Jason crossed his arms over his chest. “What do you plan to do if we find wolves on your land? Are you going to eradicate them?”
“God, no!” Jack looked appalled at the thought. “You’ve got my word on that. If it’s wolves, I need to change how we’re managing the herd—put a couple of ostriches in the pasture or something.”
“Ostriches?”
The look on Jason’s face almost made Winona laugh.
Jack grinned. “Ostriches make effective guard animals—llamas, too.”
“I’ve told Jack that I’m happy to help.” Winona owed Jack a favor, but she would have helped no matter what. “I’ll ask Dr. Keene to cover for me at the clinic. I can examine whatever remains are left and see if the scene looks like the site of a wolf kill, but I can’t track.”
Jason considered it for a moment. “I’m in. I need to get McBride home. He and I drove here together in my truck. I’ll spend the night at his place and pick Winona up from her house early tomorrow morning.”
“I’ll meet you at the gate to the ranch at ten. Is that too early?” Jack asked.
Winona met Jason’s gaze. “Does that work for you?”
“Yeah. No problem.”
“I’m much obliged to both of you. Lunch will be on us.” Jack’s brow furrowed. “We don’t want this reaching the media, so it’s best to keep it quiet. That’s why I dragged you out here in the cold. Word travels fast in Scarlet.”
Winona knew he was right. Wolves had been eradicated in Colorado in the 1940s, and people had strong feelings about their return to the state. Many supported it for environmental reasons, while others were vehemently opposed and believed they should all be hunted. If the media got wind of a pack of wolves north of Scarlet…
“We’ll keep it to ourselves.”
“I’d best get back to my family, and you need to get inside before you freeze.” Jack opened the door, held it for them. “See you tomorrow morning.”
Winona walked back to the Team table, one thought chasing another through her mind. If wolves truly were returning to Colorado on their own, there would be no need to fight legal battles to reintroduce them. It would improve the health of the entire mountain ecosystem. Ranchers wouldn’t be happy, but the state would reimburse them for lost livestock like it already did.
Jason walked beside her. “You’re excited. I can see it on your face.”
She was excited. “I love wolves.”
“We get Mexican gray wolves moving through TO land once in a while.”
“Have you ever seen one?”
“Only from a distance. Sadly, my job doesn’t involve tracking four-legged creatures, just the two-legged, criminal kind.”
They ended the conversation before reaching the table.
“You going to tell us what that was about?” Megs asked.
“I’ll tell you when I’m sure what’s happening.” Winona took her seat, tapped out a text message to Dr. Keene, the local vet.
Megs’ eyes narrowed. “My imagination will run wild.”
Their drinks were waiting for them—Winona’s Blackberry Izze, Grandpa’s root beer float, Jason’s brew.
“What’d you get?” Zach asked him.
“Smoke and Fire IPA.” Jason took a sip. His eyebrows shot up. “Damn.”
Zach raised his glass. “Told you.”
Their food came a few minutes later, the conversation at the table ranging from the new gear the Team hoped to buy to predictions for the first snowfall to Sasha’s upcoming photoshoot for Rock & Ice Magazine.
Then Sasha, who’d clearly had one too many margaritas, turned her attention to Jason. “What do you track as a Shadow Wolf?”
Jason seemed amused. “Bad guys.”
“What kind of bad guys?”
“The kind that wouldn’t hesitate to kill every single one of us just to make a buck—drug smugglers and human traffickers, mostly.”
That seemed to sober Sasha up. “Oh. Wow.”
Zach tossed back the last of his beer. “I met Chiago when I was still working the line. Our paths didn’t cross often, but when they did, I knew he had my back.”
“Back at you, man.”
Winona found it hard to keep her gaze off Jason. He was everything she’d been raised to admire in a man—courageous, respectful of his elders, willing to take responsibility. He was what Grandpa would call a true warrior. Even when he was relaxed, there was an air of danger about him. If that wasn’t enough, he was so good-looking that she found herself wondering about things she shouldn’t.
Things like how it would feel to kiss him. And what he’d look like without that T-shirt. And what it would be like to have sex with him.
Stop torturing yourself! He’s taken, remember?
Yes, she remembered.
And tomorrow, she was spending all day with him.
Winona was just drying off after her shower when Jason knocked at her front door. Damn. “Coming!”
She slipped into her bathrobe and hurried on bare feet to answer, her hair hanging uncombed and wet. “Sorry. I forgot to set my alarm. I’ll get dressed.”
“No worries. I’m early. We’ve got plenty of time.” He stepped into her living room, faded jeans riding low on his hips, a fleece-lined denim jacket covering a gray T-shirt, black boots on his feet. His gaze slid over her.
Great.
He probably thought she looked like a half-drowned cat.
“Make yourself comfortable. There’s coffee in the kitchen if you’d like some.”
“Thanks.”
Winona hurried into her bedroom, dressed in layers—jeans, a warm silk jersey camisole, her purple long-sleeved T-shirt with the yellow feather on the front, and warm socks. Then she combed the tangles out of her wet hair, squeezed the moisture out of it with a towel, and left it loose to air dry.
She found Jason sitting on her sofa with a cup of coffee in his hands. “Have you had breakfast?”
“Yeah, thanks. I’m good.” Jason wasn’t much taller than Chaska, but he dominated the space, the coffee mug seeming small in his hands.
She stuffed things she might need into her backpack—a water bottle, gloves, a hat, a notepad, and pen—and laced into her hiking boots. “The local vet is covering the clinic later today, but I need to do morning rounds.”
She let Jason feed the eagle, his fascination making her smile.
He sucked in a breath when the big bird flew down, talons out, to dig into its meal. “Look at that.”
The morning was cold and crisp as they walked to Jason’s truck, the air fresh with the scent of pine and golden aspens.
Winona had to hurry to keep up with his long stride. “I texted Jack for directions to the Cimarron last night.”
Jason touched a button on his keychain fob, starting the truck’s engine. “It’s already programmed into my GPS. McBride gave me the address. He has nothing but praise for Jack West and his family.”
Neither did Winona. “When the fire hit, most people were at work and couldn’t make it home to evacuate their livestock. Jack and Nate showed up with trailers and rescued other people’s horses. No one asked them to do it. No one paid them. They just showed up. They helped me evacuate the clinic, too.”