I snorted and dug it out of my pocket, unlocking it. She snatched it from my hand and tapped on it, the tip of her pink tongue appearing at the corner of her mouth. The sight did something odd to my pulse, and I couldn’t rip my eyes away.
Oh, boy. Houston, we have a problem.
After a few moments, the tongue tip disappeared into a broad grin, and she handed me the phone.
“What did you do?” The phone’s primary purpose was for the clinic to get hold of me, particularly when I was on call.
“I’m now officially a presence on your phone.”
According to my thudding heart, she might be much more. Does she have anyone—a boyfriend—in Brandon? I groped for a subtle way to ask.
She flashed a grin, showing white teeth. “When I get lonely—and I’m lonely a lot—I’ll give you a shout.”
Okay, did that mean what I thought it did? Truth was, I didn’t always have my phone turned on.
“I’d like that,” I stammered, deciding that it would spend a lot more time live.
Matt appeared at the door, with Chris behind him.
Sam hesitated as they headed down the sidewalk to the vehicles. She looked at me, tilting her head, a corner of her mouth quirking up.
“Keep in touch, soldier.”
* * *
I stepped out of my SUV and four pairs of long ears swiveled in my direction. Being back at work after the craziness of the last few weeks was both jarring and reassuring. Visiting my regulars grounded me. My life may have taken a strange turn, but the world kept revolving as usual.
“Stay,” I said to Keen. Although excited to be on farm calls with me, she didn’t argue. She’d met Walter’s donkeys.
His donkeys were in demand throughout Manitoba. As Mammoths, they were the largest of their kind and therefore able to discourage coyotes and even wolves, if the pack wasn’t large and determined. Or not real wolves.
Walter himself met me at the gate, surrounded by donkey doe eyes soft with affection, watching me with curiosity. His jennies, or females, had sweet temperaments. On my last trip out here, the girls had sensed my inner predator. They’d approached with flattened ears and suspicious eyes, and Walter had been forced to shut them away while I worked.
Today, they regarded me with care as they snuffled me. Chris, in his ever-efficient teacher role, had spent the last couple of days before the full moon instructing me how to keep the wulf hidden from the animal world. I sighed with relief when the large ears came forward and they nudged me with interest, not hostility.
Walter’s jack donkey was another matter. His registered name was Holloway’s Dark Magic, and Walter called him Magic. His owner would likely not be surprised that everyone else referred to him as Fang.
I nodded to another man waiting for us outside the barn. “Darren.”
“Liam,” he said with a smile. “I’m right glad you’re back. Did you have a good holiday?”
I considered everything that had happened to me over my hiatus. “Yes, it was fine, thank you.” Didn’t get a tan but picked up some wicked big teeth.
He didn’t comment on my teeth, but he noticed other changes. “You shaved your hair. Looks good—but have you been working out?”
“Yeah, a bit.” Because of the scalp wound, I’d been forced to clip most of my hair short to match the patch shaved around the now-healed injury. And my coveralls fit much tighter across the shoulders than they used to.
Darren was a local farrier and had the unenviable job of trimming the donkey’s feet. Fang’s endocrine disorder caused him significant foot issues. To help his hooves regain normal function, he required a pedicure every week. As Fang possessed a general disdain for everyone except Walter—and sometimes even him—working on any part of him presented a certain element of danger. Hence the nickname.
To keep Darren’s skin intact, Walter arranged for a vet to tranquilize Fang whenever he needed his feet done. We couldn’t do a heavy dose of sedative, since Darren needed to lift the hooves to trim them, but I had perfected the procedure over time.
Only with Fang would giving a needle be referred to as a “procedure.”
The donkey in question currently resided in the barn where Walter had him tied in the aisle. As Walter opened the door, my phone sang a few bars of “Demons” by Imagine Dragons. I paused, holding a finger up to Walter.
“Do you mind?” I asked him.
“Of course not.” His expression indicated curiosity, not annoyance. I was relieved, having not yet hashed out my text-at-work protocols. But letting this call pass me by would have been more difficult than I liked to admit.
Sam’s few seconds with my phone had resulted in a personalized ringtone, along with an intriguing choice in music. I guessed we all had demons, some just had bigger teeth than others.
Lost any important bits yet? she texted.
I grinned. My mind conjured up a vivid image of her smile and the mischievous glint in her eye. It pleased me that she’d remembered the itinerary for my first day back. Texting did not stop me from babbling like an idiot.
I tapped with my thumb. Nothing you’d miss.
Don’t be so sure.
Before I met Sam, I hardly used my phone. My job required my full attention and both hands, so my cell was usually shoved into my bag. Clients had become accustomed to my “where’s my phone?” search at the end of the visit.
Recent events and a certain curvy female wulfan had changed all that. Sam had texted me so regularly over the last few days that her presence seemed almost physical. Did this mean what I hoped it did?
I pocketed my cell, still smiling. Walter’s fuzzy eyebrows did an intricate dance on his forehead. “Anyone special?”
“Maybe,” I replied.
“I hope so. You’ve been alone long enough.”
The remark surprised me. Before Dillon bit me, I considered my life fulfilling, but ordinary. I thought of Sam. Ordinary has left the building. And I didn’t
