Wild Country (The World of the Others #2)- Anne Bishop Page 0,109

carefully washed the cuts on the Wolf’s face and the gash in one ear.

“When you train to be a cop, you know you might have to shoot someone in the line of duty, but I’ve never fired a weapon at another living thing until today. Gods, I’d never fired a weapon anywhere but at the firing range.” Her breath hitched. “I’ve never killed anything before. I’ve never gone hunting or anything like that. I know it was the dogs or us, but …”

She didn’t realize she was crying until Kane raised his head and licked her face.

“I should put a dressing on this, but I doubt he would tolerate it,” the vet said.

“He’ll want to keep it clean his own way.” Jana leaned forward until she and the Wolf were nose to nose. “But he promises not to pull out the stitches. Right?”

“Grrf.”

She took that as agreement.

Tobias slipped back into the room. “One man was bitten and is being treated by a human doctor. Nobody else had any serious injuries from that attack.”

“Was there another attack?” Jana asked, alarmed that the dogs might have injured someone else in the town before reaching the square.

“Man was brought in from Stewart Dixon’s ranch. He’s at the doc’s office now. Once we’re done here, we’re supposed to bring Kane back to the sheriff’s office, and you’re supposed to join Tolya to take someone’s statement.”

She nodded.

“Is that where Mr. Wolfgard will be? The sheriff’s office?” the vet asked.

“During regular office hours,” Jana replied. “I expect his brother will want him to be at home in the evenings.”

“Then I’ll stop by the office tomorrow to check on my patient.”

Allowing Tobias to lift him off the table, Kane limped out of the vet’s office on three legs. Jana rolled her eyes when Tobias gave her a look that made her swallow any remarks about male stubbornness. And she swallowed any comments when Kane stood on one hind leg and planted his front legs on the tailgate since he didn’t snarl about Tobias lifting his back end and then helping him get settled in the pickup bed.

Since Kane didn’t need her with him, she sat in the front with Tobias on the drive back to the town square.

“Testosterone United, huh?” she said after a minute.

He grinned. “It worked, didn’t it?” The grin faded. “After Tolya told me about the attack at the Dixon ranch, I called my mother, as well as Ellen Garcia at the Prairie Gold ranch, and the resettled ranches between here and Prairie Gold. Wanted to let them know we had a gang of marauders in the area.”

“Wouldn’t they have to come through Bennett to reach the places south of the town?” Jana asked.

“They could take a roundabout route and come up from the south, but, yes, if they hit a ranch north of us, it’s a good bet they’ll be coming to town or hiding out somewhere nearby. There are a few places around here that are nothing more than way stations with a combination gas station and general store, and a couple of houses, if that.”

Gang of marauders. How often did Tobias drive around alone?

“Are you staying in town today?”

“Wasn’t planning to stay the whole day, but looks like I will be now. I’ll see about getting a room at the hotel for the night.” He glanced at her. “You’ve got work to do, but maybe we can take a ride later? That buckskin will get up to some mischief if he doesn’t get enough work.”

“I’d like to get out for awhile.”

He smiled and said, “Good.”

Tobias had a really nice smile.

* * *

* * *

Barb knelt in front of the large crate that held a litter of puppies and listened to the dogs in the fenced yard, barking and barking. The puppies needed to be socialized with people and other dogs. They needed care and training and love. They needed more than she could give them on her own.

People helped her when they could, but not everyone was interested in the animals—and even fewer people wanted to deal with so much poop. But time was running out. The Others didn’t understand the human desire to have a pet, a companion, something not-them that would share their living space.

Well, they might understand about sharing their living space with something that was not them. After all, they had allowed humans to settle on this continent when travelers first arrived from other parts of Thaisia centuries ago. But understanding didn’t mean they wouldn’t put down