Jenny felt a lick of heat between her legs. She felt the same. But now was not the time to entertain thoughts of Troy in bed with her or here on the forest floor, as they surrendered to their passions.
She changed the subject. “Why are you so interested in this ranch?”
He stood and paced. “This place is a hell of lot more peaceful than other ranches I’ve seen in my travels across the country. Worked at a couple of ranches and I have skills they can use. Most of all, I feel this is the safest place for both of us.”
Maybe he truly did wish to stay here – for good.
Deciding to test that theory, she gestured in the direction of the rustic cabin they’d slept in two nights ago. Seemed more like an emergency snow shelter than a place where someone would live, which made it abandoned in summer and ideal for them.
Sure, it was comfortable. They took turns keeping watch, but she’d fallen asleep on hers, only to wake up and see him standing guard. The cabin had been near trees smelling of wild wolves.
“The cabin does have good points. It’s isolated and better than sharing space with Skins.” Jenny watched his face. “Or a Lupine pack.”
Troy fished an apple out of the grocery bag, climbed onto a nearby rock and bit the apple. He chewed slowly, taking his time as if relishing the fruit.
“The pack on this ranch looked decent.”
She finished her apple and put it into an empty plastic bag, mindful of other predators, like bears. “So what are you saying, Troy? You want to settle here and this isn’t merely a friendly visit?”
His brown gaze remained steady. “I say we stay a spell to check out the place. See what it’s all about. What they’re all about. I’m tired of roaming, Jenny.”
Guilt stabbed her, tightening her stomach. Felt like a freight train rumbling through her body. Her fault. She’d been the one sleeping blissfully on the bed while he kept watch. They’d both worked hard in Bozeman, but he did twice the work and put in more hours at the lumber yard, lifting and hauling heavy loads for customers.
For the first time, she felt inclined to say what was in her heart. Jenny gathered her courage.
“I never did thank you, Troy, for all you’ve done for me. You’ve saved my life more than once. You’re the best friend I ever had. It’s been comforting having you here with me.”
For a moment he said nothing, studying the apple in his hand. When he raised his gaze, she couldn’t read him.
Not like before. Seemed as if he hid something.
Despite the churning in her stomach, she pressed on. “I guess if you want to stay here, check things out, that’s fine. It would be good to stay in one place for a few days.”
“More than a few days.” His deep voice warned he wouldn’t be pushed into anything else.
She thought quickly. “There’s plenty of game here, and we can avoid others…”
“Not as wolves, Jenny. In human skin. I plan to find this Aiden Mitchell, introduce myself and get hired on to see how it goes. Maybe stay for good if things work out.”
Breath fled her lungs in a whoosh. Oh damn. Her fears confirmed.
“Come with me. Make it permanent. I need you, Jenny. But damn, I need pack, too. A real home.”
“If I don’t, you’ll leave me?” She struggled to get the words out.
Little stabbing pains in her chest made it hard to breathe. Suddenly the forest seemed menacing, alive, and sinister, the sun-dappled tree limbs stretching out like arms to grab her. Suffocating from the pressure, she felt gray push at the sides of her vision.
Troy bolted to her side, his strong arms urging her to bend over. “Breathe deep, easy, easy, Jenny. I wouldn’t leave you, darling.”
At first she couldn’t, and then she focused on his deep, soothing tone. Jenny stared at her feet, centering herself, and took long, deep and even breaths. Finally her vision cleared and the pressure in her chest eased.
She looked up to see him squatted down before her, his expression concerned. “You okay now?”
“Yeah.” The panic attacks were usually controlled with effort. This one was bad. She hadn’t had a panic attack like this since…
The day her family died. The day she’d lost everything, including her sense of belonging in the world.
With Troy at her side, she’d found a place to belong again. Now she stood to lose that as well. Knew teaming with him would be a mistake.
But damn, she was attracted to him the same way he gravitated toward her.
Was his need for pack stronger than his need for her?
Jenny didn’t want to think about that. She’d tied him down long enough and if he needed to finally settle…
“I can’t go with you, Troy. I can’t. There’s too many Lupines there. I’d have to stay in Skin and you know what that means, how dangerous being in Skin can be for me around others. Can’t you wait until we find another pack that likes to roam in wolfskin?”
A deep sigh rumbled from his chest. “Hon, you keep saying that. You’re looking for a Lupine utopia. Maybe a hundred years ago, yeah, but the world’s changed, darling. We had to change with it.”
How could she be selfish and beg him to stay with her, keep searching? Jenny knew there were smaller packs out west that stayed mainly in wolfskin and avoided humans. But this place wasn’t one of them. She sensed that.
It was critical she remain as wolf for as long as she could. Being in Skin presented too much temptation to use those other powers.
The ones that terrified her and helped to kill her family…
“Come with me, Jenny. It’ll be fine.”
“Doubt it.”
He pushed back the hood from his head. “You worried they’ll see you’re different?”
Troy had seen some of her magick in the alley that day and she’d told him
