Falling for a Wolf Box Set

by Mac Flynn

  I pulled the car over and rolled down the passenger window. Smith turned in my direction and his eyebrows shot up. "Need a lift?" I asked him.

  Smith's face was covered in dust, but his smile beamed through the dirt. "And a bath. You don't happen to have one of those in your trunk, do you?"

  "No, but I have a pond I can throw you into," I offered.

  "I'll risk the dust, at least for now, but I'll take the lift." He opened the door and slid in.

  I drove the car onward and my eyes flickered to my guest. "Did your car break down?" I asked him.

  "I don't have one. I don't even have a driver's license or a driveway," he told me.

  "You haven't clear-cut one for yourself?" I wondered.

  He chuckled. "No, not yet, and I don't plan on making one. I only cut the trees around my cabin because most of them were dead and ready to topple onto my roof. You might think about thinning some of your own dead."

  I raised an eyebrow as we cruised down the long, winding road to the lower valley. "I'll risk it, but if you don't have a car how do you get to town, or even the general store?"

  He set his bag on his lap and rubbed one of his shoulders. "I hitchhike when I can, and walk when I can't."

  "What do the neighbors think of that?" I wondered.

  Smith shrugged. "They probably think I'm a little strange not to have my own car and that I'm squatting on someone's property."

  I frowned. "Haven't they talked to you or picked you up?"

  The smile didn't slip from his face as he shook his head. "Nope. Most of them probably don't want to get dirt on their leather seats, so I'm a bit of a nobody around here."

  "Lucky dog," I mumbled.

  "So where are you headed?" he asked me.

  "To the general store. I was robbed of some food last night by a persistent and possibly demonic squirrel. I was also thinking about getting some traps to catch it," I told him.

  He shook his head. "Don't get traps. Just smoke him out and watch where he escapes. That way you don't kill the creature and you learn where the hole is so you can board it up."

  I snorted. "Coming from the one-man deforestation machine."

  Smith sighed. "Listen, I know I cut down a lot of trees, but they were dead. You have to clear out the dead to make room for the living."

  Unfortunately, his logic was sound even to my stubborn ears. "I guess that makes sense," I mumbled. I glanced over at him and saw the corners of his mouth twitch up in a smile. "But don't get any ideas that I agree with your way of caring for your land, Mr. Smith."

  "Call me Adam. I don't always answer to the name of Smith, and it's a little common a name to be using in the general public," he pointed out.

  "And you can call me Miss Monet," I replied.

  He grinned. "Miss? No man in your life to open your pickle jars?"

  "Or give me my spankings," I added.

  He shook his head and clicked his tongue. "Shame, but if I recall your first name is Christina, and not Monet. Now, Christina is a little long and my tongue doesn't always obey my commands, so don't mind me if I slur in a couple of 'Chris' and 'Chrissy' names."

  "Miss Monet will work just fine," I insisted.

  Adam bowed his head. "As you wish, Chrissy." I ground my teeth, but seeing as my car insurance wasn't that great I couldn't side-swipe the passenger side of the vehicle into the nearest tree. "But if we're on the subject of men and their usefulness, might I volunteer myself to help you in your squirrel war? I have some experience with furry rodents and repairs, and I have the old cabin as an example of my work."

  I frowned. "I didn't get a good look at the cabin."

  "Well, provided it's still where I left it then the cabin still shows I have the experience to help you fix up your house," he insisted.

  I snorted. "I'd take a look at it, but I don't have any money to pay you."

  Adam furrowed his brow and stroked his beard. "Well, how's your cooking?"

  "Edible, but I don't see what cooking has to do with carpentry," I countered.

  He smiled and turned his face toward me. "I'll make a deal with you. If your cooking is edible then I will do the work for food, and maybe a few dollars on the side. Deal?"

  I raised an eyebrow. "Depends on the carpentry. I don't want to contribute to the obesity in the country without knowing if the nails are going to stay put."

  Adam laughed. "I won't promise they'll last a hundred years, but they should hold for what's left of your lifetime."

  "Yes, but think of the children. What will they do when the whole thing collapses?" I argued.

  He grinned. "So you plan on having children?"

