Wolf Tracker (14 page)

Sherry looked quickly around the room and seemed relieved before going to an empty chair by the third stove. One of the men from town stood up and murmured something before moving to another stove. JaNae, who had been sitting with him, got up too and followed him, leaving Sherry alone. That happened to Sherry a lot. Stag was a calm, steady man who turned rabid when strange men got too close to Sherry. Only one man ever defied Stag’s bristling presence and that was the huge African-American blacksmith, Bill Russell. But even he kept a respectful distance between himself and Sherry when he spoke to her. Tami coiled her half-woven rope and stood up to join the other woman, partly because she felt sorry for Sherry, and partly to get away from Dick-Dick. Stag wasn’t in the room, but even the thought of him kept many men away. He never left Sherry alone for long. Maybe even Dick would hesitate to invade the space Stag was known to guard.

Tami sat down in one of the empty chairs by the stove Sherry had chosen, put her foot down hard on one end of her rope to anchor it and give it tension as she braided, and spread the thin leather strips she was working with over her knee. Thank God Dick was staying put. Snake might have something to do with that. Tami hid a smile when she nodded at her guard wolf standing between her and Dick. She noticed Sherry rubbing at her thigh.

“How’s the leg?” she asked.

Sherry shrugged. “Not bad. It just gets a little tired when I stand on it for too long.” She glanced at her hand-carved crutch and said reluctantly, “The crutch Stag made me helps a lot.”

The door to the big room opened and Stag came in with another man. Stag was wearing only wet jeans, his bare chest gleaming with icy rain, but the other man wore a leather shirt and pants. Tami felt her heart leap in her chest. Those rain-slick braids were darker than she remembered them, but she knew it was Tracker at once. His eyes met hers across the room, and although his face didn’t change, she felt as if he’d smiled at her. She smiled back and set her rope-making aside. Beside her, Sherry made an awkward lunge for her crutch, obviously intending a quick getaway before Stag could join them. But she was too late. Stag moved across the room with smooth, quick strides and sat down in the empty chair on the other side of her. Tracker joined them. He nodded his head briefly at Sherry as he took the last chair, and turned to Tami.

“How are you doing?” he asked in his soft drawl. “You okay?”

A strange sense of peace crept through Tami. She knew it wasn’t just a polite question. He really wanted to know. And he knew about the nightmares, and everything that had happened to her in Greasy Butte, so she gave him an honest answer.

“I’m better,” she told him, gathering up her leather strips. “Not completely over it, but better.”

“I’m glad,” was his simple response.

As he had on the nights on the way to Kearney, he opened the pouch on his belt and pulled out a chunk of stone and a little chisel and began working on his carving. She went back to braiding, and they sat without further talk, working side by side in comfortable silence. Tami felt wonderfully relaxed for the first time in… When had she ever felt so relaxed? Before the plane crash. Before the divorce? But she savored it now, enjoying the warmth of the stove and the comfort of his presence. She liked that he didn’t feel the need to talk. It was soothing to just sit beside him, her fingers busy on the rope, glancing at his steady hands from time to time, listening to the wind howl and the sleet rattle the windows. Even the smell of the drying leather of his shirt was a comfort to her. The light was good here, with the lantern and the fire, but it was the amber glow of flame, not the white glare of florescent bulbs. It was a calm, soothing, light. Tami smiled with contentment. The smile twitched into a brief smirk when she saw Dick sit back down with his face directed at Tracker in what was probably a glare. If it was a glare, the shadows hid it.

On the other side of the stove, Stag and Sherry sat in silence, too, but Tami sensed they were not as happy as she and Tracker. Stag sat with one elbow leaning on the arm of his chair, his body inclined subtly toward Sherry. She sat quite straight, staring determinedly into the fire. Maybe Tami should show Sherry how to make rope? It would keep her busy and give her an excuse to keep her attention on something besides Stag. Tami wondered what it was Sherry disliked about Stag. Except for the part about him being a wolf, there was nothing wrong with him. The wolf part was weird, but Glory and Carla were okay with it. Well, maybe Sherry thought his possessiveness and jealousy toward other men was annoying. Smothering. Tami wouldn’t put up with that herself. She flicked a quick glance at Tracker. Thank God he was sane. But other than those quirks, Stag seemed like a pretty decent guy. Sherry could do a lot worse. But maybe she liked that blacksmith guy? Bill Russell was huge, with muscles like Mr. Universe, but he seemed to be extra careful to be gentle around tiny, slender Sherry. Tami shrugged inwardly; it wasn’t any of her business.

