Free Hunter Moon (Lupine Moon Series) by Cait Lavender Page B

rather than down, so if I got them moving back down toward my trailer and the corral, I could pen them in long enough for the CDF guys to do their job.
    “Reggie, get a heel!” I yelled over the bawling cattle. Reg, like the good cow dog he was, nipped at the cattle’s back legs, urging them forward away from his snapping teeth. The wolf, weaving like a ghost in and out of the cows, was an even better motivator for them to get moving. Soon, between the three of us, the cattle were moving down the hill at a trot. While Reg continue his job, I loped out ahead and vaulted off Roanie when I got to my trailer.
    I sprinted inside and grabbed my phone, pounding 911 on the keys. Still breathing hard when the operator answered, I demanded to be transferred to the CalFire department.
    “Yes, my name is Shelby Flint and I’m on the Flint ranch in Raymond. Someone has set several small fires, which by now have probably grown to several big fires. Please hurry!”
    It was only a scant ten minutes later when I heard the blades of the chopper, heading past to drop water from Hensley Lake onto the fire. Three fire trucks drove down my driveway ten minutes later, and I helped by shuttling a few of the men to the fire in my Blazer and the coincidence was not lost on me. Fireman in a Blazer, ha!
    The fire trucks weren’t able to get to the flames without getting stuck. Luckily, the fire department had deployed the Helicopter quickly enough that the fires were easily containable by the firefighters who arrived later.
    I had an uncomfortable sense of Déjà vu as I sat on my front porch and watched the fire trucks leave down my driveway. I didn’t remember when, but sometime during the chaos, the wolf had slipped off and disappeared. Covered in soot and ash, my lungs aching from the smoke, I stumbled into my house and took a shower. Too lazy and exhausted to care, I stepped out, wet hair and all, and curled up under the covers and slept.
    I came up out of a deep slumber during the night long enough to feel a presence against me. It smelled of pines and smoke. I smiled to myself and went back to sleep.

    “Shelby.”
    Someone shook me. I groaned, fighting to stay inside the wonderful dream.
    “Shelby! Wake up!”
    More shaking. I felt like I was surfacing from deep underwater. I tried to open my eyes, but they weren’t working properly.
    “Shelby Rae Flint, if you don’t wake up this instant I’m going to slap you into next Sunday!” I finally got my eyes to open but they wouldn’t quite focus. I saw a blurry brunette standing over me.
    “Jesse?” I rasped. My mouth and throat were dry and sore. Why was that?
    “Thank goodness, Shelby. You had me worried. I’ve been trying to wake you up for five minutes!” She sat down on the bed beside me and handed me a glass of water.
    “Here, drink this. You look like hell.” Gratefully, I took the glass and gulped it down. It was a touch painful, but I felt more human for it.
    “What time is it?” I croaked, still disoriented. It was light outside, so I must have only slept for a few hours.
    “It’s seven.” She gave me a weird look.
    “Oh, I guess you and Ty are picking up your car then?”
    She arched an eyebrow. “Shells, it’s seven in the afternoon. Friday. We picked up my car yesterday. You never answered the door. When you didn’t answer your phone this morning, I was worried. What happened to you?”
    Shocked, I sat up and looked around. Everything was just as I left it. My towel was still on the ground, and the trail of my sooty clothes led into the bathroom.
    “Holy crap,” I said as a wave of dizziness overwhelmed me. I had to sit back against the pillows. “Jess, I’ve been sleeping for 28 hours. I think my blood sugar is a little low. Do me a solid and get me some orange juice from the fridge?”
    She left, eyes wide, and returned with a huge glass of OJ. Seeing she was about to burst from all the questions, I appreciated that she waited to attack me until after