Protector Wolf

Good. They were gone.

Ryan continued to stand near Maya, with Piers and Rocky at his sides—and all those nice people behind her who’d spoken up in support of her.

Bartender Buck Lesterman had joined them, too. Interesting.

This group seemed to be filled with wildlife advocates who appreciated what Maya said and stood for, which was a good thing in Ryan’s estimation.

But were any of them shifters? All of them?

There’d been hints of an influx here thanks to the wolf sightings, and Alpha Force members had heard those rumors.

If some or all of these folks were shifters, then Maya had helped Ryan start to meet his goal. He owed her for that.

But for right now...

He regarded the group across from them, then strode forward, hand outstretched, purposely avoiding the guy who’d spoken with Maya and offered her a snack, apparently flirting with her. For some reason, that irritated Ryan, even if the guy turned out to be a wildlife advocate.

“Hi,” he said to the first of them. “I’m Ryan Blaiddinger, with the US Fish and Wildlife Service. Thanks to all of you for your support of conservation of the latest arrival of wolves around here.” He felt Maya stir behind him and figured she wasn’t thrilled that he’d taken over the position she probably intended to fulfill.

“Good to meet you, Ryan,” said a petite woman with long and fluffy light brown hair streaked with deeper color. Hair that resembled a wolf’s?

Ryan knew he was reaching a bit in an attempt to convince himself things were as he hoped.

But he might not be wrong...

“I’m Kathie Sharan,” the woman continued. “This is my husband, Burt. We just recently moved here and bought the Corner Grocery Store down the street. We used to live in Montana, and there are wolves there, too. We’ve no problem with some showing up in this neighborhood. It’s kind of cool, in fact.”

Could that actually be why they’d moved here?

“Hi, Ryan.” Burt, tall and thin with deep brown hair and a hint of a beard, edged next to his wife and held out his hand. His grip was firm as he shook Ryan’s. “I hope you’ll come visit our store while you’re in town. You, too, Maya.” He turned toward where she stood and held out his hand to her, as well.

A couple of other people near them also issued greetings that Ryan returned. Maya, too, and also Piers when Ryan introduced him as another employee of the federal fish and wildlife organization. And all of them made a fuss over a clearly pleased Rocky.

Even bartender Buck did so, as did the guy who’d been flirting with Maya—Trev Garlona. He’d introduced himself, as well.

So at least some of these wolf advocates had recently moved here and purchased businesses, intending to stay.

Of course Ryan could be completely wrong. They might have had different agendas when they decided to settle in Fritts Corner, nothing at all to do with wolves—or shifting.

But he had a feeling he would get to know some or all of them a lot better.

Maybe starting tonight.

For now, though, he needed to prepare, perhaps even to rest. He soon said goodbye to the gang of wolf supporters who’d joined them, and they all headed back to their seats—after Buck promised to refresh their drinks. The place remained busy, and the sound of conversations picked up once more. Other bartenders had remained active, so Ryan also inhaled the scent of different kinds of alcohol.

All seemed well again.

Even so, he asked Maya, who had also turned to go, “Where are you off to now?”

The people who’d given her a hard time were no longer in the bar. They surely wouldn’t be waiting outside to give her a hard time—would they?

He’d rather be there for her, though, just in case.

“I’m heading back to my hotel,” she said. “I may even take a nap. It’s stressful to give a talk, and to act happy and energetic and all...anyway, I’m glad how things have turned out so far and really appreciate your support.”

“You’re very welcome,” he said, knowing his face mirrored her large smile. “How about if we walk with you?”

“Which hotel are you staying at?” Piers asked. He was now at Ryan’s side and had taken Rocky’s leash.

“The Washington Inn,” she said, unsurprisingly naming the largest one in town.

“So are we,” Piers said.

“Great,” Ryan said. “Let’s get on our way.”

* * *

Maya saw Trev waving goodbye as she prepared to leave, and she briefly aimed a wave back at him. But her mind was on something else altogether.

Ryan, Rocky and Piers were all staying in the same hotel as she was.

How close was Ryan’s room to hers? That question kept intruding into Maya’s mind as they walked out.

No matter. They could be next door to each other and still be worlds apart.

They had to be. Sure, he was a great-looking guy. A nice guy who clearly wanted to walk with her to protect her in case those nasty folks who’d confronted her were still around. He didn’t have to say so for her to know that.

But other than their love of wildlife, they most likely had nothing in common. Even if they did—well, she’d been involved with a guy not long ago who’d professed to love wild animals but acted like a jerk when it came to maintaining a relationship with a human being. He’d even publicly slammed WHaM.

She didn’t need anything like that—especially since she’d soon go home to Denver and figured a guy with the US government would return to the DC area, far from her.

“I don’t see your buddies out here,” Ryan said. “Guess they decided not to harass you again.”

“I sure hope so,” she said. “Maybe they can start picking on each other instead.” She admired the few buildings they passed. “This is such a cute town. Where do you live? Is it anything like this?”

“We live near Washington, DC, not Washington State,” Ryan responded. Near it? Not in it? That made Maya wonder where, but before she could ask he got in his own question. “And you? Where are you from? Colorado? Isn’t that where WHaM is headquartered?”

She acknowledged that it was, and they talked a bit more about her organization as they continued down the block, with Piers behind them.

Rocky trotted between Ryan and her, and she got a truly warm and fuzzy feeling about this short walk and the males near her, including the dog. In a minute they had reached her car and said goodbye.

And because she didn’t have far to drive, she arrived at the Washington Inn about the same time as the two men and the dog did. Or maybe, driving slowly, she had unconsciously planned it that way.

The inn, like so many other buildings in town, was quaint, with multipaned windows and circular turrets. The concrete exterior looked substantial, though, and Maya figured it was either a much newer structure than it appeared, or it had been remodeled recently.

She parked in the lot beside it and walked quickly to the front—just as the others arrived, too. She joined them.

“Hi again,” she said, waiting while Ryan stopped at the grassy area near the front with Rocky. “So where are your rooms?” she asked Ryan casually, as Piers preceded them inside.