Julia screamed at the sound of his voice and spun around on her heel, hand to her heart. Abe was standing behind her, arms crossed over his chest, head cocked to one side as he stared at the tree.

  “Don’t do that!”

  He chuckled. “You are a skittish little thing.”

  She took deep breaths to try and calm her racing heart and tried to be angry at him but the grin on his face made it hard to be. “I’ve never been called little in my life. I’m too tall for that distinction and I’m not skittish. I just didn’t hear you come in is all. You startled me—again.”

  He ran his gaze over her from head to toe. “I suppose you are tall for a woman. Nothing wrong with it. My Ester was tall, too. You remind me a lot of her, you know.”

  “Do I?”

  He nodded and looked around the room. “You plan on decorating the whole house or just this room?”

  “I don’t know. I hadn’t thought much further than the tree.”

  “Out in the thicket that tree came from you’ll find a few smaller trees perfect for pine boughs. Some of those bushes still have the dried-up husks of berries on them. My Ester always brought those inside as well. They’ll make the house smell good too but if you put them near the mantle, you’ll have to replace them before Christmas. They’ll dry out that close to the fire and the needles will drop right off.”

  “Oh, right. I hadn’t thought of that. My father always took care of all of the particulars. He always found enormous Christmas trees for the house and had someone come in to decorate every year. It was always so grand and the house smelled wonderful.” She sighed. “Father always hosted a party. This is the first year I’ll miss it.”

  “Hold your own.”

  She grinned. “I don’t think I’m up for hosting a party. It’s too late to even plan one, anyway. Besides, there’s a big party being held in town. I’m sure everyone will be there.”

  “Will you?”

  She shrugged. “I don’t know. Matthew hasn’t mentioned it and I only found out about it today.”

  “Well, bring it up. He needs some time away from this ranch. He worries too much.”

  Julia raised her head at that. “Worried about what?”

  “Nothing for you to be concerned about.” He smiled and nodded to the door. “Best go get those pine boughs. Matt will be in hunting his lunch before too long.”

  “I suppose you’re right.” She glanced at the clock and went to the back door to grab her cloak. When she returned, Abe was gone. “What in the—”

  She peeked into the other room and saw nothing. She blew out a breath. “For an old man, you sure are quick on your feet.” Heading to the fireplace, she stirred the coals in the fire so it wasn’t blazing then grabbed the large basket by the door and headed out.

  As luck would have it, Orin had left the hatchet on the porch. She’d not have to pull or break off any limbs she found. Placing it in her basket, she headed for the same grove of trees he’d taken her to not half an hour earlier.

  Her booted feet made a soft crunching sound as she stepped underneath the trees. The snow had frozen over here and a thin layer of ice had formed.

  Finding the bush with small red berries she assumed Abe had been talking about, she set the basket down, grabbed the hatchet and began cutting off the smallest limbs. She made a mental list of where she’d place them in the house as she put the first small limb into her basket and hoped she remembered to check the larder to see what sort of spices Matthew had. She could simmer a few on the stove and fill the house with the same fragrant scents she was used to at Christmas.

  She’d broken a good sweat when she heard the snow behind her crunching. She finished cutting off the limb she was hacking on and tossed it into her basket before turning around. Then froze.

  The weeks of preparation to come to Montana had been spent going through every book she could find on the sort of wildlife she may encounter here and the wolf was one she hoped never to come across. The one standing in front of her looked as terrifying as those she’d read about and when his lip curled up to reveal his teeth, her heart skipped a beat.

  His growl started low then grew in volume and when he took a small step toward her, she took one backward, her entire body seeming to start rattling all at once. Her limbs grew shaky, her heart raced and she gripped the hatchet handle tightly and took another step backward.

  The wolf lowered its head and Julia flicked a quick glance toward the house. She could barely make it out through the trees. Would the wolf attack if she ran?

