“His application sounded kind of sketchy at first. I pictured him wandering along the beach all day, and then piling up a bunch of trash and calling it art.” Britt shook her head, remembering how her perception of Vince changed dramatically once she saw the photos of his sculptures included in his grant packet. She had definitely learned a lesson about not making snap judgments. “He’s an incredibly talented artist, and his work crews have had a major impact on the waterways along the coast and in the park.”

  “Which improves the habitat for salmon and other fish, which in turn helps to ensure the survival of species that rely on them for food.”

  “I know, I know,” Britt said, rolling her eyes and imitating Tess’s irate diner voice. “It’s all connected.”

  Tess smiled and clinked her glass against Britt’s. “Who else?”

  “You and I talked about the Makah Wolf Sanctuary when I visited the marine center,” Britt said, remembering her talk with Tess on the shore and their trip out to sea. The misty sea air settling on her skin and taste of salt when she’d licked her lips. Tess’s arm draped along the boat rail behind her, not touching, but close enough to cause some sort of chemical reaction in Britt’s body…

  She cleared her throat and took another drink of wine. What had she been talking about? Wolves. “I haven’t had a chance to tour the sanctuary yet, but I had an interview with the head caretaker, Felicity. She’ll be here tonight, along with some of her volunteers. Oh, and there’s Rose, from the native plant society. They’re involved in all sorts of activities, like protection, restoration, and education. I drove to Port Angeles last week and heard her speak at Peninsula College about native grasses.” Britt shook her head and looked at Tess. “I’ve spent most of my life in cities, and I always thought of grass as the green stuff suburban people have in their yards. I’d never realized how many functions wild grasses serve, and how important they are to the environment.”

  “Erosion control, protective spaces for nesting birds and small animals, food sources,” Tess said, her voice smooth and low again, so that the decidedly unromantic phrases sounded like pillow talk.

  Britt caught herself when her gaze dropped to Tess’s mouth the second time, as if reading her lips would help Britt better catch her quietly spoken words. She laughed and took a step back. “Does that little seduction trick really work?”

  “I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Tess said, hiding her grin behind her wineglass.

  “Don’t act innocent,” Britt said, playfully elbowing Tess in the side. “You know exactly what you were doing.”

  Tess shrugged. “I was talking about native grasses. You, on the other hand, were staring at my mouth.”

  Britt struggled with the temptation to deny it, but she really had been staring. So much for professional and in control. “I’m going to go say hello to Rose now. Do you want to come and meet her?”

  Tess shook her head. She had monopolized Britt enough for the evening. She had been sure to arrive early, hoping she would beat the other candidates and could indulge her desire to have Britt all to herself, for a few moments at least. Now she needed to back off and let Britt be the host. “You go. I’ll have a chance to talk to her later this evening.”

  She watched Britt walk away, deciding this view of her might be her favorite, with those rain-wet jeans hugging her slender hips. Britt needed to get into some dry clothes, and Tess would be glad to help her. She’d slowly peel the damp denim off Britt’s cold, soft thighs, and then rub them until she was warm again…

  Tess looked around for a distraction—anything to get her mind off Britt and jeans and the removal of those jeans. She noticed a young guy with long reddish-blond hair enter the room and hesitate just inside the door, as if he wasn’t sure he was in the right place. He was wearing a navy shirt with a large green recycling symbol on it, and Tess figured he was Britt’s artist. Nothing like a discussion about beach trash art to take one’s mind off sex. Tess headed over to say hello.

  She moved around the room for the next hour, talking to Vince and Rose and drawing Jake and Melissa into conversations with other guests. She was always hyperaware of where Britt was standing, of her bright and beautiful smile, and the obvious pleasure she found in being around this group of people and learning from their stories. Tess loved the company, too. She had only been thinking of seeing Britt again when she looked forward to this evening, and she hadn’t realized how much she missed her interactions with colleagues at Evergreen since she’d been away. This evening gave her a similar sense of camaraderie and collaboration that she felt at the college, even though they were all vying for the same grant.

