He shrugged. “What are friends for?”
“I’ve just been so nervous and worried about the research project and writing my dissertation.”
“You should probably eat,” Tim said. He was looking at her as if she had a second nose or third eye. “When was your last meal?”
It took a moment for her sleep-fogged brain to kick in. She was hungry, she realized. “Breakfast this morning.” Had she been in that greasy diner only that morning?
“Why don’t I buy you din—”
His words were interrupted by another knock on the door.
Please don’t let it be the professor. Please don’t let it be the professor. She turned around and grabbed the doorknob once again.
“Hey, Beth,” Reidar said, standing next to Kelan.
Relief or excitement—she didn’t care which—made her grin when she saw them in the hall. “Hey. I didn’t expect to see you two here tonight.”
“Disappointed?” Kelan asked.
“I wouldn’t say that.”
Reidar pulled Beth into his arms and kissed her. She didn’t fight, didn’t try to pull away, and he kept it gentle. Against her lips, he murmured, “We came to see if you wanted to grab some dinner.”
“Mmm,” was her response as she leaned into him and then sighed. “I’d love to, but I really need a shower.” She wouldn’t admit she needed one to fully wake up. She felt a little groggy, a little drugged. Her internal clock was way the hell off. Now she’d be up all night, but at least she should be able to get some work done on her dissertation.
“A shower…hmm?” Reidar hummed then nipped her ear, giving her goose bumps.
Tim cleared his throat.
Without looking at him, without even pulling away from Reidar’s embrace, she said, “Oh, um…guys, this is a colleague of mine from the university. Uh…Tim, these are the Falke brothers.” She smiled, knowing her cheeks were probably cherry-red. “Or at least two of them, Reidar and Kelan.”
“The locals who own the puma,” Tim said, a hint of derision in his voice.
“The puma’s name is Falke, and nobody owns him,” Kelan said then pulled Beth away from Reidar and kissed her soundly.
Tim sputtered. “Both of them?”
Beth slowly leaned back and looked into Kelan’s intense gaze. No use denying the obvious. “Yeah. Both of them.”
Kelan eyed her lips and murmured, “What do you say, hon? You hungry?” His softly growled question reminded her of another time when he’d asked her that, and the delicious memory gave her insides a need far beyond mere food.
She nodded. “You guys wanna come in and wait while I shower?”
“I’m out of here,” Tim said in a tone that got her hackles up. “But Beth, remember what I said before. Don’t come crying to me when they hurt you.”
She frowned at him. If she went crying to anyone, it certainly wouldn’t be a male coworker.
Tim stood up to his full height, which was a few inches taller than Reidar and Kelan, but he probably didn’t break the one-sixty mark, whereas the Falke brothers were easily two hundred pounds of solid muscle. Despite Tim’s words, the three men stood glaring at each other until she cleared her throat.
“I know what you said, Tim. You just remember what I said about my time…and my business. See you first thing in the morning,” she said and pulled Kelan and Reidar into the room by the belt loops of their jeans, making a space for Tim to exit.
Kelan locked the door after Tim brushed past him and into the hallway. “Hurry up,” Kelan said as he retrieved his cell phone from his pocket. “I’ll get us a table at The Gold Miner, so wear something nice.”
Beth stopped on her way to the bathroom. “I don’t have anything nicer than a pair of jeans. I’m working here, not hanging out in nightclubs.”
Reidar grinned. “Jeans are fine, sweetie.”
Kelan grunted then spoke into his phone.
“You sure?” she asked Reidar. “I don’t want to stand out.”
Reidar gave her a gentle kiss. “We’re not wearing suits, now are we? Jeans are fine. I think he just wanted to see those long legs in a skirt.”
She grinned, warmed by his compliment, and said, “I could wear my lab coat and a belt.”
“Not out in public, you’re not,” Kelan said as he closed his phone. “But maybe when we come back here.”
Reidar chuckled when Beth burst out laughing.