  I straightened and blushed while my eyes focused on the road and away from the handsome man beside me asking about children. "Well, maybe someday, but not until the cabin's fixed."

  "Then I promise to make the nails sturdy for a thousand years for your children," he promised. "So what do you say? Is it a deal?"

  I gripped the wheel with both hands. "I won't shake on it right now, but I guess you've got yourself a job."

  He clapped his hands and rubbed them together. "Good! Now we just need to get the supplies at the stores and I can start this afternoon."

  Chapter 7

  We arrived at the general store a few minutes later and both got out. There was no sign of Vandersnoot, so I guessed she didn't normally shop at the vintage store. We strode inside and were met with the smiling face of Agnes. In his usual corner was Abner chewing on his pipe and trying to look majestic in his ancient age.

  Agnes leaned on the counter and grinned at us. "I see you've met the handyman I was telling you about."

  Adam laughed and strode forward. "You could say we had an interesting meeting yesterday."

  "Well, I hope you two get along seeing as how you're my favorite customers," she added.

  "Do any of the other house owners stop here?" I wondered.

  Agnes frowned and shook her head. "No, they're a sort who pass by here except in emergencies for caviar because they don't like the atmosphere."

  "It's their loss, but we'll be sure to support you single-handedly," Adam promised.

  Agnes rolled her eyes and waved him off. "Don't you worry none of us. The folks who've lived around here for ages give us enough business, and the doc has us ordering supplies all the time."

  I only half-listened to the conversation because my eyes were distracted by one of the beast heads behind Agnes. I nodded at a wolf head. "Are there any wolves around here?" I asked her.

  Agnes followed my finger and shook her head. "Nope, not for a long time, before Dad was born," she told me.

  Abner solemnly nodded his head. "Yep. That fellow there was caught by my father, and he swore it was the last one." He turned to me with a raised eyebrow. "Why ya asking?"

  I shrugged. "I just thought I heard a wolf howling last night."

  "Probably just the wind through those pond reeds," Agnes suggested.

  My hand brushed against something in my pocket and I pulled out the clump of fur. "I also found this on the trail between our two properties." I handed the clump over to Agnes, and Abner was curious enough to rise from his chair and peruse the fur.

  He scratched his head. "By gum, that's wolf fur all right. You say ya found it near your place?"

  "Closer to Mr. Smith's-"

  "Adam," Adam reminded me.

  I jerked my thumb at Adam. "Closer to his place."

  Abner rubbed his chin and squinted his eyes. "Well, I'll be. Maybe they're making a comeback."

  "Or maybe the state let them loose without telling us. They did that with the bears and the result is a lot of trouble," Agnes spoke up. She handed back the fur and I tucked it into my pocket. "I'll ask around if anybody's seen anything, but what can I get for you folks?"

  "Chrissy here needs some food. She was raided by a squirrel last night," Adam spoke up.

  "Sounds like you need yourself a handyman," Agnes teased me.

  "We've made a deal to fix that," Ad
am assured her.

  I was disappointed in the turn of the conversation, but I had more delicious matters to attend to. "Not until I see some of your work," I insisted.

  He swept his arm against his chest and bowed to me. "I hope to prove myself worthy of your food."

  Agnes smiled as her eyes flickered between us. "A trade of food for work? Sounds fair enough. What'll you need to get you started?"

  "A couple of boxes of cereal, some bread, and a box of chocolate bars," I told her. It was going to be a long day.

  She laughed and grabbed a paper bag. "Well, let's see what I can do for you."

  In a few minutes I had my food paid for and tucked away in the paper bags. Agnes shoved the last paper bag on the counter toward me. "There you go, and don't let those squirrels chase you out of that place. It'll be a good home when you get it fixed."

  "That's just what we'll try to do after our trip to the hardware store," Adam assured her.

  Adam had three bags to my one in his arms as we exited the store. "I can carry some of those," I offered.

  He shook his head as he cautiously stepped down the stairs. "No, it's fine. I have great balance, so this is-ah!"

  Adam's foot missed a step and he toppled into me. I was pushed into the railing and he against the side of my coat. The railing held up and I glared at him. "You were saying?"

