by Dena Garson
“I’m guessing it isn’t a welcome visitor?”
“Part of me is curious to see what else it will do, but most of me is annoyed I’ll have to reset my camp and go shopping for supplies.”
He looked up. “You want me to run it off?”
“How do you plan to do that?”
He shrugged. “I have my ways.”
She frowned. “You’re not going to hurt it, are you?”
“Only if she doesn’t cooperate or gets out of control.” He headed toward the bear.
Isabelle held her breath as she watched.
Ranger Powell pulled something from his belt as he circled the creature. He seemed to be speaking to it, but she didn’t understand what he said. There were a few growls, but Isabelle couldn’t tell which of them made the sounds.
The two of them danced just out of reach of each other, until finally, the bear ambled off into the brush.
“You can come down,” the sexy Ranger said. “I doubt she’ll be back.”
“Are you sure?” Isabelle looked at the place where the bear had disappeared, waiting to see if it returned.
“Pretty sure.”
“What did you say to it?”
“Say?” He moved closer to the tree.
“Yeah. It sounded like you were talking to the bear. What did you say?”
“The same thing you’d say to a stray dog if it were in your yard. I told her to move along.”
“It didn’t sound like English,” she pointed out.
“It wasn’t.”
“Then what was it?”
He looked up at her with a half grin. “Are you always this persistent?”
“Usually. So, what language was it?”
“Sioux.”
“Really?”
“Afraid so.” He motioned for her to come down. “Toss me your bag, and I’ll help you get down.”
She let her backpack fall into his outstretched hands. He set it on the ground a couple of feet away then held his hands up as if waiting for her to drop into them. Yeah, that wasn’t going to happen.
She turned and laid her belly over the branch, and then she swung down so she hung from her hands. The drop to the ground wasn’t far, but Ranger Powell steadied her when she landed.
“Are you all right?” His nearness sent a fission of awareness zinging through her body.
“I, uh…yeah.” She wiped her hands on her shorts to knock the bark off. “Thanks.”
“You were smart to climb the tree. A lot of people panic and try to scare bears off by doing something stupid like banging on pots and pans. That backfires more than it helps. So, good thinking, Dr. Acker.”
“Thanks.” She slung her backpack over her shoulder. “And just call me Isabelle. Save the doctor stuff for the guy who gives you your tetanus shot.” With a grimace she went to see how much damage the bear had caused. “Just so you know, scientific curiosity outweighed any smarts. I wanted to see what the bear was after and what it would do.”
He frowned. “Please tell me you didn’t leave food out hoping to attract animals.”
She stopped and glared at him. “What kind of idiot do you take me for?”
“You tell me. You said you wanted to see what it would do.”
“Yeah, but that doesn’t mean I tried to attract the bear’s attention.” She put her fist on her hip. “Or any animal’s for that matter.”
“Wouldn’t be the first time a tourist did something stupid like that.”
“I’m not a tourist. And I’m not stupid. Thank you very much.” She stomped over to her trailer to see what could be salvaged.
The bear had bent one of the poles but it wouldn’t take much effort to bend it back into shape.
She walked to the backside of the trailer. Her cooler was another matter. It had been scratched and the lid was half torn off and filthy. There would be no salvaging that. Even if she managed to scrub it clean, the lid would probably never seal.
With a sigh she said, “Guess I need to go shopping.”
“There are a couple of convenience stores nearby, but if you want to replace this stuff”—he pointed to the mauled items—“you’ll need to go into town.”
“How far is that?”
“Not quite an hour away.” He tugged on his ear. “Now if you want a big-name place, you’ll be better off going into Rapid City.”
She groaned. “That’s one way to kill an entire day.”
“At least you weren’t hurt.”
“True.” She faced him. “Thank you for chasing the bear away, Ranger Powell.”
“You’re welcome. But if I’m supposed to call you Isabelle, you need to call me Wyatt.”
“All right.” She wagged a finger at him. “If we’re going to be friends now then I feel comfortable saying you shouldn’t have taken such a foolish risk.”.
He shook his head. “You could have stopped at thank you.”
“True. But I’m willing to bet there are very few people who tell you when you’re being a butt head.”
“A butt head? How was I being a butt head?” His eyes were wide with shock.
She crossed her arms over her chest. “By confronting that bear unarmed.”
“Who said I was unarmed?” he grumbled.
“I don’t see a shotgun on you.”
He pulled a small gun-like device out of his belt. “I had this.”
She looked into his outstretched hand. “What is that? A Nerf gun?”
“It’s a Taser.”
“Like what the police use? Wouldn’t a Taser just make the bear mad?”
He chuckled. “A normal Taser, yes. Mine is designed for wildlife. It packs a much bigger punch.”
“I didn’t know such a thing existed.”
“I’m surprised. You’ve spent time in the field. Surely some of your colleagues have something similar.”
“Mavis carried a Taser, but hers looked like an oversized lighter.”
“Those wouldn’t do you much good against a bear.”
“I wouldn’t think so,” she mumbled as she resumed her search for undamaged supplies.