“Reservations in twenty minutes,” Kelan said and popped her on the ass. “Get a move on.”
“Yes, sir.” She scurried into the bathroom and shut the door. She hoped the food was good, because she was starving. Then maybe, since she was so well rested, she’d invite them back for a little fun before she kicked them out and got some work done. If nothing else, she could write up an account of everything that had happened in the last couple of days in the journal she kept on her laptop.
Everything that had happened with the cat.
Not with the Falke brothers.
She’d never put that down in writing. That was to keep safe inside her…heart.
“Hurry it up, Beth,” Kelan called, which prompted her to turn on the shower and strip out of her clothes.
Beth did feel a bit underdressed, but not horribly so. She wore the newest pair of jeans she had with her, and the closest thing she had to a blouse, a white button-down man’s shirt. The plaque near the door inside The Gold Mine touted it as a four-star restaurant according to one of the big gourmet magazines, and the executive chef even had Michelin rating. White linens covered the tables laden with real silver and crystal. The lighting was subdued, yet not as dim as the pub. Luckily it was past the normal dinner hour, so there weren’t many patrons.
The hostess, dressed in a stylish black dress that didn’t show too much, yet enough to get good tips, led them to a small table in a private corner. The table that, apparently, Kelan had requested. The Falke brothers seemed to be regulars, even if the hostess wasn’t sure which brothers they were.
Reidar held Beth’s chair for her, and she sat, took her purse off her shoulder and set it on the floor beside her. He took the seat to her left, while Kelan sat on her right. The table was small, the space intimate.
“Do you drink wine?” Reidar asked once the hostess left.
“Not really. I’d prefer a screwdriver, if that’s okay.” She picked up the gold-embossed menu and opened it. Her eyes nearly bugged at the cost of even the smallest appetizers.
When the waiter came to fill their water glasses, Kelan ordered a screwdriver “light on the vodka” and beers for the two of them. Then he turned his attention to her.
“You remembered,” she said, grinning at him.
He cocked a brow. “With you…everything.”
Reidar touched her arm. “Order anything you want, sweetheart. Everything here is good.”
“Thanks.” She had student loans coming out her ears from years and years of university. Not since her mother’s last engagement party had she been in an establishment of this caliber, and never would she spend this kind of money on a meal. “I’m not really hungry.” She set the menu down. “I think a salad will do me.”
Both brothers gave her a look that bluntly told her they didn’t buy it.
“We saw you eat last night,” Kelan said.
“If you don’t order something that will fill you up,” Reidar added, “we’ll have to do it for you.”
Kelan leaned close to her ear and whispered. “As much as we like control, we’d prefer our woman to order her own meals.”
A shiver went down her arms, and a smile curved her lips. Their woman. Crazy that this was happening so fast, but it sounded so nice. So…right. Much more permanent than a summer fling ever should. Did they really consider what they’d started to be more than that? Dare she hope?
“Okay,” she said.
Kelan caught her earlobe between his teeth for a brief moment that sent goose bumps bristling along her nerves before he sat up and opened his menu as if
he’d done nothing out of the norm.
Trying to catch her breath, Beth opened the menu again, decided on the prime rib, and then glanced at Kelan. He seemed engrossed in his menu. She turned her head to look at Reidar.
Weird.
She watched them for a bit. They stared at their menus, but their eyes weren’t moving. Almost as if they were in some kind of trance.
She cleared her throat, and their heads snapped up.
“Did you decide?” Reidar asked.
“Uh-huh. The prime rib. Are you guys okay?”
They glanced at each other then back at her.
“We’re fine,” Kelan said. “You?”
“I’m great.” What the heck was that?
The waiter came with their drinks then spread their napkins over their laps. How classy. She sipped her drink, letting out a sigh. Her one indulgence. She loved the tang of the orange juice mixed with the slight bite of vodka.
“Beth?”
She raised her eyes to look at Reidar and pushed her glasses up her nose. “Hmm?”
“Would you like to order?” He tipped his head toward the waiter.
