Vivian Arend - Wolf Tracks

Pam nodded slowly. “They complete each other. You think we’re going to have matches like that?”

“Over the past couple days as we’ve talked I think I’ve heard a few things, but I don’t want to skew the results and use those as an example. So you pick one item, think of an answer but before you tell me what you would say, I’ll share mine.”

She grinned as she examined the paper. “This could be fun you know.”

Her mischief-maker persona was back. God, he loved it when her eyes got all sparkly and her face lit up. It made it easier to breath. Made the whole of his soul content.

He baited the hooks, added a bobber and cast out the line, passing the first rod to her before setting up his own. Fishing was a great opportunity for long conversations.

Pam ran a finger down the list before glancing at him, an innocent expression plastered to her face. Not . “Okay—what’s your favourite sport for exercise?”

Easy . “Running.” Mostly as a wolf, but that still counted.

She snorted. “Mine is baseball. Well, that one works, we can play fetch together, right?”

He flicked water at her and the boat rocked lightly as she laughed.

“Number two. Favourite thing to do to relax?”

TJ gripped the fishing rod firmly in lieu of reaching for her. “My new response would be to make love with you, but before this week I would have said make music.”

The flash of desire in her eyes was unmistakable. “Stop.”

They stared at each other. Her pulse pounded in the hollow of her throat and he ached. “What’s your answer, Pam?”

She licked her lips. “I was going to say listen to music.”

Yup, she could try to deny it, but there was more and more evidence to prove they were meant to be together.

Her fishing rod quivered and she scrambled upright, the paper falling unminded to the bottom of the canoe. He laughingly coached her through reeling in the fish. For the next two hours they floated and fished, releasing all but one of the rainbow trout while they worked their way through the entire list he’d prepared. By now the paper was wet and smelled like fish, and when the time came to turn the canoe back toward the dock Pam had nothing but content emotions streaming from her.

“You relax, I’ll get us home.” He paddled hard, eyes on the water occasionally. Most of the time his gaze caressed her body where she leaned back, arms resting easily on the gunwales as she glanced around at the nearby mountains.

“I can’t believe someone gets to live here for more than a holiday.”

“The summers are fabulous, but in a remote location like this they don’t stay all winter, and winter comes early in the North. My friends usually use this cabin from May to August, then they have a place farther south for the rest of the year.”

He stroked evenly, wondering why it was far harder than usual to keep the canoe headed in a straight line. It was too clichéd to think looking at her made him weak with desire.

“When does the helicopter return for us?” Her eyes were closed as she spoke, the lazy contentment still emanating from her. TJ relaxed from the instant alert her question had raised.

“Around two o’clock, three days from now. We’ll get dropped off in Haines, and we’ll have to get a lift back to Maggie and Erik’s. The tour you were supposed to take will be done by noon.”

She laughed and leaned forward to wrap her arms around her knees. Her dark eyes sparkled at him. “Thank you.”

“For what?”

Pam pointed around. “For this. I know we’ve still got unanswered questions between the two of us, but I wouldn’t give up this experience for anything. I like this much better, being quiet and remote. It’s far more my style than the daily routine of traveling with a tour group.”

TJ stuttered for a second in confusion. “You signed up for it. That first day you said I had no right—”

She raised a hand. “I know, I was wrong. I went along with Maggie’s suggestion because I didn’t see any other possible way to experience the wilderness in a short time. A single female, traveling alone, just isn’t smart. You did okay when you kidnapped me. You really did know a little bit about what I truly needed.”

“Well, I’m glad you’re comfortable with it now.”

Her soft smile teased him. “You’re comfortable—in a completely unsettling and life-unraveling way.”

They laughed together easily and TJ drew in a deep breath of the crisp air. Hope stirred.

He switched paddling sides to give his arm a rest. They were closing in on the dock but he’d never found a canoe to be so awkward and slow to maneuver.

Pam trailed her fingers in the water lazily, ribbons of waves streaming out on either side of her fingers. Three days left to make a difference. TJ wondered briefly what chaos was happening back in Haines, but he’d pay that piper when he had to. Now they had a rainbow trout to enjoy for supper, and the evening stretched open before them.

From the expression in her eyes she had a few ideas of how they could spend their time, and he’d be a willing participant in anything she planned.

They arrived at the dock and he held firm to the decking as she scrambled out. All the equipment came out one at a time until he looked around for the anchor.

Pam burst out laughing, gesturing behind the canoe. “Are those greens to accompany the fish for dinner?”

He swung his head to see a huge mess of lake weed gathered behind the boat. “Where did that come from?” He scrambled onto the dock and followed the line of her pointing finger. “Oh shit. No wonder it was so hard to paddle.”

Pam lay on her belly on the deck to grab the anchor rope. She pulled, hauling up the weeds and the anchor he’d neglected to bring in, instead trailing it behind them the whole length of the lake.

He sighed. Yup, two steps forward, one step back. At least it was better than tipping them over.

TJ sat on the steps of the porch, plucking the strings of the old guitar they’d found in the storage closet. Every day since she’d discovered he was a wolf, he’d played for her. She’d grown to anticipate the quiet time to sit and think. Today more than ever she needed it. Tomorrow would be their last full day together before the helicopter returned. Pam curled up on the porch swing and watched the sunset. They faced the lake straight on, and the glow rising behind the western mountains painted the entire scene in shades of tangerine and gold. Streaks of light shone on them, and she smiled when TJ’s dark colouring lightened as a brilliant flash of pink lit his torso.

The gentle tones of the guitar washed over her. She closed her eyes and rocked dreamily, reveling in her situation. A full belly, a glass of wine at her elbow. After-dinner music. Life couldn’t get much better.

She had slight aches and pains from the various activities of the past days. True to his word, TJ had let her try out all kinds of outdoor experiences, including a madcap kayak trip down the nearby river.

Also true to his word, some of her aches were from the very frequent and extremely pleasurable hot wolfie sex they’d been enjoying. And for the past day, every time he grabbed a condom from their dwindling supply she’d been close to telling him to forget it…

It was official. She was going mad.

The kidnapping was no longer an issue. They had become good enough friends it was actually kind of difficult to remember this wasn’t what she’d signed up for. She had questions that remained, but her lurking suspicion was when the week officially came to an end, she would be reluctant to leave him behind and head south to resume her normal routine.

The change in her mental processes bewildered her.

“That was a big sigh.” TJ examined her closely, his dark eyes peering into her soul. “What deep thoughts are making you so sad?”