Wolf Tracks - Bianca D'Arc Page 0,92
feel of the place, and the vibe of the art all around made her feel good right down to her soul. There were so many beautiful things to be seen. From the impressive art in all those gallery windows to the majestic beauty of the cove itself. This was an enchanted place, and she felt blessed to be able to see it.
Something about this town just felt so right to her. Big Wolf had been nice, but Grizzly Cove felt…like home. The revelation hit her, and she stopped walking. They were in front of another gallery, so Jim paused beside her and looked in the window. Helen looked too, finding a blonde woman on the other side of the glass, behind the window display, looking back at her with wide eyes.
As Helen watched, the blonde woman called to a man in the backroom of the small gallery, and he walked out, his pose attentive. He was a big man and shaggy like some of the other bear shifters she’d seen so far in this town. The woman, though, she was more petite. Lean and tall, kind of like Jim. Was this a male bear and female wolf couple? Helen didn’t know why she thought that, but it felt right.
The woman smiled and picked something up then headed out the door with it. Helen looked up at the sign at the top of the two-story structure. It read Spirit Bear House, but the sign above the display window said White Wolf Gallery. She looked at the front of the building again, and realized that there was more than one gallery inside, and each had its own name.
In the time it took Helen to figure that out, the woman had come outside. She walked right up to them, a reserved smile on her face.
“I’m sorry, but I just had to show you this.” She lifted the item she’d taken from her gallery and showed it to them.
It was a small canvas with a painting done in soft shades of cream and gold. It was of a woman…and a wolf. The wolf looked a lot like Jim’s wolf, and the woman…
“That’s me,” Helen said, surprised and mystified by the painting. “How did you…?”
“I’m Laura, and this is my mate, Gus.” She stepped back a little to reveal the man who had come outside to back her up.
Gus reached forward to offer his hand to Jim. “I’ve heard about you from Big John and Ezra,” he said. “Was hoping you’d come by.”
“You’re the shaman,” Jim said, surprising Helen as he shook the other man’s hand.
“And you’re the SEAL,” Gus replied with a grin.
“He’s not a seal,” Laura insisted. “He smells like a wolf.”
Jim chuckled. “You’re right, of course, ma’am. I’m from the White Oaks Pack out of Iowa, but what Gus meant is that I’m a former Navy SEAL.”
“Of course you are,” Laura said, understanding dawning on her face. “Honey, just about every guy in this town is some kind of super soldier,” she said to Helen with a conspiratorial grin. “You’ll fit in really well here,” she told Jim.
She handed the canvas to Helen. “I painted this for you,” Laura told her. Helen was bemused.
“How could you have known? Did you do this, like, last night or something?” Helen marveled at the likeness. There was no doubt the painting was of her and Jim.
Laura laughed. “I painted that more than a month ago,” she claimed, making a tingle race down Helen’s spine. Did this wolf woman have a clairvoyant gift? “I knew it was one of the special ones when I did it. I just didn’t know who it would be for. Now, seeing you two, I know. Consider it a mating gift and a welcome to town, from me to you.”
“You paint the future?” Helen asked. She hadn’t heard of shifters endowed with other magical gifts before. This woman felt special. Like she was more than just your average shifter. Helen wanted to know why. Then, she realized she was being rude and apologized. “I’m sorry to be nosy. My mother is a seer, and I’m just curious. You don’t have to answer.”
Laura laughed good-naturedly. “It’s all right. I’m a wolf, but I’m also a little bit fey,” she revealed, and suddenly, it all clicked into place for Helen. “I see things in my painting, sometimes, and I think you and I are going to be good friends.”
“If you can pardon my unforgivable rudeness, then I’d say we’re off to a good