COYOTE SAVAGE (3 page)

“They aren’t usually that good with others. They recognize Talon and me, but generally

growl at strangers.”

Rebecca raised her eyebrow at him, looking back at the coyote still standing by the fence.

A slow smile spread across her face, and she brushed off his hand, bending down on one knee as

she eased closer to the animal. “Guess he doesn’t see me as a stranger.”

Caden chuckled, eyeing the animal, but it simply tilted its head and sat on its hunches,

wagging its tail. “Looks like you’ve made a friend.” Caden knelt beside her, jabbing her

playfully in the ribs. “Or should we be worried that you’ve been sneaking around here at night,

playing with our coyotes?”

Rebecca laughed, following his lead when he stood up and joined Talon by the truck.

Caden moved so they formed a triangle, allowing her just enough space that she wouldn’t feel

smothered.

Talon motioned toward the large male coyote still waiting nearby. “Is it just me, or are

you part coyote?”

Rebecca glanced at the animal. “Well, they are cunning hunters with exceptional

adaptability, so I’ll gladly be half coyote.” She snorted and crossed her arms on her chest. “Not

all of us share Darrin’s perspective…or his father’s. If they had their way, there wouldn’t be any

predators left in the wild.”

Caden merely nodded, too overwhelmed by the simple beauty of her to care where the

conversation was headed. He drank in her features, starting with the cascading waves of chestnut

hair, loosely tied at the sides. He hadn’t seen it fully down since she’d returned, and he longed to

run his hands through the silky tresses, wrapping the strands around his fingers as his brother

peppered kisses along her shoulders and back, skimming her skin until she moaned for more and

finally took his aching cock deep into her velvety mouth.

Pressure built inside his crotch, and he cursed under his breath for allowing his thoughts

to get him hard…as if he hadn’t been hard for her for the past several years, the last one being

the toughest. Having her in town, but not at their side, had taken a toll on both men, and he

realized Talon was right. If they didn’t get Rebecca to accept them for who, and what they were,

what happened to the land, and the refuge, wouldn’t matter. They’d fade into nothing without

her.

“Caden? You okay?”

Rebecca’s soft voice drew him back, and he prayed she couldn’t see his arousal bulging

out from below the edge of his jacket. He looked at Talon, hoping the man would indicate if he’d

missed anything important, and relaxed when his brother merely nodded at his groin.

“Sorry, I was just thinking about the meeting this morning.” Anger reared again, and he

fought off the urge to pound his fist on the truck’s hood. “Those men have no sense of honor.”

“Honor no, but they do have support on their side.” Her expression saddened. “There are

a lot of ranchers around here who have lost some of their livestock to coyotes, whether we want

to acknowledge it or not. And they stand up for each other. For now, I have the legal means to

keep them stuck on the sidelines, but if I can’t find any evidence soon as to who or what’s really

behind this, my hands will be tied.”

“So you believed us when we said it wasn’t our coyotes,” said Talon.

“I believed you when you said it wasn’t a coyote kill, let alone one of yours.” She leaned

back against the truck, gazing at the animals playing beyond the fence. “There’s a lot about

Mayor Carson and his son that rubs me the wrong way, and to be honest, that little display of

theirs looked staged. But I don’t have any reason to doubt his accusations, or any proof. It’s more

of a gut feeling.”

“And you’re telling us this because…” said Caden.

“Because it’s your land he’s after.” She angled her head slightly and looked at them. “I

don’t suppose you know why he’s so determined to close you down…besides the obvious hatred

for your guests?”

“We’ve been trying to figure that out since he started ranting about the refuge two years

ago. If it hadn’t been for your father standing up for us…”

Caden let his voice fade when he realized he’d brought up the one subject he knew she

didn’t like to talk about. Talon cast him a nasty look as Rebecca’s body stiffened and the color

drained from her cheeks. She’d had the same reaction at Carson’s ranch when the man had dared

to toss her dad’s death in her face, and he couldn’t believe he’d be so thoughtless as to bring it up

again.

