Sharp Shootin' Cowboy Read online

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  Haley awoke to a soft knock on the door. Her body was still one big ache from head to toe, but the dizziness and the throbbing in her head were gone. The bathroom door was closed and the shower was running, so she padded barefoot across the cabin to answer.

  She opened it to find Krista standing there.

  “You?” Reid’s sister glared. “What are you doing here? Are those my sweats?”

  “Yeah,” Haley replied, suddenly embarrassed. “Reid borrowed them for me. I thought you knew. My clothes got shredded in the grizzly attack yesterday.”

  “You got attacked by a grizzly? Oh my God! I’m so sorry.” She was suddenly contrite. “I didn’t know anything about it. I stayed at Tonya’s last night and just got home.”

  Haley stepped back from the door. “I guess you’re looking for Reid?”

  “Yeah. I was getting worried when I didn’t see him this morning. Now I know why,” she added dryly.

  “Nothing happened between us, if that’s what you’re worried about.”

  “It’s none of my business anyway, right? Please tell my brother I need to see him right away.”

  “Is something wrong?” Haley asked.

  “As a matter of fact, yes. Another one of your precious wolves attacked one of my colts.”

  “It wasn’t a wolf that killed Buckshot, Krista. We found his remains. All the evidence indicates a grizzly. It’s how I nearly got mauled.”

  Krista planted her hands on her hip. “Well it was a wolf that got my horse. And I have proof. Half his tail is eaten off.”

  “Then it wasn’t an intended kill,” Haley said. “The pack must be training their young to hunt.”

  “Well, they aren’t going to practice on any more of my horses! I’m telling you right now, Dr. Cooper, if I see a wolf anywhere near my stock, I’m shooting it.”

  “Please, Krista,” Haley pleaded. “Let me help with this situation. It’s my job.”

  “How?” Krista demanded. “What are you going to do about it?”

  “I’ll start by checking my logs to see if it’s a pack we’re monitoring. If so, we should be able to find the troublemaker and remove it. If not, we’ll have to trap and collar them one by one until we determine which wolf is the culprit.”

  “And in the meantime, they’re all free to wreak havoc on our stock? We have a business to run here, Dr. Cooper. We don’t need our horses traumatized by predators that you people refuse to control.”

  “What’s the trouble?” Reid asked.

  Haley spun to find him standing behind her shirtless and toweling his hair. The vision made her mouth go dry.

  “I’ll tell you what’s wrong,” Krista said. “We’ve got a damned wolf problem, and I’ve got a colt with a missing tail to prove it.”

  “Then we’re fortunate that Haley’s here to help us deal with it,” Reid replied evenly.

  Krista’s eyes widened. “I can’t believe you just said that! All she wants to do is put freaking collars on them.”

  “It’s the first step, Krista,” Reid said. “They’re still a protected species. We can’t just kill them indiscriminately.”

  “Indiscriminately?” Krista repeated eyes blazing. “They’re hunting wolves legally across two state lines, and we can’t even shoot the ones that are harassing us in Wyoming?”

  “Not yet,” Reid said.

  “And that’s exactly why I’m here,” Haley interjected. “Before they’ll turn over management to the state, U.S. Wildlife Service needs to know the people of Wyoming will responsibly manage and not exterminate the wolves. I’m here to provide that evidence. If you shoot any of them without proper authorization, you’re only hurting your own cause.”

  “She’s right, Krista,” Reid said. “It’s a pain in the ass, but we need to go through the proper channels.”

  “Is that what you did with the griz, Reid?” she shot back. “Did you whip out your phone and call the feds to ask permission before pulling the trigger on that bear? Or do the same rules not apply to Dr. Cooper?”

  “Don’t be ridiculous, Krista,” Reid said. “Her life was endangered.”

  “I don’t want to hear it, Reid. I can’t believe my brother, the U.S. Marine, has become such a traitor.” She threw her hands in the air and spun away on her booted heels.

  Reid stood behind Haley, his hands resting on her shoulders. Although he hadn’t made any answering retort, she’d felt him stiffen at his sister’s parting shot.

  “You see?” Haley said softly. “She hates me. Your whole family is going to after this, aren’t they?”

  “Don’t let her get to you. She’ll come around…eventually. They all will.”

  “No. They won’t,” she insisted. “Why should they? It’s time to face reality, Reid. I care about you. I truly do, but I care enough not to come between you and the people you love.”

  “It doesn’t have to be one or the other,” Reid insisted.

  “Not to you and me perhaps, but based on Krista’s reaction, your family is going to force a choice upon you whether you like it or not. I don’t think I can live with that.” She turned away unable to look him in the face. “I have to go now. Don’t you see?”

  “Please don’t,” Reid said.

  “I’m sorry, Reid,” she said in a choked voice, “but I think we both knew this couldn’t work. I’ll be back in a few days with a team to set traps.”

  Chapter 19

  Haley left the ranch feeling heartsick but resolved that she’d done the right thing. She’d briefly fantasized that they might be able to work through their differences, but Krista’s parting words had shattered that illusion.

