Sleeping With the Wolf (16 page)

“So you want to marry Neal Overdahl?” asked Taye quickly.

“Oh, yes! He’s so handsome and sweet, and not too old. I hope you don’t mind we invited him to come today.”

“No,” said Taye a little grimly. “I’d like to have a few words with him.”

Carla felt a spurt of pity for the young man. Mr. Gray’s wrinkled face creased with poorly hidden amusement. “Mrs. Wolfe, Lisa and Eddie Madison are in my office.

Maybe you’d like to see her before you start singing? Most of the guests won’t arrive for another hour.”

Taye saw the excitement in Carla’s face. “You would like to see your friend, wouldn’t you, sweetheart. I’ll take you.”

Ellie looked disappointed but smoothed her face immediately. Carla patted Taye’s arm. “That’s okay. You should stay here and spend more time with Ellie. I’m pretty sure I’m not going to be kidnapped in a library.”

Ellie perked up and Taye hesitated. Mr. Gray stepped in. “Taye, I know Ellie will be safe with you. Perhaps you would take her to the refreshments table and chat with her while she gets the cookies and tea ready. Some of your Pack could escort Mrs. Wolfe to my office.”

Taye nodded and flicked his fingers at Jay. Jay and two other men detached themselves from the wall. Carla muttered, “Overkill,” under her breath, but Taye’s expression reminded her she had promised to not argue over security, so she let the wolves surround her. One was Quill, and he was staring at Ellie with his green eyes for once unhidden by his hair. His sweet smile was nowhere to be seen now. Was he angry at Ellie? Why? But in a second Quill shook his hair over his eyes and turned his back on Ellie to join the other wolves taking her down a narrow corridor to a closed door. Jay pulled Carla to a stop and went in first, just in case, Carla assumed, some woman stealers had a death wish and were hiding in there. He froze in the door, and Carla shoved to make him move aside.

Oops. Carla snapped her eyes away from Eddie bending Lisa over one arm to nibble at her collarbone. Jay and the wolves were completely silent, mesmerized by this display of passion. Carla must have made some small noise, though, because with one lithe movement Eddie raised Lisa, thrust her behind him, and spun to face them in a half crouch. Right then he looked as feral as any of the wolves.

Carla cleared her throat. “Sorry to—uh—interrupt.”

Eddie stood up and came to her with an outstretched hand and a warm smile. For a split second Carla admired his perfect, masculine beauty before she remembered to step away. All three of her escort were bristling and growling, trying to put her behind them.

“Shut up!” she told them. “Remember what I said about behaving?” She smiled apologetically at Eddie. “Let’s just pretend we shook hands, okay?” She had always thought Eddie was a decent guy, even when his dad was her jailor. He had been friendly and respectful, and since he had been fixated on Lisa she had felt safe with him. She tried to look around him. “Lisa?”

The blonde model was wearing a plain cotton dress that would have looked like a feed sack on anyone else. On her the simplicity was elegant. “Carla!” She hurried forward, but Eddie caught her wrist and gave what looked like a gentle tug but all five feet ten inches and one hundred twenty-five pounds of Lisa lifted off the floor and landed neatly behind him. Eddie was glaring at the wolves, who were glaring right back.

“Good lord,” Carla muttered. “I thought it was just the wolves who acted like that.”

Since they were about the same height, Lisa peered easily over Eddie’s shoulder and said clearly, “No, Eddie thinks he’s a caveman sometimes.”

Eddie’s glare deepened to a scowl.

“I know exactly what you mean. Sounds just like Taye if a man gets too close to me.”

It took some quick talking from Carla and Lisa both to get the men out of the office.

With extreme reluctance they agreed to wait out in the hall. Carla said firmly, “Don’t hurt him,” at the same moment Lisa told Eddie, “Don’t hurt them.”

The women looked at each other and laughed. The first time Carla had seen Lisa was when she had boarded the plane. She had been flawless, from the tips of her high-heeled boots to the top of her perfectly styled hair, in jeans and a tailored jacket that cost as much as some people’s cars, with expert makeup rendering her delicate face radiant.

