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Luther bolted up in bed, wide awake. Someone had screamed. His chest heaved, and his heartbeat thundered in his ears. The cabin was dark. The fire was reduced to a glowing ember. Michelle was gone.
Another scream echoed from outside. He hopped out of bed and ran to the door. “Michelle!”
He grabbed the shotgun from the rack over the door and sprinted into the cool night. Michelle’s shrieks came from the direction of the outhouse.
He dashed up the trail barefoot. “I’m coming. Stay where you are. Don’t move!” Just this afternoon he had warned her not to go outside alone at night. Why didn’t she listen?
A thousand terrifying possibilities ran through his mind. What if she had stumbled onto a bear, a bobcat, or one of his traps? He had left her alone and something bad had happened to her, just like his sister. If Michelle was hurt, he’d never forgive himself.
“Luther, help me.” Her screams sounded more desperate now, higher in pitch. Michelle wasn’t hurt. She was scared.
He saw her clearly in the moonlight, backed against the privy door. A flickering candle trembled in her hand. A dark, growling shape blocked her path. The animal turned, and its amber-yellow eyes glowed in his direction.
“Shadow, no,” he yelled.
Shadow’s deep-throated rumbling ceased, and he padded next to him. Luther crouched down and stroked his head with one hand. “Easy, boy.” He looked at Michelle. “You all right?”
“No. That damn dog—”
“His name is Shadow, and he don’t like strangers. He needs to get used to your scent.”
“My scent?” Michelle stomped toward him. “I don’t care what—” Shadow growled at her and she froze.
“He doesn’t like yelling, so don’t raise your voice. He’ll think you’re gonna hurt me and then he’ll attack you. Come here and let him sniff ya.”
“Sniff me? He tried to bite me.”
He sighed. What a night. Only moments ago, he had been dreaming that Michelle had come to bed and cuddled next to him. He had kissed her neck as he slowly unbuttoned her blouse. He’d just been about to...
He broke from his thoughts and focused on the problem at hand. “What were you doin’ outside in the middle of the night, anyway? You ain’t been to bed yet.”
“What do you think I was doing? I came out of the privy and there he was, growling. He wouldn’t let me pass.”
“Let’s go, now.” He headed back to the cabin with Shadow at his side and Michelle at his heels.
“What was I supposed to do? I had to go and—”
He spun around. “I told you not to go outside at night without me.”
“But I—”
“Do you wanna get killed out here? What if something happened?” He pointed at Shadow. “What if he was a bobcat or a bear? I told you to stay inside. Why can’t you follow orders?” He yanked open the cabin door. “Git.”
Michelle crossed the threshold and whirled to face him. “Orders? I didn’t realize I needed permission to use your outhouse. You can’t—”
She froze as Shadow padded into the cabin. “What’s wrong with his eyes?” Michelle backed to the table. “Luther, there’s something wrong with your dog. Its eyes are strange.”
He replaced the shotgun on the rack over the door. “You’d better let him sniff you, then he’ll know you’re mine. Come here. He won’t stay inside long.”
“No. He’ll bite me.”
He frowned. Were all women difficult, or was it his bad luck to get the feistiest one in the world? After a moment, he realized Michelle was more afraid than she was letting on. Her hands were shaking, and she had tears in her eyes. He softened his tone. “Michelle, come here. If Shadow doesn’t know you, he might go after you. You want that?”
“No. All I wanted was to use the privy,” she said, her voice trembling. “What’s wrong with him? He keeps staring at me.”
He crossed the room and stood in front of Michelle, blocking Shadow’s view. “Stand by me so he’ll know you. If you ever touch him, no matter what, never lay both hands on him at once. Now hold still. Put your hands at your sides and don’t move.”
Michelle shook her head and her golden hair swished from side to side. “No. I don’t want that dog near me.”
Luther patted his leg and Shadow came closer, his long nails clicking on the wood floor. He stroked Shadow’s black and gray head and then touched Michelle’s quivering hand. Shadow nuzzled Michelle’s wrist with his snout and she whimpered.
