by Anthology
He’d worked his ass off to get where he was, and in fifteen years, he’d never asked anyone for anything. There were times he had even held down two jobs between classes. He was here to prove himself to the law firm that hired him straight out of university. The last thing he was about to do was go soft and dig for some loophole in the contract. Someday, he’d like to make partner at McMillian and Stratton. Failing to return east with a binding contract in hand because the town decided they didn’t want a casino wasn’t in his best interests. Carter had learned the hard way that survival and getting what he wanted meant he needed to play life like a game of chess—each move careful and calculated. Sure, the deal could very well hurt the town, but emotions played no part in this job. Or in life. Another lesson he’d learned the hard way.
Walker’s dark eyes moved over Carter’s face. His brow furrowed, and in an almost sad voice, he asked, “You’re still young, Carter. Is this the guy you really want to be?”
This is the guy I have to be.
“Just doing my job,” Carter countered.
“But it’s Christmas…” Walker said, like that meant something to Carter.
It didn’t. Not anymore anyway. There was a time he believed in the magic of Christmas. Believed that someday Santa would give a scared and lonely boy the only thing he’d always longed for when he was being tossed around from foster home to foster home. He could only assume Santa had permanently placed him on the naughty list because he never did get that family he’d wished for year after year. And really, can anyone blame a kid for acting up when the real kids in the home woke up to a tree full of gifts, and the puppy Carter had asked for was nowhere to be found?
He hardened himself as he thought back to that Christmas some fifteen years ago. He’d spent that whole month of December being extra good, making his bed, studying every night, and doing additional chores around the foster house. All he wanted was for the nice family he was temporary living with to keep him forever, to love him like he was one of their own, and, because everything had been going so well, for Santa to give him the puppy he’d dared to ask for.
Except that cold December morning had changed everything for him. That was the day he realized three things: no one gave a shit about the kid who’d been tossed away when he was a toddler; if he wanted something, he’d damn well have to get it on his own; and being nice never, ever paid off.
The mayor stood, and the sound of his chair scraping across the polished tile floor pulled Carter’s thoughts back to the present. Walker crossed around the table and came up to Carter. The two stood nose to nose, and as he took in the fine lines bracketing the man’s eyes and the worry pulling down his face, Carter squared his shoulders, expecting another round of backlash. What the man did instead confused Carter and hit like a sucker punch.
In a nurturing manner, Mayor Walker tightened the wool scarf around Carter’s neck. “It’s cold out there, son,” he said. “And be careful on the roads, the forecast is calling for more snow, and the hills around here are pretty tricky for those who aren’t used to them.”
Disconcerted, Carter stood there for a moment longer, staring mutely at the man who had bundled him up with fatherly concern. What the hell? He sucked in air and took a distancing step back as something inside his chest tightened, making it almost difficult to breathe. As the boardroom walls seemed to close in on him, he turned to leave, needing—almost desperately—to get out of there, but when Mayor Walker said, “Merry Christmas, Carter,” he stopped mid-stride and forced down the lump climbing into his throat.
Shifting his briefcase from one hand to the other and then cracking his knuckles to disguise his emotions, he took a quick moment to compose himself. He let his breath out slowly to expel the unwelcome things he was feeling and pulled the boardroom door open, ready to get out of the festive town that was making him…feel.
Without turning back, he said, “Yeah, you too.”
Carter stepped into the lobby, where he was bombarded with Christmas music, scents of pine and gingerbread, and smiling staff all dressed as Santa’s elves. He really needed to get out of this place and back to his one bedroom condo where he could forget that Christmas was just around the corner and lose himself in his work until the damn holidays were over.
He pushed through the front glass doors, and the bitter wind whipped around his face. Knowing he wasn’t dressed for winter in this mountain town, he turned sideways to the hurricane force gusts and tracked across the snow-covered ground to the parking lot. He drove his key into the salt and slush covered rental vehicle, then hopped in and blasted the heater. Winter might be damp and cold on the east coast, but it was nothing compared to the dry, frigid temperatures in the mountains.
Once the windows cleared, he began his drive down the slippery mountainside, following along the frozen lake. Numerous sirens sounded as he crawled through the town’s center, and he shot a glance around. He slowed even more and drove around a mid-size car with a smashed in bumper. Negotiating the turns carefully, he passed another car that had slid into a lamp pole. As he crept through the town, the snow turned to ice pellets and pounded against his window, reducing his visibility.
By rights, he should have holed up for another night. Only a fool would be on these treacherous roads. He turned his wipers on higher and kept going. Call him an idiot, but he’d had enough of the town and their damn holiday spirit.
Peering through the streaks on his windshield, he caught a glimpse of a road sign just up ahead. Snow stuck to the edges and blurred the markings, but he was sure it was the connector road that took him to the highway. From there, it was just a short drive to the airport. Then he’d be free and clear of Deerfield forever.
He eased his vehicle onto the icy side road and drove a few miles, keeping an eye out for more signs. The farther in he went, the higher up the mountain he seemed to be climbing. Shit, he had to be going the wrong way.
