if he wanted to play with James. He’d just like to think that the wolf’s playing didn’t involve ripping out a human’s throat.
Cautiously, he reached out a hand to touch the wolf’s snout, his fingers coming away cool and moist. James chuckled as the wolf moved closer and pushed his head against James’ palm, insistently begging for more attention.
He was a right friendly critter, friendly and smart as a whip.
James still wasn’t so sure what he was facing, making nice with the animal. He was a wild animal, after all, but for the moment, James felt unthreatened.
He petted the top of the wolf’s head, sinking his fingers into the dense gray fur of the animal’s neck and enjoying the sensation of the soft pelt against his skin.
Suddenly, the wolf got up on his hind legs, planting his powerful front paws in James’ chest and tumbling him back onto the dirt.
James lay on his back, two-hundred pounds of predator on his chest. He chastised himself for letting his guard down and allowing the wolf to lull him into a feeling of safety.
54
Gigi Moore
The wolf lowered his muzzle, sniffing James before bending his head farther to lap at his throat like stick candy.
James closed his eyes and shuddered more from the alien rasp of the animal’s wet tongue against his throat than from any fear, though there was a mite measure of that deep down. Right behind the animal’s harmless tongue stood a row of razor-sharp teeth that could sink into his jugular at any time.
His hand hovered over the butt of his gun. He had automatically moved his hand toward his gun when the wolf first made his move, but James hesitated in drawing and opened his eyes.
The wolf stood over him, panting. Hurting James seemed to be the furthest thing from the animal’s mind.
“So are you going to rip out my throat or not, critter?”
The wolf barked twice and continued panting.
“Then let me up, beast.”
The wolf barked once then leapt off of James’ chest, bouncing back and forth, waiting for James to get to his feet. He seemed enthusiastic to show James something.
James dusted off his britches with his Stetson once he got up.
“Guess I’m going to have to come up with a name for you if we’re going to be spending time together, huh?”
The wolf barked once.
“All right, then…” He clapped and rubbed his hands together as he stared into the wolf’s silver-gray gaze and that familiarity struck him again. “You remind me of someone, critter. Think I’ll name you…Troy Junior. I’ll call you T.J. for short. How’s that?”
The wolf tilted back his head and howled as if with approval, his response sending pleasant spikes of awareness scudding through James—so much so the critter in his britches started doing a jig.
What in the Sam Hill!
T.J. caught a piece of James’ pant leg and jerked hard enough to get his attention but not hard enough to rip the material. Thank the Lord for durable wool.
Three Men and a Bounty
55
“Okay, okay, T.J. What’s got your fur in a knot?”
The wolf pulled on his pant leg again, directing him toward the nearby lake.
James glanced out at the peaceful green water, and it had never looked more refreshing and inviting as it did right then with the idea of sharing it with this new friend .
“You want to go for a dip? Is that it, boy?”
The wolf barked once, then darted to the water’s edge before turning back to howl at James as if impatient with the man’s slowness.
“Hold your britches, boy. I’ll be there directly.”
T.J. barked like this would hurry James along, and in a sense, it did as James sat down on the ground and began to pull off his boots.
Once done, he hurriedly stood to shuck off the rest of his clothes in short order, the animal’s anxiety transferring to him.
James stripped down to his long johns before he actually paused to think about how reckless he was being, how out of character he behaved, and that he didn’t care.
T.J. watched him from the water
Cautiously, he reached out a hand to touch the wolf’s snout, his fingers coming away cool and moist. James chuckled as the wolf moved closer and pushed his head against James’ palm, insistently begging for more attention.
He was a right friendly critter, friendly and smart as a whip.
James still wasn’t so sure what he was facing, making nice with the animal. He was a wild animal, after all, but for the moment, James felt unthreatened.
He petted the top of the wolf’s head, sinking his fingers into the dense gray fur of the animal’s neck and enjoying the sensation of the soft pelt against his skin.
Suddenly, the wolf got up on his hind legs, planting his powerful front paws in James’ chest and tumbling him back onto the dirt.
James lay on his back, two-hundred pounds of predator on his chest. He chastised himself for letting his guard down and allowing the wolf to lull him into a feeling of safety.
54
Gigi Moore
The wolf lowered his muzzle, sniffing James before bending his head farther to lap at his throat like stick candy.
James closed his eyes and shuddered more from the alien rasp of the animal’s wet tongue against his throat than from any fear, though there was a mite measure of that deep down. Right behind the animal’s harmless tongue stood a row of razor-sharp teeth that could sink into his jugular at any time.
His hand hovered over the butt of his gun. He had automatically moved his hand toward his gun when the wolf first made his move, but James hesitated in drawing and opened his eyes.
The wolf stood over him, panting. Hurting James seemed to be the furthest thing from the animal’s mind.
“So are you going to rip out my throat or not, critter?”
The wolf barked twice and continued panting.
“Then let me up, beast.”
The wolf barked once then leapt off of James’ chest, bouncing back and forth, waiting for James to get to his feet. He seemed enthusiastic to show James something.
James dusted off his britches with his Stetson once he got up.
“Guess I’m going to have to come up with a name for you if we’re going to be spending time together, huh?”
The wolf barked once.
“All right, then…” He clapped and rubbed his hands together as he stared into the wolf’s silver-gray gaze and that familiarity struck him again. “You remind me of someone, critter. Think I’ll name you…Troy Junior. I’ll call you T.J. for short. How’s that?”
The wolf tilted back his head and howled as if with approval, his response sending pleasant spikes of awareness scudding through James—so much so the critter in his britches started doing a jig.
What in the Sam Hill!
T.J. caught a piece of James’ pant leg and jerked hard enough to get his attention but not hard enough to rip the material. Thank the Lord for durable wool.
Three Men and a Bounty
55
“Okay, okay, T.J. What’s got your fur in a knot?”
The wolf pulled on his pant leg again, directing him toward the nearby lake.
James glanced out at the peaceful green water, and it had never looked more refreshing and inviting as it did right then with the idea of sharing it with this new friend .
“You want to go for a dip? Is that it, boy?”
The wolf barked once, then darted to the water’s edge before turning back to howl at James as if impatient with the man’s slowness.
“Hold your britches, boy. I’ll be there directly.”
T.J. barked like this would hurry James along, and in a sense, it did as James sat down on the ground and began to pull off his boots.
Once done, he hurriedly stood to shuck off the rest of his clothes in short order, the animal’s anxiety transferring to him.
James stripped down to his long johns before he actually paused to think about how reckless he was being, how out of character he behaved, and that he didn’t care.
T.J. watched him from the water
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