Taming His Montana Heart(31)

“It was still warm,” Haley explained.

Echo whistled. “Maybe he was stalking you.”

“Are you serious?” Haley asked.

“We decided the smartest thing to do was leave,” Shaw said.

Echo ran a hand through her hair. “I don’t mean to alarm you. I got a little excited. I’m at least ninety-nine percent sure you were safe. Let’s chalk his behavior up to curiosity.”

While Rey studied the pictures, Haley detailed where they’d been when they saw evidence of the wolf’s presence.

“I want to try to find the spot.” Echo gave Rey a mischievous smile. “And no, sir, I won’t go alone.”

“That’s my girl.” Rey patted her arm. “How about we do it together? No way am I going to miss an opportunity like that. Shaw, Haley, I imagine seeing what you did was a jolt.”

“I’ve never had an experience like that,” Shaw said. “Much different from…”

Echo planted her elbows on the table and leaned forward. “Here’s a question for you. Do you think he might have still been around?”

“Yes,” Haley admitted. “I had the distinct feeling I was being watched.”

Shaw nodded. “I felt the same way.”

Rey whistled. “What if it had attacked?”

“Calm down,” Echo told her boyfriend. “You’re letting your imagination get away from you. I’d like to bring Kolina into the discussion.” Echo snagged a crouton from Haley’s salad. “She’s becoming even more of a wolf expert than I am. I’m pretty sure she’s around. She was going to run into the grocery store before heading home.”

Kolina’s home was another of the resort-supplied trailers. She shared the double-wide with her boyfriend Terron.

Echo called Kolina who said she’d be there in a few minutes. While they waited for the former waitress to join them, Shaw and Rey discussed how to handle a delay in getting some tile and carpet delivered. Shaw and Rey were finalizing a list of how many of the rental cabins’ chimneys needed to be repaired when Echo signaled the waitress.

“Guess that answers that,” Echo told Rey. “Neither of us is cooking tonight.”

Rey kissed her on the temple. “I never argue with a woman who feeds me.”

Haley loved seeing how the couple acted around each other. Not that she and Shaw were in love, nothing like that, but she wished their relationship was less complicated than it was. Right now she wanted to place her hand on his forearm, or something. Just touch him. Have him give her his full attention.

“Sorry,” Kolina said as she pulled up a chair. “I hope you haven’t been waiting for me.”

Echo explained that Rey and she were waiting for their dinners to be delivered. Laughing, Kolina said she’d told the waitress to put some chili in to-go containers for Terron and her.

“I called and asked if he wanted to join us but he’s staring at electrical diagrams,” Kolina said. “So what’s this about?”

By way of explanation, Shaw handed his camera to Kolina. “The poop’s fresh all right,” she said after studying the collection. “I take it you’re responsible for the manmade tracks.” She directed her question at Haley who then filled her in on what Shaw and she had done today.

“You had no idea the wolf was around before you found these?” Kolina asked.

Haley started to shake her head only to notice that Shaw was staring at her. “Not before but after. I had one of those chills down my back sensations. Okay, more than one.”

“So did I,” Shaw added. “I tried to discount it by reminding myself that I’d been thinking about how deep into the wilderness we were, but it didn’t work. We didn’t see any sign of a wolf.”

“Because he didn’t want you to,” Echo said. “After Kolina and Terron spotted that wolf pair when they were on Mount Lynx, I put out several game cameras there, but they didn’t pick up anything. I figured they’d taken off. Obviously I was wrong.”

Shaw paused as a trio of men still in snow garb walked past. He followed their movement until they sat down. “I have no doubt he was tracking us.”

“Neither do I,” Haley added, her attention on Shaw’s sober expression.

No one spoke for several seconds. “If he’s been around all this time,” Echo said, “he has become accustomed to seeing humans. I wonder where his mate, if he has one, is.”

“Two,” Shaw muttered. His hand came within inches of hers. “I didn’t think about that.”

“It’s something I need to consider,” Echo said. “A pair, especially if the female is pregnant, could be more likely to stay in one area. They certainly won’t be moving on when the pups are little.”

“Could adult wolves protecting their young make them dangerous?” Haley asked. “The pups won’t be born until spring, will they? Long after the sled dogs have come and gone.”

“What I think,” Kolina said, “is we’re more likely to see this one now that he’s gotten an up-close idea of what humans are about. Fortunately, wolves don’t see humans as game.”

Kolina waited until the others’ meals had been delivered before continuing. Her hunger forgotten, Haley concentrated as Kolina explained that researchers weren’t in agreement about why wolves didn’t see humans as prey.