by Terry Spear
“It says we can hike on eighty trails and see all kinds of wildlife, like bobcats, deer, raccoons—”
He was glad Jade was focusing on their excursion. She seemed more at ease now that she had told him why she was really here, and he had men searching for her son. “All of which will stay out of our path as we run through the woods as wolves.”
“Oh, good. I thought we’d just walk on the trails.”
“We could spend a week there having a blast.”
She sighed. “No dogs allowed on the trails.”
“Good. They bark and make a mess. Besides, we’ll be running through the wilderness as wolves. Less of a chance for anyone to see us.”
“I can’t quit thinking about my son. Kenneth won’t even let me talk to him until I have news of where Aidan is living.”
“Bastard. If he’s harmed one curly lock on your son’s head, he’ll pay for it.” Rafe glanced at her. “But worrying about him when you can’t do anything about it won’t help. Just relax. I’ve got men on it.”
Jade took a deep breath and looked back at her phone. “The site says the temperature ranges from seventy-five to ninety-five degrees, but it’s in the forties and fifties at night. I don’t have anything warm enough for that. Not with me.”
“We can stop at a gift shop and pick you up a sweatshirt.”
“Okay. They have ancient redwoods, mixed conifers, oaks, chaparrals, and waterfalls. It can take half a day to hike on the trails. And parking will be pretty full if we don’t get there early enough. How long before we get there?”
Rafe laughed.
She smiled. “Okay, I’m sitting back and enjoying the view.”
“Good.” He was glad to see her watching out the windows, appearing just as interested in the view as she had when he took her to the lake yesterday. “Have you been inspired with any new designs for your intimate wear?”
Jade shook her head.
Not with worrying about Toby, Rafe belatedly realized. “Do you have anything to wear to the ball?” He imagined that bringing an evening gown would have looked too suspicious when she didn’t have any plans except to enjoy the beach.
She chewed on her bottom lip as she looked up at the clouds. “I have a sundress. Will that do?”
“Would you mind if I picked up a gown for you?” Rafe was glad she wasn’t prepared to attend the ball and that he could help out.
“A sundress wouldn’t do? It’s a long dress, not short.”
Rafe smiled. “On you, it would be beautiful. But everyone will be dressed up a lot more.”
She looked back out the window.
“No strings. I can afford to be extravagant at times. I enjoy it.”
“I wouldn’t ever wear it again, most likely.”
“You can sell it at a resale shop afterward.”
“I don’t ever buy anything I don’t intend to get a lot of use out of.”
“Just let down your hair. Do what you normally would never do.”
“All right. Thanks, but just something that will get me by. Nothing too expensive.”
“Not to worry.”
“I mean it.”
“Right.” The best money could buy. Was he crazy? He wanted her to feel comfortable at the social event. “So what’s there to do in Amarillo?”
Jade told him about the outdoor theater in Palo Duro Canyon featuring the musical Texas and the steak house that had the biggest steaks in Texas.
“Sounds like a wolf’s kind of meal.”
“It is, but you have to eat the rest of the meal too, all within an hour, and then it’s free.”
“I’d rather pay for the meal and enjoy it.”
“Me too.” She let out her breath. “Will they find him? Safe?”
“They’ll find him. And they’ll be cautious. He’ll be in good hands.” At least Rafe prayed his men would find the boy soon.
Once they got to the airport, Rafe had another car waiting.
They stopped at a gift shop so Jade could pick up a sweatshirt. Now this wasn’t something he did either—shopping with a woman, and a she-wolf at that. He didn’t care about clothes himself, just bought them when he had to. So he really didn’t think he’d be interested in what Jade picked out. But as soon as she began displaying the various sweatshirt colors—from soft blue to dark purple—against her chest, he couldn’t help but offer his opinion on what he liked best.
“The aqua one,” he said.
She was still eyeing a lilac one.
“That one too.”
“But you like the aqua one best.”
