Kiss of the Silver Wolf (5 page)

He called out to her across the parking lot. “I like a punctual worker. Who's looking after your brother?"

"Rebekkah.” Charlene had been surprised by the older woman's immediate and positive response to her request for help.

Zack loped to her side in long, fluid strides. With a flourish, he produced a bouquet of daisies from behind his back. “Congratulations on your first day of work."

Momentarily taken aback, she could only say, “Thank you,” in a squeaky voice.
Wasn't that sweet of him?
She clutched the bouquet with trembling hands.

Zack pointed to a bright yellow school bus equipped with a lift. “There's your ride."

The vehicle was larger than she'd expected. The one she'd driven in Baltimore had been a little bus. Zack opened the folding door. Inside were a dozen dark metal bench seats with heavy padding, all with seatbelts. She noted space for two wheelchairs, and straps to secure them in place.

She whistled. “Pretty state of the art for a small town.” She ran her hand over the steering wheel. “Looks like new."

He cocked his head, grinned, and licked his lips, sending tremors through her thighs. “We may be country, but we know what's
needed
.” His voice became husky on the last word, and he raised an eyebrow.

Did his eyes just change to green with orange sparks?
She blinked. Looked again. They were the same startling shade of blue.

"So, what do you say?” He patted the driver's seat. “Let's take this baby out on the road. You're driving."

"Aren't you going to show me how it works? It's different from the one I used to operate."

"Experience is the best teacher. Key's in the ignition.” He threw himself onto the bench seat behind the driver's, gave her a lop-sided smile and winked.

Was he flirting with her?
The unshakeable thought that he might be as attracted to her as she was to him made her heart stutter. Stirrings in the core of her body undulated from her stomach down to her inner thighs—and all points between. She slid into the driver's seat, snapped on her seatbelt, clutched the steering wheel, and attempted to cage her wild urges.
No sex. Work. One foot in front of the other.

By dint of great effort and many gear-grinding, gut-wrenching minutes later, Charlene managed to get her rebellious body and the uncooperative bus under control. Sweat trickled into her eyes, down her back and between her breasts as she jounced up and down the dusty hills.

"Follow this road, then make a left at the first intersection,” Zack directed. A manly smell tickled at her nose and teased her. It was almost hypnotic.

"I'll introduce you to the mothers on the route,” he said as he fiddled with the label in the neck of her dress. “They're gonna love you."

She warmed at his light touch and feathers of desire stroked her spine. Each pothole and rock caused bounce added to her state of arousal.
Good God, she was going to have an orgasm if he didn't stop that. She had to focus or she would run off the road.

A dented aluminum mailbox perched on a wrought iron pedestal half-covered in clematis marked her first stop.

"Just stop here and honk,” Zack said.

Charlene leaned on the horn and waited. A few minutes later, a worn-out looking woman came down the dirt driveway. Half a dozen kids trailed after her—all tow-haired, blue-eyed girls in matching dresses.

Charlene opened the door, and the woman climbed up the steps.

"Zack! Who's the new gal on the route?” The woman pushed strands of dishwater blonde hair off her face and shushed her little ones.

"Miz Jones, this here is Charlene Jessie Carter."

"Just call me Charlene."

The middle-aged woman eyed her up and down and turned to Zack. “Which is it? Jessie or Charlene?"

"She's Jessie's niece. Joanna's girl."

"Ahhh. Well, then, welcome to Eden.” Mrs. Jones smiled, showed gleaming white teeth and bowed her head. “Learning the route?"

"Yep. I have a feeling she'll do just fine.” Zack gave Mrs. Jones a two-finger salute on the brim of his gray baseball cap.

As she drove away from the Jones brood Charlene asked, “Where's the little boy I'm supposed to pick up?"

"Oh, it's a big job, bringing him down to the bus stop. Don't worry. Come Monday, he'll be out here, waiting for you."

"And the girls? How do they get to school?"

"They go in earlier than the special needs kids, on a bigger bus."