  She drove first to her rented condo, where she showered and changed clothes, then headed to the office to write up her reports on the horse depredation and the grizzly kill. She opened the door to find Jeffrey sitting behind her desk. “Jeffrey? What are you doing here?”

  “Trying to track you down. You haven’t answered any of my calls.”

  “I didn’t get any. Then again, I’ve been in an area with no signal.” She added dryly, “Cell phones always seem to work around here until you really need them.”

  “I was told you went out to investigate an alleged wolf depredation. What happened?”

  “That was an adventure and a half. We went looking for a missing horse and had an unpleasant encounter with a grizzly.”

  “Really?” He rose, his eyes wide with concern. “Are you okay?”

  “Yes. I’m all right, thanks to Reid.”

  His gaze narrowed. “Who’s Reid?”

  “The rancher. He’s also a hunting guide. He had to shoot the grizzly.”

  “He killed it?”

  “Yes, but he had no choice.”

  His expression darkened. “The hell he didn’t. Don’t you carry bear spray?”

  “Of course I do! But have you ever tried to use it when a grizzly is charging? I panicked, Jeffrey. I couldn’t think. Let alone move. That bear would have killed me.”

  “You know very well what to do in the case of a bear attack.”

  “Sure, I know in theory, but it’s quite different when faced with the reality of eight hundred pounds of grizzly bearing down on you. Have you ever been attacked?”

  “No. I always make it a point to give them a wide berth. Had you done the same, it probably wouldn’t have happened. The bear would have left you alone once he knew you weren’t a threat.”

  “He was protecting a kill. You know that changes all the rules.”

  “Did you document it?” he asked.

  “Yeah. I took photos. Here. See for yourself.” She dug into her purse for her phone, but came up empty. “Damn! I’ve lost it again!”

  “Again?”

  “Yes. I dropped my phone when the bear charged me. I finally found it and took pictures,
but then must have left it behind at the ranch. I’ll call Reid later and ask if he’s seen it. What brings you to Wyoming anyway?”

  “An emergency meeting of the board of directors. We flew into Jackson last night.”

  “The entire board?”

  “Yes, along with a few key donors. We’ve leased a retreat here in Jackson Hole. We’re taking them into Grand Teton tomorrow for some wolf watching. You should join us.”

  “A corporate retreat? Isn’t that a bit extravagant?” She was vividly reminded of all the times he’d denied her project funding.

  “Not when our biggest donors want to see the wolves they sponsor. Sometimes it takes money to get money. And we are in serious need of money.”

  “Again? Why’s that?”

  “We’re about to file another suit against the state of Idaho. We just got word that they’ve allowed the elk hunters to establish a bounty program for wolf kills.”

  “That’s unconscionable!” Haley exclaimed.

  “It gets worse,” he said. “The state is not only in bed with the hunters, but they’re even talking about bringing in a team of professionals to exterminate two entire packs in the Frank Church Wilderness.”

  “That’s tantamount to hiring hit men.”

  “And precisely why I need you to help us stop it.”

  “Me? What can I do?”

  “Come with us as a private guide. You can help us raise funds for the legal fees. I’ve said it before. No one can inspire donations like you can. Besides that, I’ve missed you.” His hand came down on hers. “I’m going to be here for a few weeks. We can use it to catch up on lost time.”

  “Time, once lost, can never be recouped,” she echoed Reid’s words and pulled her hand away. “Why this sudden about-face, Jeffrey? I tried to talk you into taking a weekend together for the past year.”

  “Maybe it just took me a while to realize what I’ve been missing.” He cupped her face, his brown eyes searching hers and then drifting down to her mouth. Shit. He was going to kiss her. She recognized the signs with a surge of panic.

  “Am I interrupting something?”

  Haley’s gaze darted to the door. All the air sucked out of her lungs at the look on Reid’s face. Although his tone was deceptively bland and his stride slow as he crossed the room, his eyes were glacial and his mouth compressed. “I thought you might be needing this.” He dropped her iPhone on the desk.

  “Reid…” She swallowed hard. “I…uh…this is…”

  “Dr. Jeffrey Greene.” Jeffrey stood and offered Reid his right hand, but kept his left one on Haley’s shoulder.

  Whether conscious or not, it was a possessive gesture she didn’t like. She shrugged it off in annoyance. “Jeffrey’s a colleague of mine. He’s here for an important meeting,” she heard herself babble.

  Reid’s gaze met hers and held. “You don’t have to explain. I’m well aware of your relationship. Just came to return your phone, Dr. Cooper.”

  Her stomach tied in a knot as he tipped his hat and walked out. Her first impulse was to run after him and explain, but what was there to say? In reality, she’d done nothing wrong. Still, she felt riddled with guilt.

  Jeffrey’s brows rose in subtle mockery. “Your grizzly-shooting knight errant I presume?”

  “He’s also a decorated marine scout sniper.”

  “Ah!” Jeffrey smirked. “An equal-opportunity killer. How heartening to know that all species are on the same footing with him.”

  “That’s not funny, Jeffrey,” she protested. “He’s not like that. At all.”

  “Not a killer? You said he shot the bear dead.”

  “And I told you that he didn’t have a choice. It was a justified kill.”

