Falke’s Peak

be back.”

A hard shudder went through her, and she finally made eye contact with him. “I was…squatting…and heard a rustle. I turned my head and it was just…there.”

Axel gripped her arms. She looked like she needed the anchor.

No tears though.

Amazing. Most women would be blubbering messes by now. Maybe that would come after the shock wore off.

“It was probably just checking you out. Probably wouldn’t have hurt you anyway. Odd smells in the woods is all.” He knew better. Wolves avoided human smells when in the woods, unless they were hungry.

But Dakota needed reassurance right now that she was safe.

“You think?” she asked with quite a bit of hope in those two words, which made him smile.

“It’s possible.”

“Or I was lunch with my pants down.” She pulled back then and turned away to fasten her jeans and yank up her ski pants. While she collected herself, Axel picked up her gloves and the roll of toilet paper, shaking the loose snow off of them.

Dakota took a couple of deep breaths before she turned back. A small, strained laugh slipped out of her, and she wouldn’t meet his gaze. “Probably a heck of a sight, huh? Me bare-assed in the snow?”

Axel laughed and draped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her into a little hug. He wanted to wrap both arms around her, hold her for a minute or two, but instead guided her in the direction they’d come. She really was one hell of a woman. He didn’t think there would be any tears forthcoming, and fuck, that was nice. “Damn it,” he joked, “the pants were up before I got a glimpse of anything. Then again, maybe it was good you were doing what you were doing, or you’d have to change your pants.”

Dakota laughed and leaned into his side. She fit there a little too well. “Thank God I was done with that part!”

They made their way back through the twenty feet or so of thick underbrush to the trail where their packs sat. Gunnar was there, lying down, panting. When he saw them, he said, I got a small gash in my right haunch. Nothing serious, but could you check it when you can tear yourself away from her?

Axel dropped his arm. “I gotta check Falke.” To Gunnar he said, Any chance it was rabid? as he went to his pack and pulled out the first aid kit.

“He’s hurt?” Dakota asked, sounding more panicked over Gunnar than she had over the entire wolf incident.

No rabies, Gunnar said. Just hungry, I think. She’s got some babies in the area somewhere. She’s still nursing; I smelled it on her. Dakota probably would have been dinner if I hadn’t been here. Damn, that bitch was huge.

Axel frowned. If Dakota had come between the she wolf and her young, not even a cougar would’ve been able to chase her off.

She gonna be okay? Gunnar wanted to know.

“I don’t know,” he answered, replying to both Dakota’s question and his brother’s. Axel knelt next to Gunnar and poked at a slowly seeping wound.

Just a scratch, he decided.

Gunnar whimpered and cringed.

“Oh, you poor baby,” Dakota said, dropping to her knees next to the cat. “Poor kitty. You’re so brave. I’m sorry I didn’t like you.” Slowly, she extended her hand toward Gunnar’s face, letting him scent her. When Gunnar licked her fingertips, her laugh was low, gusty and sexy as hell. When Dakota sank her fingers into Gunnar’s fur, Axel had the urge to scrape his fingers across the tiny scratch on the cat’s thigh.

Oh, yeah, Gunnar said to Axel, purring loudly as he flopped over on his side, right onto Dakota’s lap.

She let out a soft laugh and scratched Gunnar’s chin, his chest. “He’s okay, right?”

Axel forced himself to not roll his eyes. “He’s fine.

Just a big baby.” To pay his dear brother back for having Dakota’s hands all over him, he poured the alcohol straight over the little wound.

Gunnar shot to his feet with a strange combination of a yelp, growl and hiss.

Axel chuckled. “All better then?”

Fuck you.

“He’s really okay?” Dakota asked, worry in her voice.

“Yep. He’s had worse.” He glared at his brother.

“And probably will have much worse in the future if he’s not careful.”

You’re the one who wanted me here like this. Kind of nice if she wants to pet the kitty now and then.

Axel growled as he got to his feet and helped her up. “You okay? Ready to head out or want to rest some more?”

She glanced around her and shook her head. “I think we should go. What if it comes back?”

Axel nodded. “Probably for the best. Falke, stay close.”

Aye, aye, Captain. The closer the better, especially if she wants to pet me some more, he said with a chuckle in his thoughts.

Don’t make me hurt you, little brother.

Bring it on.

* * *

Dakota was fairly sure she’d never been so tired in her life. As the sun started its descent and some cloud cover moved in, the temperatures dropped. She’d re-layered all the clothing she removed during the better part of the day, the temperature having risen temporarily to around the freezing mark. But now she was cold, and she wore everything she could put on and still move.

Thank God it hadn’t started snowing. There was enough of the white stuff on the ground to plague her already.

She stumbled more often than not now and, although she hated to complain, she feared she would land on her face soon and not be able to get up.

Just as Dakota looked up from her feet to say something to Axel, she walked right into his back, and they both went tumbling into the frozen powder.

“Oh, crap, I’m sorry,” she said, trying to disengage herself from him. She had the snowshoes on again and couldn’t find the strength to lift them up out of the snow where they’d buried themselves. When she put her hand flat on the ground to lever off of Axel’s back, it sank to her shoulder in the soft snow. “Shit.”

Axel laughed. “Hold still, honey.”

Did he just call me honey?

He rolled out from beneath her, sat up, and then dragged her out of the snow so she sat on her butt.

“Better?”

Ignoring the warm fuzzy feeling his unintentional endearment and the touch of his big hands caused in her tummy, Dakota nodded and pushed a few strands of hair out of her face. Then to her horror, her teeth chattered.

“How long have you been cold?”

“Just a little while.” A convulsion of tremors shook her body. “I thought if I picked up speed…it would help.” She clamped her teeth together.

“We’re here. Good thing.” Axel pointed. “You should have said something sooner. Out here—”

“I know. I know. I’m sorry. I think falling down made it worse than it was. Honest.” She glanced at the cabin through the evergreen trees. It looked dark, cold and lonely. And really small. Not exactly a Thomas Kinkade painting, although the snow-covered trees surrounding it were pretty. And it had to be warmer than her current position. “So this is Red Dog Ridge…”

“Yes,” Axel answered.

Falke came up to her and pressed his nose against her cheek. “Hey! That’s cold.” She laughed, raised a