He gripped the steering wheel harder, looking for a place to turn, but there wasn’t a house or driveway to be found in the blinding storm. Deciding to do a U-turn right in the middle of the ice-packed road, he spun the steering wheel. His tires slid, and before he could get the vehicle under control, something ran in front of him. The car turned directions, and all he could see was a flash of blue before the back end of the vehicle hit something solid, sending his rental fishtailing toward the ditch.
“Jesus,” he cursed. Once the car stopped sliding, he slammed it into Park and looked in his rearview mirror. With his heart still racing, he searched the ground and tried to see what he’d hit. Something moved, and he spotted a large white dog, a streak of red blood staining the freshly fallen snow.
Shit. Shit. Shit.
His stomach tightened and he swallowed as his mind raced to catch up. What the hell was a dog doing out here in the middle of nowhere? Seriously, with the way it had darted in front of him, it was almost like it was asking to get hit.
Carter looked out his ice-crusted window, but since he hadn’t passed a house in miles, it wasn’t like he could knock on a door and find an owner. No, helping the animal meant taking it back to town and searching for a vet—none of which he had time for. He pounded on the steering wheel and considered his next move. What the fuck was he supposed to do now? He looked in the mirror again. The dog lift its head and meet his gaze, and he felt a small measure of relief. At least he hadn’t killed it.
He waited a moment longer and tapped his thumb on his leg. “Come on, boy. Get up, get up,” he murmured.
As the animal continued to lie there, Carter looked at the ditch and how close he’d come to sliding into it. Not sure if the vehicle was stuck after spinning out, he put it into gear and held his breath. With the way his luck was running, he’d likely be stranded in this Podunk town until spring thaw. He pressed on the gas and let loose a sigh of relief when the tires gripped the slippery ground. The car slowly inched forward, snow crunching beneath the rubber treads. A spray of slush spit backward as he picked up momentum. If he hit
the brakes now, he was likely to go off the road, which wouldn’t do him or the dog any good. Maybe when he got out to the main road, he could call the police although with the amount of sirens he’d heard earlier, they were probably pretty tied up with all the fender benders.
He looked at the dashboard clock. If he kept going, he could still make it to the airport in time, and getting back home was more important than anything, right? Decision made, he looked over his shoulder, but when he caught site of the dog, he felt something inside him give.
“Fuck,” he cursed and slammed the car into Park. He pulled on handle to get out, and a strong breeze snatched the door from his hands, nearly tearing it clean off its hinges.
“Great,” he mumbled. At least he’d bought the extra insurance. He jumped from the driver’s seat, and the cold air stole the breath from his lungs as he tried to close the door against the strong winds. He put his weight in to it, but the metal latch was bent and twisted, and no matter how hard he tried, it still wouldn’t catch. After another round of curses, he left the door banging in the wind and turned toward the dog. Giving up on the idea that he was going to make his flight, he grabbed a blanket from the trunk and cautiously walked toward the animal. His leather dress shoes sank into the snow as he trudged forward.
“Hey boy,” he said as he approached, not wanting to frighten the guy any more than it was. “It’s okay, boy.”
The dog lifted its head and when Carter stared into the creature’s blue eyes—the bluest eyes he’d ever seen—his head came back with a start. What kind of dog was this?
“Hey,” he whispered, going down onto his knees when the dog whined. He draped the blanket over it and bent forward. The dog licked his face, a big, sloppy kiss across the mouth. Carter winced and pulled back.
“Come on, buddy. You’re not my type.”
The dog started panting as Carter wiped the slop off his face with the back of his sleeve. “And a breath mint wouldn’t kill ya, either.” The hound lifted his head and tried to lick him again. “Oh, no you don’t.” Despite the situation, Carter laughed, and as the dog looked up at him with those big, soulful eyes, he wondered how he ever could have thought about just leaving him.
“Is this the guy you really want to be?”
Dammit, why the hell was he letting Walker into his head, letting his words get to him? Who he was and what he did was none of Walkers business, and he’d long ago given up caring what people thought of him.
As something tugged at his emotions, he pushed that from his mind and ran his hand over the dog’s matted, white fur. “Easy boy. I’m going to get you to the vet.” When the animal relaxed against his touch, he picked it up, ready to carry him to his car, but the sound of a vehicle coming to a halt behind him had him turning. He felt a measure of relief when he saw a huge SUV, which was far better equipped for these icy roads than his rental. Perhaps the guy driving could give the dog a lift to town.
The door opened, and while he expected to see some big lumberjack climb out, the petite girl hopping to the ground in a pair of arctic boots that came to her knees and a coat that met them from the top side had him doing a double take.
“You okay?” she asked, her big brown eyes pretty much all he could see through the fur lined hood covering ninety percent of her face.
“I need to get this dog to the vet,” he shouted over the driving wind. “I hit him with the car.”
She glanced at his driver’s side door banging in the wind, then took another step closer. Her eyes widened with something that looked like fascination as she zeroed in on the bundle in his arms.
“What?” he asked, her reaction confusing him.
“Uh, do you have any idea what you’re holding?”