He clenched his jaw and reached for her arm, hoping she wouldn’t yank it away. “I’m

sorry, Rebecca. I know you’d rather not talk about your dad.”

“It’s okay. And it’s not like I can avoid his death forever.” She gave him a tight smile.

“But I’ll try.”

She stepped forward and headed back to the fence. The large male had rejoined the

others, but the pack hadn’t ventured far from the driveway. Caden inhaled as she eased by him,

drinking in the sweet fragrance of lightly scented soap and clean cotton. But what held his focus

was the subtler essence nearly hidden by the crisp smell of winter and the heady bouquet of trees.

This aroma was earthy and warm, like sun-ripened berries in the early morning dew. He forced

down a swallow, cursing under his breath when Talon let out the moan he’d only just crushed.

Rebecca glanced at them over her shoulder, but didn’t acknowledge the edge of lust he

knew glimmered in their eyes. Talon was right. The hunger moon was nearly at its peak, and all

the animals felt its pull. The need to find their mate was always the strongest during those few

winter days, and he knew they’d never make it through another year without the woman they’d

secretly loved by their side.

He cocked his head toward their prey, wondering why Talon hadn’t ventured over to her,

when his brother sneered at him and shifted his feet. Caden didn’t hide the smile that broke free

when he realized Talon’s cock was obviously getting the better of him.

Caden took a deep breath, and made his way across the short distance. “You seem quite

taken by them. I didn’t realize you liked coyotes so much.”

The smile she flashed him nearly had him doubled over in pain as his shaft thickened and

pulsed, pushing against the zipper until he didn’t know how the small metal teeth managed to

stay together. It didn’t help when her gaze swept down the length of his body, lingering on his

crotch before slowly creeping back up.

“I think they’re beautiful animals. I just wish they didn’t have the reputation they did. It’s

going to be hard to convince the council that most of what they’ve read simply isn’t true when

sheep are disappearing. You said you had records…something concrete I could show to help

your case.”

“Like Talon said, we keep records of how many animals we have, when we hope to

release them and where. We also have sensors that set off an alarm if any of the animals manage

to break free. We can show the council that they haven’t been activated in the last few years. But

all that will prove is that it wasn’t a coyote from the refuge…it won’t discount the ones in their

natural habitat.”

Talon joined them, shouldering up beside Caden, as he handed Rebecca a clipboard.

“And Carson will most likely claim that the proximity of the refuge encourages the wild coyotes

to venture into the town. In the end, it’s our word against his, and we all know how the council

will vote when the time comes.”

“Don’t count anyone out yet, boys. I plan on getting to the truth, regardless of who’s

ultimately involved.” She handed Talon back the clipboard. “Would you mind faxing that

information over to the office when you get a chance? It’s better than nothing, and as long as

there’s evidence that the refuge isn’t behind any of the livestock disappearances, I’m not sure

what the mayor can do. Forcing me to hand out hunting permits is one thing—closing you boys

down is another.”

She turned back, scanning the area as the animals rested in the snow. Caden watched her

survey the fence line, smiling at the way her brow scrunched up into a vee as she tried to

decipher how the gates worked. He was just about to offer to show her when his breath caught,

the cold bite of the air freezing his throat. He glanced over at Talon and motioned toward the

snow by the entrance. Talon followed his stare and Caden watched the man wince, then turn his

head and curse. A few stray coyote tracks dotted the path in front of the gate, the paw prints

larger than normal. Apparently, they hadn’t swept the damn things away after their visit the

previous night.

Caden wanted to lunge forward and grab Rebecca’s arm before she noticed them, but

there wasn’t any way he could do that without raising suspicions. Instead, he held his ground,

trying to think of a viable answer. He didn’t have long. He’d no sooner glanced back at Talon

than Rebecca took a few steps forward and bent down, tracing one of the prints with her

fingertips. Something akin to a sigh drifted along the breeze and she looked over at them, one

eyebrow raised slightly.

