The Guardian (The Wolfe Series) (19 page)

The sun beat down relentlessly and both men’s shirts were soaked
with sweat when they reached an opening near a rocky outcropping.  The bloodhound stopped in its tracks and circled the area, the breath from its nose lifting the fine desert sand.  Without warning the dog lifted its head and howled, a long drawn out howl that startled a flock of nearby Gambrel Quail and sent them flying past the outcropping of rock.

“What’s wrong with him?” Enrique questioned
irritably.  He was hot and tired and what little patience he possessed was at an end.

Pedro pointed toward a patch of dark sand not far away from where they were standing.  “
Something died here.  Lot’s of coyote tracks,” Pedro said, shifting uneasily from one foot to the other.  “But I don’t think it was the woman.” 

Enrique paused, gazing at the bloody sand as he considered the ramifications. 
So that’s what happened to the Alpha coyote.  How could that woman have killed such an aggressive animal?

Pedro
was nearly jerked off his feet as the bloodhound put its nose to the ground again and headed toward the nearby rocky outcropping.  It didn’t take the animal long to find the campfire beneath the rocky ledge.  “There’s more blood here, might be the woman’s the way Beau is acting,” Pedro commented as he watched the bloodhound sniff the ground and then lift his head to howl once again before dragging Pedro toward an open spot a hundred yards away. 

So she had help,
did she?
  Enrique kicked at the ashes of the campfire, smiling a malevolent smile before following after Pedro and the hound.  He was secretly pleased that the woman was still alive.  The fact that someone had obviously rescued her only added spice to the hunt.

The bloodhound circled the open area for several minutes, its nose to the ground, searching desperately for the woman’s scent before finally sitting back on its haunches and whining mournfully.

“Now what’s the matter?” Enrique asked, his scowl digging a deep furrow between his eyes.

             
Pedro scratched his head thoughtfully.  “The woman left here but not on foot.  I don’t think she was carried out either because Beau would still be able to catch her scent on the wind.”

             
“You’re saying she was air-lifted out of here?” Enrique asked skeptically.  “I didn’t know anyone in this area had a helicopter and I don’t see any sign that an airplane landed here.”

             
“I don’t know, jefe.  The dog would still be tracking her if she’d walked or been carried out of here.  That much I do know.”

             
Enrique turned and started walking back the way they’d come.  “I want you to spread the word,” he threw back over his shoulder as Pedro scurried after him dragging a reluctant Beau behind.  “I want the bounty on Laurie Kincaid’s head increased, a very large bounty that will be paid for any news of her and of anyone who might be helping her.”  She must have been wounded in the coyote attack but that still left the question as to who had killed the Alpha male and what had happened to its body.  It would have taken more strength than the woman possessed to overcome that pack leader. 

The question of who had
actually killed the Alpha male intrigued Enrique and he smiled broadly as he looked forward to the coming hunt.

              Slipping on her sundress and sandals, Laurie tested her leg to see if it would hold her weight and was glad when she found that she was able to walk, albeit slowly and with a pronounced limp.  She was grateful that Jake had been kind enough to launder her clothing for her.  There was a lot she had to thank Jake Wolfe for.  She wondered what he’d been doing out in the desert alone the night he’d found her, her savior, her knight in shining armor.

             
The house was quiet and Laurie saw no one about as she limped through the living room and into kitchen.  Grabbing an apple off the kitchen table, she rubbed the fruit against her hip as she opened the back door and stepped out into brilliant sunshine. 

Fleecy
white clouds sailed through an azure blue sky.  A red-tailed hawk soared high overhead, floating effortlessly on the desert wind currents.  Laurie heard a commotion as she walked toward a building that was obviously a stables, glad to find that the interior was ten degrees cooler when she entered.

A golden palomino whinnied at Laurie, it’s ears pricked forward as she walked down the center aisle
of the stable and toward the animal’s stall.  Her limp had become more pronounced since she’d left the house and she supposed that she had pushed herself a little too hard and a little to early in her recovery.

The palomino whickered softly
as Laurie gently stroked his velvety soft muzzle. 
Oh, my, you’re a beauty, aren’t you?
  The animal backed away and tossed his head from side to side before once again sticking his head out of the door and allowing her to stroke his satiny neck.

             
Laurie admired the palomino’s rich golden color and flaxen mane and tail.  The palomino’s head was small and refined with a straight profile.  He had a strong, well-muscled body with a broad chest and powerful rounded hindquarters.  She guessed that he was a real handful and could probably only be ridden by an accomplished rider. 

             
“You’re lucky you’re not missing any fingers,” Jake scolded as he walked into the stables.  “Golden Cloud doesn’t take to many people.”  He ran his hand lovingly along the stallion’s arched neck.  Laurie backed away, licking her bottom lip nervously, totally unaware of what she was doing to Jake’s libido.

             
“He’s a Quarter Horse, and as the name implies, he can outdistance other horse breeds in races of a quarter mile or less,” Jake explained.   “Golden Cloud is tall for a Quarter Horse, standing seventeen hands.  He’s more of a hunter or racing type, taller and smoother muscled, exactly the type of Quarter Horse that I want to start breeding.  Not at all like the horses my brothers prefer, short, more compact stock, well muscled yet agile.

             
“I don’t know much about Quarter Horses.  I’ve been around mostly Thoroughbreds and Hanoverians, the best of the European Warm Bloods.”  Laurie took another step back, uncomfortable with the sensations that Jake’s well-developed body was invoking.  She trembled unable to deny the way her body responded to him.  She was warmed by his body heat and he aroused her without even trying.

             
Jake felt her sudden discomfort and backed off, for now at least and said, “I’ve clocked Cloud at speeds of up to fifty-five miles an hour.  He’s no good for ranch work, though.  My brothers like to tease me about it, but I’ll show them.”

