Wild Country (The World of the Others #2)- Anne Bishop Page 0,100

the boots Kane wore when he was in human form and the shoes Virgil preferred. The boots were more like what the human males wore on ranches, but Virgil, being in human form most of the time when he was on duty, had decided he wanted a shoe that was comfortable to walk in and easy to remove if he had to shift to Wolf form quickly.

He didn’t want to think about Barbara Ellen being receptive to mating—or the sex thing, which, from what he could figure out, wasn’t the same as mating. He was sure the wolverine would tell him it wasn’t any of his business, that humans were free to do the sex thing with anyone they pleased. But it was his business because Barbara Ellen had ties to Lakeside, and he and Tolya wanted to remain friends with the terra indigene who lived in Lakeside.

Virgil closed the carryall but didn’t pick it up because another thought occurred to him.

What about the wolverine? How close were her ties to the Lakeside Courtyard and the police pack that was connected to the Courtyard? And how receptive was she to a human male’s mating overtures?

* * *

* * *

Tobias drove through the early morning light, wondering if he was acting like a fool. He was the foreman of Prairie Gold’s ranch, and he had work to do and responsibilities to meet. But, damn it, there was that spark he felt whenever he was around Jana, and he thought she felt some interest in him too—and not just as someone who could teach her to rope and ride. But even if she wasn’t interested in getting better acquainted on a personal level, even if the spark he felt fizzled, he wanted her to ride well and develop a partnership with Mel. Sure, she was supposed to be patrolling streets that were part of the town or had been part of the town, but anything could happen once you were in the wild country. And people being people, anything could happen within the town.

He wasn’t a stranger to women. He liked their company and had accepted invitations over the years to participate in mutual pleasure. But some had never gotten past a kiss because, even though his mother was the one who could sense other people, he’d had the feeling some of those women had wanted him because they wanted to be a foreman’s wife in order to rule the house and the ranch’s bank account.

And there hadn’t been this kind of spark, even with the women whose company he’d enjoyed in all manner of ways. An attraction, sure, but not the kind of spark that was pulling him back to Bennett when he should be putting in time on the ranch.

“She’s not an Intuit.”

“I know that, Mom. I know she’s not one of us, I know she’s got a job in Bennett, and I work at the ranch, and there’s a fair piece of driving between those two places.”

“Nothing wrong with a phone call between visits. Or a letter.”

“A letter? I’d probably be the one driving our post up to the Bennett office.”

“A letter is something that can be enjoyed between friends, but it’s also an old-fashioned kind of courtship. A woman can revisit a letter when the man isn’t around. Gives her a reason to think about him. Speaking of letters, since you’re making the trip anyway, take the sack of mail Phil has ready and bring back the mail for the town as well as the ranch. And check with John Wolfgard to see if he has any of the books I asked about.”

He’d called Truman Skye after leaving his mother’s house that morning and offered to pick up any mail for the Skye Ranch since it would be on his way back home. Truman sounded grateful to eliminate one chore from his list and asked if Tobias could bring back a few things from the general store, if the items were available.

He couldn’t complain if his social call had turned into a delivery run. It justified the use of the gasoline.

* * *

* * *

“Joshua is going to work for you at the bookstore?” Barb twisted around to look at John, who was in the cargo area with Rusty, the carryalls, and the carry sack of food he’d had with him when he’d informed Jana that she was giving him a ride to the town square.

“He likes books,” John replied.“That’s why he spends extra time sorting the books