Love of the Wild (2 page)

Throwing the wool blanket off his naked frame, Jim stretched and got up. Baffled, he checked himself out. He knew he wasn’t a young man anymore. His formerly fair hair was now more gray than blond, his furry chest and trimmed beard the same, and he had a slight paunch instead of that six-pack he’d had in his twenties. He was still buff and bulky, quite the aged grizzly bear, but he doubted it was all pure muscle. Even though he tried to put in a few hours at the local gym every week to keep in shape and stay healthy, push-ups lately felt like the touch of death.

Jim sighed. Despite these age-related issues, he had a sudden realization that his body didn’t hurt. It didn’t hurt at all. Despite falling through tree branches, stopping hard, and hanging by his harness for who knows how long, he had no scrapes or bruises. Nothing ached: not his muscles, not his joints, not his bones. He was 100 percent A-OK.

And that worried him a lot. Either he had dozed off for far longer than one night, or something odd had happened to him. He didn’t even dare to contemplate what that something might have been. Jim swallowed when he thought about the assignment he had volunteered to take to boost his career. Traveling here to this godforsaken wilderness to find—

Dirt and rocks scrunched, and twigs cracked outside the cabin as feet approached. Then wood creaked when steps landed on the porch, just outside the door.

Jim became horribly aware that not only did he have no means of self-defense, he was also buck naked.

Snatching the blanket off the bed, Jim made quick work of covering his nudity as the door opened, squeaking lightly. Beams of light shot onto the floor, blinding him momentarily.

“Oh, you’re awake, Mr. Faulkner,” a new voice said, male, not quite as low as Dak’s, but with the same kind of soothing tone that put Jim at ease. “How are you feeling?”

Covering his eyes with his hand, Jim focused on the two silhouettes in the doorway.

One of them was Dak, the strands of his long hair dancing in the morning breeze, his arms crossed over his chest. God, he had to weigh over two hundred fifty pounds and be at least six foot nine!

The other man wasn’t quite as tall, but still sported an admirable height of six feet. Jim felt weirdly like a dwarf, standing in front of them at five foot nine. The lean man wore a simple, light-colored button-down shirt, well-worn jeans, combat boots, and a brown felt cowboy hat. His blue eyes crinkled at the corners when he smiled a crooked grin. He was the very picture of a perfectly aged gentleman cowboy.

“My name’s Daniel King,” the man said as he approached, hand extended. Gripping it, Jim felt calluses, and the smells of leather, horses, and the outdoors washed over him.

“Hello.” Jim’s reply was uncertain, but he shook the stranger’s hand nonetheless. He peered past the man’s shoulder at Dak, concerned.

“I’m here to drive you to town.”

Jim swallowed hard, blinking. Why now? Did Dak want him gone? Jim shook his head, realizing he was behaving oddly. After all, he’d had a bad fall, and he should be checked out by a doctor at a hospital, not a medicine man in a log cabin. Dak wasn’t part of this equation. He and Jim barely knew each other.

Nodding his compliance, Jim said, “Sure. Thanks. I just, uh, I need my clothes.”

“I brought you a change of clothes,” Daniel said, placing a paper bag on the bed. Jim saw jeans, a shirt, and a pair of tennis shoes inside. “Dak told me your jumpsuit didn’t make the landing.”

Jim frowned. That’s not how he remembered it. But then again, he had passed out in the middle of his rescue. “Right. Thanks.” He took the shirt out of the bag and stopped to glance at both men warily.

“We’ll wait outside,” Daniel said, and politely retreated out to the porch. Dak never said a word, just closed the door after his friend’s departure. The cold shoulder treatment depressed Jim, who had felt an instinctive connection with the man.

He pushed the rejection out of his mind and dressed hurriedly. No underwear meant he was going commando. Denim felt at once nice and loose, and yet grating when it rubbed the wrong way. At least he had some room to maneuver. He just hoped neither Dak nor Daniel would notice his continuous half-hard condition caused by Dak’s presence. His cock had apparently decided he was a teenager again, with raging hormones and a feral libido that demanded immediate sexual gratification.

Blushing at the erotic imagery of Dak filling his brain, Jim made his way to the door. Outside, the morning air was crisp, and he could see his own breath in visible puffs, though it was summer. The scent of pines grew stronger, and he inhaled the wonderful, natural odor.

