Authors: Missy Martine
Its wooden wraparound porch gleamed with its annual coat of gray paint, while the welcome mat looked as if no shoe had ever scraped over it.
“Laynee,” Eric said. “We’re here.”
Laynee pulled herself up where she’d been napping across the seat. She turned her head toward the window the sun shined brightly through. “Is there anybody else here?”
“No.” David climbed from the car and opened her door. “This is our family’s guest cottage.”
Laynee blinked twice. “Your family keeps a whole cottage for guests?”
David laughed. “Yeah, but it’s small.
Our al…um…Uncle Remus does a lot of business with people out of state, and they visit the company. When they do, he puts them up here because the nearest hotel is quite a ways off.”
Laynee slid across the seat, keeping her hand on the Jeep door. “What sort of business does your uncle have?”
“Construction,” Eric said. “He’s built things all over the west, but mostly here in Wyoming.”
David took her arm and led her toward the steps. “Come on inside, Laynee. I’ve got to call our dad and let him know we’re here.” When they reached the porch, he stopped. “There are three narrow steps up to a flat porch.
Just hang onto my hand and go slow.” He relaxed when she didn’t hesitate to follow his directions.
David looked around as he led her through the door. The living room held a large couch he knew rolled out into a bed, and two plush chairs. A television sat tucked into a rustic entertainment center, which also held a small stereo. A huge fireplace dominated the wall across from the couch, with a small stack of wood inside just waiting for someone to light a match. The hardwood floor had thick throw rugs to comfort feet on cold mornings. They could prove to be dangerous for Laynee.
He moved her forward slowly. “Feel ahead with your foot, Laynee. There are several rugs around the room that you could trip on.”
She moved her foot forward slowly, until her shoe bumped against the rug.
“I’ll go slow and be careful. You wouldn’t happen to have a walking cane around here, would you? I guess mine is still in my father’s car.”
Eric grabbed her hand. “I’ll check with the family and see what I can come up with. There isn’t anything glass on the tables, so don’t worry about knocking anything off. Just be careful that you don’t fall. There are a couple of tables around the couch that could leave quite a nasty knot on your head if you fell over one of them.”
“Could you show me where the bathroom is?”
David tugged on her arm. “Sure, it’s to the right.” He helped her navigate across the room to a closed door. Opening it, he switched on the light and revealed a spacious bathroom. He placed her hand on the counter by the sink. “You’re facing the back wall. The toilet is about three steps away on your left, with the tub on your right. The sink is about eight inches from your left hand, and there’s a container of liquid soap on the right side of the faucet. A hand towel is hanging on the wall beside the light switch right inside the door. The toilet tissue will be on the wall to your left when you sit.”
He cleared his throat. “If you have any trouble, just give a yell.”
Laynee’s face turned pink. “Thanks, but I think I can take it from here.”
David felt his own ears getting hot.
“Sure,” he mumbled. “I’ll leave you to it, then.” He backed up and shut the door, breathing a sigh of relief. Walking over, he glanced into the bedroom.
Besides the enormous bed, there was a pleasant grouping of furniture consisting of a couple of chairs with a table between them that held a reading light, and a dresser with a full-size mirror hung above it. On a small nightstand he could see a digital clock glowing softly in the semidarkness. It proclaimed the time to be ten thirty.
Eric moved to stand at his side. “You gonna call Latan, or do you want me to?”
“You go ahead, and find out where we can meet.” David strolled through the kitchen to look out the back door. The azure skies were pale, with smudges of clouds lying low. The sun filtered down to the ground in patterns through the leaves across the back of the property.
The trail behind the house was used frequently for evening runs.
I guess it
won’t matter since she can’t see
anything.
Turning, he studied the kitchen. It was compact, and efficient, but not very modern. There were no dishwashers or disposals. The counters were fairly new with colors that matched the appliances.
A small table that would seat four took center stage in the middle of the room.
“Latan wants one of us over at Remus’s house and one of us to stay here. What do you wanna do?” Eric asked.
David ran his fingers through his hair.
“I’ll go and see if I can find out more about her father. Try to keep her calm, but don’t tell her anything about us yet. I think that’s a discussion we need to have together.”
“No problem. I’ll fix her something to eat and see if she’d like to take a bath or shower. They used to keep a bunch of clothes here in case anybody needed them. I’m sure I can find her something that’ll fit. She’s got to be ready to get out of the clothes she slept in last night.”
“I’ll ask Latan if Kitania’s got anything at their house. She’s about the same size as Laynee.”
“See if anybody’s got a cane she could use,” said Eric.
“Sure, no problem.”
“Just hurry back,” Eric growled. “I’ve got a bad feeling I can’t shake.”
“What kind of bad feeling?”
“I don’t know. I just feel like something bad is about to go down.”
David paused and looked at his brother. Eric’s feelings were rarely wrong. “I’ll be back as quick as I can.”
He turned and walked out the door.
Laynee ran her fingers over the cold, smooth surface of the sink faucet and turned on the water. Slowly moving her hand to the right, she found the container of soap. Biting her lip, she held one hand under the spout and compressed the top.
A thick, gelatinous glob shot out into her palm. Slowly, she soaped her hands while a floral scent drifted through the room.
Where could Father have gone?
Could something have happened to him
or Jeremy? He’s probably just lost, but
how’s he gonna know where I am if he
goes looking for me? And what about
these guys? They almost seem too good
to be true.
Turning off the water, she groped along the wall to her left until she felt terrycloth beneath her fingers. Releasing her breath, she dried her hands and let her fingers slide down the door until they curved around the doorknob.