“Do you need any help?”
“I haven’t looked close enough yet, but I may need help with those poles.”
“All right. Let’s see how bad it is.”
They worked together pulling her things out of the way and disassembled the supports the bear had fallen against. Surprisingly, Wyatt was rather helpful. A little bossy. But no worse than her brother.
Each time she brushed up against him, a ripple of electricity zinged through her body.
By the time they finished, her panties were damp and she barely had a leash on her need to explore his tonsils with her tongue. At least they’d managed to return her canopy to its rightful place.
She put a bit of distance between them. “Once again, I appear to be in your debt.”
“I’ll tell you how you can repay me.”
She lifted her brow in question, “How’s that?”
He grinned. “I’m a sucker for hobo breakfast casserole.”
That was not what she expected to hear. Disappointment trickled through her. “Really?”
He stepped close. “It’s been a while since I’ve had any, though. What about you?”
She blinked and tried to focus on what he’d said. “Uh, same here.”
“So, what do you say? Breakfast tomorrow?”
“Um, sure. I could do that.” Butterflies flitted around in her belly.
His smile grew. “Excellent. How about if I bring juice?”
“Okay.”
His amber eyes reminded her of aged bourbon.
Before she knew what was happening, she leaned into him. Their lips met, and her senses went on overload. He tasted minty with a hint of coffee. She melted against him.
His hand slid up her spine and pulled her closer. Tipping his head, he deepened the kiss.
Isabelle whimpered. She’d never been kissed so thoroughly. Even her toes tingled. She gripped th
e front of his shirt in a desperate attempt to ground herself.
When he pulled away, it took a moment for her eyes to focus. Wyatt watched her with a curious expression on his face.
“I, uh….” She bit her lip.
“I should probably go,” he said gruffly.
She nodded.
Still he didn’t release her. “You need to get to the store.”
She blinked, unable to find any words.
“I need to check a few other campsites.”
“Okay,” she said.
Finally, he took a step back. “Do you think you can find your way to Rapid City, or do you need directions?”
“I, uh, I have a GPS.”
“Good.” He gave her a look that could have melted butter in the middle of winter. “See you in the morning, then.”
“Yes. Tomorrow.”
He turned and sauntered into the trees. She watched until he disappeared then turned her attention to the mess the bear had left behind.
She took a steading breath.
Hoo boy. That kiss would be staying with her for a while.
Perhaps the last few months of celibacy had not been a good idea. Here she was, ready to wrestle the first guy who kissed her to the ground and strip his clothes off.
She fanned herself and focused on what she needed to do.
Yes. Focus.
Trash bags. She needed to buy trash bags from the store.
Chapter Three
Wyatt’s meeting with Drew went as expected. He wanted Isabelle watched. Closely. Two of the younger pack members would be enlisted to make her stay “uncomfortable.” Nothing overt. Nothing dangerous, but definitely annoying. And Drew wanted as much information about her as Wyatt could gather.
In short, Wyatt needed to cozy up to her and find out what she was doing, what information she might be gathering and why. Drew also wanted to be notified the minute it became clear she presented a threat to the pack.
This morning’s breakfast would be the perfect opportunity to learn what he could.
He parked next to her Jeep, then got out and listened to everything around him. It was a habit. Nature told a great many things, but most people didn’t take the time to listen. In this case, all appeared well.
As he neared her trailer, the smell of breakfast sausage greeted him. Isabelle sat at her table, working on her laptop.
“Good morning,” he called, so he wouldn’t startle her.
She looked up from her computer. “Good morning.”
The smile she gave him made his heart skip a beat. “Are you working or playing this morning?” He indicated her laptop with a dip of his head.
“Actually, neither. I keep a journal.” She wrinkled her nose. “Kind of old-fashioned but it helps me sort through things, and it acts as a log in case I need to remember details of my work. So I guess it’s part personal and part work.” She closed the lid and set the device aside. “How are you this morning?”
“Good. Thank you.” He held up the jug he carried. “I brought juice.”
“Oh, good. Thanks.” She pointed to the other end of the table. “Just set it over there. Coffee is ready so help yourself.”
“You seem to be in a good mood. Did you have an exciting evening?” Even as the words left his mouth, the implication struck him. His Wolf growled at the thought that she may not have spent the night alone.
“Well kind of. I went for a walk after I returned from my shopping trip, and I stumbled across a small herd of antelope. Fortunately, I saw them soon enough and hid so I could study them for a while. But something startled them and they took off. Very exciting though. We don’t have antelope in Georgia.”
He smiled, understanding her excitement. “We have a herd of buffalo also. Did you know that?”
She stood and motioned him toward the campfire. There were two blankets on the ground next to the fire, and he noticed she’d cooked their meal over an open flame. Impressive.
“I had read there were some.” She tilted her head. “Where can they usually be found?”
“There’s a section of land northeast of here where they roam. A friend of mine also owns a ranch and raises them. He has one of the largest herds in the state. I can take you up there if you’d like.”
“Don’t you have to work?”
