Chapter 14

The next morning Dell arrived on my doorstep bearing gifts. Meemaw must have been up at the crack of dawn to have baked three types of muffins then packed them on a tray with homemade jam and fresh local honey.

The rich scents perked my stomach and wiped the siren song of returning to my comfy bed from mind. “How are you feeling?”

“Better.” The way she said it made me think better was relative. “Meemaw was smothering me. I had to get out of there. She allowed me to walk this far, but I can only stay for an hour before she sends the cavalry.”

The muscle in my calf still pulled, but I could tell without checking it was mostly healed. “I’d invite you in but...”

“It’s fine. He’s got what he wants. He’s not going to hurt me.” Her confidence made me nervous. “Here. Can you take this?”

“Sure.” I accepted the tray, the better to smell all the homemade deliciousness, and couldn’t help but wish Graeson was here, on two legs, to enjoy the meal with us. This was so much better than the burnt offerings I’d scraped together for dinner.

The wolf sat in the kitchen, ears perked, eavesdropping. Well, maybe not eavesdropping exactly. “How much of what he hears does he understand?”

“It depends.” She busied herself with a packet of butcher’s paper resting on the corner of the tray. “It’s an individual thing for us all, and in his current condition I couldn’t say for sure.”

“Mmm-hmm.” Knowing how Dell always had his back, I figured it was more likely she didn’t want to rat him out.

Happy to avoid my gaze, Dell balled up the paper and stacked four meaty discs in her palm. Confident in their bond as always, she stuck her head through the door and whistled.

Graeson’s ears perked, and he trotted over to investigate, leaning his weight against my leg until I was knocked against the doorframe.

“Lookie what I’ve got.” Dell wiggled one thick slice. “Mmm. Slabs of country ham fresh from the smoker with your name written all over them.” She twisted and hurled it Frisbee-style into the yard. “Fetch, boy.”

The wolf pranced in place, toenails clicking.

“Oh no.” Dell peeled off a second piece and hurled it in a different direction. “All that poor, delicious meat. So alone and uneaten. If only there was a hungry wolf nearby.”

Whining as he peered up at me, Graeson all but begged me to go with him.

“You’re a grown wolf,” I told him. “You can go get your own ham.”