“I’m not talking about Heck!” Jock’s temper flared. “I could feel Carla and the others in my thoughts. The pack knows about the bears. They’re shifters, Frank.”
“Grant just told you that shit because he knew you’d believe it. There’s never been a werebear sighting in Wyoming.”
Jock sensed some upheaval in his head. The pack members were upset with Heck and Jock didn’t wonder what had caused their discord. He’d bet a fresh loaf of baked bread that as soon as Carla left the cabin, Heck had been right on her heels.
Frank seemed agitated. He shifted in his seat. Rubbing his temple, he said, “Something has the pack upset.”
“Let it go, Frank.”
“I’m not sure if I can,” he admitted. “Can you?”
“I already have,” Jock said.
“So you’re ready to pack up and move, just believe what Grant told you about the werebear bounty hunters and—”
“We’re not talking about the bounty hunters right now and you know it.”
“Fine. Have it your way.” Frank rose to his feet and went to his rocking chair next to the fireplace. The late spring air left a nip in the air, but it wasn’t cold enough to fetch logs and build a fire. Frank moved back and forth, rocking with increased speed.
The wolves were still transmitting messages between them, and their disquiet annoyed him. Determined to discuss this issue with the only man who mattered in this particular situation, Jock said, “He loves her, Frank.”
“I reckon he needs to figure out how to deal with that. Don’t you?”
Jock grinned. “I reckon he does.”
“That’s not what I meant.”
“Then what do you mean exactly?” He thinned his lips, waiting for Frank’s reply.
It took a few rocks forward and back before he said, “I don’t know how to share her with anyone but you.”
“I guess we’ll learn.”
Frank studied on that possibility before he finally said, “I reckon so.”
* * * *
Carla heard Heck when he entered the barn. He had a different gait, a slow way of moving.
Every muscle she owned tightened with knowledge. This night she would meet him halfway. If he looked at her with that harnessed control, that hunger he refused to feed, she planned to tell him how she felt, too. She would ask him, or maybe even plead with him, to talk to Frank about what he was feeling.
She took the book of matches from her pocket and strolled around the loft, lighting the wide cake candles. Most folks used the tapered candles, but when Carla decided to make her own, she had a particular use in mind. She wondered if she would have the opportunity to show Heck why she had enjoyed working with wax and how she often used it for her own personal pleasure. With each strike of the match, she became more aware of the burning fire inside her womb.
“I knew you’d come.” When the last candle caught its small flame, she turned and faced him. His handsome face was aglow in the candlelight. Unlike Frank and Jock, lines didn’t mark his forehead accounting for his age. His smooth complexion was unblemished and his body was a perfect example of sex just waiting to happen.
“It isn’t safe for you to be out here, Carla.”
“That’s why you came here…to tell me it isn’t safe?” She couldn’t keep the disappointment out of her voice. Maybe she’d expected a little more from him. Perhaps she’d wanted him to take long strides to reach her, gather her in his arms, and assault her mouth with a passionate kiss.
Heck cocked his head to the side. “Why do you think I followed you out here?”
“I think you’re tired,” she whispered in a raspy voice. “I think you’ve been tired for a long time.”
He took a step toward her, but he didn’t pursue. He paused and cocked his head again. She wondered if he and Frank were transmitting messages to one another. Was the pack master that Heck had always respected now calling him off like he had already sent away the wolves still howling their disapproval into the otherwise-quiet night?
Standing at just over five foot ten, Heck wasn’t as tall as Jock or Frank, but his muscular build made him stand as a symbol of strength. He was third in command and often accepted the responsibilities of the pack when Frank and Jock traveled to other territories. He had always taken pride in his position. He’d been loyal to his pack. Now, he was torn, and she sensed his angst.
“I don’t want you out here alone.”