  Tess didn’t envy Britt the decision she was going to have to make. Everyone in the room not only deserved the money but would do great things with it. Naturally, she believed her killer whales were the most deserving—her personal feelings aside, they were the ones in the most imminent danger if drastic efforts weren’t made to protect them—but she’d respect any choice Britt made.

  She had kept her distance from Britt while they circulated through the room, but as soon as she saw her standing alone by the food table and unenthusiastically munching on a grilled cheese sandwich, Tess went to talk to her again. She tried to make it seem casual, as if she just happened to wander over, but her approach was more beeline than meander.

  “Having a good time?” Tess asked, putting a piece of club sandwich onto a plate, as if she had really been coming over here to get some food and not to talk to Britt.

  “I am. I was worried it would seem like I was setting up the applicants for an evening of competition, like a cage fighting match. Shove everyone in the lodge, make it rain too hard for anyone to want to leave, and give the grant to the last charity standing.”

  “I’m in,” Tess said. “My killer whales would totally win.”

  “The evening is going so well—let’s try not to start a brawl,” Britt said. She sounded stern, but her nose crinkled in the way Tess had come to learn was a sign of Britt trying not to laugh out loud. She considered giving up her job and family obligations and devoting herself to the lifelong mission of putting that exact expression on Britt’s often thoughtful and serious face.

  “Seriously,” she said. “A few plants and some garbage? Smashed. A wolf? Merely a morsel for an afternoon snack.”

  Britt’s scrunched nose gave way to a genuine laugh. “Well, I’m glad to hear your voice is back to normal, even though it means everyone in the room can hear you threatening their beloved projects.”

  Tess cleared her throat and patted her chest. “I was a little hoarse when I got here, but I’m better now. Must be all this dry weather.”

  Britt smiled and tossed the crust from her grilled cheese into a trash can. “Ugh. I’m sick of these sandwiches. I’d be better off gnawing on a block of tofu. Do you think if I bring some veggie burgers to the diner, they’ll cook them for me?”

  “I’m sure they will, but they’ll probably add American cheese and bacon before they serve it to you.” Tess hesitated, trying to phrase her next sentences without sounding as if she’d ever doubted Britt’s resolve. “I’m impressed by you, Britt, and I don’t mean just for sticking to the vegetarian plan. You resolved to make huge changes in your life, and you’re following through even though it’s probably been difficult at times.”

  “In other words, you thought I’d give up and run back to Seattle, my old job, and the nearest steakhouse.”

  Tess opened her mouth to deny it, but Britt was right. Tess had seen her share of people get all gung-ho about some new cause or project, only to abandon it once the actual work started. Britt was proving she had truly internalized the changes she was making. Still, her continued presence in La Push made Tess curious about the girlfriend…not that she cared one way or another…and she certainly wasn’t about to mine for information…

  “So, what does your girlfriend think about your new life?” What was the harm in asking? She wasn’t going to do anything about it.

  “You’re fishing,” Britt said.

  “Maybe.”

  Britt hesitated, apparently debating what to tell Tess, then she shrugged. “We’re not seeing each other anymore.”

  Interesting. Not that Tess cared one way or the other.

  “Oh, that’s too bad,” she said, making an effort to sound genuine. According to Britt’s expression, she failed miserably, which was probably due in part to the smile she felt tugging at the corners of her mouth. “What happened to—”

  “Did I hear someone call my wolves afternoon snacks?” Felicity interrupted them. She picked up a hot wing and took a bite, reminding Tess of the old cliché about dogs and their owners starting to look alike. Felicity had a delicacy to her that matched her name, with her slight build, softly curling hair, and gracefully carved features, but there was something predatory about her expression. Devoting one’s life to a demanding and challenging cause tended to bring out the warrior in people, and Felicity seemed to be no exception.

