Rebecca’s Wolves(45)

Griffen imagined she was right, but even he didn’t find the prospect too appealing. He cringed inwardly at the concept that he might find himself forced to move to the reservation and take up a new line of work. It was a long drive to the ski resort his family operated on the northern corner of the lake.

He closed his eyes and prayed for whatever higher being would listen to help him through this time.

Melinda interrupted his introspection. “So, when can I spend time with your sweet mate?”

Miles chuckled. “How far and how fast can you run?”

“Excuse me?”





Chapter Sixteen


Rebecca sat with her knees pulled up to her chest in one of the old wooden Adirondack chairs on the shaman’s porch. The paint had once been a sky blue, but most of it had faded over the years, making the chairs look like they were from another time period. Hell, they were.

The day was warm, and the sun felt fantastic on her face.

She was stuffed. A huge breakfast and then lunch she wasn’t accustomed to eating made her lethargic.

If her life wasn’t upside down, she could easily curl up on the cushions with a book and let herself fall asleep for the entire afternoon.

But that wasn’t on the agenda.

Instead she had to deal with two domineering men who had apparently claimed her and rocked her world and would undoubtedly do so again before the day was over.

She could almost think clearly now that she wasn’t sitting between them, breathing in their scents while listening to two women discuss how some supernatural power had decided it was not in Rebecca’s best interest to leave the reservation.

She closed her eyes and leaned back, huddled in the corner of the chair.

She heard the screen door open, but didn’t glance in that direction. Instinctively she knew it was Melinda who approached. The men she would have scented, as weird as that was, and besides, they couldn’t glide so quietly across the porch.

The older shaman would have spoken immediately. The woman didn’t waste air time.

Melinda sat on the end of the Adirondack as Rebecca finally opened her eyes. “It’s peaceful here.”

It was. The day was still, the sun bright, the view of the wide open land with the mountains looming in the backdrop amazing.

“Miles says you’re training for a race.”

“Supposed to be.” She rolled her eyes. “Somehow I have to run today. It’s starting to look like I’m going to have to do that here. I don’t think your spooky ghost wants me to head into town today.”

Melinda giggled. Her voice was full of life. “Never really think of them as ghosts, but you never know.”

“At this point, I’m leaning toward a poltergeist.” She tried to laugh, but it wasn’t all that funny.

“I’m not completely convinced the apparitions are ill-meaning.”

Rebecca cocked her head to one side. “How do you figure?” So far Griffen had been injured so badly he could have died, a large ominous dark cloud had blocked out the sun before her eyes, the tires had been flattened on the car, and a tree had nearly caused them to have an accident. How could that be considered anything other than a bad omen?

“Sometimes the spirits just want to be noticed for some reason. It’s difficult for them to relay their message to us, so they might get in your face, so to speak, and force an audience.”

“And what reason would they have other than something malicious?”

Melinda shrugged. “We may never know. But when I hear of these sorts of appearances, I try to open my mind to the possibilities.” She leaned back, set her hands behind her, and tipped her face to the sun.

Rebecca sensed she would say more.

“You know how you leave the house sometimes and realize you forgot something important, so you turn back to get it?” She kept going. “You’re so pissed with yourself, and you’re late. And now you’re later. And then you get in the car, and on the way to your destination you pass a huge accident.”

Ah. Rebecca thought she knew where Melinda was going with this story.

Melinda turned her gaze to face Rebecca. She shrugged again as if everything she’d said was just a hunch. “Could be a little of that going on. The forces of nature working not against you but in your favor to keep you from a greater harm. Unfortunately, we sometimes never find out. If we don't drive through the wrong intersection at the wrong time and the accident never occurs, how would we know what Fate had in store for us?”

Rebecca nodded. Melinda definitely had a glass-half-full view on life. Rebecca wished she could channel some of that faith, but it was tough. She had a race in two weeks. A huge one. She worked hard all year to get the trifecta. If she didn’t compete in this race, there was a chance she wouldn’t be able to fit in another one before the end of the year. And if she kept dorking around, she wouldn’t be prepared.