Noreen's Choice Read online

  Les gazed around his one bedroom cabin as if he expected a grocery list to materialize. He cleared his throat before remembering he didn’t need his actual voice. “Um, we’ve been pretty much living off the land this past month, so anything you bring would be welcome.”

  “I get the picture.” Jed broke in with a laugh. “We’ll fill up the trunk and the rest of the back seat.”

  Les couldn’t help himself. “Who gets to sit next to Alice?”

  Female chuckling made his heart lighter than it had been in a long time. “Oh, they fuss and snarl a bit, but they sort of take turns. It’s nice actually, to have three doting mates.”

  “I’m sure it is.” Les brushed a wave of sadness aside. He’d love to have a woman to fuss over, alongside Karl, his pack mate. They’d hunted for years for a female to grace their lives without success. A few promising candidates had crossed their path when they’d lived in Edmonton, but Hunters had driven them out of the city fifty years before.

  “We’ll be there by tomorrow afternoon.” Jed’s voice was gruff, and Les figured his clan leader could read his mind.

  “I’ll alert the troops, boss. Everyone will be really glad to see all of you. And to meet your mate.”

  Les waited, but a certain emptiness told him Jed had signed off. He shoved the quilt aside, finished dressing, and called Karl through their telepathic link. It didn’t take long before paws scrabbled against the door, and Les remembered he’d shut it. By the time he crossed the small space and pulled the door open, Karl had found his human form and stood shivering, arms wrapped around his tall, spare frame. Black hair hung to his waist in tangles. “Thanks. Damned cold out here.” The wolf shifter bounded into the room, giving the door a shove as he passed through it. “What’s up?”

  “Jed’s here.” Les spread his arms wide and rolled his eyes. “Along with his lieutenants and their new mate. We’ve got to clean this place up.”

  “Why? It’s always been good enough for us.”

  Les slugged him in the arm. “You weren’t listening. Jed’s mate will be here.”

  “Oh, I get it.” Karl chortled, dark eyes gleaming with glee. “Maybe if we didn’t do anything, she’d take pity on us and—”

  “Right. Find some clothes and we’ll get to work. I don’t think Jed, Terin, or Bron will want their new mate waiting on the likes of us.”

  Karl sprinted for his sleeping alcove toward the rear of the log cabin’s main room. Drawers banged open. “Fire’s getting closer,” he called over one shoulder. “Maybe it would be better for all of us to get together in Red Deer.”

  Les considered it. “Nope. Too soon since we axed those Hunters. That’s where they were from—there and Edmonton. I don’t want any friendly sheriff asking questions if they discover we live out here. Are you sure the fire’s closer? Maybe the wind just shifted direction.”

  “It’s definitely closer. The smoke’s thicker, and I can actually hear it burning from the rise a couple miles west of here.” Karl slid his legs into trousers and pulled a sweater over his head before shoving his feet into an ancient pair of sheepskin slippers. He turned to Les. “Where do you think we should start? Come to think of it, when do you want to alert the rest of the clan, or should I do that?”

  “We can take care of that later tonight. How about if you work on the dishes? I’ll sweep and get the kettle going for laundry.”

  Karl strode to the sink and pumped the handle for water. “Eww.” He wrinkled his nose. “How long have these plates been here?”

  “Does it matter?” Les lugged a large, cast iron kettle in through the back door and hefted it onto a wood-burning stove. He opened the firebox door, levered a pocket knife out of his pants, and started shaving tinder. “Let’s warm some water. That should help.” As he worked, Les dialed in his lupine senses and scented fresh air coming through the back door. It was indeed tinged with smoke. What bad timing for a major fire. If it drove them into one of the nearby towns, they’d risk discovery because Hunters could scent them.

  “Les?”

  He looked up from his half-built fire. “Um-hum.”

  “Maybe it’s time to move on.”

  “No!” Les banged a fist down on his thigh. “I’m sick of running. If the fire gets this far, we’ll come back when it’s over and rebuild.”

  “But we’ll never find a mate out here.”

  “Just do the damned dishes. We’ve got enough problems without adding to them.”