“We’ll get both. You’ll have plenty of time to wear them while you’re here. I’ll get them.”
“But you said you were going to get me the gown.”
“My treat. They’re a souvenir of your trip to California.” But he couldn’t help hoping she’d make California her home.
“Thanks, Rafe. I can’t thank you enough. For everything.”
Before long, they were headed down a winding, tree-lined road toward the park station. “What will we do about shifting?” she asked.
“We’ll take a backpack, go off trail, tuck our clothes in it, shift, and run.”
After the forested drive, they arrived at the parking lot, left their car, and headed down the trail.
When Rafe found the spot he had visited some years earlier with Derek, he guided them off the path when no one was around. “Here we leave the trail and head into the redwoods.”
They’d traveled about an eighth of mile into the woods when he said, “This looks as good a place as any other.”
They quickly stripped out of their clothes. He wasn’t sure how Jade would feel about stripping next to him, so he was trying to be the perfect gentleman and not look while she got naked. Just as he pulled off his boxers, she nudged his naked hip with her cool, wet nose. He smiled down at her and was struck again by her wolf beauty. They really were two separate beasts—human and wolf. Her facial mask was blond, the fur framing her face reddish brown, and her belly was blond. A darker saddle covered her back. Her ears were framed in black, and the tip of her tail also sported black guard hairs. He had no doubt if the American Kennel Club had a wolf class, she’d be Best in Show. He realized she had been watching him strip, even if he hadn’t been observing her.
Rafe smiled down at her, really wishing this whole situation was what it seemed when he first met her—just a chance meeting.
She began panting, and he laughed. “Hot, huh?”
Jade closed her mouth, then woofed at him softly, in case anyone thought to send in a ranger patrol to find the hiker who was walking off the trail with a dog.
He tucked their clothes in the backpack and stuck it under some ferns, then called on the urge to shift, his bones and muscles stretching, making his whole body heat. Then he dropped to all fours and panted too. Right before she licked him full on the mouth.
He licked her right back. He realized he could get used to this, being with her… Yet, she had a son who, no matter how cute he was, could be a real problem. Rafe wasn’t even sure he could handle a child who was a shifter. He had zero experience, and he really didn’t know if he was suited to the role of papa wolf. But the boy would really need a father growing up.
Rafe and Jade raced through the trees, playing. He leaped over fallen trunks; she followed with powerful leaps, sometimes over the tree trunks, sometimes on top and then down the other side. He dove into ferns and waited for her to catch up, then tackled her. The first time, she looked surprised, jumping back, then ready for revenge, but before she could lunge to tackle him in play, he’d taken off again. They moved so much faster than humans would on trails, especially visitors to the park who were taking pictures.
He thought about that and realized Jade might like to take some pictures to remember her trip here. The notion she would be leaving, that she wasn’t staying in the area permanently, bothered him. He wanted to get to know her better. To know she was close by. To know she was safe and her son
was protected from tyrants like her brother. Would she ever be able to find a mate when she had a human son to raise? He figured that could be a real issue.
But he also knew she had to find a new home. Not his home, but her own place safe from worries.
He led her to a creek, where they drank the cool, refreshing water. Normally, humans would have to filter the water if they wanted to drink it. As wolves, they didn’t need to.
She kept stopping to poke her nose at bright-yellow banana slugs, looking amused. He was used to seeing them, and he loved witnessing what seemed to tickle her. She scared a rabbit out of a hole, but just watched as it bounded away, not giving in to the natural wolf tendency to take chase when the bunny was already scared enough.
He led her to the first waterfall in the area, the water splashing over the top of the cliff. He breathed in the sweet, earthy fragrance of redwoods and the fresh, clean scent of natural running water. He loved it, and especially loved being here with the she-wolf. It was a nice wolfish way to take a break from the wheeling and dealing of his work. Despite the drought affecting the state, the falls were beautiful: the water cascaded over the rock walls, surrounded by the green moss and ferns, and shade from the giant trees made the setting look like a fairy forest. They waited in the woods, watching, not wanting anyone to see them while walking on the path to the falls and stopping to take pictures.