  “They hunt in packs, you know. If we’re going to do this, it has to be a pack, not a single wolf.”

  Tess would still bet on her orcas in a fight against a wolf, unless Felicity was planning to play the role of alpha in the fight. Then she might put her money on the wolves. She noticed Britt’s eyes moving back and forth between them, like she was watching a tennis match and thought the ball might actually be a grenade.

  “We’re just kidding around, Britt,” she assured her. “I think.”

  “You might be, but I don’t joke about my wolves.” Felicity smiled, though, and her even white teeth and curved lips seemed innocent enough. She threw her bare wing bone into the garbage can.

  Tess laughed. “I believe your wolves are very lucky to have you on their side,” she said.

  “Ditto, with your killer whales.” She turned her lupine attention to Britt. “I’m looking forward to our tour of the sanctuary tomorrow. It’ll probably be a wet day, so I hope the rain won’t bother you.”

  Britt smiled. “If we waited for a clear day, I probably wouldn’t get my tour until next summer.”

  “Can I come?” Tess interrupted, surprising the two of them and herself with her question. She had always wanted to visit the wolf sanctuary. She decided not to delve into the motivation behind her question, because she might find uncomfortable issues like wanting to be around Britt every second she could, and petty ones like jealousy lurking there. “As a colleague, I mean, not as a spy for the opposition. Never mind. I can visit the sanctuary another time.”

  Tess sighed. Britt was watching her with a confused expression, probably thinking she was trying to sabotage the other candidates. Felicity was looking at her with far too much perception in those wide gray eyes. Tess had started out the evening as the suave and smooth flirt she usually was, but too much time around Britt paralyzed her brain cells, keeping her axons from firing like they should.

  “I don’t mind at all, if Britt is okay with it,” Felicity said, glancing between Tess and Britt. “Unless you’re going to heckle me on the tour and make me look bad. We have ways of disposing of unwanted carcasses at the sanctuary, you know.”

  “I’m sure the tourists who visit enjoy hearing that part of your presentation.” Tess looked at Britt, who lifted her hands in a gesture of surrender.

  “You can come if you want,” Britt said. “I can’t see any way it would affect my decision about the grant, but we need to tell Rose and Vince. They can join us if they’d like.”

  Great. A group outing to a wolf sanctuary, where Tess might or might not be on the dinner menu. She muttered something about getting another glass of wine, even though her first one was still almost full, and turned away. Was it worth it? Acting foolish by insinuating herself into the tour and quite possibly—if she was playing the odds—embarrassing herself by saying something awkward or clumsy to Britt at some point during the day? Just to be around her for an afternoon?

  Tess picked up another glass of wine she had no intention of drinking since she was her group’s driver and wandered across the room to where Melissa and Jake were standing behind Chris’s tall baskets. It was definitely worth it, she decided. She’d play the fool all over again if it meant she had even an extra five minutes in Britt’s company.

  Chapter Fifteen

  When Tess arrived at the Makah Wolf Sanctuary, she parked next to Britt’s Lexus and climbed out of her car. She had wanted to suggest she and Britt drive together—it only made sense to carpool, since she was certain one of Britt’s resolutions must have something to do with not wasting natural resources—but she decided riding in the same car might snap the already stretched level of appropriateness given their potential grantor-grantee relationship.

  The sanctuary seemed to be primarily a large parklike area, with oak trees and picnic tables scattered around it. A house with a sign indicating it was being used as the sanctuary offices stood on one side of the parking lot, and another building marked as the visitor center was across the lot, next to a high chain-link fence. Tess was about to wander toward the visitor center when Britt and Felicity emerged from the office building.

  She waved and waited for them under the shelter of one of the trees. The rain seemed to have worn itself out last night before Britt’s party, and had fizzled to a gentle sprinkle.

  “How much property do you have here?” she asked, once greetings were finished and they were walking toward the fenced area. Neither Vince or Rose had been able to join them, so it would only be the three of them on the tour.