He shrugged and took a seat where she had indicated. “Yeah, but part of my job requires me to check in with the people who work with the animals and make sure everything’s all right. I haven’t checked on George in a few weeks.”
“Is that your friend with the ranch?” She sat on the blanket next to him.
“Yes. He also coordinates the buffalo roundup they have when the herd gets too big.”
“How many do they have?” She reached for the lid on the skillet.
“I’m not certain anymore. Used to be over a thousand head.”
“I don’t want to take you away from your duties, but I would love to see the buffalo and have a chance to talk to some of the people who work with them.”
“It wouldn’t be a problem.”
With a smile, she exclaimed, “Great.” She used her oversized spoon to check the food on the bottom of the pan. “I think breakfast is done. Hope you’re hungry because I can’t eat all of this.”
The familiar aroma of campfire breakfast wafted across to him, and his stomach rumbled.
Isabelle grinned. “I guess you are.” She scooped a large portion onto a plate and passed it to him. “There’s some canned fruit on the table if you want it.”
“Would you like some juice while I’m up?”
“Yes, please. And would you mind grabbing a couple of forks?” she asked as she ladled food onto her own plate.
“Sure.”
When he returned, they dug into the casserole with relish.
“This is delicious,” he told her between bites.
“Thanks. It’s been a while since I made it. It’s usually just me and my lab partner when I stay out in the field. But she’s a health nut who would rather have a handful of granola than real food.” She shook her head.
Thanks to the research he’d done on the Internet he had enough of her background to quiz her about her studies and the last paper she’d published. He may not have a PhD, but he could speak her lingo. As it turned out, they had a lot of common interests. He was tempted to bring up politics in order to see how compatible they were, but courtesy won out. Instead, he turned the conversation to sports. She surprised him by her enthusiastic support of one of the professional football teams.
He became so caught up in their banter he almost missed the twins sneaking through the brush. Keeping his expression neutral, he tried to figure out what they were up to. Drew must have ordered them to cause trouble for Isabelle. The twins were well known in the pack for pranks. Normally, they were just mischievous, but out here, things could go wrong in a big hurry.
It may be best to stick around for a little longer.
As he quizzed Isabelle about her hopes for the Super Bowl, he kept an eye out for trouble.
Soon a low rumble echoed in the distance. The rumble turned into a vibration in the ground.
“What is—”
Wyatt dropped his cup and yanked Isabelle to her feet, cutting off her question. She didn’t resist and allowed him to pull her to the nearby cluster of trees. Using the trees as cover, he wrapped his arms around her and pinned her in place.
Barely a second had passed before a large herd of elk trampled their way through the camp. He cringed knowing she would have a few more things to replace after this “accident.”
The ground shook from the force of galloping hooves while limbs snapped and cracked as debris fell from the trees. Many of the lower branches were pulled off in the animals’ haste to get by.
Damn twins.
Drew said to make Isabelle’s stay uncomfortable, not attempt to kill her. He couldn’t imagine how they’d managed to drive the herd through this narrow spot, but he planned to have words with them lat
er.
As soon as the herd had passed and he believed it to be safe, Wyatt leaned back and looked down at the tiny woman in his arms. She hadn’t panicked and, even now, only appeared somewhat shaken. “Are you okay?”
Her eyes were a bit dazed. “I, uh….” She licked her lips. “Yeah. I think so.”
The sight of her pink tongue sliding across her lips captivated him. Not caring about the consequences, he slowly lowered his head and touched his mouth to hers. Tasting. Testing.
Her breath hitched and she stilled, but in a matter of seconds she responded. Her body curled into his. She skimmed her hands up his sides and chest then circled them around his neck.
His body tightened in response. He deepened their kiss, encouraging her to open to him. She responded with fervor, sending him up in flames.
Like a starving man, he grasped her ass and pulled her closer. When that wasn’t enough, he hiked her leg up, encouraging her to wrap them around his waist so he could grind against her. Still he needed more.
He needed her. His Wolf was awake and hungry.
The thin T-shirt she wore became an annoying barrier. He pushed it and her sports bra up then palmed her breast. It fit his hand as if made for him. She gasped when his thumb flickered over the hardened nipple.
He tore his mouth away from hers and buried his face into her neck, fighting for some semblance of control. Her scent washed through him, making him even harder. He nipped her neck then pulled her up so he could latch onto her exposed breast.
Her fingers slid through his hair and held him in place. She made faint panting sounds that drove him mad. He pushed the rest of her bra out of the way so he could feast on the other breast. Isabelle clung to him as she ground her pelvis against his stomach.
Stepping back, he gave her room to ease down his body and stand on her own feet and then once again captured her lips. With a flick of his wrist, he unhooked the button of her shorts and pushed them over her hips until they slid down on their own. He traced his fingers over her belly and the tiny patch of hair at her juncture and then into her dampened heat.
She was wet for him. His Wolf growled in satisfaction.
Using the tip of his finger, he found the tiny bud he knew would drive her wild and made circles over and around it. She whimpered against his lips and clung to his shoulders. Her nails sank into his skin, heightening his awareness of her every move.
