Erin raced toward the horses. When she reached them, Firecracker rumbled at her. Erin went directly to her, and for once, she didn’t have to move in slowly. Firecracker was frightened by the howling and almost pathetically glad to see her. Erin soothed her with long strokes of her hands. Then, still holding her lantern up, she walked the length of the highline they’d strung up between two trees. It wasn’t only Firecracker she needed to protect until Wyatt got there. All the other horses were important, too. It was just that she loved Firecracker, so saving her had been Erin’s first thought.

When Wyatt arrived with his dog, he carried his tent bundled up under one arm and a rifle in his other hand. “What are you doing?”

Erin wondered if that was going to be his question of the night. “I’m protecting the horses.”

“With what? You don’t even have a gun yet.”

“You’ve never been on a mat with me. Trust me when I say I’m an expert kickboxer.”

He smiled and thrust the rifle at her. “Take this. If they come in while I’m gone, fire off a couple of shots. That should scare them off.”

“Where are you going?”

“To get the rest of my stuff and your bedding.” He glanced down at his dog. “Domino, stay.”

Erin stared after Wyatt until he was gobbled up by the darkness. Then she set the lantern on the ground to jack a cartridge into the rifle chamber. After doing that, she paced up and down the highline, Domino right beside her. The lantern helped her see the immediate area, and once she thought she glimpsed eyes glowing in the woods. That totally creeped her out. But she wasn’t about to fire the weapon unless she had good reason. Taking potshots was for rookies.

When Wyatt reappeared, he carried his duffel, their bedding, and another rifle. He seemed absolutely calm as he checked on all the horses. She guessed she might feel less agitated, too, if she hadn’t heard the wolves.

When he joined her, he asked, “Do you think you can use that light to find rocks to build a fire ring and then collect wood to start a fire?”

Erin felt safer now that she had a weapon. “Yes, I can do that.”

“Good. A fire will help hold the wolves at bay. Well, it’s supposed to, anyway. To tell the truth, wolves are new to Oregon. I don’t have much experience with them.”

By the time Erin made a rock circle and managed to build a fire, at least an hour had passed. Wyatt had pitched his tent dead center along the highline and only about six feet from the horses.

“Do you feel them now?” Erin asked. “I haven’t heard them howl for a few minutes.”

He nodded. “They’re still out there. But I’m guessing they’re taking stock of the situation and counting their losses. Tied horses are an easy meal. Now that we’re here, not so much. Most wolves have a healthy respect for humans and guns.”