Wolf Haven (The Wyoming Series Book 9)

by Lindsay McKenna

  “Sure you can give them names. So you think that white pup is a female?”

  “I know it,” she said, sure of herself.

  “How do you know it?”

  “A feeling.” She shrugged. “I’ve lived my life on my intuition. I’m not stopping now.” She gave him a grin.

  “You’re a SEAL in disguise, then,” Gray murmured.

  “Oh, I know you guys run on it. It saves lives.”

  “Got that right.” Gray opened up each pocket and peered in, checking out the other two pups. They were both asleep, and that was good.

  “What about milk, Gray? Do they drink cow’s milk?”

  “No way. Iris has some goats, and we’ll use their milk along with some other ingredients that need to be added to their special formula. It won’t be wolf milk, but it will be close enough. Plus, we can add vitamins and minerals to help them along. By the time they’re weaned off milk, they’re going to be fat little guys and girls,” he said.

  “Do you have baby bottles for wolves?”

  “No, but I can rig up a couple of bottles.”

  “Teach me everything you know. I really want to learn, Gray.”

  He chuckled. “You’re certainly going to earn your money by being my assistant,” he warned her. “For the next couple of weeks until they get their eyes open, they’re blind and helpless. They’re going to rely on us to keep them warm, to feed and potty them.”

  “I’m ready,” Sky said, feeling more whole than ever before. Maybe it was the boyish look in Gray’s expression or the way that chiseled mouth of his curved faintly into a smile that did it. Maybe the wolf pups. She felt excitement instead of anxiety. Hope instead of dread and darkness.

  Gray nodded, one corner of his mouth hitching upward. “Yes, I think you are.”

  * * *

  WHILE GRAY MIXED the formula with warm goat’s milk, Sky sat in a small room that had two large windows. The floor was made of tile, and on it Gray had put a wooden crate with a fleece blanket in it. Above hung a sunlamp that would provide the pups the extra warmth they would need when wrapped up in that fleece to sleep. Sky squirmed inwardly, her hands stroking and loving the three blind wolf pups in her lap. They were making little whimpering sounds, opening their tiny mouths, showing their little tongues and looking around for what she thought was their mother.

  Even though she was in a small room, one that Gray referred to as the maternity ward of the huge center, Sky didn’t feel claustrophobic. Maybe it was the fact there were two large windows. One showed the landscape east of the center, the green, rolling pastures and the two hills in the background. The other window overlooked the huge expanse of the center itself.

  Already, as she babysat the pups, Rudd and Iris Mason had come over to see them. Iris was beside herself with joy, continually patting the fat little pups with latex gloves on to protect them from human bacteria. Rudd grinned and shook his head. He was Iris’s adopted son. And shortly after that, Kamaria Sheridan, who was Rudd’s daughter, came over with her husband, Wes Sheridan. In her arms was a two-year-old little boy, Joseph. It had been touching to Sky to watch Kam work with her son, who was mesmerized by the squirming puppies. The wolf pups didn’t feel threatened. Every time they heard a voice, they lifted their heads, their blind eyes moving toward the sound. They missed nothing because their wild instincts were online.

  “Okay,” Gray said, slipping into the room and closing the door behind him. “Chow time.” Sky had a soft pink blanket across her lap, and she’d created a nest out of it so the pups were safe and secure. They were whimpering almost nonstop now.

  “They’re hungry,” he said with a grin, handing her a small glass bottle with a tiny rubber nipple on it. Inside was the warm formula. “Pick up your favorite, the white one.”

  Sky did so after putting on a pair of latex rubber gloves. It was important, Gray told her, to always wear gloves because that way, human bacteria would not transfer through to the pup’s mouth and cause health issues. The first ten days were critical, and after that, the gloves could be removed. Gray used his hands to show her how to keep the pup’s back legs positioned on her lap and carefully hold her hand beneath its belly. This made it easy for the pup to lift her head to receive the bottle.

  “Good,” he praised, kneeling beside her. “Take the bottle in your right hand and then squeeze the nipple just a bit so a drop of milk appears at the end. Then move it gently against the pup’s mouth. She’ll do the rest,” he said.