  “About fifty acres,” Felicity said. “The section where our resident wolves live is about six acres in size, and half of it is accessible on our tours. We have larger and much more private pens where we keep our breeding Mexican gray wolves that might be released into the wild at some point. Most of the property is vacant land, but last night I had a chance to talk to Rose about having her society repopulate some of the empty spaces with native species, and possibly opening some trails up for tours.”

  Tess grinned. Britt’s grant was working some magic already, by bringing four previously unrelated groups together and making connections among them. Like her and Vince. She was going to put him in touch with Evergreen’s art department, because she knew the faculty would adore his artistic mission. He had promised to do an orca sculpture for the marine center in exchange.

  “The extra property gives you plenty of room if you want to expand, too,” Britt said.

  Felicity hesitated. “In some ways, yes. We want to add another private pen and purchase a breeding pair of endangered red wolves, which you know is why we applied for this grant. Still, we need to keep a large buffer zone around our animals. It helps us protect them, plus it makes the neighbors more comfortable. People can be easily frightened at the thought of wolves living next door, even though we’re extremely careful with fencing.”

  Tess nodded. “With the orcas, it sometimes feels like we have to put more effort into fighting to change the public’s negative perception of them than into physically protecting them.”

  “Same with the wolves,” Felicity agreed.

  They reached the slat-filled fence and waited while Felicity unlocked the gate. Tess watched as Britt’s face, framed by her rain-frosted hair, shifted into an expression Tess had come to know as well as her about-to-laugh one. She was connecting dots in her mind, gathering information and collating it neatly.

  “So efforts like your book, Tess, and your study of killer whale communication help people see orcas as intelligent family-oriented creatures, and not frightening sea killers. You know, Felicity, I wondered at first why you bothered to give tours instead of focusing on your breeding programs and letting the resident wolves just live quiet lives. I thought it was just a way to make money for the sanctuary, but it’s as much an educational effort, isn’t it?”

  “Yes. Absolutely, yes,” Felicity said with an emphatic nod. “Children grow up hearing stories about big bad wolves chomping on girls wearing red capes and innocent little piggies. We do our best to counteract those stories and give kids and adults a new, more positive mythology of wolves.”

  Britt nodded, lost in thought. “And it goes beyond negative stereotypes. Rose’s grasses, the clean beaches Vince leaves behind…most people take them for granted, or aren’t aware of their importance, so they can remain unprotected and unnoticed.”

  “Like the kelp,” Tess said, at the exact same time as Britt. They even turned toward each other like mirror images.

  Britt laughed and recounted a brief version of the conversation she and Tess had at the Center about sea otters and kelp. Tess stood still, dropping out of the discussion for a few seconds. She felt her heart beating as if she had been running hard, pulsing through her and into the tips of her fingers. So Britt recalled Tess’s words—it was in her nature to learn and absorb and remember. So she and Tess had spoken the word kelp at the same time, thinking in sync. No big deal. No need for pleasure and fear to start a war inside her chest.

  Tess stepped into the sanctuary and all those insane phrases like soul mates and love connection were thankfully wiped from her conscious mind, replaced by the thrill of being close to the furry and regal wolves. A gravel path wound through the sanctuary, close to fenced pens Felicity said were about a third of an acre each. Wolves ranging in color from pure white to black, and everything in between, watched them with intelligent yellow-gold eyes.

  “Are they eating pumpkins?” Britt asked, laughing with quiet delight and speaking in a hushed tone as if she’d entered a church.

  “They are,” Felicity said with a grin. “We like to give them different things to taste and smell and play with. They’re smart animals and need stimulation.”

  She stopped by the first enclosure and leaned on the railing separating them from the fence and a steel-gray female wolf by only several feet. “Most of the animals on the tour are rescued wolf-dogs and true wolves, and all were bred in captivity and wouldn’t survive even if we could release them in the wild. They’re clearly accustomed to people and wouldn’t stay away from farms and homes.”