“A dog,” he said. What the hell was she getting at? Christ, he might not be from the country where dogs obviously ran free, but he knew a dog when he saw one. And he might be an idiot for driving in this weather, but he wasn’t a moron.
She held a gloved hand toward the bundle in his arms. “Hate to break it to you, City, but that’s no dog.”
2
The fear in City’s eyes had Josie grinning, but she knew he had nothing to worry about. In fact, the mystical creature he was cradling excited Josie beyond words.
“If it’s not a dog then what is…” His words fell off as understanding moved over his face. “Oh, shit.”
“Come on,” she said. “Put him in the back seat of my truck. Your car isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.”
“Are you sure?” he asked, those light blue eyes of his looking over the animal cautiously, like it was the big bad wolf and he was little red.
“Positive. Now hurry before you freeze to death.” Josie’s glance left his handsome face and traveled downward to take in his wool coat, dress pants, and leather shoes. “You’re not dressed properly to be outside for any length of time, so you’d better hurry.”
She opened the back door, and City gently laid the wolf on the seat. He fixed the blanket around the animal’s powerful, streamlined body, and once he was secure, Josie climbed behind the wheel. City slid into the passenger seat beside her and rubbed his hands together. Seeing how cold he was, Josie jacked up the heat, put the SUV into gear, and headed up the mountain.
“Wait, where are you going?” He jerked his thumb toward the back seat. “I need to get him to the vet.”
She peered through the streaked windshield, struggling to find her way in the white wash. “I can’t go back.”
“Then at least take me back to my car so I can.”
“I’m afraid I can’t do that, either.”
He looked at the road behind them. “Why not?”
“A tree blew down behind me and blocked the road. We’ll have to wait for a crew to clear it, and who knows how long that will be.”
“You’ve got to be kidding me.”
“I’d never kid about something like that,” she said.
He looked at the animal again. “What about the wolf? He needs attention.”
“I can take care of him.”
His eyes narrowed, and she didn’t miss the way he looked her over, not that he could actually see her behind all her winter wear. “Are you a vet?”
“No, a biologist. I’ve been studying wolf behavior for the last year.” She shot him a quick glance. “Working on my thesis.”
He went quiet and she could almost hear the wheels spinning. “Does that make you qualified to bandage him up?”
“No, but what other choice do we have? I’m sure, between the two of us, we can help him.” She gave him a smile. “What are you doing out here in the middle of a snow storm, anyway? These mountains are no place for a city boy.”
“Which is why I was trying to get to the airport.”
“You know you’re going the wrong way, right?”
“Yeah, I got lost and was about to turn around when that dog—or wolf, I guess—came out of nowhere.”
Josie turned the wipers on faster and leaned toward the windshield. “It didn’t come out of nowhere,” she stated.
“Yeah, it did.” He glanced into the back seat. “I blinked and he was just there in the road.”
She drove higher up the mountain, then turned into a small driveway, the snow on the ground nicely packed down from her vehicle’s big tires. “You can stay with me until the road is cleared. It’s only a one bedroom, but the sofa is pretty comfy.”
He gave her a look that suggested she was insane. “You’re just going to let a stranger into your place.”
She turned her head. Their glances met and she asked, “Are you dangerous, City?”
“No.”
“Okay then.”
His head came back, incredulous. “You’re just going to take my word on it?”
“Not really.” She pointed to the back seat. “I’m taking his.”
“Uh, what?”
This time, his look not only suggested that she was crazy, but there was a good chance she’d just escaped from some asylum. Sh
e laughed and went on to explain. “I suppose I should probably tell you about the legend of the white wolf.”
“There’s a legend?”
“Yeah, and while I’ve always heard about the white wolf with the blue eyes that roamed these mountains, all this time, I’d yet to see him for myself. I’m pretty excited about it, actually.” She put the SUV into Park and waved her glove at him. “The wolf is a symbol of luck.”
“Luck? How lucky can he be?” He glanced at the semiconscious animal. “I damn near killed him.”
“I don’t think so. He got hit because he wanted to get hit. He sensed you needed something and was testing you to see if you were worthy of his magic.”
His eyes narrowed, and she tried not to laugh at the horrified look he was giving her. Right about now, he was probably thinking he should be the one afraid to be alone with her, instead of the other way around.
“So do you spend a lot of time alone in these woods?” he asked.
Unable to hold it in any longer, she chuckled. “Yes, but that has nothing to do what I’m telling you. I grew up here and have heard stories about the white wolf since I was a kid.”
“Stories are told for entertainment. That doesn’t mean there is a legend, or magic.”
“Ah, the non-believer. Doesn’t surprise me, really. Being a city boy and all.” She shrugged. “Still, there is a legend. Do you want to hear it?”
“Something tells me even if I say no, you’re going to tell me anyway.”
“Right.” She twisted in her seat to see him better. “Okay, so the white wolf is a legendary spiritual and shows itself as a wolf to those who need him. And now, because you stopped to help him, he’ll stay with you until you have everything you need.”
A noise sounded in his throat, a half laugh, half moan. “I hate to break it to you, but if that was the case, then I’d be about to board my plane.”
