Page 39 of Rough and Rugged
Gemma
IfCalebJeffersonScottwasn’t the most frustrating, stubborn, infuriating man on earth, I didn’t know who was and I certainly didn’t want to meet him.
If it wasn’t for the fact that he was also one of the most loyal, caring, hardest-working men I knew, I’d have strangled him years ago.
And don’t even get me started on the smokin’ hot mountain man look he was rocking these days. He’d always been attractive – tall, broad, and fit, with dark brown hair and amber eyes – but the current look took it to a whole new level.
I paused that thought as I finished walking the outer perimeter fence of the huge enclosure where three of the five resident wolves – Kiko, Mani, and Shadow – lived. I checked off the last item on the list indicating that I hadn’t found any evidence of burrowing or tampering or any maintenance issues with the fence, gates, or locks, then stepped into the office momentarily to slide the form in its correct slot. Heading back out, I started the same process with the remaining two enclosures, one of which housed my favorite wolf, Rome, who had also been at the sanctuary the longest. The final enclosure housed the newest resident, Millie.
I watched for each as I inspected their enclosures. I didn’t catch sight of Millie, but Rome made his presence known, letting me see him, watching me from a distance as I walked along. I paused for a minute or two, my hands itching for my camera, taking in the majestic beauty of the huge animal, his grey fur rippling in the breeze and his piercing eyes fixed on me. He’d lost his companion, Rae, some months before and I wondered what thoughts went through his head now as he roamed the enclosure that had been theirs together.
If I ever questioned or wondered about Caleb’s dedication to this place – not that I had or would – it would only take a short time watching the wolves to understand. For a multitude of reasons, none could be released into the wild. Here at the sanctuary, they could have the next best thing. They had protection, ample food and water, and special care when they needed it, yet they had space and freedom to simply be who and what they were. It wasn’t a coincidence that, in many ways, Caleb needed the same things.
And if I happened to think he needed to let himself be loved by the right woman – namely me – even more?
That seemed as unlikely as Millie trotting up to the fence to be petted.
I finished inspecting the fencing, filed the forms, then went looking for Lloyd or Caleb to see what I should work on next.
I found Lloyd in the feed room, packaging big chunks of raw meat.
“Need some help?”
Lloyd gave me a skeptical look over his shoulder. He was only a little taller than my own 5’6”, with a wiry build, a face lined with wrinkles from years in the sun, and salt and pepper hair and mustache. As far as I knew, he’d worked at the sanctuary since even before I’d moved to the area when I was seventeen.
“You sure this is something you want to help with?” He nodded down at the dark stains on the butcher’s apron he wore. “It can get messy.”
“I’m sure.”
“Alright then. Grab an apron and some gloves.”
I suited up, then got down to business. By the time we’d placed everything in the huge fridge and freezer units, cleaned up, washed up, and stepped outside, the day had faded to nearly dusk.
And I still hadn’t talked with Caleb. He’d successfully avoided me for the past few hours, and I had no idea where he was now. Not that I wouldn’t find him. Caleb wasn’t the only one who could be stubborn.
“Thanks for the help, Gemma. You saved us hours today. I’d still have a lot of work ahead of me if you hadn’t lent a hand. Maybe Caleb should hire you on.”
I laughed at Lloyd’s wink.
“And take the chance he’d have to actually talk to me every day?” Both Caleb and Lloyd were men of few words. Even before Caleb’s injury he hadn’t been chatty. Now… “We both know he’d hate that.”
“Not sure about that,” Lloyd mumbled as he dug through his pockets for his keys. “He’s probably up in Millie’s enclosure, though he should be heading in soon. If you wait on the back steps of the house, you should see him before he has a chance to dodge you.”
He’d try, too.
“Thanks for the tip. I’ll head back there. You drive safe.”
“You do the same.”
I walked around to the back of the buildings, settling in as dusk gradually fell around me. There was just enough light to see when I saw Caleb trudging toward me carrying a large tool bag. When he saw me sitting on the steps he stopped and blew out a long breath.
“I’m sorry, Gem. I lost track. I just… forgot.”
I heard the self-reproach in his voice and saw it in the strained set of his shoulders. Nearly a year before, Caleb had sustained a traumatic brain injury while stationed with the Army overseas. The lasting aftereffects were serious enough to result in his medical discharge, something he hadnotwanted. He’d worked hard to recover since he’d been home, but he was still dealing with it every day – forgetting things, getting frustrated, losing focus, having trouble with words – and possibly,probably, would be for the rest of his life. It had been a devastating blow to him and a difficult adjustment to say the least.
“That’s okay.” No matter how important the discussion I needed to have with him was, it wasn’t worth him beating himself up. I felt a little guilty for my earlier thought that he was avoiding me on purpose.
“It’s not. I’m sorry.” His expression was stormy, his jaw clenched as he stood in front of me.