Today she wore a homemade dress, her blond hair in a ponytail and no makeup, and she still looked beautiful.

“Lisa, you look fantastic. How are you?” She did look fantastic, but there were shadows in her eyes. “You and Eddie doing okay?”

“Thanks. We’re doing okay. We’ve sort of been…” She shrugged. “It’s a different world here. I don’t always act the way Eddie thinks I should. But we’re working it out. I know it sounds crazy, but I love him. I think even if someone could wave a magic wand and take me back to the world we came from I wouldn’t go. Not without Eddie.” She wrapped her arms around herself. “And Taye? I heard—” Her voice sank. “—he’s a werewolf?”

“Not a werewolf.” Carla remembered his explanation that first night. “Just a guy who can turn into a wolf when he wants. Talk about crazy, huh? It takes a little getting used to.”

“Does he bite you? Are you okay?”

Carla clearly remembered where Taye’s teeth had been so gently last night and blushed.

“Ohhh,” said Lisa knowingly.

“We’re okay,” said Carla quickly. “He treated me like a princess from the first. None of my boyfriends ever treated me half as good as Taye does. Except for the growling and the overkill guards. But that’s only because he wants me safe. He’s bossy. But we’re working on that. I love him too. Back home how many marriages last forever? Here, the question is, how many marriages break up?” Carla searched the model’s face, looking for signs of contentment but not finding them. “ Lisa, are you happy?”

Lisa nodded slowly as she sank down on the narrow couch by the fireplace and made room for Carla. “I think Eddie loves me. He’s the jealous type, though. I don’t know why. Except that he saw a copy of an old magazine. Did you read it? The article that talked about me fooling around on Brent? Eddie believes it! And he thinks I’m really like that.” She clenched her fists in her lap. ”It’s not like I’m running around town seeing other men. Back home a lot of men said they loved me because I’m rich or I’m famous or even because I’m beautiful. I’m too skinny to be considered beautiful here. Eddie keeps trying to make me eat more. If he only knew what my hips will look like in a few years…!”

Lisa’s attempt at humor fell apart, and Carla could see she was fighting tears. “But, Lisa, when I first came in you and Eddie looked pretty happy.”

“Oh, sure.” Lisa carefully wiped her eyes. “The sex is great. And it’s not like he yells or hits me or anything like that. He just doesn’t trust me. I … I guess I’m used to flirting.

I don’t even think about it. I just do it. It makes him crazy, though.”

“He needs to quit being so insecure and grow up,” Carla said bluntly.

Lisa squeezed her hand and began to talk about her mother-in-law’s cooking lessons.

The women sat facing each other on the couch and talked for over a half hour. Neither had known the other a few weeks ago, and in their old lives they probably wouldn’t have been friends. But they had lived through catastrophe together, and there was no one else who could understand where they had come from or what the world they had lived in was like.

“Oh!” said Carla. “I forgot to tell you! The others from the plane have been found.

The Clan—that’s like an Indian tribe—are taking care of them.”

“That’s good. I tried to talk Ray into going out, but he wouldn’t. I think maybe a couple of Eddie’s friends were going to try to find them, but I haven’t seen them for a few days so I don’t know if they did go or not.” Lisa glanced down at her watch, a precious relic of her old life. “Oh, hey! Time for your concert, I think. I can’t wait to hear you!”

As soon as they opened the office door the wolves closed in on Carla, and Lisa waited until Eddie put his arm around her waist and stole a quick kiss. “A little preview for later,” he whispered. Carla saw Jay’s mouth smirk and frowned at him.

There was a stool for Carla at the front of the rows of chairs. Jay stayed right beside her while they walked through the three or four dozen people sitting there. Quill and the other wolf dropped back to take seats in the last row. Quill’s eyes were once more fixed on Ellie. Carla waved at Ellie, who was sitting with a skinny young blond man in a sea of wolves beside them, in front of them, and behind them. Taye must have gone into total protective older brother mode. There was one moment of tension when Lisa and Eddie passed another blond man, a little older, but similar in looks to Ellie’s companion. Lisa acted like she didn’t notice him, but he stared at her with open longing on his face until Eddie said something short and low. Taye watched them carefully until Eddie and Lisa sat down in the front, then he walked to stand behind Carla.