  He sheepishly grinned back. "I was saying you have a pair of beautiful eyes."

  "Uh-huh, and you're a terrible liar." I pushed him off and hurried down the stairs. If there was going to be another mishap it would be a single-person accident.

  "I guess I need a few more years of practice," he teased.

  "Uh-huh, like two hundred more years," I quipped as I slid into the car. The groceries were tucked in the back seat and the humans in the front. I started the engine, pulled the car up to the road, and paused. "Where exactly is the hardware store?" I asked him.

  He nodded to our right away from the mountain. "That way. It's in the last town you pass through to get to here, Woodsville."

  I snorted and pulled onto the highway. "Perfect name."

  We drove down the highway to the small town and found the hardware store on the main drag. It was a small building with a lot behind it four times the size of the front building and with open storage shops and lumber ports. Adam led the way into the store and to the counter. At the counter was a man of about Abner's age with gray hair and a thin-lipped smile.

  "What can I do for you folks?" he asked us in a gravely voice made possible by cigarettes.

  "We need some supplies to fix up a cabin," Adam told him.

  The man grabbed a pencil and paper from beneath the counter and slid them toward Adam. "Write down what ya need and we'll see if we have it in stock or need to order it." Adam got to work spending my money and the old man turned his sharp eyes on me. "You Miss Monet?"

  I started back. "Yes, but how did you know that?"

  "Got a call from the general store about you. Said you had a piece of fur to show me that I might be interested in," he explained. Adam paused in his writing and his eyes flickered up to the old man.

  I raised an eyebrow. "Why would you be interested in a piece of fur?"

  "I've got some hunting dogs, and if it is a wolf I'd be doing you a favor by getting rid of it," he told me.

  "I don't know if it is, but-" I reached into my pocket, but my fingers only found the lining of my coat. "What the-?" I pulled my pocket inside-out, but nothing fluttered out except pocket lint. "It was here when we left the general store."

  "It was probably bear fur," Adam spoke up as he resumed his spending my money.

  I glared at him. "It wasn't bear fur."

  Adam smiled. "Do you know what bear fur looks like?"

  "I-um, it looks like-well, like bear fur," I replied. The old man across the counter chuckled, and I shot him a glare. "Don't you start on me. I know what I found was wolf fur because I heard it last night. Agnes must have forgotten to tell you that part."

  The old man chuckled. "It's not Agnes who's the gossip in that family and called me up, it's Abner. He and I went to school together, whenever we went to school, and were hunting buddies until his arthritis laid him up."

  I slapped my hand over my face. "Of course it is," I mumbled.

  Adam set down his pencil, and pushed the paper and pencil back to the old man. "What do you have for us, Clemens?"

  Clemons picked up the paper and scanned the contents. "Most everything but the roofing. Been a lot of new houses being built and don't have enough left to cover an outhouse, much less what you want here."

  I furrowed my brow. "There's nothing wrong with my roofing."

  "There will be when I show you where your roommate has been getting inside," Adam insisted.

  I frowned and crossed my arms. "There's nothing wrong with my roof."

  "Trust me on this," he persisted.

  "You prove it to me, and then I'll spend what's left of my fortune on the roofing," I argued.

  "Best just go by your girlfriend's demand. She's the one holding the purse and the pants," Clemens spoke up.

  My mouth dropped open and I whipped my head to the proprietor. "We are not in a relationship!"

  He was so terrified he chuckled. "Could have fooled me, but if you're not buying that stuff now I'll get in an order for ya to pick up later." He nodded to Adam. "Adam here knows what he's talking about for a young kid, and you can't go wrong by following his advice on building things."

  My eyes narrowed and flickered to him. "Yes, he does seem to have a solid opinion of his opinion."

  Clemens wrote out a slip of paper and slipped it over to me. "But the rest of the stuff we have here, and you'll have to pay for it now."

  I glanced at the numbers and groaned. "Does Adam get a contractor discount?" I asked him.

  Clemens shook his head. "Nope. It's take it or leave it here. Won't even give a discount to my no-good nephews."

  Adam raised an eyebrow. "The Owens boys aren't in jail yet?"

