Free Wolf's Vengeance (After the Crash) by Maddy Barone Page B

blankets to pack up for the day’s ride.
    Mike stood by the door, mouth wide in a yawn, his hair standing up on one side, just like it had when they were kids. The idiot had gone to bed with his hair wet, and it had dried like that. A thought struck her, and she lifted her hand to her own hair, feeling the matted mess with dismay. Mike noticed and smirked at her.
    “Comb your hair,” he said. “You look like your head’s been pecked to death by rabid chickens.”
    “You look like you spent all night ironing your hair so it would stand straight up,” she retorted.
    They grinned at each other with high good humor. Today they would leave the money, get Mama’s note, and begin the process of rescuing her.

Chapter 5
    “That’s a gas station?” Mel asked, disappointed. “I thought it would have been bigger.”
    She was between Mike and Snake, all of them lying on their bellies on a low rise above a small decrepit building. It sat over a mile away at the intersection of two ancient roads, near a third road Snake called an interstate. There had once been a bridge on the interstate that allowed travelers to ride over one of the other roads, but now it was only a ragged gap. Mel couldn’t imagine so much traffic that a bridge would have been required.
    The gas station’s roof might once have been red. It sported large windows, broken long ago, and a sign tall enough to be seen from the missing bridge on the interstate. Mel couldn’t see what the sign said. Age leeched all color from it, but it probably proclaimed cars could stop there to buy gas. She imagined cars from the Times Before rolling along roads clear of grass and underbrush, puffing out flatulence behind them like her horse frequently did.
    Mike ignored her comment. “See anyone?” he asked Snake.
    Snake, his eyes watching the wolf prowling below, shook his head. “Not yet. We’ll stay put until Stone comes back.”
    Mel lay quietly beside Snake, trying to ignore the itch of sweat creeping between her breasts and the crinkle of dried grass against her shirt. His bare shoulder pressed against hers, and all she could think of was kissing him this morning. How far would she have gone with him if Mike hadn’t interrupted? Farther than she ever meant to, she was sure. His mouth and hands made her feel good. No, better than good. Relaxed? No, definitely not relaxed. Warm. Daring. Curious. He made her…She fumbled for the right word and settled on want. He made her want more. And that was both scary and pleasing. She cast a sidelong glance at him, her gaze gliding along the curve of his taut shoulder, the muscles in his back she stroked this morning, and she wondered when they would be alone again to explore each other a little more.
    Stone’s wolf loped away from the gas station, going in the opposite direction to continue his search for anyone else in the area. Mel hated waiting, but she occupied herself with memories of the morning. When Stone appeared an hour later, Snake tossed his breechcloth and moccasins at him. Mel looked away while he changed from wolf to man. Watching Snake change was one thing. He was her husband, after all, but seeing Stone naked didn’t seem quite right.
    “Nobody’s around for at least two miles,” Stone reported.
    “Okay, good,” Snake said. “We’ll stick to the plan. Mike will ride down and leave the money. Mel and I will ride back north to wait at the cabin we passed a few miles ago. Mike can catch up with us there. Stone’s wolf will hang around here, and when the man comes, he’ll howl to let us know to come so we can get some answers.”
    Mel slid a thumb over the grip of her pistol. “We’ll get answers.”
    “Yeah, we will,” Snake agreed. “Ready to go, Mike? Got the money?”
    Mike slapped a hand to the side of his waist. “Yep. I’ve been sleeping in this danged money belt.”
    They walked back to the horses, and Mike mounted up, loosening his rifle in its saddle sheath to be sure it could be pulled