Despite the chill, Dak wore only leather pants, moccasins, and nothing else. His smooth chest was well filled out with muscle. No tattoos or scars marred his tanned skin, and Jim felt a pull so strong his feet moved before his head took control.

Only when Dak frowned, his whole stance hostile, did Jim realize his error. His cheeks on fire, he mumbled an incoherent apology and looked away. Then his gaze landed on Daniel, and his bewilderment increased when Daniel stared at Dak looking utterly confused, his head cocked.

Soon, Daniel seemed to notice his faux pas, though, and he offered Jim a courteous smile. “Shall we? My truck is down the bend. Not even the dirt road comes up this far.”

Feeling awkward, Jim wondered what he should say to Dak. “Um, thank you for, you know, saving me and all.”

“You’re welcome. Stay out of trouble.” That was the extent of Dak’s response, and he went into the cabin and closed the door after himself.

Well, that was that, Jim thought, glum and sad to see the back of his knight in shining armor. Sighing, he turned to Daniel, plastered a smile on his face, and said, “Okay, guess we’re ready to go.”

Daniel nodded, looking frustrated for some reason. Then he shrugged, turned on his heels, and led the way down the mountainside along a rugged path not many feet had trodden. It took them over twenty minutes to reach a small clearing where a shiny black truck awaited them. Daniel climbed into the driver’s seat, and Jim followed onto the passenger’s seat.

Swiftly, Daniel started the ignition and eased the huge truck down the dirt path, still not intended for vehicles it seemed. The road was full of potholes, grass, pebbles, and tree roots. The ride was bouncy all the way, and Jim’s brain rattled badly. He closed his eyes to shut out the shaky visual.

The truck slowed. Daniel asked in a concerned voice, “Are you all right? Am I going too fast for you?”

Jim waved his hand dismissively. “I doubt any speed would feel good right about now. It’s funny, but I felt fine when I woke up. Now….” He couldn’t fathom why he felt nauseous and dizzy again. At the cabin he’d been clearheaded and uninjured.

“Okay,” Daniel said finally, but it was clear his worries hadn’t been alleviated. “We’ll be in town soon. I could take you to the local inn, or I could take you to the Howling Creek Ranch, which belongs to my family. Your choice.”

Puzzled, Jim thought about the offer. He didn’t even know this man, but he still invited Jim to his home like it was no big deal at all. How curious. “Um, I wouldn’t want to put you out—”

“Not at all.” Daniel smiled, relaxed. “You’d be more than
welcome. You’ll find that Conxing is very accommodating to—”

“Sorry, what?”

Daniel laughed self-deprecatingly. “Oh, forgive me. I meant Connor’s Crossing. We shorten it to Conxing around here. Force of habit.”

“Oh, I see.” Jim had already heard about the town from Dak, but to realize how close he was to his goal made him shudder.

“Are you cold?” Daniel asked.

“No. Not really,” Jim deflected with a casual tone. “Um, is this inn expensive? I’m a little short on cash at the moment….” He worried that might sound too blatant, but he shouldn’t have.

Daniel chuckled, shaking his head. “Well, that settles it. My wife would give me hell if I let you, the man who fell from the sky, fly away. You’re more than welcome at the ranch. No charge, I promise.” His warm levity made Jim feel like a heel, but he smiled back gratefully.

“Thank you kindly, Mr. King.”

“Please, call me Daniel.”

Though Jim didn’t know what he was searching for exactly, he felt he was now one step closer to his objective.

Ten minutes later they reached paved road, and ten minutes after that they swerved onto a driveway up a hill where a gorgeous white house rose. This was no log cabin. It was a modern piece of architectural perfection, perhaps a bit unfit for the rugged mountain surroundings, but definitely impressive and luxurious, Jim thought as he got out of the car, gawking in awe.

“Ranching must pay well these days,” he commented, studying the house.

Daniel chuckled. “Depends on the ranch, I suppose. A lot of them modernize to turn their budgets cost-effective. Like using motorized vehicles instead of horses for everyday chores.”

Jim frowned. “Well, that takes a bit of the romanticism out of it.”

“There’s the historical idyll and then there’s keeping cost down.” Daniel nodded toward the house. “Come on in and meet the missus.”

They entered through large, windowed doors into a cool, fresh, open space where the absence of odors was distinctive. A glass coffee table, fine art on the walls, and black leather furniture increased the modern ambience of the place. Jim could hear voices, but they were distant.

