Wild Country (The World of the Others #2)- Anne Bishop Page 0,77

the town council.

Jana returned to the office and Rusty, who seemed frantically glad to see her. Crouching to give pats and reassurance, Jana said, “It’s all right. It’s all right. Now, you need to be good, okay? And you’ll need to stay in your crate when I’m working. But once you get used to being with me, you’ll be able to come out more. Now, I’m just going in the back to fill your water bowl.” She needed to put in her hour working with her horse, which was considered part of her workday since she had to become a sufficiently capable rider to handle her duties as a mounted deputy. And she’d better check e-mail before she slipped up on something important.

She grabbed the water bowl and dashed into the back part of the office to fill it.

Rusty barked. Bark, bark …

Silence.

Leaving the bowl on the counter near the kitchen sink, Jana returned to the front of the office and froze. Kane, in Wolf form, and Virgil in human form stared at Rusty, who was doing her best to hide under the chair.

Smart dog.

“Sheriff.” Jana’s heart pounded as Virgil walked past her and went into his office. Since Virgil wasn’t going to talk to her, she took a step toward Kane, whose attention remained focused on the dog. “Her name is Rusty. I adopted her. I was going to talk to the sheriff about …”

That was as far as she got before Virgil, now a massive Wolf, came out of his office and brushed past her.

“Sheriff … Virgil …”

Virgil knocked the chair halfway across the room and was on the dog before Jana could draw another breath. Poor Rusty yelped and tried to run, but Virgil’s jaws closed over the dog’s neck, forcing her down before he released her neck and used a paw to push her over on her back. As soon as she exposed her belly, he stood over her, her body between his big front paws.

“Stop it,” Jana said fiercely. Oh gods, please don’t kill her just because you don’t like me.

Virgil ignored her. When he finally stepped back, Rusty scrambled to roll and run, but Kane was on her before she got her feet under her. Same forced submission.

Furious but afraid to do anything that would provoke something more lethal than this bullying, Jana held back and watched—and resisted the urge to draw her weapon.

When Kane released Rusty, Virgil moved into position, keeping the dog between them. And then …

Rusty timidly wagged her tail. And Virgil and Kane wagged their tails. An understated wag, to be sure, but it seemed to encourage Rusty to quietly submit to being sniffed while she licked them. And then …

Done. Virgil returned to his office. Kane went outside. Jana lunged, grabbing Rusty’s leash before the dog could dash outside and flee.

“Come here, girl. Good girl. You stay with me. Come over here.” Coaxing, Jana half led, half carried Rusty to the crate and put her inside before unclipping the leash and securing the door. Dropping the leash, she stormed into Virgil’s office, too mad and scared to think until she saw him adjusting himself before he zipped up the jeans.

“What?” Virgil said.

“Why did you do that? She’s young and—”

“She’s yours now?” he interrupted.

“Yes!”

Virgil reached for the checked shirt. Blue today. “Then it’s important for her to know her place in the pack. It will keep her safe.”

Jana stared at him. He sounded so unconcerned, so matter-of-fact.

Virgil returned her stare. Jana lowered her eyes and stepped to one side when he approached. He walked out of the office, buttoning his shirt, then stopped when he reached her desk and the crate nearby.

“That is like a den for her when we aren’t around?” he asked.

“Yes.” Scrambling to adjust her thinking, she added, “I just picked her up, so it’s better for her to stay crated or on a leash until she gets to know me—to know us.”

He considered that. “You should let her out to sniff around so that she recognizes the scent of her new territory.”

“I will. I’ll let her settle down first.” And give myself a chance to stop shaking inside.

“When Kane comes back, you should ride the horse. Then she will still have pack nearby and know she’s not alone.” Virgil gave Jana one sharp look before leaving the sheriff’s office.

Jana collapsed into her chair and remembered Tobias Walker’s words: You’re thinking like a human, and he’s thinking like a Wolf.

Could it be that simple? This was her