Linda Johnston - Loyal Wolf

Kathlene noticed how the pretty brunette server’s eyes skimmed approvingly over Jock, who smiled back. Oh, yeah, the server had noticed how sexy he was. How could she help it? But that didn’t matter to Kathlene. Couldn’t matter.

So why did she want to shake the waitress and tell her to go get their drinks? Fast.

“Do you have any other recommendations?” Ralf asked. This time his T-shirt was blue with a circular logo representing the Montana flag in the middle, along with the state motto “Oro Y Plata”—gold and silver. He’d definitely done his homework before coming here, probably ordered his shirt online. His toothy grin was friendly, not suggesting at all that he was anything but what he pretended to be: a visitor who’d come here along with a friend on a road trip.

Jock, on the other hand, was also in jeans but with a snug black T-shirt on top. It hugged his ample muscles and emphasized the tightness of his hot body. He wasn’t smiling at Kathlene, though. Instead, his hazel eyes regarded her with an expression she couldn’t quite read. Curiosity? Irritation? Challenge? Maybe all of the above—but she was entitled to feel each of those emotions even more than he did.

Although she had no doubt that he believed otherwise.

She turned back to Ralf. “I don’t eat here often, but when I do I usually order one of the specials. I’ve never had a bad meal at this place, though, so just pick whatever sounds best to you.”

At least here, sitting at a table, she could order a salad. The Cobb salad at this café was one of the best she had ever tasted, so she knew that would be her selection.

The server returned. Ralf ordered the meat-loaf special, Jock the sandwich and Kathlene her salad.

Then it was time for them to put on their act, pretend for those surrounding them to be longtime friends.

But Kathlene needed to give these men a reminder. They’d apparently tried to do something without her last night. Today, to maintain cordiality in their relationship, she could understand and agree with it, but only on a limited basis. And she would first make it clear that they hadn’t gotten rid of her for this evening.

“So did you sleep well last night?” she began, aiming an enormous, friendly smile toward Jock.

His return grin was wry—an utterly sexy look on his craggy face. “Sure did. How about you?”

“Eventually, sure. But you know, I remembered something I wanted to tell you after I left and decided to go back rather than to just call you. Imagine my surprise when I saw you driving away down the road.” She kept her smile large but her voice was very low. “I knew you didn’t intend to check on that...place I’d told you about, since you’d have let me know and invited me to come along, as we agreed. Sure enough, I noticed that you’d stopped not there but farther down the road, only...” She wasn’t quite sure how to continue. Things had become murky after that, and she hadn’t really been able to observe either of these men or what they’d been up to. She’d essentially lost them in darkness, and neither had shown up in the area she expected they would.

Addie returned to their table and placed their food in front of them. “Enjoy,” she said, “and let me know if there’s anything else you need.”

Oh, there was something else Kathlene needed, all right, but the server wasn’t the one who could help her. Addie lingered a bit more than necessary, refilling their water glasses and making a point of joking a little with Jock, who responded as if he enjoyed it. As if flirting with their waitress was the best thing that had happened to him that day.

Which only annoyed Kathlene all the more.

Ignoring Jock, she turned to Ralf after Addie had left. “I admire the way you discovered that old, abandoned house down the road, but I wasn’t sure what you were up to.” Once again, she kept her voice muted even as she all but batted her eyelashes at him so anyone observing them would think she was having a grand old time flirting with her buddy’s friend. “Just looking for a closer venue to use as headquarters for the investigation we’ll be conducting at the ranch?”

Ralf’s features seemed to grow even darker. He glanced at the man who was evidently his commanding officer.

“You could say that.” Jock’s smile was rigid now, his voice low but sharp. “And we will include you when it makes sense. But it didn’t last night during our preliminary recon.” He paused, and his hazel eyes grew icy. “You have no business following us. For all you know, there could have been some major danger there and we might not have known you were around to help protect you.”

That again. He seemed determined to keep her out of danger, out of trouble. The idea should have warmed her, but instead it made her chill. Had they made no progress at all after her demonstration that she could protect herself, at least in hand-to-hand combat?

But this wasn’t the place to encourage a major argument with Jock Larabey. Not with so many people around who might overhear them, especially if they raised their voices.

“I get it,” she said as neutrally as she could. “But look, I really need to be able to trust you both. At least tell me what you’re going to do, where you’re going to go.” She hesitated. “And it frustrated me last night when I lost track of you. I didn’t see you anywhere near the ranch when I got there. I only saw a...well, it looked like a wolf. It seemed to be stalking the outside of the compound. Were you around? Did you see it—and me—too?”

There was no immediate response from either man. They glanced at each other, though, as if their silence spoke volumes between them.

What was going on?

“Those guys purport to be hunters,” she went on when they still said nothing. “I had the sense that the wolf had some purpose to be there. Isn’t that silly? But I’d have hated to see one of them shoot the animal. There is no license for killing wolves this early in the year, but I wouldn’t have been surprised if they used the poor thing for target practice, anyway.”

She’d been watching their expressions as she talked. Once again Jock’s look appeared to say lots that she couldn’t read. But he finally spoke. “You’re right, Kathlene,” he said, amazing her—only she wasn’t sure what she was right about. “There’s something we’ll show you and explain after lunch. Will you have a few minutes?”

Not really, but she wasn’t about to tell him that. She’d just have to face the wrath of her partner, Jimmy, after calling him to tell him she’d be late.

And dealing with his anger wouldn’t be pleasant.

But she had a feeling it would be worth it...to learn whatever Jock Larabey was now willing to tell her.

Chapter 5

She had seen him. Just as he had suspected.

And she might wind up seeing him again as their investigation progressed.

Therefore, Jock figured it was already time to nip any suspicions she might have in the bud.

Not that she was likely to assume that the canine she saw was anything but a genuine wolf or dog or whatever.

He took a sip of water from the glass in front of him. He’d already told Ralf his opinion by his glance.

Jock hadn’t been a member of the military and Alpha Force for very long so far, but Ralf had enlisted in the army years ago. He was an astute soldier and a smart aide to a shifting Alpha Force member—him.

Ralf knew by Jock’s glance what he was saying. Jock felt certain of it.

It was time, after lunch, to go introduce Kathlene to Click.

* * *

She had insisted on driving her own vehicle since she had to return to duty soon.

Jock sent Ralf back with the car they had driven here as part of their cover—a nice but slightly beat-up black sedan that was owned by Uncle Sam, but with plates registered to Mr. Jock Larabey of Seattle, Washington.