  “You think so? How can you be certain? How do you know he didn’t use that horse carcass to bait the bear?”

  She hesitated only for a millisecond. Maybe she and Reid didn’t agree on many issues, but his integrity was incontestable. “He didn’t. I know him, Jeffrey. He would never do anything so underhanded or unethical.”

  “From your own account, he didn’t even try any nonlethal means of controlling the bear.”

  “You weren’t there, so don’t judge,” she snapped. “Would you really place that bear’s life over mine?”

  “Of course not. Don’t twist my words.”

  “I’m tired of all this posturing, Jeffrey. Most of the people here are only trying to protect their livestock and livelihoods. How can we fault them for that?”

  “The wolves and grizzlies have as much right to be here as the people do. In fact, they have even more right, as they were here first.”

  “But we’ve already made amends by reintroducing wolves. They’re thriving now and have vastly exceeded our recovery goal. So are grizzlies, but they’re now encroaching into areas we hadn’t expected them to.”

  “We can’t change their nature.” He gave a fatalistic shrug. “Bears and wolves will roam.”

  “All the more reason for us to help find a solution that people can live with. We need to do a better job of tracking where they go. All this money we’re wasting on lawsuits would be much better spent on GPS and radio collars.”

  “So you’d collar every single wolf?”

  “If necessary, yes.”

  “We don’t have unlimited resources. Just who do you expect to monitor them?” He gave a derisive snort. “The hunters?”

  “Don’t mock me, Jeffrey. There are tens of thousands of people who watch wolves as a hobby. They even spend considerable dollars doing it. Why not train some of them to monitor the packs? We could even set up a central control system that would allow people all over the world to help. In essence it would be an early warning system. I believe we could prevent a majority of human–predator conflicts this way.”

  “Too complicated and expensive,” he said, dismissing the idea out of hand.

  “It isn’t!” she insisted. “I’m certain we could raise enough money for the collars, and the wolf-watchers would do it for the sheer joy of it. If people and wolves are to coexist, it’s our responsibility to meet the ranchers and hunters halfway. Many conflicts could be prevented if we just put the right measures in place.”

  “And when we can’t prevent conflicts?”

  “If it’s a problem animal, we’d have no choice but to remove it.”

  “Remove? So in the end you advocate killing the very animals we’re fighting to protect?”

  “I suppose there’s little choice but selective euthanasia, once all other means are exhausted, but we are far from that point. Why does it really have to be a fight, Jeffrey? Why is it always us against them? It’s not unreasonable that they want us to control the wolves that we brought in. Why can’t we all work together to manage the situation?”

  “Because they only see one solution.”

  “Maybe that’s because we haven’t done our job. Why has there been no talk about breeding control? Zoos around the country have used contraception for decades. The BLM has even adopted a contraceptive vaccine for use in feral horses. I’ve been trying to get funding to test this with wolves for the past three years, but I keep getting shot down.”

  “Because it would be a waste of time and money,” he argued. “They want to hunt wolves. It’s sport to them. You can’t reason with people who kill for pleasure—people like your friend Reid.”

  “I told you he’s not like that.”

  “So you insist… What is he to you, Haley?”

  “An old friend. I knew him back in California.”

  “So you’re screwing him,” he stated matter-of-factly. “I suppose that explains everything.”

  “What the hell does that mean?” she snapped. This was a side of Jeffrey she’d never seen before, a nasty side she hadn’t even known existed.

  “It means, Dr. Cooper, that you seem to have los
t your objectivity.”

  “Really? Objectivity might be the single thing I’ve gained since accepting this job.”

  “So now you’d bite the hand that feeds you?”

  “I don’t understand. What has any of this got to do with you?”

  He smiled smugly. “Everything. How do you think you got this job?”

  “I received a call from a recruiter.”

  “And why do you think you were on their A-list?”

  “Because of my work. My reputation.”

  “So sorry to burst your bubble, but I chose you. You’re here because I put you here. The organization needed someone in place that we could count on. Our Washington connection made sure it was you. Unfortunately, you’re turning out to be quite the disappointment.”

  She was stunned speechless. How could she have been unknowingly manipulated? Was she really that naïve? That gullible?

  Bits and pieces of the last six years flashed through her mind—that first winter she’d spent alone in Alaska, the spying she’d done on the wolf hunters, all the work she’d done on his research without pay or even due credit. She recalled countless hours she’d volunteered for fund-raising. At the time, she’d chalked it all up as paying her dues, but now the ugly truth reared its head. Even the relationship she’d regarded as one of mutual respect was nothing more than a well-orchestrated seduction. Her eyes had finally opened. Jeffrey had controlled, manipulated, and used her. He’d played her from the very start.

  Jeffrey picked up her phone and began scrolling through her photos. “You took pictures of the horse and the grizzly?”

  “Yes, I documented everything.”

  “I’m glad you’re so thorough.” He tucked the phone into his pocket. “It’ll help our cause.”

  Haley’s throat tightened. “You wouldn’t. You can’t, Jeffrey!” She stood toe-to-toe and jutted her chin. “Give my phone back! I’m not going to let you politicize this!”