They didn’t hear the sound of humans in the area. Humans were always so noisy and never thought to be quiet so as not to intrude on the wildlife around them, which made it easier for Rafe and Jade to stay away from them.
Rafe moved closer to the waterfall, his paw pads able to cling to the slippery rocks. Jade followed him, sniffing the air and watching for signs of anyone. Then the tension in her body alerted him that she was lunging into the waterfall. Amused, he dove after her, their outer guard hairs repelling much of the water. They raced through to the other side, and then they were off again. He was eager to show her the next waterfall.
They ran through the mix of Douglas firs, maples, oaks, ferns, and ancient redwoods. The sun was shining, but the trees were so tall that the rays only poked through like small sunbursts, and most of the time they ran in shade. They paused on top of a redwood that had toppled. Around the circumference of the tree trunk, sprouts had taken root—able to reach the amazing height of eight feet in a growing season—and had produced a ring of trees known as a fairy ring. He would have to tell Jade what it was called later in case she didn’t know. But first, he went around, pointing out the trees that were nearly as tall as they could grow in a single growing season, and then they went on their way.
After spending a wild time exploring, playing, and having fun “hunting” humans, they headed back to where they’d left their backpack. He’d had a blast and he hoped she had too, despite how much she must be worrying about her son.
When they shifted, they were both muddy. “Ugh,” she said. “Is there a place we can get cleaned up?”
“I’ve got wet wipes in the backpack, but if you’re game, I do have a cabin near here.”
“Naturally.”
He pulled out the package of wet wipes and handed her a couple. “We could go there, take showers, have lunch out, then have s’mores by moonlight.”
“All right. Will we return to your place tonight?” she asked, hurrying to wipe mud splatter off her legs and feet.
She was beautiful, he thought. Tan, shapely. Beautiful. “It’s completely up to you.” He was starting to wipe the mud off his legs when his phone vibrated. He pulled it out of the pack and saw that it was Edward. “Any word?”
“Hell, yeah. There’s a guy who shifted in the forest and was tracking you while I was tracking him. When he returns to his clothes, he’ll find a nasty surprise.”
“Oh yeah?” That’s one thing Rafe valued about Edward. He didn’t need to be told how to proceed if there was a problem. He just took care of it. Rafe watched as Jade pulled her shirt over her head, her expression worried. “Not about your son,” he said softly to her. “Just a tail.”
“Yeah, somehow the oily sap of poison oak got into his briefs while he was out running as a wolf. It’ll bother him for a few hours if he doesn’t catch the slightly sweet fragrance—or doesn’t recognize what it is,” Edward said. “Teach him to tail you.”
“Hopefully he won’t discover the surprise until it’s too late. Good job. Now I know why I pay you the big bucks.”
“Right, Boss. Are you going home now?”
“I’ll text you the schedule. Not sure after that. We’ll just wing it.”
“All right. Got to go before he’s on the move.”
Jade leaned down to tie on her hiking boots. “So what’s going on?”
“I’ll tell you in private later. Did you want to get some photos of the redwoods before we leave?”
She pulled out her phone. “I sure do.”
They headed back to the trail, and just like an excited tourist, she took tons of pictures of the redwoods, banana slugs, ferns, moss, birds, and the sun’s rays filtering through the trees. He loved seeing nature up close, but he really enjoyed seeing how much she wanted to capture it. “To show Toby when he’s with me,” she said softly.
Rafe rubbed her back and kissed her cheek. “He will be.”
When they were finished, he took her to his cabin, almost feeling guilty because it was so lavish. Everything he owned was rather extravagant, and he assumed she’d been living modestly. After they took showers in separate rooms, she said, “Okay, so what happened?”
“We had a tail. Edward, my PI, followed him.” Rafe proceeded to give her the rest of the details.
Her face turned from shocked to amused. “Don’t ever let me get on your bad side.”
