Wildfire Omens (Wildwood #1)

Chapter 15

Chapter Fifteen

Rhett

I woke feeling groggy and with a raging headache. I forced my eyes open, then nearly jumped out of my skin at the sight of a wolf standing beside me, staring me down.

“Leave it, Ash.” The words came from a familiar voice. But that couldn’t be right. Because she was heaven and this had to be hell.

The wolf gave me one more intense stare, a warning of some sort that I didn’t fully understand, before turning and walking away. I blinked twice. Then Cheyenne was standing in front of me, offering me a glass of water with a little straw in it.

“Must be hallucinating,” I mumbled, accepting the water gratefully.

She frowned. “What makes you say that?”

“Thought I saw a wolf.”

Amusement fluttered on her face. “That’s my dog. Her name is Ash.”

I pushed myself to a sitting position, groaning from the pain. I forced myself to blink a few times before looking again at the so-called dog. She was now curled up on the floor across the room but still stared at me with that same menacing glare.

I glanced back at Cheyenne, who gazed fondly at the creature.

“That’s a wolf,” I said.

“No, it’s a dog,” she said, turning back to me with a frown. “Don’t you know it’s illegal to own a wolf in Wyoming?”

“Yeah, but…” I looked again, wondering if my mind was playing tricks on me. But every second I was awake, I was getting clearer, and this was no hallucination.

“Chey, that’s a wolf.” A wolf that looked as if she’d like to eat me for breakfast.

Cheyenne shook her head. “Nah. I think she’s a blend of Alaskan Malamute, Husky, and Lab. Maybe even a little Poodle. Now, settle down. You’re supposed to be resting. No more talking.”

I coughed, then groaned at the pain that stabbed through my head. “That ain’t no damn Poodle. Why the hell do you have a wolf inside your house?”

“Rhett Hawkins, are you accusing me of breaking the law? I’ve already told you it’s not legal to own a wolf here—or even a wolf hybrid. Not to mention the fact that it’s a terrible idea.” Her voice rose, showing her irritation. “Wolves are meant to be wild and free. They don’t typically bond with humans the way dogs do. Even hybrids pose significant challenges for their owners. They aren’t meant to be pets, and I’d never do something so irresponsible.”

“Don’t typically bond, but you’ve got that spooky way with animals. If anyone could bond with a wolf, it’d be you.”

Cheyenne’s face twitched with a smile she tried to hold back. The wolf growled.

“Why is he growling?” I scooted back in alarm despite the stabbing pain it caused.

“Because she likes me.” Cheyenne gave me another one of those amused smiles, then told the wolf to knock it off. The growling stopped.

“Why would that make her growl at me?”

Cheyenne looked at me with her eyebrows raised, saying nothing.

“Got it.” I winced. “Your dog doesn’t like me because you don’t like me, so I better watch my step. Next question.”

“You shouldn’t talk,” she reminded me. “You’re supposed to be resting. Completely.”

“Screw that. What am I doing in your house?”

She gave me an exasperated look but answered. “You were hurt.”

“I’m aware. But that doesn’t answer my question. Last thing I remember is being in the hospital, surrounded by my entire family. All three Hawkins women worrying over me and pestering the doctor to death. Now, I’m here. What the hell happened in between?”

She came over and sat down on the bed—a bed I was suddenly very aware was hers. Or at least had been when she was a teen. Didn’t know if she still slept here or if she had taken over her grandmother’s room. But this had definitely once been Cheyenne’s, and being back in her bed had me wondering if I had died in that hospital and just hadn’t fully figured it out yet. And if I was dead, I still wasn’t sure what that meant about where I’d ended up. Because Cheyenne’s bed might once have been heaven, but based on that wolf in the corner—and how much anger Cheyenne had to still hold for me—I was starting to think I was in for an eternity of torment.

Cheyenne frowned. “You’ve been on some pretty strong meds. They might have made things fuzzy.”

“Catch me up, then. Please.”

