Day of the wolf, p.12
Day of the Wolf,
p.12
“That’s just what I was thinking,” Landon said.
“I never imagined a wolf pack would go looking for a pack member’s missing pet.” Gabrielle thanked Roxie for the snowshoes.
“Yeah, there are all kinds of good things to be said about a wolf pack.” Landon grabbed a prepacked backpack with a first aid kit and warming blanket out of the storage room, just in case Rosco was injured. He also grabbed three bottles of water and slipped them into the backpack.
Landon led Gabrielle outside, and they crunched through the snow in the direction they both smelled Rosco had gone. They called out for Rosco the whole while.
“Rosco, here, boy!” Landon said.
“Rosco!” Gabrielle called out.
They walked past the bunny ski slope, past the bottom of a green slope, then beyond a blue slope, all easy walking since the slopes were groomed. But when they came to the expert slope, the snow beyond it was soft, powdery, and deep.
“Time for snowshoes,” Landon said, and helped Gabrielle on with hers, then put on his own.
Then they began calling for Rosco again.
“He definitely came this way.” Landon pointed out the imprint of the dog plowing through the snow.
“Why this way?”
“Maybe he was chasing a rabbit or a squirrel. He’s known to do that, though only when he’s on leash.”
* * *
Gabrielle hoped they’d find Rosco soon. She was getting colder and colder, walking in the deep snow, and wearing snowshoes was a whole new experience too. Still, she was worried about the Saint Bernard. What if he had gotten lost? She didn’t think Rosco would, but she’d known of cases where her clients’ dogs had chased off after something and gotten horribly lost. She would think they would be able to trace their scent back to the owner’s home, but nope.
She hoped the dog wasn’t injured, but if he was, that’s where she could really help. If she didn’t freeze to death first. “Rosco!”
“Rosco!” Landon called out. He glanced back at Gabrielle, who was falling behind…again.
She couldn’t help it. She felt the snowshoes were cumbersome and unwieldly, but at least they were probably keeping her from sinking too deeply into the snow. She still sank a couple of inches. She caught the tip of her snowshoe on a low-hanging tree branch and tripped. The snowshoe came unclipped from her boot, and her foot sank three or four feet into the snow. Man, she would never have believed the snow was that deep here.
Landon saw her leg buried in snow and came back to help her.
“Sorry,” she said, apologizing for holding them up.
“You’re fine. Rosco’s the one in trouble for leading us on this wild-goose chase. Are you okay? I mean, cold-wise?”
“Yeah, I’m okay. I’m cold, but hopefully we can find him soon.”
“If you get too cold, let me know. I don’t want you getting frostbite.” He picked up his phone and called someone. “Hey, Blake, we’re on Rosco’s trail beyond the last expert slope. We can smell his scent, but he hasn’t stopped running through the deep snow. I might have to send Gabrielle back to the lodge. She’s getting cold.”
“I’m fine. Wait, I hear something. A scratching sound, maybe?” She got her snowshoe on and started to move again.
“Okay, Gabrielle thinks she hears something. We’re going. Yeah, meet us out here. I’m afraid we’re not going to be able to get him through the deep snow all the way back to the lodge when we find him, unless we’ve all packed the snow down enough for him. All right. We’re on the move again. Just follow our tracks.” He tucked his phone in his pocket and followed Gabrielle, listening carefully. “What did you hear?”
“I thought I heard digging. Rosco!” she called out, trying to get to the place she thought he might be. “Oh, Landon! There he is! He’s digging at the snow beyond the stand of trees!”
“What did you find, Rosco?” Landon called out, trying to move as fast as he could to reach the location where Rosco was digging.
“You said he’s an avalanche rescue dog, right?” Gabrielle asked, getting close to Rosco. “I hear someone buried in the snow—a heartbeat, a muffled cry for help.” She began digging with her gloves as fast as she could right beside Rosco. And she could smell the human’s scent: male.
Landon pulled out his cell phone as he joined Gabrielle. “Blake, we found Rosco. He’s found someone buried in the snow. Okay, since you’re already on your way, call ski patrol, will you? I’ve got to help Gabrielle and Rosco dig out the buried victim. Out here.”
Landon quickly ended the call and began digging next to Gabrielle.
“I hear a faint heartbeat.” Gabrielle continued to dig frantically. “I smell he is human.”
“I do too. Man, am I glad you came with me. You and Rosco are a team,” Landon said.
“You would have heard Rosco if you hadn’t been talking on the phone.” She felt something hard. A helmet, she thought. “Hold on, we’re coming for you,” she called to the man buried in the snow. “We almost have you.”
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Acknowledgments
To my mother, daughter, and son, who cheer me on and believe all my books should be made into movies. And to my editor, Deb Werksman, who inspires me every step of the way. Thanks to all the help my Rebel Romance Writers give as they encourage my writing daily. And to my fans who write to me and encourage me to continue creating more wolfish tales.
About the Author
Bestselling and award-winning author Terry Spear has written over sixty paranormal romance novels and four medieval Highland historical romances. Heart of the Wolf, her first werewolf romance, was named a 2008 Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year, and her subsequent titles have garnered high praise and hit the USA Today bestsellers list. A retired officer of the U.S. Army Reserves, Terry lives in Spring, Texas, where she is working on her next werewolf romance, continuing with her Highland medieval romances, and having fun with her young adult novels. When she’s not writing, she’s photographing everything that catches her eye, making teddy bears, and playing with her Havanese puppies.
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Terry Spear, Day of the Wolf
