, but the puppy still had the baby fuzz. The pup would have been born shortly before the Elders and Elementals had torn through the continent of Thaisia, wiping out the entire human population in some towns—like Bennett. So there hadn’t been anyone to teach the pup.
“Where is her mother, her littermates?” she asked, trying to resist reaching for the furball just a little bit longer.
“Don’t know,” Tobias replied. “Didn’t see a bitch hanging around the puppy pens Barb Debany had set up. Didn’t see any other pups around her age.”
Giving in, Jesse held out her hands. “Let’s see her.”
To give him credit, Tobias didn’t smile, didn’t indicate in any way that he’d known this would happen. Of course he’d known. He had a feel for animals, just like she had a feel for people.
“Rachel can be an honorary big sister,” Tobias said.
“Don’t push it.” Wolves cared about the pups in their pack, but Jesse wasn’t sure how a juvenile Wolf would react to a young dog.
“Did you think to pick up what this one will need?”
“Yep.” Now Tobias grinned. “Want me to put it in your car? I have to be heading out to help Truman move to the Skye Ranch and make a list of the folks who will be working for him. Then I’m heading to the Prairie Gold ranch to get my own new workers settled and introduced to Ellen and Tom Garcia.”
“Have you decided on what to do with the girl? She can’t bunk with the men.”
“Tom and Ellen have their own cabin behind the main house, so the housekeeper’s suite is available. Figured I would talk to Ellen about putting Ed there.”
Jesse hesitated. She didn’t have any concerns about the girl, but the distance between living in a Northeast community, no matter how small, and living within sight of the Elder Hills—and knowing what lived there—was a distance of more than miles. And the reality could easily change expectations.
“Having her work for you instead of other Simple Life folks who might resent her breaking away from traditional roles is good of you, but you should be careful that she doesn’t start thinking that being given use of the housekeeper’s suite is a step toward sharing the master bedroom.” Being the only single woman on the ranch would garner the girl plenty of attention.
“I get the feeling that Ed is looking for the freedom to be one of the boys rather than someone’s missus.” Tobias raised his eyebrows. “Don’t you?”
Put that way . . . Smiling, Jesse studied her son—and felt an interesting tingle. Even if Ed hadn’t wanted to be one of the boys, Tobias wouldn’t be looking in her direction. “Something else before you haul this one’s supplies to my car?”
“What do you know about the new deputy?”
The boy was about as subtle as getting whacked with a two-by-four when he was trying to act as if his interest in the answer was casual to the point of indifferent. Tobias was never indifferent when it came to people or critters.
“She arrived on Sunsday, started work on Windsday, and despite some grumbles and growling, she and Virgil haven’t had a full-blown fight. Yet.” Although she had the feeling that something had happened between them when they escorted that mixed family to the hotel.
Tobias looked concerned. “You think that’s likely?”
Jesse thought for a moment. Morgan and Chase Wolfgard, the new leader and dominant enforcer of the Prairie Gold pack, had come from a pack that had been too far from human settlements to be found by the Humans First and Last movement when those men had slaughtered other Wolf packs. They left their home pack because they were needed in the terra indigene settlement at the southern end of the Elder Hills. But Virgil . . .
“Were you told about Virgil?” Jesse asked. She wasn’t sure who had decided to make Virgil the sheriff. It hadn’t been Tolya. He’d been given orders and had to deal with the result as best he cou
ld. She did know Virgil was the reason Tolya had wanted a human deputy to be hired to work in Bennett.
“I know about him. Don’t think Deputy Paniccia was told.” He didn’t meet her eyes. “I’m coming back tomorrow to look over the horse she chose. I have a feeling it’s not the right one for her.”
“Why don’t you help her choose a dog?” Jesse suggested dryly as the puppy tried to squirm out of her arms and sniff whatever was in reach.
Tobias grinned. “I already did.”
* * *
* * *
In Wolf form, Virgil and Kane roamed some of the residential streets of their territory. Old human scents. They found the carcasses of a couple of the roaming dogs—and they found the fresh scent of some Elders on a blue post office box at an intersection that was part of the new boundary for human settlers. They both marked the box on the opposite side, acknowledging the boundary.
Easy enough for them to scent the line between where humans would be watched but not harmed as long as they themselves did nothing harmful, and that one step that would put them in the wild country, regardless of the houses on the street. But humans wouldn’t be able to tell where the boundaries were.
They turned a corner and Virgil stopped when he spotted Tolya Sanguinati standing in front of a house in the middle of the block, talking with Saul Panthergard and Joshua Painter.
Instead of answering, Virgil headed for the Sanguinati.
A shift in the wind direction had Saul turning toward them before the other two males noticed his approach.
Tolya gestured toward a house a few doors down on the opposite side of the street.