             
Laurie limped over to a bale of hay and sat down before she fell down  Her legs felt as though they had turned to rubber.  “Oh, what kind of work is that?”

“The stockier Quarter Horse
s that my brothers prefer are better suited to the speedy maneuvers required in reining and cutting, events involving live cattle.

“I’d love to see that,” Laurie’s eyes grew wide, deep pools of liquid green
and she clapped her hands enthusiastically.

“We’ll be having our yearly ranch roundup in a couple of weeks.  It’s a time when we relive our cowboy traditions, roping and riding.  We have wagon rides and a kid’s corral, live Western music, food and a whole lot more.  People come from miles around.”  He watched Laurie’s expressive eyes cloud over, with what, regret? 

“I can’t stay that long, Jake,” Laurie said, her eyes suddenly awash.  “I appreciate everything you’ve done for me but I have to move on as soon as I’m able.”

“Nonsense, you’re not well enough to go anywhere yet.
  I won’t allow it.” 

“Do your really think you could keep me her
e if I wanted to go?” she asked a hint steel hardening her soft voice and showing a determination that Jake couldn’t help but admire. “I’ve spent most of life having people tell me what I can and can’t do, no more!”

             
Jake could almost hear his brothers chiding him for being such an idiot. 
Way to win her over, bro.

Jake noticed the kitten that had crawled up on Laurie’s lap
and the mongrel dog that now lay at her feet, its worshipful eyes trained on her face.  Hell, it had taken him weeks to get within ten feet of that mutt.

“I’m sorry
, you’re right.  I have no right to tell you what to do.  Is there someone I can call for you, someone who can come and get you?”  It tore Jake’s heart out to ask the one question he should have been asking all along.  He didn’t want anyone coming for her, he never wanted her to leave, he just didn’t know how to go about getting her to stay.

Laurie didn’t know quite what to say. 
“I have no family, Jake, so there’s no one to call.”  She couldn’t help wondering what it would be like if she stayed at the ranch with Jake.  He seemed to be more than a little interested in her and who knows where that could lead given enough time.  Didn’t she deserve to give herself, and him, a chance to find out?  What would it be like to always feel safe and protected, to be held in Jakes arms and made love to each night?

Jake tamped down his wolf’s desire to conquer and dominate his future mate, and that’s what he was sure
Laurie was, his mate, for a lifetime together.

“You can have all the time you need, Lauri
e,” he assured her as bent down and scooped her up into his arms, scattering her playmates.  “Maybe we can even find a job here at the ranch for you so you won’t have to leave?” 

             
The dog started to howl and stopped immediately when Laurie frowned in his direction.

“You sure have a way with animals,” Jake laughed at the dog’s disgruntled expression.  “Yes, siree, we can use someone like you around here.”  He could feel Laurie’s heart rate
accelerate as he carried her toward the house.  He enjoyed watching the way her emerald eyes darkened and the way she struggled to control her breathing.

Oh, yea, she had bewitched him, all right and there was no way in hell he was ever letting her go!

             
It had been over a week since Laurie had been rescued and she was growing restless.  She paced back and forth in front of the windows of her room and looked off into the distance toward Nogales.  The map she’d found in Jake’s office earlier that morning showed her that she wasn’t that far away from Luzaro’s estancia.  Her intuition and all of her senses told her that Aragon was still safe, but how long he would remain that way was anyone’s guess.  The longer it took Enrique to find her, the more his nerves would fray.  He was not known for his patience and his vindictiveness was legendary.  It would only be a matter of time before he started taking out his frustration on her defenseless animal.

Laurie’s leg was healing nicely and she now felt very little pain.  She was certain she would be able to ride the distance to Luzaro’s compound without any problem and once there a whistle would be all that
would be necessary to get Aragon to come to her.  There wasn’t a fence that could hold the Andalusian if he wanted to go, unless they had him stabled in a barn which would lead to another whole set of problems. 
Damn!

It was
past time for her to leave Kingdom Ranch.  Laurie had found herself making excuses day after day not to go.  She’d been avoiding Jake as much as possible the last few days because she was drawn to him in a way that she’d never been to any other man.  She’d known him only a short time and she couldn’t believe the hold he already had on her heart.  The longer she stayed, though, the more danger he would be in and she wanted him safe at all costs, even at the cost of her heart.   She would leave tonight, take one of the ranch horses and go after Aragon, thereby reducing the danger to Jake and his brothers.  Once she had freed Aragon, she would release the ranch horse and hope it would find its way back to Jake’s stables.  As to what she would do after that, she and Aragon would ride as far as they could in the hope of finding a place to shelter somewhere along the way.  Not a good plan but it was the only one she had.

             
Laurie left the house and walked to the barn as had become her habit the last few days.  The jeans and cotton shirt Jake had given her fit extremely well, the jeans molding to her backside a little too well and the buttons of the shirt straining over her full breasts.  Laurie enjoyed spending time with her new friends.  The kitten she’d name Josephine because of her regal attitude and the old mutt that had adopted her she’d named Sam.  Laurie stopped in mid-stride as she approached Cloud’s stall. 

“You
should stay away from Cloud.  He’s dangerous.”

             
Laurie could hear the fear in Jake’s voice, fear for her safety.  She tamped down her indignation at the order and answered smoothly as she reached out to pet the stallion’s velvety-soft nose.  “Cloud and I have an understanding.”

             
“I know you’re good with animals,” Jake said, waving his arm to encompass the pets that waited for her nearby.  “But stallions are different.  A friend of mine was killed by one a few years ago.  The beast picked Raymond up by the back of his neck and shook him like a rag doll.  Broke his neck instantly.”