Blind Acceptance (6 page)

No questions will be asked as long as she’s unharmed.” He sniffed and wiped at his eyes. “I just want her back. She’s all I have left.”

The reporter moved closer. “Mr.

Conners, is it not possible that your daughter wandered away from your campsite and got lost?”

“No, absolutely not. My daughter’s blind, and she doesn’t even have her cane with her. She would never have attempted to walk away on her own.” He looked down at his hands and then up at the camera, tears trailing down his face.

“We were just doing a little father-daughter bonding, just the two of us.

She’s been away in a special school most of her life and recently lost her only remaining grandparent. It was supposed to be a time for us to heal.” He ran his hands through his hair. “It’s all my fault. I found us a good place to camp, but we had to hike in. I got Laynee settled and then jogged back to the car to get our gear. When I got back,” he sobbed, “she was gone. I’ve seen several wolves in the area since we’ve been here. I’m terrified that some wild animal has taken her away.”

The cameraman focused on the reporter. “The sheriff’s department and the highway patrol are combining efforts and combing the area north of Campbell.

They’re asking the public to keep their eyes open, but to stay out of the woods until the authorities give the all clear.”

The broadcast went back to studio feed. “We’ll keep a close eye on this story as information becomes available.

For years there have been reports of wolves all over the northern part of Wyoming. It’s a shame it takes a tragedy like this to make people look at the big picture.”

Remus raised the remote and turned the television off.

Latan growled. “Damn, every Tom, Dick, and Harry will be out trying to bag a vicious wolf now.”

Remus turned and looked at David.

“You and Eric are sure this young woman is your mate?”

David nodded and sank into a chair.

“Yes, sir. There’s no doubt about my bear claiming her. He went nuts when we got close enough to catch her scent.”

Remus nodded toward a man standing in the corner. “You remember, Tehran, the pack doctor, don’t you?”

David stood and held out his hand.

“Sure, how’ve you been, Tehran?”

The gray-haired man grinned and took his hand. “Not bad for an old man.

Alpha Remus said you think the girl’s father drugged her and then left her to die. What makes you think that?”

David sighed, combing his fingers through his hair. He told them about first seeing her at the gas station. “When Eric went on his run, he came across her father and another man at their campsite.” He turned to Remus. “Which, by the way, was nowhere near Campbell. He’s got them searching in the wrong direction.”

Shaking his head, he turned back to Tehran. “He overheard them talking. The younger guy was questioning how long it would take before the bears would get her. They mentioned the drugs and that was enough to send Eric racing to find me. He let his wolf search while I took the Jeep north. The guys talked like they’d left her a couple of hours before, and said she was by the stream, so we gauged the distance and began our search.”

He paced back and forth. “Eric found her first. He could smell the drugs when he scented her neck, and there was a can of soda on the ground that also had the drug smell.” David looked up and smiled. “I’ve got the can in the Jeep.

We’re hoping you can tell us what they gave her, in case there are any side effects we should watch for.”

Tehran nodded. “No problem there. Is the Jeep unlocked?”

“Yeah, I left it unlocked.”

“Then I’ll grab it on my way out and take it back to the clinic and see what we’re dealing with. Has she been sick at all? Any dizziness, nausea, vomiting?”

“Maybe a little groggy and dizzy. She passed out as soon as we laid her down on a sleeping bag.”

Remus growled softly. “Tehran, see what you can find out and get back to me ASAP.”

“Right, Alpha, on my way.” He let himself out the front door.

Remus turned to David. “This is opening a really nasty can of worms, boy.”

David bristled. “What could we have done different, Alpha? The woman is our mate. We have to protect her, even from her father.”

The alpha placed his hand on David’s shoulder and smiled. “I know, son, and I’m not upset with you. I just want you to understand what’s about to go down.

When they don’t find her body, they’ll increase the search parameters and come closer to us. It will be extremely dangerous for anyone in the pack to make a run. I’m going to have to include warnings with our meeting this afternoon.”

