Page 4 of Runaway Wolf
What the hell had possessed Penny to move here?
She didn’t know how long she sat but the sun sank down in the horizon. A slight chill hit the air; it probably wafted up from some water somewhere. A creek or a lake—a mountain stream even.
She still sat for the longest time after that. At least a half hour of listening to odd things; creatures chirping in the woods, insects buzzing, leaves rustling. For once in her life, she wasn’t jumpy, wondering what had to be done next. Instead, she was strangely calm. Surely Penny would calm down and open the door.
Just when she wondered if she would sit there all night, headlights flashed in the distance. They grew closer and closer and then a rambling old truck pulled up—the glare of the lights blasting straight into her eyes. She held her hand up to block her face before they were shut off. A man stepped out of the truck, a car door slamming, and heavy footsteps headed toward her. He stopped in front of her, just a massive, dark-shadowed figure outlined by the glow of the bright headlights fading from her eyes.
“Caitlin? Are you Caitlin?”
She looked up, surprised, but still didn’t have enough working eyesight to see him in the dark. Not after that blinding burst of light.
“I’ve seen your picture. Penny’s phone,” he explained. “I’m Noah.”
Was she supposed to know who he was? A thud sounded against the wood behind her, and the door swung open.
“Caitlin? You’re still here?” her sister asked incredulously.
Caitlin slowly rose, drawing herself up to her full, five-foot-five stature, wincing when her ass let her know she’d sat longer than she realized. The movement gave Penny room to reach Noah’s side. She didn’t miss the way he folded her into his arms and kissed her lips lightly. Didn’t miss the way her sister melted against him. Didn’t miss the way she looked up at him with a softly dazed look in her eyes.
She’d met lots of her sister’s boyfriends. Her latest whims. But she’d never seen her… like this.
“Caitlin, meet Noah. My fiancé.”
That was big news. Her eyes widened as she shook Noah’s hand. He had dark hair, longer on top than the sides. From what she could see, a handsome face. His body was buff under the long-sleeved flannel he wore. “Congratulations?”
“Thank you,” Noah said, while her sister said nothing. Her lip had curled much like their father, and it dawned on her that maybe they were engaged, but they probably hadn’t meant to be. Not this soon.
Noah turned to Penny. “She shouldn’t be sitting outside at night,” he said softly but there was something else in his words—something she couldn’t quite understand. A depth of meaning that her sister obviously understood, but didn’t bother to explain to her.
“I didn’t realize she was still out here. I kicked her out.”
He raised a heavy, dark brow.
Penny turned toward her. “I’m heading to Noah’s tonight. We had plans. You’re welcome to stay here since you’re obviously not leaving for the motel.”
“I didn’t book at that skeezy motel. I tried to tell you before you slammed the door on me. There wasn’t anywhere normal to stay in this town.”
Penny snorted.
Noah’s gaze skittered back and forth between them.
“I didn’t invite you here and I’m not taking the blame for you coming on your own.”
“I’m a grown-ass woman. I can go anywhere I want.”
Penny studied her for a moment. “I didn’t purposely head into the city to fight with Dad. You want to know why Dad summoned me? Because I’m dating a shifter.”
Caitlin couldn’t help it. She sucked in a breath and her eyes flew to Noah’s, like she could seek the truth out there. Maybe sense what kind of animal he was? Maybe he was a good one. A sweet little bird shifter. Did those exist? Surely, he wasn’t one of the… predator-kind. And now that her eyes weren’t filled with echoes of bright, flashing light, she could see the musculature. His thick neck. Strong jawline, the hint of a dimple.
“And right now, I’m mad. I don’t want a heart to heart with you because I’ve been waiting all day for Noah to come home and we have a special night planned. So, stay if you want and we’ll talk when it’s convenient for me.”
Her sister turned on her heel and stomped toward the truck, opening the door and climbing inside without another word. But she slammed the car door shut.
“Go inside and lock the door,” Noah murmured to her, angling his head toward the cabin. “Stay inside. There’s wild animals around this property. That’s why Penny’s moving in with me.” He nodded his head once and then headed for the truck also. The lights illuminated her when he started the engine but then he peeled back and drove down the old dirt road she’d come from.
Sighing, she headed to her car on the side of the house and pulled out her suitcase. She set it on the porch but then, in an act of defiance, she sat down right on the front step like she had been before.
Who was Noah to tell her what to do? He was like Penny’s last boyfriend—no, that wasn’t fair. Penny wasn’t interested in Cory Pyre. Cory was sleazy, he just covered it well with expensive clothes and well-taught manners. He knew how to blend, handsome enough with a bland haircut that made him seem more mature than his age. He was the perfect partner for their dad, the perfect political candidate, with the knack of telling people what they needed to hear. But Caitlin didn’t miss the way his eyes had lingered on things he coveted before he slyly suggested he should be involved with her father’s career. Their dad was the one who told her she needed to shape up and prepare herself to become the future Mrs. Pyre.