  He growled, the sound a low rumble, and tears instantly stung the back of her eyes. She blinked them away, lifting the hatchet a few inches. “Please go away.” She kept her voice soft, barely over a whisper. “Don’t make me use this. I have no desire to kill an animal.” Or be eaten by one.

  The wolf tore his yellow gaze from her for a brief second and looked to its left. Julia did the same and saw another wolf stalking in close. Her heart started pounding, blood rushing to her head so quickly she felt dizzy as images of them attacking her filled her mind. The wolf took another step toward her and she lifted the hatchet, gripped the handle with both hands and took slow steps to the side, trying to make a wide circle around the thing in order to head back to the house.

  She’d taken less than a dozen steps when he jumped. Julia’s heart lodged in her throat and she screamed until her lungs felt as if they would burst and swung the hatchet when the animal was inches from her face. They both hit the ground, the wolf stunned from the blow she’d given it and she scrambled away on all fours, screaming when the other wolf sprang for her.

  Raising the hatchet, she swung at it, clipping it on the nose and felt something warm splatter across her face. She hurried to her feet, gripped the hatchet with two hands again and tried to see through her tears. “Stay where you are,” she said, sniffling. The first wolf was bleeding from a large cut next to its ear, the other, its nose, both of their injuries staining the snow red. When the wolf with the cut ear lunged for her a second time, she prayed they didn’t kill her.

  Julia was screaming.

  Matt ran for the house, rifle in hand, his blood freezing in his veins. He heard shouts behind him, the other ranch hands reacting to her screams as well, and it only took seconds to hear them running after him.

  Footprints led from the house into the copse of trees near the creek. Another scream, followed by what sounded like an animal, had him lifting the gun as he churned up snow and raced for the trees.

  He saw them the moment he stepped under the canopy of limbs. Julia was on the ground, a wolf laying a few feet away from her. When it stood, and she began to crawl away, his heart lodged in his throat as both wolves lunged for her.

  The gunshot was deafening as he pulled the trigger. He didn’t know if he’d hit either animal but they ran. He darted around the trees and saw blood on the ground when he was only a few feet away from her.

  “Julia!”

  “I’m all right,” she said, rolling to her side and trying to sit up.

  The wolves were gone by the time he reached her. He fell to one knee, laid the gun on the ground and helped her sit up, his hands skating across her bloody face and arms. He pulled his hands away, his fingers coated with blood. “Where did they bite you?”

  “They didn’t. I’m fine.” She looked at his hands and shook her head. “It’s not mine. I got one of them with the hatchet.”

  He looked over his shoulder to where the wolves had run and caught a glimpse of Orin chasing after them. Silas stopped by his side, winded. “How many of them did you see?”

  “Only two,” Matt said. Julia’s eyes were wide, her breaths panted out and he wasn’t sure who was shaking more—her or him. “Were there others, Julia?”

  She took a deep breath and let it out before saying, “No. Two is all I saw but I wasn’t looking for more. I was afraid to look away from the one in front of me.”

  He grabbed his rifle and handed it to Silas and motioned him in the direction Orin had gone, then helped Julia to stand. When her knees went out from under her, he scooped her off the ground.

  “I can walk. Just give me a second.”

  He ignored her and headed back to the house, the screams echoing inside his head until that’s all he heard. Julia made a small noise and he realized he was squeezing her to him and loosened his tight hold on her.

  It took three tries to grab the door handle and he ended up kicking the door in his haste to open it, Julia jumping in his arms at the sound. He set her on the sofa, helped her remove the cloak then inspected every inch of her that he dared, ignoring her when she continued to say she was fine. He took her cloak and stood, pacing away, willing his hands to stop shaking as he draped it over the arm of the chair. His thoughts were racing, her screams joining those that haunted him daily, and only the look on Julia’s face brought him back to her side. He knelt in front of her and when he was sure he could speak without his voice trembling, he said, “What were you doing out there?”

  “Collecting pine boughs.”