  Chapter 2

  Noreen didn’t know what jarred her from sleep, but the train wasn’t moving. Where were they? Her mind felt thick and stupid as she gazed blearily around the car. The conductor strode past. “Excuse me.” Her voice came out as a barely audible croak, and the conductor kept moving; apparently he hadn’t heard her. Noreen cleared her throat and lurched to her feet. “Excuse me, sir.”

  The conductor had nearly reached the end of the car. He turned. “Miss?”

  “Where are we, please?”

  “Red Deer.”

  She pushed her way toward him, stumbling slightly. “I need to get off.”

  The conductor shook his head. “It’s too late, miss. We’ll be underway again in a minute or two.”

  It can’t be too late. The next stop isn’t for miles. “Please let me past. My sister, she’s sick.”

  “Well, why didn’t you say so?” The conductor, a youngish man with kind, brown eyes, took her arm and led her to the coupling between the cars. Noreen was almost down the steps when he said, “Wait a minute. Didn’t your ticket say Edmonton?”

  She stepped onto the platform and half-turned, shielding her face with her hood. “No, sir. You must have mistaken me for a different passenger.” The train whistle nearly deafened her; steam filled the air as the powerful engine cranked up. Seizing opportunity, Noreen fled into the night.

  It had taken the train four hours to get from Calgary to Red Deer, which meant it was closing on two in the morning. She’d assumed the remaining hours of darkness would give her an edge to travel farther west. If Garden of Edeners took the trouble to hunt her down, surely they’d limit themselves to bigger cities. Her goal was Rocky Mountain House. Hopefully, it would be large enough for her to find work but small enough the cult would never think to look for her there.

  Guess I’ll find out. Noreen tried to get her bearings. Thick fog gave things a surreal aspect, but at least it wasn’t raining. Though the night air cleared her mind quickly, it still took half an hour to locate the main highway leading west out of town. Noreen stared at the deserted road. She’d hoped to thumb a ride, but there wasn’t any traffic. None at all.

  After waiting a few minutes, she began walking. Staying near the town had obvious advantages, like renting a room to wait out the night, but she didn’t want to be tempted. Daylight brought its own set of problems. Better to put as much distance between herself and her old life as she could. Her boots were sturdy, and her wet sock had nearly dried from the heat of her body.

  Noreen fell into a loping stride; her long legs ate up distance quickly, but she wasn’t under any illusions she could walk the whole eighty miles to Rocky Mountain House. The terrain was mostly relatively flat farmland, but she’d still need a ride to accomplish her goal.

  She’d been ambivalent about hitchhiking but hadn’t found any other options. Buses didn’t run outside the cities and renting a car was outside her meager means; besides she didn’t have a license and didn’t drive very well. After she’d been walking for half an hour or so, lights flared from behind her, cutting through the misty fog. Noreen wasn’t certain a driver would even see her, dressed in black as she was, so she tossed her hood back to reveal her pale blonde locks. Surely they’d reflect in the car’s headlamps. Resolutely, she stepped away from the roadside and stuck out her thumb. Part of her was terrified the car would stop; another part was scared it wouldn’t.

  Got to get hold of myself. I should be able to tell if the driver means me harm.

  Headlines of missing wome
n flashed through her mind, but Noreen ignored them and pasted a smile on her face. The driver could probably see her by now. At first, it seemed the car would pass her by, but then brakes squealed loudly and the vehicle, a late model sedan, backed up. She trotted to the passenger side. By the time she got there, the driver had leaned across the seat and rolled the window partway down.

  Noreen peered into the car and blew out a nervous breath. She’d hoped for a family, but the driver—a man—was the car’s sole occupant. Illuminated in the glow from the dome light, he looked dangerous. Powerfully built, he might have been in his mid-thirties with cropped brown hair and dark blue eyes. There was a time she might have thought him handsome, but something told her this wasn’t a good idea.

  She backed away from the window. “Sorry,” she mumbled. “I was hoping for a family I could hitch a ride with.”

  The emergency brake crackled as he pulled it into place. The driver door opened and slammed shut. Noreen spun and ran into fields bordering the roadway, immediately blundering into a barbed wire fence.