“Oh, yes.” She smiled at the handsome waiter. “Six ounce prime rib, medium rare, baked potato, no sour cream, and ranch dressing on the side of the salad please.”
“Six ounce big enough?” Kelan asked.
She turned a scowl on him. “Yes, with the potato and salad. I can only eat so much.”
He chuckled. “I’ll take the same, but twelve ounce. And Thousand Island on the salad.”
Beth laughed.
“Lamb chops with the mixed vegetables. But I’d prefer the soup of the day instead of salad,” Reidar ordered.
After the waiter left, she took another sip of her drink. “Okay, so, I met your sister this morning when I went to see the town’s vet about Falke. Exactly how many of you are there? I was a little distracted that morning in the store, and I thought I saw at least five of you, but last night when I asked, you said there were four.”
“Seven, actually,” Kelan muttered before he lifted his glass of beer. “Six brothers, one sister. One set of quads and a younger set of triplets.”
“Wow. Two sets of multiple births. Your mother must be one heck of a woman.”
Both brothers smiled. Kelan nodded.
“Do all of your brothers work at the store?”
“Yep,” Reidar answered.
“What in the world do you all do there? I mean, how many salesmen do you need?”
“It’s more than that. We also run the guide service,” Reidar reminded her with a smile. She’d honestly forgotten that part of it with all the excitement the last couple of days. “We do white water rafting, guided hikes. We have a cabin up in the mountains near a lake where we take tourists fishing. That kind of thing.”
“Trout?” she asked.
“Yes. Mostly trout up there. You fish?” Kelan asked.
She nodded. “Yes, and I love fresh grilled trout. But I haven’t been fishing since I started college an eon ago.”
“We’ll take you up there, if you like,” Reidar said, then glanced at Kelan and frowned.
“I’d love that. But I really don’t have the time now. There’s so much to do, and summer doesn’t last forever.” An idea struck her. “Do you ever take folks in on guided hunts?”
“No,” Kelan answered.
“Oh.”
“Why?” Reidar wanted to know.
“Just wondering if you might help me find a wild cougar or two. They’re hard to come by, and I’ve only a limited time to work on this project.” Maybe if they saw what she did, that she wasn’t out to harm any animals, they’d be more willing to let her have access to Falke.
“What, exactly, do you do?” Kelan asked, setting his beer down and leaning forward.
She hadn’t dated anyone not involved in studies similar to her own in a very long time, and she didn’t want to bore these two. But what the hell? He’d asked. “I’m collecting information to write my dissertation on animal genetics, specializing in cougars here in the northwest. I have a masters in genetics and a bachelors in animal behavior. When Professor Whitmore asked me to be his assistant for his field work this summer, I jumped at the chance.” She sipped her drink and eyed both brothers.
“What about the genetics are you studying? And why here?” Reidar asked.
She smiled. “The Wenatchee forest because there is a fairly high cougar population. With luck, we can tag and get samples from at least a half dozen cats this summer. With lots of luck, it might be more than that. And then, in the bigger lab back at the U, we’ll run DNA testing to check their family lines, see if they’re inbreeding, or if there’s fresh blood entering the lines.”
“Cougars don’t live in family groups, though,” Kelan said. “How are you going to find a half dozen around here? As far as we know, Falke is the only one nearby.”
She tipped her head. “We’ll be moving the lab about every two weeks or so. This was our first stop, and there’ll be times we’ll have to take the ATV or hike deeper. There’s thousands of acres of the Wenatchee to explore, and I figure it’ll take at least two weeks to scope out each grid I’ve developed. But you’re right. I’ve worried about Falke’s territory. Having his scent around here could chase off others, at least other males who roam so extensively.” She sighed. “Now that we moved the lab and have better access to the forest, I’m hoping your Falke hasn’t roamed that far, since he’s…domesticated.” She raised an eyebrow in question. “How far does he roam?”
“Where’d you move the lab?” Kelan asked.
