Searching for Anna, Jenifer Carll-Tong [cheapest way to read ebooks TXT] 📗

The setting sun cut slits of light through the densely wooded copse that separated the main road to the livery from the upper road that led to the Speer homestead. Phoebe had lived in Iron Falls long enough to have explored most parts of this town by now, and she knew that taking the little shortcut through the trees would save her nearly a half an hour of walking than if she stayed to the road. The copse was a little steep, but nothing she couldn't handle, and had already handled several times when visiting the family. And, as Will had pointed out, it was getting late. She would need the shortcut if she were to make it there before it got too dark.

With one hand, she grabbed a fistful of her skirt and lifted it out of the way and with the other she grabbed a hold of the nearest evergreen branch. The trees were massive, but this close to the ground, where little light filtered down through the dense upper branches, the branches were sparse, poor excuses for evergreen boughs. But, empty and spindly, they were perfect handles for climbing steep inclines.

Phoebe had made it about a third of the way up the incline when she heard a noise. She stopped, listening for the sound again, but heard nothing. Deciding she had only heard herself stepping on dry, fallen needles, she continued her ascent, branch by branch, until she heard the sound again. This time it was unmistakable. The noise was not coming from her. The problem was, she wasn't certain where it was coming from. She looked left to right but saw nothing other than that the light was fading much faster than she had expected. Of course, she thought. Inside the woods would darken faster.

An eerie feeling nagged at her stomach and she decided that maybe she should wait until tomorrow to visit the Speers. She turned to follow her steps back down the hill. It was then that she saw Will at the bottom of the incline.

"Why are you following me?" she demanded.

"What do you think you're doing?" Will asked angrily, ignoring her question. He pulled himself up along the same path Phoebe had taken, only at twice the pace she had accomplished it. "It's too late for you to be out here all by yourself. I told you to wait for me outside the store."

Phoebe's pulse quickened. "You told me? You told me! Well, Constable, this may come as quite a shock to you, but I am not a child and you are not my father. You cannot tell me what to do!"

Will stopped halfway up, his face darkening. "When you act like a child, I'll treat you like one. You have no idea what kind of danger you could be facing out here. Come on, Pheebs. I'll walk you back to the parsonage."

Will turned and headed back down the hill. Phoebe stood, mouth agape, amazed at his arrogance.

He reached the bottom and turned back expectantly. "Well?"

"Well, what? I'm not a dog, Will. You can't order me around and expect me to follow your every command."

He sighed. "Phoebe, please come down here."

"No."

"I said please."

"You said it too late."

Will clenched his fists and let out an exasperated groan. "Woman! You are enough to drive a sane man crazy."

"Seems to me you've made that trip all on your own! Now, if you'll excuse me, I'll be on my way. As you have pointed out, it's getting quite late, and you are only delaying me." She turned back toward the upward path, the one she had only moments earlier decided to abandon. But anger and indignation drove her forward without another thought to the darkness or the sound that had unnerved her before.

"Phoebe."

It wasn't what he said but how he said it; he'd spoken her name, but not in a harsh, angry way. No, Will's voice was wary, and it surprised her. She turned back to him.

"What now?"

"Don't move," Will said sternly.

This was more like the Will she'd expected. "Don't tell me what to do," she snapped.

Will raised his gun and pointed it at her.

"Are you serious? I know you aren't going to shoot me."

"I said DON'T MOVE!"

Phoebe placed her fists on her hips and stepped backward. "I'll do whatever I please…" but before she could finish the argument, Will cocked the gun and pulled the trigger. Phoebe screamed as the gun fired and, from seemingly nowhere, something large crashed into the back of her legs, sending her tumbling forward down the hill.

She came to rest at the bottom near the narrow roadway and rolled over to find herself face to face with a very large, and now very dead, gray wolf.

Will ran to her and knelt. "Pheebs, are you alright? Are you hurt?"

She scrambled to her feet, shaking uncontrollably. "You…you shot at me."

"I shot at the wolf."

"But I was in front of it."

"I had a clear enough shot, but it would have been easier if you had listened," he said, grabbing her shoulders and moving her out of his way. "Next time, duck."

Phoebe sucked air. Duck? "Excuse me?" Had he really just said that?

Will turned his back to her and knelt beside the carcass of the enormous beast. He rubbed his forehead and was silent.

Looking at the wild animal, nearly a match of Will in size, caused a chill down Phoebe's back. The shock was beginning to wear off of Phoebe, and the truth of the situation finally hit her… Will had just saved her life.

"Will, I —"

He stood and threw his hat down on the dirt path. "Darn it, Pheebs. Do you understand what has happened?"

"Yes, of course I do. You've saved my life."

"Your life? I'm not talking about your life. I'm talking about his."

Phoebe looked at the animal. Its long, silvery body stretched out before her. It must have been nearly six feet across. Its mouth lay open, razor sharp teeth still protruding from the lifeless snout. It was terrifying even in death, yet Will was upset over its demise?

"Its life? This dangerous beast? You're worried about its life? What about mine? It would have ended mine had you not come along."

"Exactly. That's why you can't walk around this late by yourself. You could have been killed."

"But I wasn't."

"No, but I had to take his life to save yours," Will said, snatching his hat from the ground. "Do you know how rare wolves are? In fact, before finding him, it was believed that there weren't any left in the Upper Peninsula. And now, I may have possibly killed the last of his kind."

"Well, I'm glad. It isn't safe with beasts like that roaming the woods."

"They roam at night when sensible people are at home."

"So, now I'm not sensible? You aren't being sensible, to mourn the loss of something so vicious."

Will's jaw clenched. A low growl escaped his parted lips as he slammed his hat back on his head. In one quick movement, Will bent and lifted Phoebe. He threw her over his shoulder and turned back toward town.

"Put me down, Will Caffey," she screamed as she beat her fists on his back. "Do you hear me? I said put me down!"

Will said nothing as