In only about forty-five minutes, Tracker began putting away his carving. According to the visiting hours rules Connie and Faron had set up, the men didn’t have to leave until eight o’clock. Tami peered at the clock on the far wall, trying to see the time. The light from the lamps and stoves didn’t quite go far enough to illuminate the clock face clearly. Ten ’til eight. Oh. With reluctance, Tami began coiling her rope in progress.

“I’m glad you came,” she told him.

This time his face did smile. It was a small, quiet smile, but real. “It was good to see you. I’m glad to know you’re doin’ all right.”

She didn’t want him to leave and take her feeling of peace with him. “It’s nasty out. Why don’t you stay the night.” A hot flush flooded her face. “I mean, you could stay with Stag.”

Tracker’s face twitched ever so slightly. Suppressing a smile? “Nah. I told Taye I’d be back tonight. The weather won’t bother me none. I’ll take a hot shower when I get back to the den.”

Tami wished she could join him in the hot shower. Not in the same shower. Just a hot shower. Although, she could imagine his long, lean body bare and wet. Her flush came back, hotter than before, but deep down she was exuberant. The thought of him as a naked man didn’t make her twitch with fear. She really was improving! “Oh.” She cleared her throat. “Okay.”

She walked him through the big room, out to the foyer to the door. Why hadn’t she asked him some questions when she’d had the chance? How was he doing? Where had he been? Would he be at the den for the rest of the winter? Would she see him again? He turned at the door and looked down at her. Even in the dim light she could see the vividness of his eyes, the slight curve of his lip.

“I wanna ask you a question,” he said. “That guy, Tim. Did he let you escape? Or was it coincidence-like?”

A shudder that had nothing to do with the cold wet air outside worked itself through her. But she tried to answer steadily. “I don’t think it was coincidence. He made it pretty plain his horse was there, with food and some blankets, and then he took a nap. If it wasn’t for him, I might still be stuck there.”

Tracker’s callused hand was warm when he took hers. She glanced down at their joined hands. His fingers were scarred with small nicks, but elegantly slender. He pressed her cold fingers. “All right, then. You take care.”

“You, too,” she said.

He was gone, and the sense of comfort and peace went with him. She went back to the big room to find Dick standing by her chair with her rope clenched in his fist.

“That man can’t do anything for you,” he said harshly. “He has nothing. No house, no land, no cattle. Where would you live if you married him?”

“What?” Tami gaped at him. Marry Tracker? “We’re not dating—courting. He’s a friend. He saved my life.” Anger rose in her at his attitude. “But I’d rather marry him than you.”

Dick clenched a fist and leaned toward her, but whatever he might have said to that was cut off by a growl from Snake. Then Faron was on one side of him and Stag on the other. “Time to go, Mr. Dickinson,” said Faron firmly.

Stag said nothing, but his face, set in hard, angry lines, spoke for him. He jerked Tami’s rope out of Dick’s fist with a growl as animalistic as Snake’s. Stag really could be scary sometimes. Tami took the rope and watched Stag and Faron hustle Dick to the door.

“Sometimes, he can be really sweet.”

Tami looked at Sherry in surprise. The slender woman was looking at Stag’s bare back with a strange expression in her almond-shaped eyes. “Who, Stag?” asked Tami, remembering the dangerous face.

Sherry looked down at her hands. “He saw Dick was going to give you a hard time, and he took care of it. He scares me. Stag. But then he does something nice, and I get confused. Is he an animal? Or is he one of the Good Guys? I can’t decide.”

Tami wished her luck in figuring it out. Stag might not force her to marry him, but he sure wasn’t going to let any other man near her. With everyone in Kearney telling the women they needed to find husbands, Sherry was left with very few choices. She could either defy the social expectations of Kearney and stay single, risk the life of any man she might want to marry, or accept Stag. Tami was glad she wasn’t stuck like that. Tracker would take her home in a few months.