  “Pine boughs?” His confusion must have shown on his face because she said, “I wanted them for decorations,” before he could ask why she needed them.

  He looked around the room and spotted the tree. That Christmas all those years ago filled his mind’s eye the instant he saw it. The house had been filled with festive decorations then. Pru had insisted they be put up, even though it was only him and his pa living there. He’d ripped them down that day, burned them all and hadn’t acknowledged Christmas since. Knowing Julia nearly died not two weeks before that anniversary sent white-hot fury racing through his veins.

  “Where the hell did that come from?”

  She glanced in the direction of the tree and hesitated before saying, “Orin helped me bring it in.”

  Memories by the dozens came flooding back the longer he stared at it, the screams echoing inside his head again. He was shaking as he crossed the room to grab the tree. He hauled it to the front door and tossed it out, nearly hitting Orin and Silas as they neared the porch. Orin was carrying a basket, those pine boughs Julia had been collecting filling the inside and he was across the porch, snatching the basket from Orin’s hand and tossing it away before anyone could say a word.

  He pointed a trembling finger at Orin, his jaw clenching tight before saying, “Don’t ever take my wife into the woods again, especially for something as useless as a tree.”

  “I’m sorry, Matt. I didn’t mean—”

  Matthew didn’t let him finish and stormed back into the house. His heart was racing to the point he felt dizzy. Julia was where he’d left her, her eyes wide. “I don’t want to see another tree in this house. Am I clear?” When she nodded her head at him, his gut churned as images of her torn into pieces like the young cow had been filled his head. “And don’t go back into the woods. I don’t need another death on my conscious. I have plenty as it is!”

  She didn’t say anything but didn’t have to. The fear on her face as she lowered her head to stare at her hands said enough. If he hadn’t been so furious, he would have probably felt bad for the tears in her eyes, and for yelling at her but, at the moment, all he could see was her in the blood-covered snow staring lifelessly at nothing.

  He stared at her until his heart resumed a normal beat and opened his mouth to say, what he had no idea, but closed it without uttering a word. You almost lost her. The thought whispered across his mind and in an instant he was mad all over again. Those wolves needed to be dealt with.

  He stormed out of the house, slamming the door shut behind him and hurried back across the barnyard, Silas and Orin following along quietly. He was still shaking when he walked inside the barn, his eyes taking several minutes to adjust to the dim interior.

  Orin looked much like Julia did when he turned to face him, the only difference being he wasn’t crying, but the remorse on his face was plain to see. He bit back more words he’d regret later and hurried to the stall his horse was in and started to saddle him.

  Silas cleared his throat. “Is Mrs. Bailey all right?”

  He didn’t answer right away, deciding to wait until he’d calmed a bit. When he knew he could talk to them without yelling he nodded his head. “Yes. She’s shaken up but other than that, I think she’s fine. She wasn’t hurt.”

  He tightened the last cinch and guided the horse out of the stall, then looked at Silas. “Go ‘round up the others. If those wolves are still on my property, I want them dead.” Silas nodded and turned on his heel. When Orin turned to follow him, Matt stopped him. “I want you to stay near the house and keep an eye on Julia. Make sure she doesn’t go out into those woods again.”

  Orin promised to not let her out of his sight and followed him out of the barn. When Matt climbed into his saddle, he gave a quick glance to the house before taking off toward town, the scene in the woods replaying in his head on repeat with every step the horse made.

  The sight of her face splattered with blood wouldn’t leave him, nor would the vision of her laying in the snow surrounded by large swaths of it. It hadn’t been hers but it could have been. Had he been a few minutes later in reaching her, all that blood could have been hers.

  It took longer than it should have for him to finally calm down, the small trails of smoke in the distance from the houses in town coming into view before the screams inside his head faded. He ran a hand down his face and released a pent-up breath. What if he’d reached her too late? What if he’d not been fast enough and he’d lost her? She’d only been his for a short time and the thought of her not being there made him realize how much he wanted her. How much he wanted to hold her close.