Each stop was the same. Each woman had a brood of blonde-haired, blue-eyed girls in matching dresses. Zack would say, this here's Charlene Jessie Carter.” She'd say, “Call me Charlene.” And he'd add, “Jessie's niece. Joanna's girl.” At each stop, the mother gave her an odd little bow of the head.
What was that about?

As she drove, Zack reached over her shoulder to show her where to go and brushed her cheek with his hand. She felt the heat rise in her face—not to mention elsewhere. She struggled to focus on driving and not on the disturbing reactions her body had to this man and his touch. “Tell me, have you lived here all your life?"

"Nah. I'm a newcomer. Only been here five years. From a couple towns over the mountains. Jethro took me in when I fell on hard times. Sort of adopted me."

She glanced in the rear-view mirror. “A little old to be adopted, aren't you?"

The corner of his mouth quirked. “How old do you think I am?"

She shrugged. “Thirty?"

Laugh lines crinkled around his eyes. “Close enough."

"While we're on age, I
have
to ask—how old
is
Jethro? He seems ancient. Is he in charge of everything? I can't figure him out."

Real laughter now. “Three days older than dirt would be about right, I'd say. Town elder and all that, but his power—let's just say he's not as strong as he used to be. Jethro knows Eden needs new blood."

"Speaking of new—why aren't there any satellite dishes on anyone's homes? I haven't seen a single television."

He chuffed, almost to himself. “This area has bad reception, lots of problems with electrical things. Folks in Eden tell me it's because of the old mining camp and all the underground tunnels. I'll show you when we go past it on the route. You don't want a break down there. Even radios don't work near that place."

"Does the school have computers?"

A hard laugh, almost a bark. “Yes, the Regional School has real live computers and cable television. That area doesn't have the same problems we have in Eden. We're not in the dark ages—we just have our own way of life. Not bad. Different. Simpler. Haven't you ever wanted your life to be less complicated? People to be more direct?"

She flushed and knew her cheeks had to be apple-candy red. “I'm not sure I'm ready to handle that. I'm a city girl, you know."

"Yeah, I noticed that about you right off.” He played with a strand of hair that had escaped from her ponytail. “But I won't hold it against you. I'm hoping to
seduce
you to our way of life."

Yes, he was definitely flirting with her. It had been months since a man had touched her, and she hungered for more. A vision of him in her bed, as Charlene nipped at his ears, neck, and other tasty places distracted her from driving.
Whoa! Slow down
! Her tame side chided her inner wild woman.
You hardly know this guy.
She shook her head and focused on asking more questions instead of smelling his scent.

"I can't help but notice, it looks like every house has a wrought iron railing and the mailboxes are all identical. Why is that?"

Zack's eyes darted away from her gaze in the rear view mirror. “Protection—” he paused, seemed to be trying to find the right words, “—from the, um, elements."

"One more question,” she paused, almost afraid to ask. “What is up with these old time clothes? Why do all the women dress like they're in some weird cult?"

Gazes locked, she waited. His blue eyes shifted to green, and he took a deep breath.

"The women here are modest. They don't like to send the wrong messages to—
Other People
."

She opened her mouth to ask who “the
other people
” were and stopped, suddenly aware that her questions sounded like criticisms of the residents of Eden and their way of life. How would she like it if someone did that to her? Better get back to a safe topic—work. “I know what time I take the kids to school, but when do I pick them up? Is it three, like other places?"

"Yes, but some of the boys get additional after school therapy and you may have to wait for them. It's a good habit to get all the kids home before dark. Otherwise their parents worry and start calling me. Got it?"

She nodded. “What if the bus breaks down? My cell phone is useless here. There's no service."

"Use the radio. Sometimes in the hollows and by the old mining camp, the reception is poor, but once you're up on a ridge, it works.” He massaged her shoulders and neck. “Don't worry. You'll be fine.” The tension she'd held in all day melted away under his strong fingers. She closed her eyes and took slow deep breaths.

With each stroke, her pulse increased, her breath came in short, shallow puffs and her breasts strained against her clothing.
She felt as if she was in heat!
A little moan escaped. “Keep that up and I'll be a puddle!"

Much to her frustration, he stopped kneading, laughed and patted her shoulder. “It's time for you to do the route on your own. Tomorrow morning. A dry run."

