Sharp Shootin' Cowboy (Hot Cowboy Nights, #3)(80)

“It’s a brilliant idea, Reid, but how could small ranches afford to hire these riders?”

“That’s the dilemma. For this to work, I think it would have to be a co-operation between the Feds, ranchers, and conservation groups. That leads to the research part I was talking about.”

“But I can help you with that,” she said. “God knows I have enough experience with grant writing. I did almost all of Jeffrey’s for him. I’m certain a number of veterans’ organizations would get on board, and I’d be happy to contact some the conservation groups that set funds aside for projects like this.”

“So you support the idea? It’s something you could get behind?”

“Absolutely,” she assured him. “And it looks like I’ll have plenty of time to devote to it since I’m now unemployed.”

“What do you mean? What happened to your job?”

“I quit. Maybe it wasn’t the smartest thing to do with nothing else lined up, but I couldn’t stay after everything that happened. Problem is, Jeffrey has a lot of clout and will likely retaliate. I may not be able to find another position.”

“What about that independent study you wanted to do?”

She snorted. “The one I’ve been denied funding on for three years?”

“Yeah, that one. Why not apply for an independent grant?”

“I admit the thought occurred to me after Jeffrey shot me down again.”

“Screw Jeffrey. He has his own agenda.”

“He used me, Reid, and I’m sorry you had to suffer for it.”

“Don’t worry about it, sweetheart. There’s nothing you could have done.”

“How can you be so damned nonchalant about all this?” she asked.

He turned her face to his and brushed her lips in a soft and tender kiss. “Because I have everything I want right here. Everything I need. You. In the great scheme of things, nothing else matters.”

Haley nuzzled into his chest, breathing him in with a blissful sigh. How could she ever have doubted him? Just as Yolanda had said, he was everything she needed to bring her life into balance. He was a warrior and a lover—tender, sensitive, passionate, attentive, masterful when he had to be, but still willing to give up control. As a husband, she knew he would love and respect, provide, and protect. And as a father…

“What are the chances?” Reid’s softly spoken question eerily echoed her thoughts.

“I don’t know,” she whispered. “It probably wasn’t very smart or safe.”

She gazed up at him with a sudden onset of guilt. She hadn’t even considered that he might resent being rushed into fatherhood. She’d been far too caught up in the moment, in her need for him, even to care.

“And if you are?” He softly stroked her hair. “Any regrets?”

“Honestly?”

“Yes. Always. There isn’t room for anything but honesty between us, Haley.”

She shook her head. “No regrets, Reid. Not a single one. I’d do it again in a heartbeat.”

To her relief, the wrinkle eased from his brow. “Glad to hear it, Runt.” A slow, sexy smile spread over his face. “It might take me a little longer than a heartbeat, but I’ll be happy to oblige you.” Rolling on top of her, his eagerness for an encore emerged between them as his tongue sought hers in a long, lush kiss. “Then again…” He pulled back, chuckling. “Maybe not.”





Epilogue


Frank Church Wilderness, Central Idaho

Six months later

“Targets sighted,” the pilot announced.

The helicopter zoomed in on the wolf pack, easily identifiable with the barren trees and heavy snow cover. There were six in all—groggy, lethargic, and slow to react after gorging on the nearby elk carcass. And Reid hoped to get them all.

He locked his sights on the largest of the bunch, presumably the alpha male and took careful aim. “Steady now,” he commanded the pilot. A second later, he squeezed the trigger. “Hit,” he declared. “One down. Five to go.”

By now the wolves had roused from their post-feast torpor and were in motion. Hovering and swooping close to the ground, the helicopter gave chase to the howling pack. One by one, Reid took his shots. After hitting the last, he gave the signal for the pilot to land.

Minutes later, they leaped out of the chopper, gear in hand. They had a narrow time window to get the job done. The tranquilizer darts were fast-acting and had already begun to take effect, but they wouldn’t last long. The snow was deep. By the time they reached the first wolf, Haley was breathless and flushed.

“Are you all right, sweetheart?” Reid asked.

“I’m fine,” she replied, still panting as she dropped her pack. “It’s just hard to move fast carrying all this extra weight.”

In truth, it hadn’t slowed her down near enough for his peace of mind, but when Haley set her mind to something, she was unstoppable. His wife’s energy and tenacity never ceased to impress and amaze him.

They handled the wolf with the usual caution. Haley’s drug of choice was a paralytic agent that left the animal immobilized, but still conscious, a fact that always made Reid a bit nervous. Reid muzzled the wolf as an added safety precaution and then stood guard over her, assisting as needed while Haley took blood and recorded the animal’s gender and vital signs. She then placed a radio collar around its neck. Working with fast and confident efficiency, they were finished within ten minutes. After administering the reversal drug, they moved on to the next wolf.