Lindsay McKenna - Wolf Haven

“Yes, you were.”

“What do you like to eat?”

“Meat and potatoes. A salad is okay, too.”

“Where were you born, Gray?” It was the first time she’d said his name, and it rolled off her tongue like a delicious chocolate. Sky liked the sound of his name. It fit him. Gray was a color that was neutral, a combination of black and white. His dark side was as a shadow warrior in black ops. His light side? Did he have one? Sky thought he did. In time, perhaps he would reveal that side of himself to her.

“Cheyenne, Wyoming.”

“Ah, the capital of the limited palate?”

He grinned a little. “Guilty as charged.”

Sky leaned against the cart and studied Gray openly for the first time. He didn’t seem to mind her looking him over. His cheeks had turned ruddy even beneath his deep tan. There was a little boy hidden in this man’s body; she could feel it. Sky bet he had a little boy’s awe of the world and that it was magical. Maybe she’d find out later. “I’m kind of a garbage-can eater,” she confided. “I’ll eat just about anything.”

“Where were you born?” he teased.

Laughing softly, Sky said, “Casper, Wyoming.”

“Vegan city?”

“Not really. My mother’s full-blood Cheyenne, and I was raised on venison and buffalo for the most part. That and a lot of trout. My father is a gourmet chef when he gets in the mood, and growing up, he taught me about spices, sauces and gravies.”

“Gravy is definitely something I could get used to.”

“Figures. Meat, potatoes and gravy kind of guy.”

His straight, dark brows rose. “Is there anything else?”

Sky shook her head and gave him a sour grin. “I don’t mind cooking dinner every other night. The real question is, will you eat what I make or starve?”

“I won’t starve,” Gray assured her. “I probably don’t have a gourmet gene in my body, but I’ll do my best. My mother always said when food is cooked with love, it always tastes good.”

“I like your can-do spirit,” Sky teased. “Are you open to Chinese?”

“Sure, as long as there’s some meat with it.”

“Middle Eastern food?” Because it was a favorite of hers. His smile deepened.

“Yeah, I like lamb, couscous and stuff like that.”

“See? This isn’t going to be a food nightmare for you like you thought.”

Gray enjoyed their repartee. “What’s that bok choy you just grabbed used for?”

“It’s for wonton soup. The Chinese version of chicken soup. You’ll love it.”

“As long as it has a healthy amount of meat in it, I’ll survive.”

Sky smiled and continued down the row of vegetables. “Lots of chicken,” she promised.

“Gray!”

A woman’s voice floated over the veggie department, and Sky stopped the cart, looking in that direction. A red-haired woman in her early thirties smiled and came their way. Sky saw that she was decidedly pregnant.

“Hey, Val, good to see you,” Gray greeted her warmly, grinning as she walked over with her arms full of plastic vegetable sacks.

Val nodded. “Who is this, Gray?” And then she got devilry in her green eyes. “Your new girlfriend?”

Sky felt her cheeks go red hot.

Gray winced. “No. Val McPherson, meet Sky Pascal. Iris just hired her today to be my assistant. She’s also an R.N. and will be setting up a small medical office at the ranch.”

“Hey, Sky, welcome to Jackson Hole,” Val said, shifting all the veggies to one arm and thrusting her hand out toward her.

“Here...” Gray muttered. “Let me...” He took all the sacks from Val.

“Hi,” Sky said, liking the woman immediately. “How far along are you?”

Val looked over her shoulder and watched as what had to be her husband rounded the corner. She waved him to come over. He had the cart. Turning, Val placed her hands on her swollen belly. “Seven months and counting.”

“That’s wonderful,” Sky sighed.

“It is now,” Val griped. “Morning sickness sucked, I’ve got to tell you.”

Laughing, Sky nodded. “Yeah, it’s a real pain. Are you going to have a home birth or go to the hospital?”

Val raised her brows. “I want a home birth, but my husband here—” she grabbed the man’s hand and drew him to her side “—is scared out of his mind I’ll end up dying at home trying to give birth. Griff? This is Sky Pascal. She’s an R.N. and will be working at the Elk Horn Ranch.”

Griff doffed his gray Stetson. “Nice to meet you, Sky. You say you’re an R.N.?”

“She is,” Gray said, reaching over and shaking Griff’s hand.

Val grabbed Sky’s arm. “Listen, I’m all ears. What’s your speciality as an R.N.?”

“Oh, I wasn’t in obstetrics. I was an E.R. nurse. Sorry.”

“Well, no matter. Did you ever deliver any babies?”

Gray watched Sky’s face light up with unabashed joy.

“Yes, I’ve delivered about forty babies while I was over in Afghanistan.”

Val blinked. “You’re military?”

“Was,” Sky admitted.

“I was in the Air Force. An intel officer.”

“I was a first lieutenant in the Navy.”

Griff looked at all of them. “Now I’m feeling left out. I’m the only one here who hasn’t been in the service.”

Gray patted his shoulder. “You’ll get over it, Griff.” And the two men traded grins.

Val patted Sky’s hand. “Listen, we must get together. Okay? We’ll do lunch over at Mo’s Ice Cream Parlor. Best food in town. I’d love to hear about your military experiences.”

Sky’s smile faded a little. “I’d love to, Val. Maybe when I get my feet under me with my new job over at the ranch?”

“Of course,” Val said. She gave Gray a teasing look and then whispered in her ear so everyone couldn’t hear, “He’s single....”

Sky wanted to melt into the floor and disappear. “I figured he was since he’s living at the employee house like I am,” she said.

Val nodded sagely. “You two would make a lovely couple. Well, gotta run! I’m going to be late for my ob-gyn’s appointment if I don’t get these veggies to the cash register. Gray, see you later.” And then Val gave him an evil look. “And you be nice to Sky. No pranks.”

Gray managed to look puzzled at her assumption. “Yes, ma’am,” he teased back, leaning down and giving Val a swift kiss on the cheek. As Gray straightened, he patted Griff on the back. “Hang in there, McPherson. Two more months...”

Sky watched the warm and affectionate banter among the three of them. Gray’s guard had gone down when Val and Griff arrived. They were clearly good friends. She hoped Gray would be that relaxed around her, one day soon. When he looked at her, she felt as giddy as a teenage girl swooning over the football captain who gave her a glance.

Sky wasn’t sure what was going on, so many different impressions hitting her. With the PTSD, every sense was heightened, even her intuition. It was almost too much busy activity with Val coming in like a tornado out of nowhere. She saw Gray’s smile dissolve and concern appear in his darkening hazel eyes that turned more brown in color.

“You okay?”

Sky collected herself and said, “Yes.”

“Iris said you had PTSD like me.”

Her stomach tightened. “Uh, yes, I do.” Please, God, don’t let him ask me anything about it. Please...

“Val is high energy,” Gray told her in a quiet tone. “And people with PTSD feel like they’ve been blasted by a bomb around a person like that. You’re looking a little exhausted.”

Rattled by his insight, Sky grimaced. “God, am I that readable? I hope Val didn’t notice. I really like her, and she was very nice.”

Without thinking, Gray placed a thick strand of hair behind her ear. It had been an unthinking reaction. An intimate act between a man and woman. He cursed himself because no woman had drawn him out like this since Julia. What was it about Sky that invited his touch? His fingers fairly itched to feel that thick, loose, shining hair of hers. He wanted to smell it, run the strands against his cheek and feel the silkiness of it, of her. He saw the shocked response in her expression after his hand fell to his side. Her eyes went huge, and her lush lips parted.