Rafe smiled. “Yeah, well, he shouldn’t have been tailing you. Not when you’re keeping your brother posted on your whereabouts.”
“He’s controlling that way.”
“I can tell.”
Afterward, Rafe drove her to a small town that featured several restaurants—from Mexican food to a chicken-wing place. They decided on the wings, a wolf’s favorite, and shared parmesan-crusted chicken and mild, spicy wings. He was curious if the guy following them would give up on tailing her, or if her brother would send someone else.
He hoped his and Jade’s plan wouldn’t backfire and hurt her or her son. Then he got a call from Sebastian. “Yeah, any news?”
“When our tech enhanced and isolated the sounds in the background on the video of Toby playing, he heard a cow mooing, so a country location. There was a church bell ringing. Someone in the background mentioned a street. Pine Grove? But he couldn’t identify anything other than that.”
“Okay, hold on.” Rafe asked Jade if she knew of Pine Grove, where the video might have been taken.
Jade’s face brightened, her eyes widening. “It’s a ranching community. My grandmother lived there years ago.” She gave him the location south of Amarillo.
Rafe told Sebastian, “Have our men check it out, but carefully, in case it’s a wild-goose chase and Kenneth has men watching to see if anyone investigates it.”
“Okay, will do. Our tech says that if he hadn’t used his equipment to analyze the video, no one would have heard the street name mentioned in the background.”
“Okay, good. Well, make sure the men are super careful.”
Chapter 9
Jade prayed Rafe’s men would locate her son at the old farmhouse, that it wasn’t a hoax and that Kenneth’s men weren’t waiting to see if she had betrayed him. She was worried sick but hopeful too.
She was just about to take a bite of her chicken when she got a text. She wiped off her shaky hands and pulled out her phone, figuring it was her brother.
And it was. Dread pooled in her belly as she worried he’d learned she’d double-crossed him.
Kenneth texted: I don’t know how the hell you did it, or this Rafe did, but no more tricks.
Her heart did a flip. She texted b
ack: I don’t have any idea what you’re talking about. Let me speak with my son.
Rafe asked, “Is it from your brother?”
“Yeah.”
Rafe moved to sit beside her so he could read the texts.
Kenneth: You can’t if you’re with Rafe. Unless you’ve told him what’s going on. You haven’t¸ have you?
Rafe rubbed her back.
Her heart beating triple time, thinking her brother could know, Jade texted: How could I? He’d feel the same way you do about Toby. Besides that, don’t you think he’d just kick me out and that would be the end of this? You think he’d just ignore the sneaky way I wormed my way into his life?
Kenneth: My man says you’re awfully cozy with him. I told you to do whatever it takes, except tell him what’s going on. If I learn you’ve told Rafe what’s up, your son is dead.
Her stomach taking a dive, Jade texted back: I want to talk to my son as soon as I’m free to. If you harm him in any way, you’re dead.
She fumbled to tuck her phone back in her pocket, her hands trembling.
“That sonofabitch,” Rafe said.
“I think he believes we had something to do with the tail. He keeps threatening to kill Toby if I let you know what’s going on or don’t learn your brother’s location.”
“Damn him. Your brother is living on borrowed time. You know that, don’t you?”
She nodded. She never would have thought she’d want him dead. But how could he want her little boy dead? She understood the problem with the boy’s father, if he had learned she was pregnant. He’d have wanted to marry her. Then she would have had to turn him, which could have been a real mistake. The whole situation could have turned into a real nightmare. That’s why she had left the state—to prevent any of that from happening.
Stewart hadn’t needed to die. He didn’t know she was a lupus garou, and she’d ended it between them and left. She would never forgive her brother for killing him.
Rafe reached over and took hold of her cold hand. “We’ll find him, Jade. We’ll bring him home.”
She nodded, knowing his men would be doing everything they could to secure Toby safely, but until he truly was safe with her, she couldn’t stop stressing over it.