Mr. Gray was sitting in the front row too, with his daughter-in-law and three other women in their thirties and forties. Behind them were Doug, and three girls between the ages of ten and fifteen sandwiched tightly between a whole bunch of men and boys who looked a lot like Mr. Gray. These must be his family.

Carla opened her guitar case and began checking the strings. As she did that she spoke in loud clear tones. “Good afternoon, everyone. I’m Carla Wolfe, and I’m going to be singing and playing this beautiful guitar today for Mr. Gray. This guitar was his wife’s, and when my husband Taye decided to give me a guitar, Mr. Gray brought two instruments to us for me to choose from. I chose this one, because it had such a rich sound. This kind of sound—” She strummed a chord, letting the sound die gradually away. “—comes only from an instrument that has known love. Nothing can make that kind of sound except love, and there’s not enough money or anything else in the world to buy it. That’s why I’m here today. Not to pay for this guitar, but to let Mr. Gray hear it again, and know that love is still strong within it.”

She started her show with “Sweet Kylie’s Guitar,” telling in simple, gentle words about the young girl who was wooed and won by a young Mr. Gray, who took her away from her devastated home on a long journey across Nebraska to a new life in this town.

She told about the dark summer evenings along the road when Kylie would play this very guitar and tell her husband how much she loved him in the words of old songs. Carla sang about the guitar carried by Kylie and by Mr. Gray in turns, over the long weary weeks of walking, how they had shared the weight of it between them, and how its rich sound renewed their strength when the road got rough and long.

The wolves, being in public among what might be enemies, were stoic, but Mr. Gray and several of his family were wiping their eyes. Carla moved into one of her lighter songs. No one else except Lisa and Mr. Gray would understand about the lovers playing phone tag and texting each other during meetings, but the melody was bouncy and fun.

The folk songs that had been once recorded by Emmy Lou Harris and Gillian Welch were a hit. She sang for almost two hours, pausing only for water and to talk a little to explain some of the songs. All the while she could feel Taye behind her, radiating pride and love.

For her last song she got off her stool and addressed the audience.

“Like the first song I sang this afternoon, this one is one I’ve written since I’ve come here. It comes from my heart, and it is for my husband Taye.”

She broke all the rules by turning her back on her audience to face him. “Taye,” she said in a voice so quiet that only the wolves would hear it, “this song says what I feel.”

“One bright morning got on a plane,

That’s the day the world ended.

Feels like I’ve gone insane,

My world can’t be mended.

*

The plane went down in a field,

Of grass and death and dying.

My walk for help my fate sealed,

I was fooled by farmers’ lying.

*

I was tricked by farmers’ lies,

And sold in town like a slave.

Offered as the victor’s prize,

In the Bride Fight that Ray gave.

*

A dozen fought to make me wife,

But I was won by the wolf Taye.

His wolf had chosen me for life

But I said I’d fight him all the way.

*

The wolf chose me,

But I’m not sleeping with the wolf.

The wolf won me,

But I’m not sleeping with the wolf.

*

But he let me be, let me rest,

Then a challenge was made for me,

And once again Taye was best

And his goodness I began to see.

*

Taye saved me from a cruel fate,

And he treated me so kind

Then I knew he was my mate,

And I found I didn’t mind.

*

The wolf chose me,

But I’m not sleeping with the wolf.

The wolf won me,

But I’m not sleeping with the wolf.

The wolf saved me,

Should I be sleeping with the wolf?

If he loves me,

Then I’ll love him,

And I’ll be sleeping with the wolf.

*

Choosing once, wolves mate for life,

And never ever will he stray.

So I’ll love him and be his wife.

In this new world I will stay.

*

The wolf chose me,

The wolf won me,

The wolf saved me

Since he loves me,

And I love him,

We belong to each other forever,

So I’m sleeping with the wolf