“Looks like everyone’s out on the back patio,” Daniel remarked and headed left, toward an open kitchen with large granite countertops, stainless-steel sinks, and immaculate surfaces. “My wife has a good nose for visitors, though, so she’ll be around soon, I reckon. Please, have a seat.”

As Daniel busied himself with the coffee machine, the water soon percolating and the smell of coffee from fresh-ground beans wafting his way, Jim sat down on a stool and waited politely. His host was a true gentleman cowboy, and Jim felt bad about taking advantage of his hospitality.

“What kind of business are you in, Mr. Faulkner?” Daniel asked, his back still turned.

Jim swallowed hard but plastered a congenial smile on his lips. “I, um, I write travel books and nature articles for magazines. Nothing major.”

Daniel glanced over his shoulder, seemingly pleasantly surprised. “And jumping out of airplanes is part of this type of work?”

Jim chuckled. “I’ve been active all my life. Doing something special, like hopping out of an airplane in the middle of the night, adds spice to the humdrum.”

“An adrenaline junkie, eh?” Daniel teased.

“Yeah, maybe twenty years ago when I was young and dumb. These days I only do this sort of thing for—um, for the thrill of it, just once in a while when these weary bones still feel up to it. I wasn’t trying to jump to my death, you understand.” He’d almost let things slip. Jim cursed his relaxed state. He realized this might happen again. Daniel had a soothing presence that lulled Jim into a false sense of security. Jim didn’t want to spill his beans to a perfect stranger. “How do you know Dak?”

Daniel’s hands on the coffee cups stilled for just a second, but Jim saw it because he was watching intently.
There’s something here
. “Dak is a family friend.”

Jim frowned at the suddenly stilted dialogue. “Is that cabin where he lives?”

“Uh-huh. Year in, year out.”

“He doesn’t say much.”

Daniel turned halfway to Jim, but his gaze was glazed over as he smiled ruefully. “No, he doesn’t. He’s a reserved man. He doesn’t like the town or crowds.” Then he seemed to recall where he was, and his smile returned to superficial politeness. “But he’s a good man.”

Jim smiled back in earnest. “He saved my life, so yes, I know he is. Is there something I could do to thank him? A gift of some kind, maybe?”

Fidgeting, Daniel shook his head slowly. “Like I said, he’s reserved. Not trying to contact him would probably be the best course of action.”

Unable to convey how disappointed he felt about that, Jim nodded glumly. “I see. Well, I won’t trouble him, then.” He took the steaming cup of strong coffee Daniel placed in front of him and sipped, trying to hide his melancholy mood.
I’ll never see Dak again
. Damn, that felt so wrong he didn’t understand it at all.

Suddenly, Daniel said in a more upbeat tone, “But Dak has been on his own for so long that maybe what he needs now is some good company. I have some supplies I was supposed to take him in a few days. If you really want to thank him in person, perhaps you could spare me another trip up the mountainside.”

Perking up, Jim nodded enthusiastically. “That sounds great. Thank you, Daniel.”

As Daniel chuckled and took a gulp of his coffee, Jim allowed himself a moment to appreciate the prospect of seeing his rescuer again. Dak might not like people as a rule, but Jim could be very charming when the situation called for it.

And if Dak had lived in this region for a long time, then Jim could think of no better source of information.

T
HE
TOWN
physician, Dr. Walsh, saw Jim the following day and gave him a clean bill of health. Jim could have told him that. He felt great. Since he hit forty, mornings had been hard for him, every part of him achy and refusing to cooperate. Only an early workout or yoga helped, and his energy to do either had waned of late.

But this morning, like the day before at Dak’s cabin, he’d gotten up feeling as if he were twenty again, strong and fit and ready for the day.

Jim had met the members of the King family at dinner yesterday. Rebecca King, Daniel’s wife, was a force to be reckoned with, a little bundle of energy and exuberance. Her smile was infectious. And the obvious love and respect she and Daniel felt for each other was truly a sight to see. Jim had squelched any envy that had threatened to come up—but only just.

The Kings’ eldest son, Gabriel, was another big cowboy, but he had the most serene attitude Jim had ever encountered. He doubted there was much that could aggravate the man. Gabriel’s partner was, surprisingly, a man, Kieran Knight, who was the complete opposite of gentle Gabriel. Kieran spoke little, and his expression remained stony throughout dinner. Whenever someone spoke to Gabriel, Kieran glared. Jim was sure he was quite the possessive type.