Jeremy had been unconscious throughout the ordeal. Emil had been in the other room—and also unconscious, after being shot. Neither of them had seen anything, either. And Patrick had simply laughed at the whole idea, just as the detectives did.
Fortunately, the next full moon was a couple of weeks away. And although Patrick had been shot, since the bullet had not been silver it had caused no harm. He had shown Mariah the nearly healed entry and exit wounds.
“It sounds as if you’ve accomplished your mission here,” Mariah said brightly. “How long will you stay around?”
“Long enough not to appear suspicious. Turns out there are guys training dogs for the Iditarod near Anchorage that need some extra help, and I’ll head that way for a while as part of my cover. From there, I’ll continue to Ft. Lukman.”
“Right. And I’ll be returning to Juneau in another day or two.” She bent over and gave Duke a big hug, and the large shepherd-wolfhound mix licked her face. She squeezed her eyes closed to prevent them from tearing up. She would miss this dog. And she would miss his owner even more. She now knew that Patrick’s persona as an itinerant musher, with no roots or ambitions, was not really him. That was the kind of man she had learned to run from.
But the man who he really was—a military guy? That held some appeal, might even be worth considering a move away from Alaska someday.
But a military man with secrets like his…how could she ever imagine building a life with him?
Not that he’d even hinted at such a thing.
Her cell phone rang. The number on the caller ID was unfamiliar. “Hello?”
“Ms. Garver, this is General Greg Yarrow.”
“Oh, yes, General. I’m with Patrick Worley right now. I’ll put you on the speaker phone.” She pulled her cell phone away from her ear and pressed the button, noting that Patrick checked to ensure that the business center door was closed. “What did you think about my story of what’s been going on around here?”
“Excellent job, Ms. Garver. I can see why Patrick wanted your security clearance given priority, and why he trusted you. You have my approval to send the article to your editor and have it published as is. On behalf of the U.S. government, and most particularly Alpha Force, you have our gratitude for being so understanding about the delicacy of the situation, especially in light of national security and our need for discretion.”
She couldn’t help beaming, especially at the warm smile Patrick sent her way. “Thank you, General.”
“Thanks, Greg,” Patrick echoed.
When Mariah hung up, she looked at Patrick. “Well, I guess this is the end of our working together here.”
“Yes, but, Mariah, I don’t want this to be goodbye.”
She shrugged one shoulder, attempting to appear indifferent. “I don’t especially, either, but what do you suggest?”
“I don’t suppose you’d like to move to the lower forty-eight and write about wildlife around Maryland?”
Mariah had sworn off thinking about serious relationships with any man a long time ago. And yet, with all that had happened between them, she’d been thinking about what it would be like to spend forever with Patrick—the pros and cons.
But his invitation, though it sounded sincere, didn’t suggest forever. Even if it had, she wasn’t sure what she would decide. As much as it hurt, she aimed a sardonic smile at him. “Not currently on my agenda. And you? Any thoughts of giving up Alpha Force and staying a part-time dog musher?”
Not that she’d changed her mind about guys with no direction, but at least that might be a way for him to hang out in Alaska—near her.
“Definitely not on my agenda.”
“Then I’ll see you around, Patrick.”
She hoped. Oh, did she hope…but she knew reality was not on their side.
The next few weeks passed quickly—except that time seemed to drag between the communications Mariah received from Patrick. Not that they were sparse. In fact, she received several emails and text messages every day, as well as at least one phone call. None contained any pressure, but there was always an invitation for her to come see him, since after a week in Anchorage he had gone back to Maryland. And a suggestion he would come and see her as soon as he got some leave—if she wanted him to.
She left that door open. And she missed him. A lot. Even though figuring out what to do about it seemed an iffy enterprise at best. And forgetting him seemed impossible, even if the communications stopped—and she absolutely dreaded that possibility.
At least Mariah kept busy—traveling back to Juneau, enjoying the publication of her glacier wildlife article and delighting Harold with her story on Austin DeLisio—including his alleged part in the murder of Shaun Bethune, the havoc wreaked on mines in the lower forty-eight and the damage to the Alaskan glaciers.
She also had to field interview requests by other media folks. She granted only a couple, and those were only after approval by General Yarrow and Patrick. One even included, after all, a short on-air debriefing with Flynn Shulster—to get the persistent pseudoscientist off her back. In all, she was cautious to explain her role as a distant observer who happened to be there when DeLisio was trying to ensure that no one around him was able to voice their suspicions.
About Patrick, she said little—only that she had been helped by a local dog musher whom she had hired a couple of times to take her to visit the glaciers and their wild inhabitants.
Both Emil and Jeremy also gave few interviews, and their responses tended to be circumspect—that they had gone to Alaska strictly to research glaciers and wildlife, and had been totally unaware of who the ostensible piano player at the local bar actually was.
Then there was Carrie Thaxton. She kept screaming about her alleged experiences and what she claimed to have seen, like werewolves, of all things. Her interviewers tended to gently poke fun at her, although stories about her appeared in more than one tabloid newspaper and website, and on Flynn Shulster’s show. But she hedged when it came to discussing her relationship with Austin DeLisio, and the reason he had come to Alaska. She had criminal assault charges pending, and her husband and she had separated.
Mariah thought about all of this often—and with special intensity today, as she drove from the hotel where she had booked a room, on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, toward the town of Mary Glen.