He let Shadow take his time sniffing Michelle. She didn’t seem so fiery and stubborn now. In fact, she seemed scared out of her wits. Her eyes were pressed shut, and she cringed as Shadow sniffed her skirts. After a few minutes, Shadow licked Michelle’s hand, padded to the door, and yelped once.
He let Shadow out and closed the door. “Now, if you’re finished causing a ruckus, can I get back to sleep?” After all this fuss, he knew any hope of finishing his naughty dream was futile.
“I’m sorry I went outside without you.” Michelle sat in a chair and pulled off her boots. “I didn’t think I should wake you up so I could... you know. I didn’t know you had a dog. What kind is it? Where’d it come from? Its eyes are strange.”
He braced himself. Michelle was gonna love this. “He ain’t a dog. He’s a wolf.”
“A wolf? You’re not serious! He can’t be. Wolves are—”
“Fine then, he’s not a wolf because you say so,” he grumbled as he got into bed and pulled the blanket up to his shoulders. “Are you gettin’ in this bed or not?”
“What? I... Well, I...”
“If you’re gettin’ in, get in now. Otherwise, I’m taking the whole thing and you can spend the night on the floor.”
Michelle approached the side of the bed. “I don’t know. I—”
“If you get in, I’ll tell you about Shadow, just so I can get some rest, how’s that?”
Michelle mulled it over for a minute. “I suppose.” She placed the candleholder on the crate and climbed into bed.
Luther rolled onto his side and propped his head in his hand. Michelle acted so nervous, how would she ever come to him wanting to use this bed for more than sleep? He waited until she had settled in next to him. She lay on her back, board stiff.
“Now blow out the candle,” he said.
“No. I want it lit. I—”
He leaned across Michelle’s rigid form and she squealed. He smiled at her and bent closer. If he wanted to, he could kiss her. Michelle smelled like lavender. Maybe he could finish his dream after all.
“No lit candles at night. That’s the surest way I know to burn the place down.” He blew out the candle and returned to his side of the bed. “Do you want to hear the story or not?”
“Yes.”
“About three years ago, my... friend and I were hunting in the woods. We came across a dead she-wolf and two dead pups. After we buried them, we heard whining coming from inside a rotted log. We found the runt pup half-starved and scared. We raised him until he was strong and healthy.” He paused. “That was Shadow.”
“He’s your pet?”
“No. You can’t tame a wild animal. Even if you blended a dog and a wolf, you’d only get a mix and it would still be wild. The savage part always takes over because it’s stronger.”
He licked his lips and tried not to think about the double meaning of his words. Had the savage part in him taken over? “Sometimes Shadow visits me and other times he travels with my friend. He’s a free spirit. We don’t try to tame him or keep him against his will.”
“Why not?”
“It wouldn’t work. He’d fight it. He’d turn mean and bitter and end up hating me.” Luther shifted in the bed. “Sort of like you.”
“Me? What does that mean?”
He folded his hands behind his head. “Well... if I had insisted that you stay here and be my wife when you didn’t want to, you’d end up hating me. You’d feel trapped and would be miserable.” He swallowed hard. “I knew that wouldn’t work, and you’d never learn to trust me or like me. So I gave you the freedom to decide.”
He stared through the darkness at the rough-beamed ceiling. Michelle was a precious treasure, and he didn’t want to do anything to risk losing her. “But I’m not going to coddle you, Michelle. I don’t want you going outside alone at night. I know it might sound like I’m being difficult, but I got rules I want you to follow. They’re for your own good, understand?”
“I suppose so.”
“Good.” He rolled onto his side. “Sleep well, darlin’. You’ll be in my dreams all night.”
* * *
MICHELLE LAY STILL, listening to Luther’s steady breathing. When he had leaned over her before, she thought he was going to kiss her. She had decided to allow him one kiss on the cheek as a reward for rescuing her, but that would be all.