  Nervously, Sky did this. She wanted Gray to trust her, and she was eager to learn how to feed the babies. No sooner had the drop of milk hanging off the nipple touched the baby’s mouth than the pup lurched forward, latching her tiny muzzle noisily around the nipple. She sucked hard, her tiny little front feet moving and pushing her head against Sky’s hand.

  “Ohhh,” Sky whispered, giving Gray a glance, “this is so precious.” She felt him pat her shoulder.

  “You’re doing fine,” Gray praised, watching Sky’s face utterly change. There was such a maternal look in her expression that made him go hot with longing. In that moment, she looked at peace. Sky had transcended her own suffering and was focused entirely on caring for the squirming baby in her hand. Her lips were softly parted, mouth curved, her eyes shining with absolute euphoria. Gray knew the feeling. He kept his hand on her shoulder. “You’re doing great. That pup isn’t missing a drop.”

  Sky was wildly aware of Gray’s hand resting lightly on her shoulder. It felt so natural. He was a large man in comparison to her, and his closeness was comforting, his long fingers curving over her shoulder as if to steady her. Or maybe to silently coax and feed her confidence. “She is starving!” Sky whispered. Very soon, the bottle was empty. She handed it to Gray. “Another?”

  “That’s enough for now. The pup’s digestive system will probably react, and she’ll get diarrhea for a bit. It’s just part of how this goes.” He took the pup and chose the black one next, settling it into Sky’s awaiting hand. “That’s enough milk to keep the pup from being hungry. If Mom was here, her little belly would look like the Goodyear blimp.” He grinned, handing her another filled bottle.

  Sky felt as if she were in a special haven for the next half hour as Gray led her through the process of feeding each pup. And when she was done with each, Gray took the pup, gently placed it on its back and checked for the sex of the individual.

  “You were right about the white one,” he murmured, taking the third pup and checking it. “Two girls and a boy. This gray one is male.” He glanced up into her eyes, lost in the cobalt blue and gold he found in them. “Nice call, Sky.”

  Gray was so close, so male, and she inhaled his scent. It automatically made her lower body contract with need. “Thanks,” she said, her voice wispy. “I feel like I’m in a dream, Gray. I don’t want this to end. We should call this place Wolf Haven.”

  He chuckled and slowly rose to his full height. “I like it. We’ll rename the maternity ward with it. And no worries. You’re not going to feel very dreamy after two or three nights of getting up in the middle of the night to feed them. You and I will take turns, but it’s still going to play hell on our sleep cycle for a while. Sleep deprivation for both of us.”

  Gray walked over to the box he’d made for the pups, rearranging the blanket and cuddling the pups together because that was what they would do in the wild. The pups piled up on one another with full bellies and became sleepy. Gray brought the lightweight blanket over them and then turned on the sunlamp above the box. He had a thermometer inside their box to keep track of how warm it would get.

  “They’ll be warm enough that way?” Sky asked, standing and folding the small blanket and setting it aside on a nearby table.

  “Yep. But at first, I’ll come in every hour and check the temperature. You don’t want it too hot, or we’ll dehydrate the little critters.”r />
  “Then I’ll follow you around like a shadow,” Sky promised. “I want to know what you know.”

  Gray rested his hands on his hips, watching as Sky came over to look at how he’d arranged the blanket over the pups beneath it. “You will,” he promised.

  “Did your mother teach you how to do this?”

  “Yes, she did. I grew up with wild animals living all around me. My mom is a sucker for babies, and I can remember at age seven sitting in a rocking chair with a baby porcupine in my arms, feeding it with a bottle of milk.” Gray smiled fondly.

  “What a wonderful childhood.”

  “Don’t be jealous,” Gray teased as she came over to stand near him. She was watching the pups moving beneath the blanket. “You had a pretty nice childhood yourself, growing up here in Wyoming.”

  “Yes, but I never got to feed the babies.”

  Gray knew instinctively Sky would be a wonderful mother. Just the way she held the pups, the tenderness of her expression, the rapture in her eyes, said it all. He found himself starving for her to touch him in the same way. He was about to say something when he recognized Tom Harvey from Fish and Game coming in through the front doors. He touched Sky’s shoulder. “Here’s Tom. Why don’t you hang around and you can see what goes on?”

  “Thanks,” Sky said, watching a lean, short man in dark green gabardine slacks and a long-sleeved tan shirt walk through the facility. She didn’t want Gray’s hand to leave her shoulder, but it did. Even now, as happy as she was, Sky was wildly aware of every little touch. He fed her, pure and simple. And whether he knew it or not, he was nourishing her soul with invisible strength, helping her rebuild.

