“I think I see what you mean,” the woman said. “I’m sorry if I interrupted.”
Alexandra’s expression revealed nothing, but her gaze was sharp with anger. “I didn’t think you were quite up to coming outside yet, Kieran.”
“I’m very well, Alexandra.” He jumped down off the porch. “I wanted to meet your friend.”
She showed her teeth, jaw set. “Of course. Julie, this is Kieran. A… colleague of mine.”
“Oh yeah?” Julie tilted her head as she studied him, her smile not quite reaching her eyes. “Another wolf researcher, I guess?”
“I know wolves very well,” he said.
“I’m not surprised. Not by that, anyway.” She glanced at Alexandra. “Sorry, I’m being rude.” She thrust her hand at him. “Julie Wakanabo, Merritt’s resident mechanic.”
He looked at her hand and remembered what the gesture meant. Her fingers were callused and cool in his. “Kieran Holt.”
She was quiet a long while, holding his hand, looking directly into his eyes. Almost as if she knew him. He returned her scrutiny, searching for familiarity and finding only confusion. Not fear, but suspicion. Wariness that belied her grin and friendly words. And he knew she saw something in him that Alexandra did not.
Do you know me? he thought. But before he could phrase the question Alexandra all but came between them, forcing him to release Julie’s hand. Julie flexed her fingers.
“Quite a grip, Kieran Holt,” she said. “So you’re visiting Alex?”
“As I said,” Alexandra put in quickly, “Kieran’s a wolf researcher. He’s been staying in a cabin up near Sturgeon River. He was heading cross-country trailing a wolf pack and ran into some trouble with a particularly nasty wolverine. Had to leave most of his gear behind, but he remembered where I lived and made it to my place.”
“Wolverine, huh? Good thing you weren’t hurt.”
“I wasn’t—” Kieran began.
“He needed clothes and a place to stay for a few days,” Alex interrupted. “Since I have the sofabed in the living room…”
“Sure.” Julie looked at Alexandra, who flushed. “I just don’t remember your mentioning Kieran before.”
“I didn’t expect to be working with him directly, at least not so soon. He’s been… living pretty solitary for the past year.”
“Yeah.” Julie turned stubbornly back to Kieran. “You’ve been out in the woods a long time, I can tell.”
Was there a challenge in her voice? Her eyes were full of questions. He knew that feeling, that need for answers.
“We tend to get that way,” Alexandra said with false lightness. “You know how I am, Julie.”
Julie smiled, but the wariness was still there. “One thing’s for sure,” she said to Kieran, “if you’d ever been around here before, people would’ve noticed. You haven’t been into town yet?”
Kieran didn’t look at Alexandra. “We were going into town now, Julie,” he said. “For food, and clothes.”
“Great. I’ll follow you out, and we can talk, maybe over lunch. If that’s okay with you, Alex?”
Alexandra’s fingers flexed at her sides. “If you’ll just give us a minute—” She grabbed Kieran’s arm, and he let her pull him onto the porch and into the cabin.
“Are you crazy?” she demanded when the door was closed.
“I don’t know, Alexandra. Am I?”
“Damn.” She released him abruptly and folded her arms, rubbing them up and down. “It would have happened sooner or later. If we’d had more time—”
“You can trust me,” he said. He caught her hand and held it between his, feeling the shape of each small finger. “As I trust you.”
Her emotion was like a bird startled from the brush, sudden and too swift to catch. She closed her eyes and shivered. “Damn,” she whispered. “All right. But this time you’re listening to me.” Pulling her hand free, she walked across the cabin and disappeared into the bedroom. She returned a moment later with a leather pack. “I’ve told Julie you’re a colleague, a wolf researcher, so don’t say anything to contradict me. Keep quiet. Do what I do, and maybe we’ll get through this.”
But it seemed she spoke more to herself than to him.
Chapter 5
“We’re almost there,” Alex said. “Just remember what I told you—observe, do what I do, try not to talk. Let them think you’re a mystery.”