Chapter 3

She saw him coming two hundred yards away, walking on the trail that would make him most visible. On purpose, she assumed, so as not to scare her. Merry wondered if he was mad that she had spyed on his camp last night. What she had seen didn't tell her much, but it was not threatening. Ecology, and a telescope with a VCR. Observing something. Not her, from that spot. Maybe the wolves.

She had wakened a little early, because she had been shaken by giving herself away last night, though she was at a loss to know how. He must be very alert to have heard any sound from her stealthy investigation. Even Lupe had gone home early. She had not slept especially well, and felt her peaceful existence was threatened. But it was better that he come to see her, and get this out in the open.

He stopped just at the far end of her yard, still trying to be no threat. She was starting a deer loin roasting on the spit. Knowing he might come, she had jeans and a tee shirt on, and had put on a little makeup. "Hi. My name is Gene Brooks." "Meredith Hastings."

He was a great looking guy. Tall and lean, his jeans fit snugly to a well developed, broad shouldered body, a light plaid shirt with sleeves rolled up to his elbows making him look like an outdoorsman. His face was handsome and dark, and his look was wary. He's as nervous about me as I am about him, she realized. "Come on in, can I offer you a glass of water." Her civility seemed to put him more at ease, and he walked closer.

Then she saw the look in his eyes, old before their time. He's been hurt. But there was also something out of control there. A dangerous man in some way. An interesting man. "Come on in the house" she said, surprised at the warmth in her voice. As they entered, she motioned him to the couch. She brought him a glass of water from the kitchen. "It's from that spring, I think it's pretty clean. The water flows out of the mountain, and there's nothing up there to screw it up." "I've been all the way to the top, and there really isn't. Unless something's happened in the last year."

She sat down on the other section of the sofa and waited for him to speak. He stared at her, as if trying to see inside her. She held his gaze without flinching. Finally, he began. "Look, I came up here doing a study of free range wolves a year and a half ago. This house was empty then. It took me this long to get back here to finish what I started. I didn't mean to interfere with you, I was just trying to avoid upsetting you." He looked away, breaking their eye contact for the first time. "I just wanted to study the wolves. You'd be surprised at how dumb a lot of the ideas academics have about them are. Or maybe you wouldn't. Anyway, a couple of things I saw were called impossible, and I wanted to prove what I said." He looked into her eyes again. "And I was worried about them. The range is getting squeezed, and I was afraid they'd have to raid the ranch down in the valley for food. When I left, there were three pups. There's just the one now. Have you seen the other two?" He let the question hang in the air.

She held his gaze as she wondered how to respond. She was feeling intrigued, a little flustered, but excited at human contact. It was pleasanter than she had expected. I guess I haven't gone completely wild, she decided. When she began, the words seemed to come in a rush.

"No, I've just seen the male and female, and the young one. My dad used to own that ranch, but they sold it when he died six years ago. My mom died three weeks ago, and it turned out she had bought this place to give me. I came up after the funeral, and haven't left. I suppose it's therapy, but I've never been happier in my life. You change things." She was surprised that she said that last. "I don't want to offend you, but I was enjoying being so alone."

He was smiling. "Yeah, that's one of the things that made me come back. Being up here is so natural." He ducked his head again. "I don't feel so angry at the world up here."

He stopped, and she said nothing. She looked at his downcast face. She got up and sat beside him. "Gene, you're not what I feared. Stay for dinner, and let's get to know each other. We both love the wolves." She put an arm around him. "You saw me last night. You know my little secret. One of them. It's funny, I don't mind. I thought I would." She put her hand in his thick black hair. It was clean and he smelled of soap. "I like being natural. And I feel like talking. I didn't realize how much I missed it."

Gene was taken completely by surprise at how young she was as he walked up to her home. Then, as her direct gaze and unflinching, frank appraisal of him showed her confidence, he realized she wasn't typical of any girls he had ever known. He was used to women being impressed with his looks, blushing when they first met him. But Meredith just took him in, and accepted him quickly. She was without doubt the most gorgeous female he had ever met.

Her trim body was full, and her face was wild. The long hair, held in a loose ponytail, curled like a mane. She moved with such lithe power that he felt instant desire walking into the house behind her. Then the way she reacted to their first ten minutes, so direct and unmannered, had him confused. He couldn't read her eyes. But he didn't feel the usual desire to make her a conquest. Somehow, he knew she couldn't be tamed. She was sexy beyond belief.

After she invited him for dinner, with the little physical gesture, she said "Let's have a beer, and I'll show you the rest of the house." They walked around, and she talked freely about why she loved the place, and her pleasure in seeming to be back home again, in this wilderness she had grown up with. From the bedroom, she pointed out a couple of trails he hadn't known about, and the one he had used. She seemed to have decided to trust him, and that confused him too. Women usually picked up on his lack of easy affection.

Then he began to spill his guts to her, talking about the army, his anger at the higher ups, his easy survival where others struggled. It poured out, and she asked questions of amazing perception. She thought the same way he did, from the ground up, wondering what the jungle floor was like, what animals lived there, what kind of plants grew, and how everything survived together. He found himself describing his fighting, the adrenelin rush that was always followed by regret, the part of his mind that was frustrated by the injustices. Her eyes always held his, and she neither sympathized nor criticized. He had never felt so comfortable with a woman. He began wondering what she thought of him.

He slowed down as they sat outside to eat. The meal she had prepared so casually was superb. She began to talk about the garden she was planning. He talked about what he had seen so far of the wolf pack, and then asked her about how she had gotten the young one so tame. "Oh, he isn't tame. He just likes me." "Do you think it'll change their habits?" "Well, I help Lupe hunt sometimes, but aside from that, I don't feed them or anything. I would if they needed it, though." They both relaxed and conversation seemed unnecessary. They were sitting at a card table with two lawn chairs facing the setting sun. He helped her clear the dishes.

As they finished, standing close together in the kitchen, she stared at him, then seemed to come to a decision. "Gene, now is the time of night I go native. Don't get the wrong idea." She pulled the tee shirt over her head, tossing it on the counter. She pushed the jeans down and off her feet, leaving the sandals she had been wearing on the tiles. She held his eyes as she stood before him, nude. "You can leave if you want. I don't want you to. I don't spend evenings in the house."

He was having trouble breathing. She was attractive dressed, but like this she was a carnal vision. Her tits were not oversize, but full and firm, jutting out from her chest. The nipples were small and brown. Her body's broad shoulders curved down to a narrow waist, then flared slightly to her trim hips. Her long legs were slim. Even standing still, muscle showed all over her, from her flat midsection to the thighs. Her pussy was hairy and large, protruding saucily. She licked her lips as he stared at her.