  * * *

  SKY STUMBLED BLINDLY out of her room. The alarm had gone off near her head, snapping her out of a deep, badly needed sleep. It was 3:00 a.m. Three hours ago, she assumed Gray had been awakened by his alarm clock and had gone through the motions of warming the wolf milk formula.

  She’d pushed her hair out of her face, dressed in a thick pink fisherman’s-knit sweater, her Levi’s and boots. Gray had thoughtfully left a light on in the kitchen so she wouldn’t kill herself getting from her bedroom and through the living room. Rubbing her eyes, Sky felt drugged. She’d gone to bed around 9:00 p.m., utterly exhausted. And she’d slept deeply. No nightmare. Thank God. She was always grateful when she didn’t have one.

  After pouring the formula into the bottles, she placed the lid down on the warmer. It would take ten minutes to warm the formula to just the right temperature for the babies. Her heart expanded with joy as she scrubbed her face, trying to get rid of the drowsiness.

  The house was quiet. Moonlight drifted in, lending a ghostly look to the windows on the west side of the house. Should she make coffee? If she did, Sky would never go back to sleep. And there was nothing to do at 3:00 a.m. No, she’d just tough it out, but God, she’d been sleeping so well....

  “Get over it, Pascal. Chin up,” she growled to herself. Walking out to the porch area, she pulled on her thick down jacket, pulled a knit cap over her loose hair, grabbed her gloves and zipped up. Nights in June at this time of year could be below freezing.

  Sky turned and looked out the window. Gray had left the lights on over at the center across the street. Solar lighting had been thoughtfully built in along the winding redbrick walk, so she didn’t need a flashlight.

  In no time, the formula bottles were warm and ready. Sky quickly dried them off, put them in a small warm-up pouch and hurriedly carried it over to the center. When she reached the maternity room, she flipped on the light. After shedding her jacket, gloves and hat, she eagerly knelt down by the box. She ran her fingertips along the top of it, feeling the warmth of the sunlamp.

  She peeled back the pink fleece blanket, and a smile tugged at her lips. The pups had all moved into one corner, piled up around one another, their little bodies twitching or jerking every now and again.

  “You are sooooo cute,” she cooed softly, picking up the black one on top. “Come on, sweetie. It’s time to eat,” she whispered, replacing the blanket over the other pups. Slowly rising, Sky watched as the little female yawned, her tiny paws moving upward as if to stretch while in the palm of her latex-protected hand. “What are we going to name all of you?” Sky asked. She sat down in the rocker and brought over the small blanket across her lap. Gently laying the pup down, she pulled out the bottle of formula.

  To her amazement, the little pup whined and started moving quickly toward the sounds. Laughing lightly, Sky scooped up the pup, brought her back to her lap and began to feed her. The baby made growling, grunting sounds, her little paws pressing eagerly into Sky’s hand as she strongly suckled, gulping down that formula. Sky was amazed at the strength of the tyke.

  “I wish you could tell me your name,” Sky whispered to the wolf pup. Her hair was thick and scruffy, sticking up here and there. When she was done feeding her, Sky smoothed her fur into place, emulating a mother’s tongue, hopefully. Gray had said it was important to do the things a mama wolf would do routinely with her brood.

  In no time, Sky had fed all three pups. Their little tummies were rounded slightly, and she gathered them all into their corner. The pups promptly snuggled into one another and fell asleep, full and satisfied. Once she tucked them in, Sky removed her gloves and dropped them into a nearby wastebasket.

  She looked at her watch. Forty minutes had flown by, and now she was wide-awake. Glancing out the window, she noticed how the Wyoming night was dark and quiet. Time for her to go back to bed.

  After cleaning up the kitchen and preparing the formula for Gray’s 6:00 a.m. feeding, Sky walked quietly back to her bedroom. Gray slept right across the hall. Sky hesitated before pushing open her door and quietly shutting it behind her. She shed her clothes, climbed back into her flannel nightgown and slipped into bed. Before Sky knew it, she had fallen asleep.