“To a forest fire base camp about ten miles outside of town, to start. We’ll still have to hike farther into the forests to search for signs, but Tim said he found some scat this morning near the site.”
“He did?” Reidar seemed surprised by that.
“Well, there’s four million acres to explore.” Kelan smiled and slid a sideways glance at his brother. “I’m sure you’ll find someplace Falke hasn’t been.”
She didn’t share his humor. “Where does Falke roam?”
Reidar answered. “Everywhere we go. He goes with us when we guide, usually along Icicle River, to the cabin at Red Dog Ridge, and pretty much all over the Alpine Lakes Wilderness area. He can sense danger sooner than we can, and he’s saved our asses more than once.”
She frowned then shook her head. “He’s still a wild animal.”
“No, he’s not. He’s a domesticated house cat who happens to be a cougar.”
“Your sister said he was born in captivity. But if you take him out in the wild, what if he found a mate out there? A female in heat would trump your pampering. He could run off until he’d secured his line.”
The brothers were silent for a minute, but then Kelan chuckled. “He doesn’t pay much attention to other cats, other than to warn us of their presence.”
“Excuse me? He isn’t fixed. I know that much from the exam I did.”
Reidar found that statement hilarious, nearly choking on his beer, but Kelan groaned and swiped his hand through his hair.
“I’m serious,” she insisted. “Are you going to get him neutered?”
“God, no!” Kelan said.
Reidar damn near fell out of his chair laughing, but Kelan looked serious. Overly serious.
“You can’t keep an animal that’s wild by nature as a house pet,” she continued in spite of the looks Reidar’s amusement drew from other tables. “It won’t work. Eventually he’ll go off to spread his seed.”
“No. He won’t,” was Kelan’s response, and it made her roll her eyes.
“You are outdoor guides,” she said calmly. “You should know the nature of things. Even so-called domesticated dogs can go feral. We had a dog when I was little, one that my dad always claimed was part coyote. She was my pet, my first dog. We raised her from a puppy, but you know what she did when she got pregnant? Her ingrained genetics told her to go find a den to have them. She came home to eat, bu
t then left every time. By the time I was able to follow her and we found her pups, they were almost a month old and as wild as any forest creature.”
“That’s dogs,” Kelan protested.
“Apples to oranges,” Reidar added, his tone more amused than irritated.
“Animals to animals,” she corrected. “It’s all in the genetics. You can’t stop Falke’s true nature, no matter how you’ve raised him. Some day he’ll catch the scent of a female in heat, and there’s nothing you’ll be able to do about it.”
Kelan silently stared at her for a long time, his arms crossed over his chest, his eyes intense. “Maybe his genetics are different than others.”
She hesitated. “True, you have me there, which is why I’d like to take a second blood sample—”
“Not gonna happen.” Kelan shook his head to emphasize his statement.
She pressed her lips together. Back to square one. “Stubborn.”
Kelan smirked.
“His line has been domesticated for almost a hundred years,” Reidar said, drawing her attention away from his brother. “Back to our grandfathers’ time.”
“What about the mothers’ lines? Were they domesticated?”
“More than you can imagine,” Reidar said. His humor had gone, and his expression was damn near as intense as Kelan’s.
“Where’re they from? A zoo? Heidi said you didn’t have any others in captivity.” And everyone knew zoo animals weren’t exactly domesticated. They were as dangerous as those in the wild. Often more so because they weren’t afraid of humans.
The waiter arrived with salads and Reidar’s soup and set them in front of each person at the table. A small silver dish followed hers, filled to the brim with ranch dressing. Her stomach growled. She picked up her fork then looked at each of the brothers.
“Go ahead,” Reidar said.
They waited until she’d taken her first bite to lift their forks. Wow, how gentlemanly of them. She’d definitely never had a date do that before. It made her smile, but she set into her salad with gusto.
When she’d finished, she looked up again to see Kelan and Reidar grinning at her.
“Sorry. Guess I am a little hungry.”
Falke’s Captive Page 13