She sighed, relenting. “You were in rough shape. Once the doctor cleared you for release, he insisted you be monitored and he didn’t want you climbing stairs or ladders. He also wanted you resting, not talking, and you know how loud and chaotic it can be on the ranch. Plus, I have medical training that they don’t.” She shrugged as if it were nothing. “Naomi asked if you could stay here, at least for a few days.”

I was stunned. She hated me. Wouldn’t even agree to be friends. Yet here she was, opening up her home and taking care of me anyway. I didn’t even know what to say.

“That’s generous of you.”

Her eyes narrowed. “I owe your family a lot.”

The message was clear. This was for my family, not for me.

“You’re the one who found me.”

“Yeah.” The look in her eyes changed again, to one I’d never seen before. It was hard, with an edge of anger. “In the hospital, you said you couldn’t remember what happened the night you ended up like that. Do you remember now?”

I shook my head again. “No. Last thing I remember is getting into a fight at the bar. Didn’t think Thomas hit me this hard though.”

“He didn’t. At least not there.” She continued staring at me with that piercing gaze. “Your tires were flat. You called Claire twice. Do you remember that?”

I tried. I thought back to that night and tried to remember anything that had happened after the fight with Thomas. But it was completely blank, as if no time at all had passed in between the fight and waking up to Cheyenne’s voice in the woods. Everything after that was hazy, snippets of memories that played like a film that had been cut and spliced back together all wrong.

“My tires were flat,” I repeated slowly, hoping it would jar something. But there was nothing there.

“Yes. We wondered if you decided to walk home,” she explained. “I found you on a service road, just off the highway, about halfway between the bar and the ranch. Your cell phone was still back with your bike. You had your wallet on you, but there wasn’t any money in it. We weren’t sure if you had any in there to begin with though.”

I groaned. “Had about a hundred in cash. You’re telling me I spent six months in New York without a single issue only to get mugged on the side of the highway in Wyoming ?”

She didn’t answer right away, but her face made it clear she didn’t believe that at all.

“What is it?” I asked. “What are you not telling me?”

“Thomas doesn’t like to lose. You remember what he was like in high school.” She swallowed hard. “He’s the kind of guy who would hunt you down and do this to you. His wife is his alibi, but that doesn’t mean anything. I’m thinking he let the air out of your tires hoping you’d walk home. Maybe he parked on that access road and waited for you to walk by.”

“What a snake,” I muttered. “You’re probably right. Hell, he’s probably the one who left the note, too.”

“What note?” Her eyes narrowed.

“Second day here, there was a note tacked to my door telling me to go home, that I didn’t belong here. Honestly, I thought it was from Travis. Or you. ”

She gave me a look. “As if I would ever be that unoriginal. If I had a problem with you being here, I’d tell you to your face. But it’s your family, your home. You have the right to visit whenever you want.”

I chuckled, then grabbed my ribs, wincing at the pain. “My apologies. And in case I haven’t said it yet, thank you. Both for finding me and for taking care of me. Can’t imagine either one was high up on your list of priorities for this week.”

She didn’t answer. Turned her gaze out the window and sighed, then asked if I was hungry.

The idea of food hadn’t crossed my mind until she asked. Then it was like my stomach woke up and was ravenous. “I could eat,” I answered.

“I made stew. I’ll bring you a bowl, then let you get your rest. I know it’s probably awkward for you to have me hanging around. You need to rest for a few more days, but you’re really past the danger zone, so I don’t have to hover. I’ll be in and out to check on you tonight, but we don’t have to talk beyond that. It’s best if you sleep as much as possible.”

She got up to leave, but I leaned forward—ribs be damned—and grabbed her hand. She was running away from me, but I didn’t want her to.

I didn’t have my whole brain back yet, but there was one thing I knew for sure. I’d let her go once, and I wasn’t going to make that mistake again.

“What if I want to talk to you? Maybe I have things to say. Things we should have talked about a long time ago.”

A pained look flashed across her face. “I better get that stew.” Then she disappeared, the wolf following behind her.