But Luther hadn’t kissed her. Instead, he blew out the candle and went back to his side of the bed. Maybe he was too tired to kiss her. Or maybe he was angry with her for causing him so much trouble.
A stream of moonlight beamed in the window over the narrow bed. She looked at Luther sleeping next to her. She had never been in bed with a man before. What would happen now? She hadn’t dared to change into her nightdress and cap. It might give Luther ideas. She coughed once and shifted her weight on the soft mattress.
Luther didn’t move. A lock of black hair had fallen in front of his face. She longed to brush it away so she could see his features better. His angular nose and high cheekbones gave him a ruggedly handsome look. What would happen if he woke up? Would he try to kiss her or touch her?
She yawned and adjusted the scratchy wool blanket over her shoulders. She should be using this time to think of a way to keep heading west, instead of wondering about Luther. The farther she went, the harder it would be for Roger to track her down. But maybe this was far enough. How could he ever find her in Luther’s tiny cabin?
Maybe she could think of a plan in the morning. The sooner she was out of Luther’s life, the better off he would be. He deserved a real wife. What did she know about living in the woods, anyway? It would be best for both of them if she moved on before Luther got too attached to her. But what if it was already too late?
* * *
MICHELLE ROLLED OVER and opened her eyes. Luther lay less than six inches away, watching her. He was leaning on one elbow with his head propped up in his hand. How long had he been awake and staring at her?
“Did anyone ever tell you you’re beautiful?”
“No.”
“Well then, let me be the first,” he teased.
“Don’t say things like that.”
Luther chuckled, and the bed jostled. “I’m merely telling the truth.”
She glanced at the window. It was barely light out. “Why are you awake so early? What time is it? I’m still tired.”
“That’s because you didn’t go to bed at a decent hour. You were out running with the wolves.” Luther slid out of bed. “I gotta go check my traps and snares.”
“Traps?” She furrowed her brows. “Traps for what?”
“Animals.” Luther walked into the small storage room. “I’d ask you to come along, but you’re not ready,” he called out. A few moments later, he returned carrying two burlap sacks. She noticed he had a large knife secured around his waist.
Luther sat at the table and pulled on a pair of moccasins. “While I’m gone, you can bring in wood for the fire, wash the supper dishes, and fetch the water.”
“Now? The sun’s not even up.”
“I don’t believe in coddling women, Michelle.” Luther stood. “I don’t know what you did back east, but here you do chores, starting today. You do half. I’ll do half. It’s only fair.” He strode to the door. “I’ll be back in a few hours.”
Michelle waited until the door closed before she rolled into the middle of the bed. Why should she get up now? She settled against her pillow and felt herself drifting back to sleep. Luther wouldn’t be home for a while, so she could rest for a few more minutes. What harm could come from sleeping in?
* * *
“I KNEW IT. I JUST KNEW it.”
Michelle squealed as the covers were yanked off her.
Luther stood over her, holding the blanket in one hand. “Get up, Michelle. You’ve been asleep for three hours. Didn’t I tell you to get water and wood?”
“I fell asleep,” she grumbled. She had been sound asleep, dreaming about riding a horse when Luther woke her. She hated to be woken abruptly. It always put her in a foul mood for the rest of the day. “Why is it so cold in here?”
“Because you let the fire go out.” Luther picked up the water bucket. “Here. Get your shoes on, go outside, walk to the creek, and fill this.”
“Fine.” She got out of bed, pulled her boots out from under a chair, and yanked them on. “I don’t know why I have to go. You could have gotten water on your way in.” She snatched the bucket from Luther’s hand and stormed from the cabin.
When she reached the creek, she took a moment to study her reflection in the water. Her hair was a tangled mess because she hadn’t pinned it up last night. Why bother? Nobody would see her in the middle of the woods. At home, she used to spend hours washing and brushing her hair. Since coming west, she had kept it hidden under a bonnet.
She inched closer to the water and held up her skirts with one hand so they wouldn’t get wet. As she filled the bucket, she glanced across the creek and screamed.