  Clemens huffed. "Not yet, but I keep hoping the cops'll find where they're growing that junk and throw 'em in jail for good."

  "Junk?" I repeated.

  "I suspect they're growing weed. Nobody else in their right mind would smell like they do unless they're trying to cover the smell of something worse," Clemens mused. "I'd tell the cops on them myself, but I don't know where that field of theirs is." His eyes flickered to Adam. "You walk everything with the doc. You seen any signs of them?"

  "I've seen signs, but I'd rather stay out of the range of their guns," Adam replied.

  Clemens sneered. "I'd take you for more of the adventurous type, but I can see your point. No sense getting yourself killed for nothing." He turned to me. "Now are you taking or leaving?"

  I sighed. "I guess I'll take it."

  Chapter 8

  My pocketbook weighed a lot less when we exited the hardware store, but my car was packed with short boards, plaster and whatnot. We slid into the car and started the drive back. I glanced into my rear view mirror at the items in the back seat. "What exactly are you going do to my home? Embalm it?"

  Adam chuckled. "No, but I could if you make a mean steak tartar."

  I wrinkled my nose. "Isn't that the stuff with the uncooked meat?"

  He shrugged. "I have a weakness for it."

  "And salmonella poisoning," I added.

  Adam shook his head. "No chance of that. I have a strong constitution."

  "Good, that may help you get through some of my dishes. I like spicy foods," I informed him.

  "You do, too? What a coincidence," he mused.

  I raised an eyebrow. "I know what you're doing."

  He feigned innocence, but like I said before he was a terrible liar. "What? I really do like hot stuff."

  "You're just saying that because you want to flatter me and get more free food out of me," I argued.

  He smiled and sheepishly shrugged. "I don't know about that, but I am looking forward to you
r cooking."

  "You don't know my cooking. Maybe you should be afraid, be very afraid," I warned him.

  He laughed. "I'll take my chances. Anyway, your cabin might kill me when I show you where the problems are in your roof."

  We drove up the mountain and arrived at my little home. It was an hour before lunch, so we carried the stuff from the car onto the porch and to the kitchen. My towel was still in place, and the thrust I'd given it meant it was likely to stay that way for a while.

  Adam tossed his coat on the chair closest to the door, stepped out onto the driveway and glanced up at the right side of the roof. I walked outside to join him, but paused on the porch. The eerie silence had once again fallen over the woods. At least this time I had company, and I strode over to Adam's side.

  "You got a ladder?" he asked me.

  I slapped my hand over my face. "Oh crap," I replied.

  "I'll take that as a 'no' and see if I can get up there from the wilder side. You stay here and if you hear a scream followed by a hard thump-"

  "-I'll go get the shovel," I finished.

  He winced. "At least make sure I'm dead."

  I grinned at him. "I make no promises."

  "Well, just stay here and wait for me," he repeated. Adam walked around the cabin out of sight. I heard grunts and groans, and saw one of the larger trees shake and shiver. In half a minute his head popped up over the single point in the roof. The roof sloped off toward the sides of the house, and he tentatively climbed over the peak and onto my side. He used the bolts in the metal sheets as footholds and carefully shifted downward from bolt row to bolt row until he reached the rear corner of the cabin. He gestured to me. "Let me show you-" He demonstrated rather than showed when his right foot slipped between two loose metal sheets and pushed through the rotten ply-board beneath the roofing.

  I raced to the corner and watched him struggle with the metal sheets. I'd never seen anyone so panicked as he was. His calm, funny demeanor was changed to that of an animal caught in a trap. His eyes were wide and he grasped his leg between both his. He gave hard yanks on his foot as though he meant to tear it off. His thrashing only worsened the situation as the metal sheets edged up over his boot and cut into his sock.

  "Hold still!" I yelled at him. He didn't seem to hear me over the banging over the metal sheets.

  I raced around the back of the house to where I'd seen him climb. There were several trees close to the cabin, but I couldn't see one that I would be able to climb and jump to the roof without having superhuman abilities. However, there was an old generator and a few broken wooden boxes. I stacked those and climbed the precarious ladder to the roof, then hefted myself over the edge. All the while there was the incessant drumming and banging as Adam tried to free himself.