One at a time, she leashed the pups, handing them off to Team members. “We’ve got three males and one female.”
“These are big puppies.” Taylor scratched his pup behind the ears. “Our adult black lab isn’t much bigger than this.”
Winona leashed the last pup and led it out of the kennel. It hopped up on her, yipped. She patted its head. “You think they’re big? Wait till you see their daddy.”
Jason glanced around, still keeping an eye out for trouble. They needed to catch this Graham bastard. But what would they do about the wolf when they found him?
With the pups out of the kennel, Winona worked quickly, buckling the mother wolfdog’s front paws and then its rear paws together. With that done, she slipped a mask over its eyes and then checked its pulse.
“Okay, let’s get her onto the gurney. Watch where you step.”
With five animals in a small space, piles of poop were everywhere.
Jesse and Creed maneuvered their way inside, Winona supporting the wolfdog’s head as they lifted her onto the gurney. Then she took one of the handles, Jason, Sasha, and Megs taking the other three to lift the gurney and carry it out of the kennel.
Megs took charge from there, sorting out who would be on belay, who would carry the gurney, and who would wrangle puppies. In just a few minutes, the belay crew was ready, the gurney crew was in harnesses and roped in, and the puppy wranglers, as Megs called them, were set.
Winona took Austin’s pup so he could help carry the gurney. “The pups will probably want to stay close to their mama. This experience is new to them.”
Down the hill they went, the crew with the gurney moving slowly over steep, slippery ground made more treacherous because the snow hid the trunks of fallen trees and rocks. When they reached the creek, they removed the ropes and carried the gurney out to the road, where Austin crawled beneath it and clipped on the large ATV tire that enabled them to roll the gurney the rest of the way.
“That’s clever.” Jason bent down, gave his pup’s ears a scratch.
“That’s Chaska’s invention.”
The pups trotted along behind the gurney, occasionally whimpering for their mother, their ears straight up and forward, tails wagging.
Sasha was clearly having a great time. “They’re so cute!”
“This is why I love the Team—no two days are alike,” Jesse said. “One day, it’s a drunk kid in a Batman suit stuck on a crag, and the next, it’s a wolfdog and puppies.”
After that, the conversation drifted to the upcoming ski season and off-width climbing gear—mega-cams, tube chocks, gloves.
Jason leaned closer, spoke for Winona’s ears alone. “Can we still be friends if I say I have no clue what they’re talking about?”
Winona laughed. “Sure. Thanks, by the way. You helped find these poor creatures. Now we can put them in a good home where they can run free.”
“Just doing my part.” His lips curved in a smile that stole Winona’s breath.
They reached the parking lot, where Jack and Nate were loading the UTV into their trailer. Under Winona’s direction, Team members lifted the wolfdog, settled her inside Shota’s old crate, and placed the pups beside her.
“Thanks for your help, everyone.” Winona locked the crate, eager to get the mother back to the clinic as soon as possible so she wouldn’t have to sedate her again. She handed her radio to Megs. “Everyone did a great job.”
“You’re the wolf whisperer. We just do what we’re told.” Megs and the others began packing away their gear. “We’ll do a quick debriefing at The Cave in an hour and then hit the pub.”
“I’m heading back to the ranch.” Nate shook Jason’s hand and hugged Winona. “I hope to see both of you at the Cimarron again soon. My old man and I couldn’t have done this without you.”
“I’m obliged to both of you.” Jack closed the tailgate, checked it, ensuring that the crate and its precious cargo was safe. “Let’s hit the road.”
Winona was just climbing into the cab of Jack’s truck when a US Marshal Service vehicle entered the parking lot. Several marshals got out, including Zach, who was wearing body armor and carrying a rifle.
He spotted them and walked over, a big grin on his face. “Jack, Nate, good to see you two. Looks like you’ve got your hands full, Winona. Hey, Chiago. I heard that bastard fired off a few shots. I’m glad you still have your head. Are those nicks from bullet fragments?”
Jason shot Zach a look. “Tree bark. The round hit a tree, and the bark splintered.”
Winona gaped at him. “He almost shot you?”
Jack crossed his arms over his chest. “I hadn’t heard this either. Anyone care to elaborate?”
Jason filled them in. “He fired off a few rounds to hold us off so he could get away. We took cover, and he hopped on that four-wheeler. No big deal.”
“No big deal?” It seemed like a big deal to Winona, but then she wasn’t in law enforcement. “You let me think you’d had a run-in with a tree trunk.”
“I didn’t want to worry you.”
Zach frowned, held a finger to his earpiece, and turned away, listening. Then he spoke into his hand mic. “Copy that. We’re on our way up.”
Just then, a dozen pagers went off, including Winona’s. She drew it out of her pocket, read through the message. “They found him. The four-wheeler flipped, and he’s pinned beneath it and injured.”
“Listen up! Grab your gear. We’re heading back up the mountain.” Megs walked over to Zach. “McBride, are my people in danger? What about the other wolf?”
Zach zipped his parka, adjusted his hand mic. “I just heard from Incident Command. The wolf ran off, and the fugitive has been disarmed. I’ll be right beside you.”
“That’s good enough for me.” Megs set off. “Let’s move, people! And remember to watch for traps!”
Zach turned to Jason. “You coming, Chiago?”
“I’m sticking with Winona.”
Zach’s eyebrows rose. “Got it. See you later.”
As Winona and Jason got into Jack’s truck for the drive to Scarlet Springs, the Team headed back up the mountain, Zach and his men beside them.
Jason, Jack, and a group of volunteers helped unload the crate from the back of Jack’s pickup and carry the sedated wolf inside, her pups scampering along behind them.
“I’m heading back up to the ranch.” Jack shook first Winona’s hand and then Jason’s. “Thanks for solving this mystery. You are welcome under our roof anytime.”
“Thanks for the hospitality.” Jason had never imagined he’d enjoy hanging with a family of white millionaires. The West family and their ranch were far beyond anything in his experience. “The Cimarron is a special place.”
“Then I’ll see you again. Take care.” With that, Jack left the clinic.
Jason watched as Winona worked, impressed with her confidence around animals that would scare most people.
She examined the mother, drew blood samples, and gave the animals rabies vaccines. “You guys didn’t see that.”