  “Miss. I’m not going to hurt you.” The man’s mellow baritone wasn’t reassuring.

  She tugged at her cloak, but it was caught in the fence. The taste of fear, sharp and metallic, flooded her mouth. “Then why’d you get out of your car?”

  “You looked like you were about to bolt. And you did. What happened? You caught in the farmer’s fence?” Footsteps sounded on pavement and then were muffled as he worked his way to her side. “Here, let me help.” He pulled a small flashlight out of a pocket and shone it on the fence. Nimble fingers plucked her wool cloak from where it was snagged. He stepped away from her as soon as she was free. “There. See. Not going to hurt you, but you might not be so lucky with the next car. Why the hell are you hitchhiking in the middle of the night? It’s scarcely safe for a man.”

  “Uh, I need to get to Rocky Mountain House. There aren’t any buses, and I didn’t have enough money to rent a car. Besides, I’m not a very good driver.” She picked her way through damp weeds back to the road. “Sorry to have bothered you, sir. You can be on your way.”

  It was hard to see his face in the gloom, but it looked like his dark brows drew together into a thin line. “Not if you’re just going to put your thumb back out. I’m headed west into the mountains. I go right through Rocky Mountain House. I’d be glad to drop you there.”

  It sounded good. Too good. Noreen gave herself a mental boot in the ass. Maybe if she had more information, she’d feel better about the stranger standing two feet away. “Who are you?”

  “Justin McCollum.” He scrabbled in a back pocket and drew out a wallet. “Look.” He retrieved his flashlight, opened the wallet, and shone the light on something.

  Noreen stepped close enough to look. “You’re a policeman?” Something tightly wound inside her relaxed in a whoosh. It didn’t seem possible, but the luck that had allowed her to escape Calgary was holding.

  Justin nodded. “Yes. I’m on my way to help with a fire a few miles west of Rocky Mountain House. It’s out of control, and they’re tapping all of us they can spare to help the firefighters.”

  “In that case, I accept your offer for a ride, if you’re sure I won’t be any trouble. Maybe I could chip in a buck for gas.” Noreen strode toward the car. He followed her and opened the passenger door.

  “I wouldn’t think of it.” He went back around the car and settled himself behind the wheel. Once they were rolling, he glanced at her. “You never told me why you were out here in the middle of the night.”

  “I, uh, that is—”

  “If you’re just going to lie to me, don’t bother.” A muscle in Justin’s jaw worked, and his hands tightened on the wheel. “Maybe you can listen, though.”

  Uh-oh. “Sure. I can listen.” She steeled herself for what felt like an imminent lecture.

  “I’ve been a cop for a long time. Fifteen years. Looks to me like you’re scared and running away from something. It’s okay.” He held up a hand. “You don’t have to tell me a thing, but once you get to Rocky Mountain House, stay near the town.”

  “Because of the fire?”

  “No. I don’t think it will get that far. It’s bound to rain soon, this late in the year. There are…abominations living in the woods. Creatures that can shift from man to beast in the blink of an eye. They make off with lone women—sometimes men too. We sent a posse out after a bunch of them about ten days back. None of them returned. Once I’m done with the fire, that’s my next job. Trying to find out what happened.”

  Noreen thought about what he’d said. “These, um, abominations. How do you know about them?”

  He grimaced. “I Hunt them.”

  “What exactly does that mean?”

  Justin shook his head. “I’ve said more than I should already. What’s your name?”

  “Nor, um, Mary.”

  “Fine, Mary, but both of us know that’s not really your name. Do you have any family?”

  “No.”

  “Friends who’d take you in?”

  She shook her head and then realized he was looking through the windshield. “No.”

  “Work acquaintances?”

  Noreen broke in. “I understand you’re trying to find somewhere I can go. Trust me, there’s nowhere. If there were, I’d have thought of it.”

  “What are you going to do for money? The farther you get from the cities, the harder it is to find work, and the pricier it gets to live.”

  “I’ll look for a job. I can do housekeeping or babysitting if I have to.”