  Seeing her there on the couch covered in blood splatters with tears pooling in her eyes filled him with the desire to grab her, to pull her to him and not let go but he wasn’t sure such intimacy would have been welcomed. She’d made no mention of him coming to her bed so he doubted she wanted that sort of attention from him. She wasn’t ready for their relationship to progress to that point or she would have let him know. Wouldn’t she?

  Or was she waiting on him?

  He blew out a breath. Surely she knew how much he wanted to be a proper husband to her. What man wouldn’t? Especially when his wife was as lovely as Julia was.

  You should have told her. Maybe she’s waiting for you.

  His thoughts ran in circles as he rode closer to town. Something needed to change. They couldn’t go on being strangers. He didn’t want to. He wanted his wife. Wanted to be a proper husband to her and once he got home, he’d see about making that happen. Right now, he needed to speak with the sheriff. Those wolves needed to be dealt with and quickly. His wife’s life may depend on it.

  Chapter Seven

  When the front door slammed shut, the tears Julia was holding back fell unbidden. She was near blind from them when she jumped from the sofa and ran for the stairs and up to her room.

  From her window, she saw Matthew on his horse, galloping across the bridge and seeing him broke her heart all over again, the torrent of tears erupting as she sobbed.

  She staggered to the bed, tears blinding her as she sat down. She’d never been yelled at. Her father had spoiled her and he’d never raised his voice with her until she’d told him she was leaving for Montana but he’d apologized immediately and hugged her close until she believed he was truly sorry.

  But Matthew hadn’t done that. He’d yelled, his anger apparent with every harsh word he spoke, and now her heart hurt, the pain so intense it felt as if it were going to crumble inside her chest.

  She cried for long minutes, her heart bleeding out until the pain was a physical ache. She’d never feared Matthew, not once since arriving and if anyone had reason to fear another it was her. They were strangers after all, and even though he seemed pleasant enough, it didn’t mean he was.

  Had she been wrong about him after all this time? Was he prone to violent rages? She’d heard of many men who possessed bad tempers they couldn’t control and almost all of them were prone to strike whether the object of their anger was male or female. Would Matthew strike her? She hadn’t thought so until today.

  She crossed to the water pitcher and bowl and wet one of the small hand towels there and washed her face, laying the cool cloth to her red eyes before venturing back downstairs when the signs of her crying fit were gone.

  The door was cracked open. It must not have latched when Matthew slammed it. She went to close it but stopped when she saw the tree lying next to the porch. Why had he reacted so violently when he saw it? It had been tucked into the corner, out of the way. It would have hurt nothing for it to be there.

  She shut the door and turned, not at all surprised to see Abe standing next to the fireplace. For once he didn’t startle a scream out of her and he said nothing until she gave him a tiny, forced smile.

  “He didn’t mean to yell at you like that. He was just scared is all.” His voice was pitched low, the soothing tone comforting. “We men don’t know how else to deal with an emotion like fear other than yelling. It’s that or hit something and I reckon that would have frightened you more than the yelling did.”

  “He couldn’t have been nearly as frightened as me.”

  “Oh, I imagine he was.”

  She met his gaze, and for once, saw no laughter dancing in his blue eyes.

  He motioned to one of the chairs and said, “Sit down. Your face looks as white as my hair.”

  Her mouth tilted up on one end, a smile trying to form as she did what he said. They didn’t speak for a long time, the only sound to be heard that of the clock on the mantle. When he continued to stand there and stare at her, she sighed. “Do you know why he reacted that way?”

  He nodded. “I do, but it’s not my story to tell. Matt has issues with this time of year. He and Pru both do. Christmas isn’t joyful for either of them and when they’re ready to tell you why, they will, but just know Matthew cares about you whether he shows it or not and I’m sure he’s beating himself up over the way he reacted.”

 

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