The Cynic and the Wolf by Julie Steimle (ebook voice reader TXT) 📕

<< Four days? That's practically a week. >>

He was starting to sound whiny.

"Shorter than a work week," Audry said, looking up when she saw Rick come out of the staff area, no coat now. Not even that hideous Christmas sweater, but he was wearing a decent blue one. He immediately walked over to her table and sat down.

Those who men watching her quickly exchanged looks of panic. They inched away. Whatever they had planned, it was now over.

Audry tried to shoo Rick off, waving her hand at him to go away.

Rick lifted a hand with a whisper. "I just need to ask you something."

Audry irritably pointed to her phone as Harlin said, << Still too long. I really have something sweet planned. How do you feel about midnight strolls? >>

Rick whispered, "I can wait until after your phone call."

Replying into the phone, Audry said with a dirty look for Rick, "Midnight stroll? That's uh… Wait a second, someone is being annoying over here." she cupped her hand over the mouthpiece. "Will you please leave!?"

Averting his eyes, Rick leaned away, but did not go.

Huffing, Audry said into the phone, "That sounds really romantic and all, but I couldn't possibly enjoy a date like that while feeling travel worn."

<< Not even to see me? >>

That twinged a little. It nearly stabbed. Audry cringed as she said, "I would not be in the proper mental state. Do you really want to go on a date with a girl who is cranky?"

<< Oh… Got it. >>

"Thanks," Audry said. "So the next night."

<< Alright. We'll plan it for the next night. I just thought it would have made a dramatic 'Welcome Home' moment. But if you are sure, we can reschedule. >>

She immediately felt guilty. He really had put a lot of thought into this date, apparently. "I suppose I could try for it on the first night back, if it means that much to you."

<< Really? >> He sounded hopeful. << You won't change your mind? You won't be too tired? >>

Sighing, realizing that she had to participate in the give and take, even if it meant a little discomfort, Audry said, "I'll make it work."

<< Brilliant! Thanks gorgeous! I love you tons! >>

"Love you too," Audry said.

And they hung up.

Audry then shot Rick a peevish look.

He gazed back to her with an uncomfortable smile and said, "Boyfriend?"

She nodded.

"He sounds like a player," Rick said.

He was so aggravating! Audry straightened up in her seat. "You would know. You’re the expert apparently."

Lifting his eyebrows, Rick then sighed, shaking his head. "Ok… Well, I just came here to ask about your project. You should be near the end of it now, right?"

"I told you all I know this morning," Audry said with a moan. He was exhausting.

"About here, yes," Rick retorted with a gesture to the outside. "I mean your entire project. You have been on various Deacon reserves for the past two years. I want to know what you found out about our other places."

And he was serious. She could tell. No smirk. Nothing smug about him. And though initially Audry had though he was just messing with her, his honest gaze showed he was being frank and willing to hear her out. She decided to return the favor.

"I don't have anything solid just yet," she said, going back to eating her lunch, digging through it with a fork. "I still need to analyze all the data."

"Can I get a guesstimate?" Rick begged with a groan.

That word! Audry stared at him. He sounded like Harlin again. It freaked her out a little, as it also made him look cute and she didn't want to think of him that way.

"Alright," Audry said, lifting up a hand thinking about some of the things that had been on her mind during this entire project. "I have noticed a few patterns over these past two years. I am concerned that there is a definite reduction in animal life due to human traffic—as the animals flee from human scent and have been vacating heavily traversed areas. And though that is natural, I believe a reserve should provide a safe space for animals. But if they don't feel safe here, then where will they go?"

"Ok…" His expression was pensive, and surprisingly genuine. He actually was thinking about it without any condescension in his voice or manner.

"However, in every reserve you have the forbidden areas so well marked and the ski areas perfectly clear," she continued to recall, "As well as the rangers always on duty—your family has reduced the damage considerably. And I would be remiss to not point out that your family may have found a good way for human recreation and animal habitats to co-exist."

Rick smiled with personal pleasure at that news. It was a pleasant smile. Not smug this time. He nodded to her, thinking on it.

"The campgrounds you have in northern California are some of the best cared for I have ever seen," she added, as his manner encouraged her to tell more.

Nodding, Rick smiled fondly in remembrance. "That one is my favorite. Great hiking and decent campsites."

"There is something weird, though, that I noticed," she said, watching him—especially the look in his eye.

"And what's that?" He gazed at her with open curiosity.

"Well," she said, seeing no hostility or mockery, "I noticed that though a number of your family's reserves are for wolves, I didn't see very much evidence of wolves in them. No real dens. No paw prints or anything. I mean, wolves, like any other animal, leave traces."

