they shuffled and swayed. Jake walked over to each and every horse and spent some time with them, murmuring to them, comforting them. They nickered and nipped at his sleeve, nuzzled in to his warm, large hand. They knew they were OK now, and they started to move away from the stall doors, started to settle back down to sleep.
Jake went out the back door of the stables and walked in to his cabin. He picked up the business landline phone and called Julie.
“Jake? What’s up? Are you OK?”
“Listen, baby. I think I just saw a wolf out here.”
“A what? Where? In the stables?”
“No. No, outside the fence, out on the prairie.”
“Are the animals all OK?”
“Fine. But listen, I saw just one wolf, and there may be more.”
“Right.”
“So I think it best for Tammy to stay with you tonight, until Phil and I can go out tomorrow and see what’s what. If she really wants to go back to her place, you call me and I’ll come and get her and take her back to her cabin.”
“Jake, do you really think this is necessary? I mean, what are the chances that a wolf would come right up the hill to the cabins and main buildings?”
Jake heard Tammy’s voice in the background, asking a question.
He sat down. “You’re right, baby. Normally, they’re pretty skittish about being too close to people. But we don’t know much about wolves, me and Phil, and I’m not sure what to expect.”
“So, it’s not common for wolves to be around here?”
“Nope, not at all. Coyotes, sure. We see a hundred of them a year. But wolves are unusual for the Colorado Rockies – most of them are much farther north.”
“I see. But we’re not going to hurt it, right?”
“Of course not. Not unless it attacks someone, and I really, really doubt it’ll come to that. But just to be safe, OK? Let me take Tammy home if she wants to go.”
“Hang on a sec.” Julie turned to Tammy. “Do you want to stay here tonight, or go back to your cabin?”
Tammy snuggled deeper in to the sofa. Her eyes were soft in the firelight. “I was thinking I’d stay here.” She took a sip of wine. “Drink all the wine in the house with you and gossip about Jake.”
“OK,” Julie laughed and turned back to the phone. “She’ll stay here, Jake. We’re going to get drunk and talk about you.”
He laughed too. “Sounds good. I’ll call Phil tomorrow morning and he and I will head out to where I saw the wolf, get some sense of how big it is, and where it came from. And we’ll have to inform all the staff about the wolf, OK? Can you call a staff meeting for Monday morning?”
“Yeah, of course. I’ll send out an e-mail tomorrow.”
“Thanks, babe.”
“Are the horses safe in the stables?”
“Oh, for sure. Don’t worry about that. I’ll keep an eye on things, but I think the wolf is long gone for now.”
“And you’re safe?”
“Oh, yeah. I’ve got a rifle, if things get bad, but I honestly don’t see that I’ll have any need to use it. I have no plans to hurt or kill that animal.”
“OK.”
“Goodnight, Julie. I love you.”
“I love you, too.”
Tammy jumped to attention from the depths of the sofa cushions. “You what? ”
Jake heard her through the phone and laughed. “Oh, man. And so it begins.”
“Have you two said the three magic words to each other?” Tammy said, excited. “Really?”
Julie rolled her eyes. “Goodnight, Jake.”
“Good luck, babe.”
Julie hung up the phone and turned back to Tammy. Her friend’s eyes were brighter than she had seen them in a month, and she smiled.
“OK,” Julie said sitting down again and picking up her wine for fortification. “Ask.”
“Did he tell you he loves you?”
“Yes. Today, for the first time.”
Tammy grinned and Julie grinned back. Both women knew that it was going to be a very long night.
**
The next afternoon, at somewhere in the neighborhood of three o’clock, Tammy managed to drag herself to a sitting position. Her head hurt, and
Jake went out the back door of the stables and walked in to his cabin. He picked up the business landline phone and called Julie.
“Jake? What’s up? Are you OK?”
“Listen, baby. I think I just saw a wolf out here.”
“A what? Where? In the stables?”
“No. No, outside the fence, out on the prairie.”
“Are the animals all OK?”
“Fine. But listen, I saw just one wolf, and there may be more.”
“Right.”
“So I think it best for Tammy to stay with you tonight, until Phil and I can go out tomorrow and see what’s what. If she really wants to go back to her place, you call me and I’ll come and get her and take her back to her cabin.”
“Jake, do you really think this is necessary? I mean, what are the chances that a wolf would come right up the hill to the cabins and main buildings?”
Jake heard Tammy’s voice in the background, asking a question.
He sat down. “You’re right, baby. Normally, they’re pretty skittish about being too close to people. But we don’t know much about wolves, me and Phil, and I’m not sure what to expect.”
“So, it’s not common for wolves to be around here?”
“Nope, not at all. Coyotes, sure. We see a hundred of them a year. But wolves are unusual for the Colorado Rockies – most of them are much farther north.”
“I see. But we’re not going to hurt it, right?”
“Of course not. Not unless it attacks someone, and I really, really doubt it’ll come to that. But just to be safe, OK? Let me take Tammy home if she wants to go.”
“Hang on a sec.” Julie turned to Tammy. “Do you want to stay here tonight, or go back to your cabin?”
Tammy snuggled deeper in to the sofa. Her eyes were soft in the firelight. “I was thinking I’d stay here.” She took a sip of wine. “Drink all the wine in the house with you and gossip about Jake.”
“OK,” Julie laughed and turned back to the phone. “She’ll stay here, Jake. We’re going to get drunk and talk about you.”
He laughed too. “Sounds good. I’ll call Phil tomorrow morning and he and I will head out to where I saw the wolf, get some sense of how big it is, and where it came from. And we’ll have to inform all the staff about the wolf, OK? Can you call a staff meeting for Monday morning?”
“Yeah, of course. I’ll send out an e-mail tomorrow.”
“Thanks, babe.”
“Are the horses safe in the stables?”
“Oh, for sure. Don’t worry about that. I’ll keep an eye on things, but I think the wolf is long gone for now.”
“And you’re safe?”
“Oh, yeah. I’ve got a rifle, if things get bad, but I honestly don’t see that I’ll have any need to use it. I have no plans to hurt or kill that animal.”
“OK.”
“Goodnight, Julie. I love you.”
“I love you, too.”
Tammy jumped to attention from the depths of the sofa cushions. “You what? ”
Jake heard her through the phone and laughed. “Oh, man. And so it begins.”
“Have you two said the three magic words to each other?” Tammy said, excited. “Really?”
Julie rolled her eyes. “Goodnight, Jake.”
“Good luck, babe.”
Julie hung up the phone and turned back to Tammy. Her friend’s eyes were brighter than she had seen them in a month, and she smiled.
“OK,” Julie said sitting down again and picking up her wine for fortification. “Ask.”
“Did he tell you he loves you?”
“Yes. Today, for the first time.”
Tammy grinned and Julie grinned back. Both women knew that it was going to be a very long night.
**
The next afternoon, at somewhere in the neighborhood of three o’clock, Tammy managed to drag herself to a sitting position. Her head hurt, and
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