She had talked Harold into letting her research an article for Alaskan Nature Magazine that would compare and contrast the winter wildlife around the Chesapeake Bay with that found in the state she now called home. A bit contrived? Probably, but at least it gave her a reason to be here.
There it was—the small town of Mary Glen. It happened to be the closest town to Ft. Lukman, where Alpha Force was headquartered.
It was also where Dr. Melanie Harding-Connell maintained her veterinary practice. Mariah had learned from Patrick that Melanie was married to his commanding officer, Major Drew Connell.
And she had inferred that Drew, like Patrick, was one of Alpha Force’s shapeshifters.
Mariah had called Melanie and requested a few minutes of her time to interview her as an expert on animals in the area for her article. And if she happened to work in a few questions about what it was like to be married to a werewolf—well, that might be a little awkward without identifying how she knew about Alpha Force. And she had promised General Yarrow to be circumspect about who she talked to and what she said.
Mariah drove her rental car down the main street, Mary Glen Road, until she reached Choptank Lane. She turned and passed the antique shops Melanie had described. The veterinary clinic was one of the two buildings on the second block.
Mariah introduced herself to the receptionist and said she had a meeting scheduled with Dr. Harding-Connell. She was soon shown into the vet’s small, well-organized office—and gasped as Melanie held out her hand to greet her. Dr. Melanie Harding-Connell was an attractive woman with deep brown hair and brilliant blue eyes. She wore a white lab jacket—and was clearly pregnant.
Melanie laughed as she waved Mariah to a seat facing her desk. “I’ve heard a lot about you from Patrick,” she said. “The guy’s definitely smitten with you.”
“I—well, I guess I’m smitten with him, too,” Mariah admitted. “In a way, that’s why I’m here. But…er, I promised General Yarrow to keep my mouth shut about what I know about Alpha Force, but I suspect you know it even better than I do.”
Melanie laughed again. “You could say that. And in case you’re wondering, this baby is planned. Many of the…more unusual members of Alpha Force pair up with regular people.” She came around her desk and sat down on a chair beside Mariah. “Before you decide what to do about Patrick,” she said in a low voice, “you need to know that the shapeshifting gene is dominant. I love the idea, but other people might run away screaming.” She looked deeply into Mariah’s eyes, then smiled. “I suspect you’re not one of those.”
“I suspect I’m not, too. But this is still a lot to think about.” She glanced down at Melanie’s protruding belly.
“And marvel at.” Melanie took Mariah’s hand and put it on her stomach over her lab jacket. Mariah immediately felt movement and gasped in delight.
“That’s wonderful.”
“Yes,” Melanie said, “it is. And I hope to see more of you around here, Mariah. Oh, and if you have any questions about local wildlife, just ask—although you’ll forgive me if I keep my answers centered around creatures not associated with Ft. Lukman.”
“Absolutely.”
A short while later, after Mariah had asked her questions and recorded the interview with Dr. Melanie Harding-Connell, she thanked the vet profusely. “And you like living in the Mary Glen area?”
“I love it here. But of course I chose to move here even before I met Drew. I suspect a writer like you can elect to live anywhere, so hopefully that won’t be a factor in your decision.”
Assuming she even had a decision to make, Mariah thought a little while later after saying goodbye to the vet.
Heck, she could press the issue if she wanted. And she thought she knew what the answer would be. There was something special between Patrick and her. Something she had felt the very first time she had seen him…as a person. Something that had continued when she had glimpsed him in wolf form, as well.
She used her global positioning system, as well as the directions Melanie had given her, to drive along the remote roads through the woods toward Ft. Lukman. She hadn’t told Patrick she was coming, but had confirmed in their most recent communications that he was in town.
Her cell phone rang. It was Patrick. She used her hands-free gadget to answer. “Hi, Patrick,” she said.
“Okay, Mariah,” he began, “this is kind of out of the blue, but I can’t stand how things are between us now.”
Her heart sank. Had she come all this way to have him dump her without even knowing she was nearby?
“So here’s how it is. I’m working on getting a permanent assignment to one of the Alaskan military bases—maybe Fort Wainwright in Fairbanks. I’ll probably need to do a lot of traveling, but at least we’ll be closer together. And maybe you could move to Fairbanks from Juneau. But I really want to give this a try, and hope you’ll at least consider it.”
Mariah saw the gate that led into Ft. Lukman. “Well…” She drew the word out, letting him worry for a short while. “On the other hand, I rather like the area around Mary Glen. And if you’ll tell the sentry on duty at your front gate to let me come in, I’ll tell you in person just how much—”
“You’re here? Hell, yes, I’ll tell him. Wait in the parking area just inside the gate.”
The guard let Mariah in, and she did as Patrick said.
In less than five minutes he came running up the road that apparently led to the rest of the military base. He was dressed in camouflage fatigues and looked more like a soldier than she had ever seen him—and sexier than ever.
Or maybe that was because of their separation.
In moments, she was in his arms. His kisses were hot and welcoming and definitely suggestive.
“You’re here,” he said when he finally pulled back just enough to speak. His light brown eyes were soft and loving, and Mariah felt she could get lost in them. Forever.
“Yes, I’m here, wolfman,” she whispered. “And I’m here to stay.”
ISBN: 978-1-4268-7625-7
ALASKAN WOLF
Copyright © 2010 by Linda O. Johnston
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*Alpha Force
Alaskan Wolf Page 18