Rick nodded, silently thinking on that.

"And I am concerned that possibly you have hunters sneaking in and killing the wolves," Audry explained.

With the gravest, most sincere look on his face, Rick replied, "Yes. It has been a problem. Hunters sneaking into our reserves has been our prime concern. And the one we battle the most."

Audry blinked at him. His voice was clear and with feeling. So wolves had been killed. It was sad to hear, realizing another species was dying out because of a bunch of hate-filled hunters.

And she said, "I saw a wolf last night."

Rick blinked at her with a mild cringe. He leaned across the table towards her, almost reaching out and touching her hand but thinking the better of it. "Hey, do me a favor and be careful when you go out at night. I am all for preserving wolves, but they are dangerous predators."

"I'm prepared," Audry insisted with a snort, thinking of her tranquilizer gun.

He did not look convinced. Genuine worry was in his gray eyes. "I mean it. A hungry wolf can overpower even the most skilled hunter. And you are not that big."

Amused, as he clearly did not understand what an animal rescue worker did and confronted, Audry chuckled and patted his arm. "Don't worry about me. I'm a professional."

He rolled his eyes, rising. His worry did not leave his face, either. It was disarming that despite their quarrels over what they considered an acceptable diet, he was genuinely concerned about her safety. Who would have thought it? However, Audry also braced for him to put the moves on her. He was a spoiled rich boy after all.

"Just be careful," he said. Then he started to walk away from her table, heading toward the service areas again. It startled her. That was it?

"That's all you needed to know?" Audry asked before he could leave, surprised that he didn't try to hit on her.

Turning halfway around, Rick smirked at her. "Yep. And I intend to go upstairs and take a nap. So if you need something, or if there is an emergency, please go to Mrs. Gruber."

And he walked in through the doors.

A nap. And all he wanted was information about her project. Was he was really a famous hellion as a kid?

Admittedly, Audry wondered what was wrong with that guy. All her former boyfriends would have at least tried to get her phone number, or flirt a little. Then again (and Audry considered this seriously), maybe Rick was gay. He had after all once admitted into being blackmailed into dating that Selena Davenport but wasn’t interested in her. And Selena was super gorgeous. Like, model proportions. Any guy with a brain—or just regular hetero-male hormones—would have been into her.

For some reason that conclusion made Audry feel better. And she went back to eating her lunch.

Chapter Four

After lunch, Audry went into the lodge kitchen to help out. Though they had plenty of hired hands working there, they often had more to do than they could handle. Besides, Audry knew she was occupying a space where a hired worker would have normally stayed so she felt obligated to help where she could. She mostly scrubbed the pans and big pots, as they had an industrial dish washer for everything else.

Mrs. Gruber walked in with one of the park rangers, speaking to him in a subdued voice, "…tonight. Make sure this lodge is secure this full moon because you never know what might happen."

'This full moon'? That phrasing was odd, Audry thought. And though she was sure Mrs. Gruber was not part of some new age pagan cult, the woman did have a giant calendar with the phases of the moon on it—and the full moon, along with the waxing and waning moon, were highlighted for nearly every month, which Audry had always thought was weird. Audry had noticed this ages ago while she was looking for the dates to mark when she would return and need the room. Perhaps this was a scheduling matter, though she had a difficult time figuring out what for. Maybe there was some kind of night skiing event. Or perhaps Mrs. Gruber was one of those who ascribed to the belief of 'moon madness'. Audry had heard some urban legend that said hospitals and police stations were always busy around the full moon—a belief that the moon made people more careless, or more dangerous. It was where the word lunatic came from, after all. But looking at the woman, Audry could not imagine Mrs. Gruber being that kind of superstitious. It probably was just a scheduling thing.

"Don't worry—" the ranger said to her.

"Are you kidding?" Mrs. Gruber cut him off. "You can't tell me not to worry. Howie is here. And dangerous people follow him, you know."

It wasn't a scheduling thing, Audry realized now. It was a Rick Deacon thing. Dangerous people followed him.

Audry allowed that to sink in. She had always just thought he was just being paranoid. She had never considered that perhaps there was good reason for his nervous behavior. After all, rich people had lots of enemies. And there were crazies in the world who acted on impulse. That's why folk like him had bodyguards. It wasn't paranoia if there was a real threat. And Rick seemed to have left his bodyguards behind.

Their conversation passed and other conversations followed. The staff were going to be busy cleaning out rooms for new people that afternoon. A number of people had checked out. There were also cabins that needed to be thoroughly cleaned out before the New Year's crowd got