Page 5 of Wild in the Woods
“Are you coming to the meeting tonight or not?”
He stopped beside his truck and waited for an answer. He’d been trying to convince Jett to join the Estes Park Search and Rescue Squad for a couple years now. As Captain, it was Fox’s job to find new blood and though he’d been actively looking, it was hard to recruit new members these days. The crew was running thin, and Jett’s strength, grit, and agility made him a perfect candidate.
“Only if you join Desi and me for a drink at The Rowdy Rooster afterward.”
“I already said I would.”
Jett slapped him on the shoulder. “Then I’ll see you at the station tonight at six for the meeting.”
Fox refrained from rolling his eyes. Bars and drinking were also not high on his priority list. Alcohol did bad things to people who were prone to its grip, and he stayed far away.
“Maybe we’ll find you a date at the bar.” Jett winked.
Fox scowled. “God, I hope not.”
Done with this conversation, he slipped into his truck and waved at Jett before pulling away from the bakery and took a right toward the search and rescue station just outside of town. He’d been there all night thanks to a call that had come in but took a break from doing paperwork to grab a cup of coffee and look what a fiasco that turned out to be.
Fox glanced at himself in the rearview. He was grumpy. Not unusual for him, but it was worse right now.
He’d been up most of the night looking for an elderly woman who had wandered off from St. Mary’s Memory Care. Luckily, they’d found her in the woods about a quarter mile away from the residence before a chilly rain moved in. They’d deposited her safely with the EMTs and went home to dry off. It didn’t bother him to run on no sleep. Shifters were naturally able to go days more than humans without rest. But he felt badly for his crew that had also been up all night and still had to function at their day-jobs today.
He was down five members and after almost a year, hadn’t been able to recruit qualified candidates. As volunteers, members were paid a yearly stipend and a holiday bonus instead of a wage, and the hours required for ongoing training could be difficult to accommodate for those also juggling a full-time job, and maybe a family. Volunteerism was down. Tourism was up. A bad combination considering their call volume had continually increased each year and the squad had fewer trained members to help in an emergency.
He thought about the reporter and scoffed to himself as he pulled into the station parking lot. Maybe she should write a story about something important like the decline in volunteerism in emergency services instead of chasing after him.
Jett’s words played in his mind.She’s attractive and didn’t have a ring on her finger.
So, what. He’d gotten a good look at her, and yeah, she was attractive. But she was a reporter and that right there probably explained the lack of a wedding ring.
Annoying.
Nosey.
Untruthful.
Weren’t all reporters just chasing dollar signs? No number of good looks could cover up those faulty attributes.
“Hey, Fox.”
His brother, Ryker met him at the station door with a yellow Labrador peeking around his leg. The dog went nuts when she spied Fox.
“Hey, beautiful,” he crooned as he dropped to one knee and scratched his dog behind her ears. “How’s my Osprey? How’s my good girl?”
Ryker chuckled. “She’s been going crazy waiting for you. Tried to eat my boot but the steel-toe stopped her.”
“Thanks for watching her.”
He’d rescued Osprey a few months ago from the local animal shelter. He’d been warned that she was pregnant, but it didn’t deter him. Twelve perfect puppies had been born in his living room and the last one had gone to live with Desi and Kora. Osprey had been understandably anxious since her last pup left, so he’d indulged her in her compulsion to follow him literally everywhere. Bathroom trips by himself were a thing of the past. Personal space? Gone. Quiet time reading on the couch now included a sixty-pound dog lying across his lap while slapping at his book with a needy ‘pet me’ paw.
She stuck to his leg while he walked inside and went to his office.
“So,” Ryker said in a sly voice. “I hear a hot little reporter was looking for you this morning.”
Fox rolled his eyes. “How the hell did you hear that already?”
“Jett texted.”
“Of course, he did.”