Licking her lips, she slowed her breathing and opened the door. She listened carefully, but didn’t hear anything but the sounds of birds chittering. It sounded like someone had left the door open. “Where’d everybody go?” She turned toward the sound of footsteps.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to take so long.
David had to go up to the big house to meet our dad, but I’m still here.”
Footsteps came closer, first loud, and then muffled. “The folks have always kept a variety of clothes here in case of emergencies. I checked and found you a robe, a pair of jeans, and a couple of T-shirts that look like they might fit. I thought you might like to take a shower or bath after spending the night in the woods. I promise everything’s clean.
There are even some lady’s unmentionables that are brand new, still in the package.”
“Why would they have unopened packages of underwear here?”
“Sometimes business associates get caught here when things don’t go as swiftly as they planned, and once this was used as a refuge for one of the families in the pa…um, on the mountain that lost their home to a fire. My uncle Remus is a very generous, thorough man.
He doesn’t like to leave anything to chance.”
Laynee shrugged. “A bath does sound good. Why don’t you give me the unmentionables, the jeans, and a T-shirt and point me to the towels. I’ll just go soak in the tub. It’ll be heaven after lying under that tree before I met up with you guys.”
“No, problem. I’m gonna lay the clothes on the sink, and I’ll put a towel by the tub. Would you like me to start the water?”
She smiled and shook her head.
“Better if I do it, so I know where the controls are.” She felt him pass her and turned in the direction of the bathroom.
He returned quickly and took her arm.
“I promise, you’re perfectly safe, but if you feel uncomfortable, the door does have a lock on it.”
Laynee snorted. “You could have killed me several times over by now. I guess I feel pretty safe with you and your brother.”
“That’s good. We want you to feel at ease, like our home is your home.” He took a couple of steps and then stopped.
“Are you hungry, Laynee? I could make us some sandwiches when you get out.”
She licked her lips. “Sounds great, but don’t get in a big hurry ’cause I’m gonna soak for a while. I don’t get the luxury of a bath often. My room at the school only had a shower.”
Eric laughed. “Then by all means, take your time.”
Laynee moved into the bathroom and closed the door behind her. Her fingers hovered over the lock for a moment and then dropped to her side.
Better to leave
it unlocked in case I have any
problems. Wouldn’t want the nice man
to have to break down his door.
That had happened to her the second year she was in the boarding school. It was a painful, valuable lesson she’d never forgotten.
Reaching out, she found the clothes, and then the towels and a washrag he’d laid by the sink. Turning, she went to her knees and trailed her fingers along the porcelain tub. There was no mat, so she’d have to be extra careful not to slip.
Cautiously, she felt for the controls and turned on the left faucet. The water turned hot really fast. Smiling, she turned the knob for the cold until the water was a comfortable temperature. Letting her fingers slide down, she found the drain and closed it. Satisfied, she stood and quickly shed her clothing. Holding onto the side of the tub, she slowly climbed in and sank down into the rising water.
The back door of the alpha’s house opened as soon as David knocked. He smiled as his cousin Eloise opened her arms.
“Hello, handsome. Come give me a big, old, bear hug.”
Laughing, he moved into her arms and promptly picked her up off the floor.
Eloise squealed. “And how is my favorite cousin?”
David snorted and dropped her none too gently to her feet. “I’d be flattered if you didn’t say that to each of your other dozen cousins.”
She stuck her lip out in a pretty pout.
“Okay, how’s my favorite bear cousin?”
“I’m great, little girl. How are all the little munchkins at the school?” Eloise was Remus and Maddie’s oldest daughter. For the past couple of years she’d been the grade school teacher for the pack “They’re everywhere! I swear the pack is multiplying like rabbits. How’s the adventure business going?”
David grinned. “Hey, it’s great. We’re heading into warmer months, and it’s our busiest season. People just love getting out to experience a little nature and see a little wildlife.”
She put her hands on her waist and glared up at him. “Please tell me you don’t take those human assholes on hunting trips so they can hang stuffed heads on their den walls and spend years telling about the fearsome battle it took to bring the animal down.”
He brought his hands up in defense.
“No, little wolf. The only
hunting
trips we do are for photographic opportunities. We guide folks who want to take pictures of nature. The only people allowed to carry guns are us, and we carry tranq guns.”
Eloise grinned and threw her arms around his neck. “You’re all right, cousin.”
“David.”
David looked up to see his father standing in the doorway. “Hey, Latan.
It’s good to see you.”
Latan walked over and hugged his adopted son. “It’s good to see you, boy.”
He stepped back and motioned toward the door. “You’d better come with me.
There’s been a development with your situation.”
“What situation?”
asked Eloise.
“What’d I miss?”
Latan put his hand on her back and pushed her toward the door. “You might as well come along, missy. This could turn out to be everyone’s problem.”
David walked into the living room to find Remus and several members of the pack, clustered around the television.
“What’s going on?”
Remus looked up and nodded toward screen. “You’d better listen to this.”
David walked over, stood behind the couch, and listened.
“Repeating this hour’s top story. A massive manhunt has begun in the northeast region of Wyoming for twenty-year-old Laynee Elizabeth Conners.
Miss Conners was reported to be camping with her father, Robert Conners, when she disappeared from their campsite right outside of Campbell sometime last night. Our own Elliot West had the opportunity to speak with Mr. Conners a short time ago.”
David moved closer to the television when the image of the man from the gas station came on screen.
“Please,” Robert begged. “Whoever has my daughter, please bring her back.