Early the next day, she drove off, and he waved at her as she left the bus depot.
If he doesn't ask me out soon, I'm going to have to do it myself. He's driving me crazy! Those eyes. Those lips. Those biceps. That cute little butt.

She shook her head to clear her hormone charged thoughts, glanced down at the list clutched in her hand, and repeated the kids’ names out loud: “Joab, Jehud, Julius, Josiah, Justus, and Jared.” Add Joey to the list and they'd be lucky seven.
What was up with all these J names?

Mrs. Jones stood by the mailbox. “I hope you like apple pie. It's hot out of the oven."

She smiled and Charlene noticed she had long canines, too—like Zack.
Odd.
“Thanks! Can you tell I'm a little nervous?"

"Don't worry. You'll do fine.” She smiled, walked down the steps of the bus and waved good-bye.

By the end of the morning, Charlene had two apple pies, two apple cakes, twelve jars of applesauce and a tray of candied apples. She returned to the bus depot and found Zack in the parking lot, grinning and holding another bunch of daisies.

Charlene shook her index finger at him. “You knew this would happen, didn't you?"

He handed her the posy. “Just our down-home welcome."

"Unless you help me eat this food, I'll gain back all the weight I lost after my parents died.” She looked at the stacks of apple products and the flowers. An unfamiliar feeling of contentment rose in her chest.
Was this happiness?
For the first time in ages, she felt optimistic about the future, about connecting with her family's roots, and about the presence of an exciting, virile man in her life. Any doubts about staying in Eden evaporated in an apple and cinnamon scented cloud. She felt a sense of ease that had eluded her most of her life. The town had welcomed her with open arms. She belonged here. “How am I supposed to get all this home?"

He leaned in close to her, flipped an errant lock of hair away from her face, and drew a finger down her cheek. His low voice thrummed in her chest. “I think I can give you a hand—or two—and maybe a little something more."

[Back to Table of Contents]

Chapter Six

The Feast

When Zack climbed down from his battered pick-up, Trotter circled around his legs, alternating between playful pushes with his snout and leaning against him.

"He really likes you,” Charlene said.

Zack rubbed the red porker's ears. “Trotter's my buddy."

"I'd say he's a pretty good judge of character.” Charlene latched the screen door against Trotter's prehensile nose. “No. You stay out there.” He grunted and flopped down on the porch. She placed the last carton of baked goods on the table, picked up a note from Rebekkah and turned to Zack. “That's odd. She took Joey over to her house for the night."

They were alone.

Her voice came out in a husky tone. “Guess it's just you and me. Would you like some apple pie? Or cake? I seem to have enough for two. Or two hundred."

Zack gave her a long, lazy smile that made her breath catch and said, “I was hoping for a taste of something else."

Heat raced up her neck and face, and she could barely whisper, “Applesauce?"

He put his arms around her waist, pulled her snugly against his chest and brushed her lips with his. “You,” he breathed. “I want to taste you."

She ran her tongue along his luscious lower lip. “Like that?"

He growled and pressed her up against a wall.

Deep within she felt a primal stirring, an almost animal urge to throw him down to the floor and tear at his clothes. Her rational self wondered what she-beast he had awakened, but her inner wild woman said,
Shut up and enjoy the ride!
Charlene pawed at his shirt, the buttons eluding her fevered grasp. Frustrated and crazed with lust, she yelped, “Take the damn shirt off!"

He stepped away from her, grinned and began to undo the buttons at a leisurely pace. “Am I going too slowly for you?"

"Yes!” She yanked the gray jumper over her head, tore her bra off, and stepped out of her panties. She was nearly panting with exertion and arousal. “I want you naked.
Now
."

His shirt flew across the room, followed by his pants, the chain on his back pocket jangling as it hit the floor. No underwear impeded her view of his impressive erection. She couldn't take her eyes off his long, thick penis pointed straight at her like a dowsing rod.

He took a step toward her, and she put her hand out like a traffic cop. He stopped. “What's wrong?"

She gave him an expression of mock concern. “That thing could keep me from sitting down for a week."