“Looks like you guys have had some company. They’re definitely coyote tracks, but I’ve

never seen any this large before. Have you seen the animal that made these?”

Talon stepped forward, saving Caden from tripping over his tongue and making a

complete fool of himself. “Some of the mountain breeds can get between eighty and a hundred

pounds…for the odd male. There have been a couple of large ones around a few times, but they

disappear as soon as we try to get a better look at them.”

Rebecca nodded, still tracing the paw’s outline with her hand. “Well, I hope your ranch is

as far as they got, because if the mayor gets wind that there are some big males around…his head

is going to pop clear off.” She chuckled and stood up, finally turning to face them. “Thanks for

the tour, boys. I appreciate your help.”

“Don’t you want to see the rest of the place?” Caden gestured toward the house, wanting

any excuse to keep her around. Just being close to her made his skin tingle and his senses go

wild. “As I recall, you haven’t had a proper visit since you got back.”

“I’d really like to, but I need to get to the park and check out some of the local packs

before a new snowfall erases any evidence. Can I take a rain check? Maybe later this week?”

Caden felt his heart plummet into his stomach. “Of course.”

Rebecca thanked him and headed for her Jeep, her feet crunching on the snow. Talon

nodded at her and Caden shrugged. As if he had a clue how to delay her? He grunted at his

brother’s expression and pressed forward, walking to the driver’s side of the vehicle.

“So you’re heading into the park now?” said Caden.

Rebecca just laughed and nodded. Caden resisted the urge to face palm. Hell, she’d

already told him that…twice!

He looked at her clothes. “Are you sure you’re going to be warm enough? We have extra

gear in the house is you need some. It’s always colder up along the ridge.”

“I’ve got more sweaters and supplies in the back. But thanks for the offer.” She paused,

looking as if she wanted to add something, but then jumped in the Jeep and shut the door.

Caden stepped back, waving as she drove down the driveway, finally disappearing

around a bend. Talon shook his head as he moved beside him, still looking down the road.

“Are you warm enough?” He tsked as he looked at Caden. “Seriously? That was the best

you could do?”

“Well, I didn’t hear you come up with any grand lines that had her swooning at our feet.”

“You saw how taken she was with the coyotes. Why didn’t you offer to take her in the

pen?”

“Oh yeah, that would have been a great idea. Then we could have spent the rest of the

day explaining that the only reason she didn’t get attacked was because we can communicate

with the animals, and that they see us as their alpha males.” Caden kicked at the snow. “Do you

really think she’s ready to know the truth?”

“At least she’d still be here…and maybe if she knew a bit more about us, she wouldn’t be

so damn cautious.”

“Or maybe she’d run screaming down the driveway.”

Talon sighed. “I’m just trying to find a way to break the ice.”

“Then how about the next time you actually suggest it, instead of standing there willing

your erection away.”

“Hey, you’re always saying that you got the brains out of the two of us, so I pretty much

leave the ‘intelligent’ side of the conversation up to you. Don’t worry. I’ll step in when it gets all

hot and heavy.”

“Based on the way you stumbled over here, I’d say it’s already ‘hot and heavy’ with

you.”

“See Caden. That’s your problem. Always thinking with the wrong head, at the wrong

time.” He patted his brother on the back. “Next time, listen to your cock a bit more and that brain

of yours a bit less.”

“Just shut up and get in the truck.”

“Why?”

“’Cause we’re following her.” Caden opened the door and climbed in. “I don’t care how

good she is at taking care of herself, something in the way Carson talked about her dad’s

accident made my skin crawl. I just don’t think we should let her out of our sights for a while.”

“Fine by me.” Talon buckled his seat belt, grabbing the window frame when Caden spun

the truck around and headed for the park. “This is going to involve us shifting, isn’t it?”