Leidolf didn't respond, but he was already bothered by where this was leading. And he had a sneaking suspicion it was the very reason she had come here.
She looked out the window and didn't say anything further.
He cleared his throat. "Why in places like this?"
A prolonged silence filled the space between them, elevating his concern. Turning her head in his direction, she gave him a sad kind of smile. "Because unless the wolf is in the Oregon Zoo, the people of Portland are unlikely to see any wolves running around their fair city."
"Out here?"
He felt her observing him while he concentrated on the road. Like she studied wolves? Wouldn't she be surprised to learn he was one also, whenever he had the urge to shift.
"They might be out here, some day."
"You don't seem the type who wastes time talking about future events. Have you seen a wolf in this area?" he asked, very much to the point. He had to know. Had she seen one of his pack members running in his or her fur coat in the woods around here?
She looked back out the window.
Hell. "Cassie, have you seen a wolf in these parts?"
"They've been spotted in several different locations all over Oregon. People everywhere need to be educated. That's what I do," she said evasively.
Concerned about what she'd observed, Leidolf pulled into a parking space at the town hall. Several vehicles now filled the lot. He hoped that most of the good citizens of the area would behave themselves. And if she'd seen what he suspected she had, he hoped the hell she didn't mention it in the lecture. He suspected that she was worried he might want the wolf eliminated if she told him she'd actually witnessed it--because he was a rancher, despite saying he liked wolves.
Before he could climb out of his Humvee to get her door, she hopped out, thanked him, and hurried up the brick walk. "Sorry," she said, in a rush to get to the front door. "I'm fifteen minutes late."
He thought she hurried to stay away from him for some other reason. He couldn't fathom what that reason was. He had brought her here safe and sound and would have one of his men fix her tires. So why would she fear him?
The fact he was a rancher? Or maybe she was so used to being around wolves--the real kind--that she wasn't equipped to deal with the wolfish human kind. On the other hand, maybe he was making something out of nothing. Maybe she was just anxious because of being late to her own speaking engagement. That was all.
He stalked after her and opened the door before she reached it. "It looks like most everyone just arrived, so I'd say you were right on time."
She gave him a tight smile, but the attempt at a friendly response didn't reach her eyes. She hurried inside, her heels clicking on the wooden floor, and the conversation died to absolute silence. Leidolf took a seat in back where he could observe everyone. As attractive as the woman was, he'd have preferred watching her, the way she slid her hands gently over her notes, the way her full, glossy lips parted as she spoke, the sweet tone of her voice, even when she was worried about being late or annoyed that someone had ruined her tires.
He forced his gaze from her and glanced at several kids, who appeared to be high-school students, seated to one side of the room with pens and notepads in hand. Probably would receive some kind of special credit for coming here tonight. Even a couple of twin girls from his pack were in the audience, although pack members home schooled their own. Their father must have made them come. Alice and Sarah glanced back at Leidolf and smiled. He bowed his head in acknowledgment.
On the other side of the hall, he recognized most of the men, ranchers all of them. One man raised pygmy goats; six others, cattle like him; and the sheepherder. The man who really caught his attention was a blond who also garnered Cassie's. Her eyes widened, and she fussed over her notes, but she looked back at him as he grinned broadly. Someone she definitely knew but apparently wasn't overly happy to see. She didn't seem to be from the area. In fact, her bio said she was from California, and Leidolf didn't remember seeing either of them here before. So had the man followed her here?
Leidolf studied the man again. Tall, thin, wearing hiking boots, jeans, and a camouflage jacket. He looked like a hunter. Leidolf already didn't like him.
Pulling his cell phone out, Leidolf texted his second-in-command, Elgin, telling him which vehicle to have repaired, what needed to be accomplished, and to take his time in getting it done. And then Leidolf sat back to listen to the little lady's speech.
After she finished her talk, he meant to speak to her again and learn the truth. What kind of wolf had she seen, and where?
Cassie couldn't believe all of her rotten, bad luck. First, the idiot or idiots had to ruin not one, but two of her tires. Then the absolute hunk who comes to rescue her was one of her kind. How could she get so lucky? And to top all that off? Fellow wolf biologist Alex Wellington had to track her down again. What was his problem? What part of I work alone did he not get? Not that he wasn't cute or good at his job, but sometimes she liked to shift while she was working, and she sure as hell didn't want him studying her as one of his wolf projects.
Avoiding looking at Leidolf, his handsome features rugged, his eyes penetrating and insightful, she knew he could be even worse trouble for her. She'd been so upset about the tires and being late to the lecture that when he gave his name, it hadn't registered at first. Leidolf was Norse for wolf descendant! And the last name, Wildhaven, was typical of a red lupus garou name.
The fact he said he was a rancher had also thrown her off. No way would she have thought a werewolf would be in the ranching business. Once she'd gotten a whiff of his lupus garou scent, she'd known the truth. She fought a smile. His comment about wolves, like dogs, being man's best friend, made sense. From a werewolf's standpoint, anyway.
She had barely begun to talk about wolves--their history and their future--when one of the men seated near the front said, "Sure, we used to kill 'em for money. The only good wolf is a dead wolf."
Wondering if the scruffy-looking, bearded man was the one who had taken care of her tires, she bit her tongue and clenched her teeth. Her gaze riveted on Leidolf. He was giving the man a look like he'd better watch what he said, and all of a sudden she realized something more about the werewolf in her midst.
He said he'd have one of his men see to her tires. She blinked. He couldn't be the pack leader here, could he? Or maybe he was a sub-leader. Not that it would make much difference, since he would report back to the head honcho that he had located a female red in their territory.
She groaned inwardly at her rotten luck.
"Mr. Hollis," Millie said, her voice pleading, breaking into Cassie's distressing ruminations. "Dr. Roux will take questions at the end of her lecture. For now, we'll just let her present her case." She smiled a little nervously and motioned for Cassie to begin again.
Cassie gave her a tight smile. She'd never had this many problems lecturing before and certainly had never expected to find a red wolf in the area. Once she had learned of the wolf, she felt it her duty to make the people aware that wolves were not a threat for the most part and that it was illegal to shoot them.
Alex nodded, as if approving her every word.
Leidolf was busy texting someone. Thankfully, he hadn't seemed to smell her scent. The hunter's spray had appeared to hide what she was from him. She still had worried that if he'd gotten too close, he might have detected she was a red werewolf like himself.
She continued with her speech, wanting to get this over with, while she normally loved pleading the wolves' case. She usually wasn't in a werewolf's territory, either. And that could mean trouble. Especially because she was an unmated red, and packs were always looking for unmated females.