  “You won’t find much.”

  Something in her rebelled. “How do you know? You don’t live there. Your police card said you’re from Red Deer.”

  “I have relatives. Say…maybe I could help you with that job.”

  His offer didn’t ring true. “What would you be wanting in return?”

  The clouds must have parted because the interior of the car was bathed in moonlight. An odd look flitted across Justin’s face, almost as if he’d bitten into something inexplicably bitter. “Nothing. There are no women in my life. Never have been, never will be. All of you are the same. Sex on the brain.” He pulled the car to the side of the road, flicked on the dome light, and grabbed her chin between his thumb and forefinger. His blue eyes glittered dangerously.

  Noreen jerked her head trying to get away, but he held fast. “Now you listen up, sister. You’re safe with me. I will not hurt you, and I have no interest in screwing you. Got that?”

  She managed to croak out, “Yes.”

  He let her go as quickly as he’d seized her and guided the car back onto the road. “Now,” he went on as if their previous exchange hadn’t happened, “about that job.”

  Holy Christ! He’s crazy. He may be a cop, but he’s downright nuts. “How about this?” Noreen made her voice as gentle as she could. “When you get back from the fire, you can look for me. If I haven’t been able to find work, I’d be grateful for any help you could give me.”

  “Where will I find you?”

  “Is there a ladies’ boarding house in town?”

  “Yes.”

  “Then that’s where I’ll be. It will be cheaper than a hotel, and they’ll feed me.”

  “Good enough. Let me tell you more about the things you need to watch out for.” He launched into an explanation of wolves, bears, coyotes, mountain cats, and birds that was so far-fetched, it made her head spin.

  After listening for a while, she tapped his arm. “Justin.”

  “Hmph.”

  “I appreciate all the warnings, but I didn’t sleep last night. If it’s all the same to you, I’d like to close my eyes until we get there.”

  “Of course.” His tone was so solicitous, it made the fine hairs on the back of her neck twitch. He was treating her like a long lost buddy, and they barely knew one another. Something was badly wrong here, and the sooner she got out of this car, the better. Noreen was sorry she’d mentioned her plan to stay at the ladi
es’ boarding house. In a small town, there’d only be one of them.

  Ah well, I’ll cross that bridge when I get to it. Maybe I’ll get lucky and find a job right away. Then I won’t have to deal with crazy-boy and whatever he has in mind.

  * * * *

  Even though she didn’t think she’d sleep, she must have because Justin shaking her arm brought her around. “You got a good rest, sister. We’re here. I didn’t want to wake you, but I’ve got to get rolling. I want to be at the fire line before dawn.”

  “Sure,” she mumbled as she grappled for the door handle. “Thanks.” The door finally came free, and she stepped onto an unevenly paved street. Before she could close the door, it slammed shut behind her, and the car rumbled off into the night.

  Noreen blinked owlishly in the moonlight at a main street that might have graced a turn of the century movie. Unlit gas lamps sat atop iron poles. The sidewalk was raised wooden slats, and the buildings looked as if they’d seen better days. They could easily be forty or fifty years old, which was probably why they had an old-timey feel. For all the construction in Calgary and Edmonton, the population boom had obviously passed this small community by.

  She walked until the buildings thinned out; it didn’t take long. Where could she wait out the rest of the night? There couldn’t be more than an hour or so before dawn. Though she’d napped in Justin’s car, she was far from rested. A farmhouse sat off to one side of the street at the end of a long driveway. A barn snugged close to the road. Feeling like a sneak thief, she sidled toward it. If the door was open, maybe she could shelter with the animals for the night.

  Noreen pulled an old-fashioned latch, gratified when the rickety barn door opened with only muted creaking. Goats baahed. A horse snorted, blowing air through its nose. She cursed herself for not bringing a flashlight. Such a simple thing would have made her life much easier. She left the door cracked until she located a ladder leading to a loft. Returning, she latched the door and found the ladder by feel. Thank God none of its rungs were rotten. Her cloak would look a fright the next day with debris stuck in it, but Noreen sank into a pile of fragrant hay.