* * * *

Tracker generally didn’t need the comforts of civilization, but a hot shower on a cold night like this was welcome. He generally didn’t need the company of his family either, but in measured doses it was welcome as well. He sat in the rec room, far enough back from the fireplace to not get overheated, rubbing saddle soap into his leather clothes to keep them from shrinking and cracking. He, like a couple dozen wolves from the Pack, listened to Carla sing love songs to Taye. She was singing to the entire room, but everyone knew the songs were intended for Taye. Tracker was happy for Taye. His younger cousin deserved to have a loving mate. Wolf’s Shadow and Glory had left to return to the Clan’s winter camp. Renee, the cook, was sitting beside Hawk in Flight, leaning lightly against his arm while they listened to the music hand in hand. Tracker was starting to feel something he hadn’t felt before: loneliness.

Seeing Tami tonight had been good. But now he was aware of a sense of emptiness. He missed her. He wished she was back in the room he had been given, waiting for him. Instead, Des would be there, and it just wasn’t the same. After what those men in Greasy Butte had done to her, he figured she wouldn’t want him to make love to her. But he wanted to. He wanted to feel her soft breasts against his chest. He wanted to taste her mouth. He wanted to sink himself deep inside her and feel her liquid heat squeeze him tight. And he wanted more than that. He wanted to see her smile at him while they worked quietly side by side in camp. He just wanted
her
, the part of her she didn’t show to the rest of the world. He wanted her to love him.

But he had no business thinking about her that way. Lust simmered deep inside him. Maybe he should head over to Omaha and buy an hour with one of Gabe’s Girls? No. It wouldn’t be the same. He could find physical relief in a stranger’s body, but no connection, no comfort. There was no sense of home with them. And he didn’t have much money anyway. Better to think about what he should do about Tim. From what Tami had told him, Tim didn’t need to die. He’d have to give it some thought. Maybe he could send Tim away. Make it look like he was dead.

After a good night’s sleep in a bed, and a big hot breakfast made by Renee and some of his cousins, Tracker left the den and headed back north.

Chapter Fifteen

Tami had thought she wouldn’t be pressured by limited choices like Sherry was. And that was true, in a way. But word had gotten around she had refused to marry Dick Dickinson, and the townsmen seemed to think that meant she was open to marrying someone else. She found herself besieged by suitors. The end of November and early December seemed to be prime courting time here. The harvest was in and the weather wasn’t terribly cold yet, so men came from all over to try to win a wife. Tami and some of the other women walked to the library from time to time, escorted by Snake and Stag, but even there men followed them. The men never did anything so bad Tami felt justified in allowing Snake to defend her, so she had to pretend to enjoy talking to the men. Since she hated that, she usually ended up staying home. Trapped in the house and with the colder weather keeping the women at the den away more often now, Tami was going out of her mind with boredom. There was only so much leather available for her to braid into rope. She was used to going places and doing things. She spent a couple hours a day with Dixie and Jodi, and helped in the kitchen and with other chores. Since she had pretty much exhausted the leather supplies, she had begun braiding rugs. Hannah Martin had looked appalled when Tami had told her she wanted to buy fabric to braid rugs with. In this world, new fabric wasn’t used to make rag rugs. Instead Hannah had sold her a bolt of wool with flaws in the weaving and an uneven dye job. But after braiding a few rugs Tami was still bored. When Faron gave her permission to visit Lisa Madison she felt like a kid going on a school field trip. Since when did a grown woman need permission to go somewhere? But this was a different world and she knew what could happen to a woman here. Today’s was one of the rare trips Carla, Marissa, Renee, and Rose all made to town together, and Taye led the sizable escort himself.

Lisa Madison lived about a mile away from the Plane Women’s House, in a smaller house behind the Mayor’s House. That large Victorian mansion was big and ornate enough to merit a title. The smaller house behind it had probably been, back in 1890, the butler and housekeeper’s quarters. There were a few other homes on the block, mostly Victorian mansions a little smaller than the mayor’s house. The block was surrounded by a solid, guarded fence. It must be 2064’s version of a gated community.

Tami smiled at the thought.

The guards at the gate kept them waiting in the road while one went off to get permission for them to enter. A few minutes later, a young blond man came to the gate and ordered the men to unlock it. He allowed the women, Taye and three of his men to come in. He and Taye shook hands as the gate was locked again. Tami had to admit he was handsome in a pretty-boy way. Perfect features, gorgeous dark blond hair, a lean, muscular body with long legs in worn denim. He was the mayor’s son, Eddie Madison. Eddie led them to his house, talking quietly to Taye.