Read Online Wonder: A Soul Savers Collection of Holiday Short Stories & Recipes by Kristie Cook - Free Book Online Page B

own fur coat. But for now, she’d already given Gray enough to look at; he didn’t need to see any more. She tested her weight on the injured ankle. It had already begun to heal—a nice, wolfy benefit—but remained pretty sore. She’d toughed out much worse, though. Gritting her teeth, she rushed for the back door in the kitchen, the one Gray had carried her through only minutes before.
    He already stood in front of it, something in his hands, a smile on his face, and a challenge in his eyes. “I told you, I can’t let you go back out there alone, especially in the dark. There’s nowhere for you to go, and it’s too dangerous.”
    “I—I can take care of myself,” Rissa said.
    Gray’s gaze skimmed over her, and though the blanket covered everything but her head and feet, the look in his eyes remained appreciative. Yep, he’d seen too much earlier. He didn’t have to see her now to know what she kept covered.
    “I’m sure you can, sweetheart,” he said. “Until you step into another trap, anyway.”
    Rissa’s nostrils flared. “Did you set those?”
    She’d grown up with brothers who loved to hunt and trap, and every season she’d begged them not to do it. Sometimes she’d even follow them into the woods behind their house and spring the traps herself so no animal would get caught up in one. And when they did, she’d set them free every chance she had. Now that she’d become one of those animals who could be caught, she hated the things even more.
    Gray chuckled darkly. “Not a chance. Some assholes around here come on our property and set them like they own the place. Whenever I get up here, cleaning them up is one of the first things I do.”
    “Why?” Rissa blurted, forgetting that she was trying to get away from this guy, not hold a long, drawn-out conversation.
    “Damn things are a nuisance. Dangerous to humans and animals alike.”
    Score one for Gray . Rissa shook her head, both to that thought and to Gray’s answer. “No, I mean, why do they come on your property if they know you don’t want the traps there? Isn’t that trespassing or something?”
    “Yeah,” he said, his voice suddenly gruff. “Trespassing. But they don’t give a shit. They’ll do anything to capture the wolves.” Something dark and dangerous flickered in his eyes, but then he shrugged and held out wads of fabric toward her. “I don’t even want to know what happened to your clothes, but you can wear these until I get you home. Mind if we eat first, though? I was just about to start dinner when I heard the wolf howl and then found you.”
    Rissa’s eyes flickered to the window in the back door. Night had settled in completely, and the dark outside made the window more of a mirror. She nearly jumped at her own image reflecting back at her—dark eyes that looked too big for her face, hollowed cheeks, and a rat’s nest of curly hair. Her mouth already watered at the thought of real food, and by the looks of her, she really needed it.
    “You look like you could use a good meal,” Gray said, echoing her thoughts. He thrust the clothes at her again, and she had no choice but to take them. As soon as she did, he nodded toward a door off the kitchen. “Bathroom’s over there. Help yourself to whatever you need.”
    Rissa simply stared at him. Why is he being so nice? If he only knew ...
    “Go on,” he said as he turned for the refrigerator. “Get cleaned up while I make dinner. Then I promise I’ll take you wherever you want to go, as long as it’s not in those woods.”
    Rissa looked down at the clothes in her hands, then sighed to herself as she took the three steps from the small kitchen to the even smaller bathroom. Gray obviously wasn’t giving up, so instead of trying to run, she’d just have to play it cool. Hopefully he’d be good on his word and take her wherever she wanted to go after dinner. Problem was she didn’t know where that was. She didn’t belong anywhere except in those