Sharp Shootin' Cowboy (Hot Cowboy Nights, #3)(41)

Holy shit. It couldn’t be.

Reid’s chest seized as his gaze honed in on a face he’d never forgotten. And one he’d never expected to see again. She was five years older now, wore her hair differently, and hid her pretty green eyes behind ugly glasses, but he’d recognize her anywhere.

“Reid.” Jim’s voice jarred him out of his shock. “I’d like to introduce Dr. Haley Cooper. Dr. Cooper, this is Reid Everett. His family runs one of the oldest backcountry hunting outfits in the region.”

*

Oh my God. It’s him. I can’t breathe.

Recognition simultaneously numbed her mind and struck her dumb. What were the chances of running into Reid Everett after all this time? She’d never even considered the possibility when she’d accepted the job.

Haley cleared her throat, but her voice still emerged as a barely audible croak. “Mr. Everett and I are already acquainted. We met several years ago in California.”

Reid raised a brow. “So you haven’t forgotten?”

“No,” she said. “I haven’t forgotten.” Although she’d done her best to, his image had never faded in her mind. It was still there as crystal clear as it had been at their parting. But this man, the one who seemed to use up all the air in her office, was so changed that she might not have known him without the introduction.

His hair was longer and lighter, and his face was leaner, the angles sharper. There was a hardness to his mouth, and gone was the hint of humor from his blue eyes. He’d always dwarfed her, but now seemed so much bigger. But it wasn’t just his appearance, there was something different in his whole demeanor, an edge that he’d never had before.

“What a coincidence,” Jim remarked, oblivious to the tension that charged the air. “Since you know each other, perhaps Reid here would like to orient you to the region in my place? Dr. Cooper has yet to get the lay of the land,” he explained to Reid, who still hadn’t even blinked.

“There’s really no need,” she blurted. “I know the area quite well already. I spent two years in Yosemite and Grand Teton National Parks when I was working on my dissertation.”

“Maybe you know the geography,” Jim countered, “but you don’t know the people. The ranchers and outfitters here are a close-knit community. The Everetts know them all. I can’t think of anyone better suited to be your guide.” He chuckled. “No pun intended.”

“I’d be pleased to show Dr. Cooper around,” Reid replied in a soft, deep baritone that sent ripples over her skin.

“Another time, maybe,” she replied tightly. “I have a lot to do. I’m really swamped.”

“Then I’m sorry to add to your burden,” Jim said.

“What do you mean?” Even as she asked, her gaze tracked to the radio collar in his hands. “Oh my God! What happened?”

“Reid here can fill you in. No doubt the two of you have a lot of catching up to do anyway. Guess I’ll leave you to your business now. Good to see you again, Reid.” Jim laid the collar on her desk, tipped his hat, and left.

Haley stared helplessly after him, struggling to maintain her equilibrium and silently cursing him for leaving her alone with Reid. First, she’d received the shock of seeing him again, and now had a dead study subject to deal with? And not just any subject. She picked up the collar, tracing the number with her fingers, shutting her eyes on a whisper. “Cinderella.”

Reid’s brows pulled together. “Come again?”

“This collar belongs…belonged…to 442 F. I was part of the team who captured and collared her as a pup. We called her Cinderella.”

“Unusual name for a wolf,” he remarked. “I could see maybe Red Riding Hood, but Cinderella?”

“She was an unusual specimen, an underling who rose to become the alpha female of one of the largest and most powerful wolf packs in the Tetons. Thousands of wolf-watchers loved her. National Geographic even made a documentary about her. She did so many things wolves don’t do. I built my entire doctoral dissertation around her.”

“I’m sorry for your loss,” he said softly.

Haley stared at the GPS collar fighting back tears. “You couldn’t possibly understand.”

“Why would you say that?” Reid propped a hip on the edge of her desk. “Do you think I don’t care about animals just because I hunt? You couldn’t be more wrong, Dr. Cooper. I happen to love all animals and have a special regard for wolves and bears and big cats. But I also adhere to the belief that apex predators need to be kept in check for their own safety, as well as humans’.”

“By killing them, Reid?” she snapped. He was so different. They both were. But some things hadn’t changed. They were still opposite poles of the magnet.

“Sometimes. But only when the numbers require it. Hunting itself isn’t evil. It’s humane if done responsibly. In the end, I think you and I both want the same thing—for people and wildlife to coexist. We just go about it in different ways.”

“This wolf was central to the project I’m working on,” she continued tersely. “She’s part of the reason I came here. I had hoped for several more years to study her.” She looked up at Reid with a sick churning in her gut. “Wait a minute. What do you have to do with all this?”