  * * *

  THE SMELL OF bacon frying slowly awoke Sky. Groaning, she turned over in her warm bed, the covers pleasantly heavy around her. As she forced her eyes open, she realized it was morning. She stretched and looked at the bed stand. It was 8:00 a.m., time to get up.

  How were the puppies? She would be feeding them in an hour. Frowning, she went to pull out a clean set of Levi’s and a red long-sleeved shirt from the dresser. Hurrying to the bathroom, Sky turned on the faucets to take a bath. Always, running water sent her into anxiety. But not this morning. What had changed?

  As she quickly took a nice, hot bath with her favorite almond soap from Herbaria, Sky hurried through dressing. By 8:30 a.m., she was walking down the hall toward the kitchen, where Gray was making breakfast. She swallowed convulsively. This morning he hadn’t shaved yet, the darkness of the beard lending shadowed qualities to his strong-boned face. He wore a light blue chambray shirt, Levi’s and his scuffed, scarred cowboy boots.

  “Morning,” he greeted her, transferring the bacon to an awaiting basket. Gray glanced over at Sky as she entered the kitchen to pour herself some coffee.

  “It is,” she said, smiling over at him. “Do you want more coffee?”

  “Please.” Gray poured a mixture of eggs, red and green peppers and shredded cheddar cheese into the hot iron skillet. “You up for an omelet with me this morning?” He liked the way those Levi’s fit her tall, slender body. She had really nice hips, the type a man could grab hold of and— Gray short-circuited his sexual thoughts about Sky.

  This morning, her face was clear, her eyes sparkling, and no sign of tension was in her expression, either. She’d left her hair down, the ends slightly damp and curling across her shoulders. Sky was so damned natural, as if completely unaware of how gorgeous she was.

  “Sounds wonderful, thanks. Is there anything I can do?”

  “Throw some bread in the toaster?”

  “Jam?”

  “In the fridge. Strawberry for me.
Blueberry probably for you.” His mouth curved faintly. Already he was getting used to what Sky liked. Gray found himself wanting to please her. “How’d the 3:00 a.m. feeding go?”

  “Great,” she sighed. “I just love holding them.”

  “You’re a natural mother,” he teased. Gray liked the quiet efficiency as they worked seamlessly around one another. Sky had set the table and then walked over to near the stove. She rested her hips against the counter, her hands around the mug.

  “You fed them at 6:00 a.m.?”

  Gray nodded. “Yeah. They’re doing great.”

  “I was sleeping so deeply at three when that alarm went off, I just groaned. Hope you didn’t hear it.” She grinned over at him. Sky liked the way his mouth moved in response. Heat sheeted through her.

  “I heard nothing. Dead to the world,” Gray murmured. He took the omelet, which was huge, and placed it on a platter. “Let’s go eat.”

  Sky sat down and watched Gray slice the omelet in half. “No...just a third of it, Gray. Please...”

  “You’re too skinny, Sky. You need to eat more.”

  Making a sound of protest, she gave up as he transferred it to her plate. “Do you always get your way?”

  “Usually.”

  Sky snorted. The toast popped and she buttered the pieces, giving one to Gray. “I am eating more.”

  Gray knew pushing Sky would be a stressor on her, so he relented and said, “Yes, you are.”

  “I suppose you give those wolf pups the same talking-to?” she asked, laughing. Never had Sky felt so free. So...happy. And as Gray slathered the strawberry jam across his toast, she stared at his large hands. He had long fingers, calluses beneath each of them. There were large veins on the backs of his hands that were dusted with dark hair. He had working hands. He was a man who liked thrusting them into the soil or wrestling a fence post into place. Or touching me. What would his fingers feel like sliding across her skin? Cupping her breasts...

  Gulping at where her mind had suddenly gone, Sky was shocked at herself. Gray was a powerful male influence over her and she gave herself an internal shake. The past few days had been like heaven. A reprieve. Gray had held her. And God help her, Sky wanted to explore more of him. In every possible way. He’d turned her world upside down and inside out. He hadn’t done it on purpose. It had just happened, as if an organic and natural outgrowth was occurring between them. She felt out of control, and yet they were so solid and smooth in one another’s presence, as if they had been living together like this for years. Sky had never had this happen before. Surely, it was due to her capture, her emotions torn and skewed. Desperate to get herself healed, she knew that she was no prize to be around. Her father had already made that clear. His words had wounded her all over again.