Maddie stood up. “I recommend we keep the young woman hidden away for now. If they discover her, she’ll automatically be returned to her father.

We need to do some digging and find out why he wants her dead before we do anything else.”

“You have any recommendations on how we go about doing that?” Remus asked.

Maddie grinned. “Ask Koril to assign Alexander, Macon, or Synia to do some digging.” Koril had been the head of security for Wind River Pack for over fifty years. He currently had three of the pack’s young wolves working for him.

Latan stood. “Okay, I’ll see what we can work out.”

Remus put his hand on David’s shoulder. “In the meantime, stick close to your mate, but don’t tell her anything about us until we find out more about her father. If you can avoid it, don’t tell her anything about her father until we get some definite answers.” He started toward the kitchen and then turned back.

“Bring her with you this afternoon. I need both of you at the meeting. I’ll make arrangements for her to visit with the pups while the pack meets, and then you can introduce her around at the reception afterward.” He sighed and moved toward the kitchen. “We’re heading for a major clusterfuck.”

Laynee pulled up the zipper on her jeans and ran her fingers around the loose waist. “I guess I need to gain a little weight.” Grabbing the T-shirt, she let her fingers trace around the inside of the collar searching for a label. When she found one, she yanked the shirt over her head. Feeling a little better, she folded the towel and laid it on the counter. “Sorry I can’t clean up after myself here, but I don’t know where you keep everything,” she whispered. The men had been awfully nice to her, and they really had sexy voices. She covered her mouth to muffle her laugh. “I wish I could see what they look like. I wonder if I could get Eric to let me feel his face?”

“Laynee, are you okay?” Eric asked.

She took a deep breath and opened the door. “I’m fine, just finishing up. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate the clothes. I’d been in my other things way too long.” She walked out of the bathroom, holding her hand out in front of her and started when Eric closed his fingers around her arm. “Have you been able to find out anything about my father?”

“No, not yet. David went to our dad’s house to see what he could find out.” He guided her further into the room. “It’s such a pretty day. I thought you might like to sit out on the back deck. We’ve got a swing and some rocking chairs set up. I took the liberty of taking some lemonade and cookies out that I found in the kitchen.”

“You found food in the kitchen? You said this was a guest house. Are they expecting someone?”

“No, Remus just likes to keep it stocked up so it’s ready on a moment’s notice.” He patted her on the shoulder with his other hand. “Don’t worry.

David already called him last night and got permission to bring you here.

Knowing my dad, he probably checked the supplies to make sure we’d have anything we’d need.”

“Okay, then I won’t worry anymore.

I’d love to sit outside. It’s not something I get to do very often.”

“Then, by all means, let’s go.” Eric took her arm and led her across the room and through another before he pulled open a door. “The swing is to the right.

That’s always been my favorite.”

Laynee nodded and stepped out into the fresh air. She breathed in deeply.

“Flawless spring days are like an assault on your senses.”

“That’s so true.”

His voice held a note of warmth. She felt his hand slide down her back, linger at her waist, and then depart as he laid her hand on the arm of the swing.

“This swing is big enough for the both of us. It’s held to the roof of the porch awning with screws and hung on chains.”

Laynee skimmed her hand over the smooth wood and up the cold metal chain links. Turning, she sank down on the cushioned seat. She could feel the warm sun on her face as the gentle breeze brushed through her hair. The birds trilling blended with the sound of the wind rustling the leaves. The smell of pine needles and wildflowers competed with the earthy smell of grass.

A mournful howl of an animal had her turning around. “What was that?”

“A wolf. There are a lot of them in this area.”

She leaned against the slatted back and smiled. “Is this like some kind of wildlife refuge?”

Eric laughed. “Not exactly, but the people that live on the mountain all respect nature, and I guess the wildlife learn they’re safe here.” He picked up her hand and pressed a plastic glass into it. “That’s your lemonade.”

Laynee brought the glass to her nose and sniffed. Then she stuck out her tongue to lightly taste the contents of the glass. When the sweet and sour taste exploded across her mouth, she turned up the glass and took a long drink.

“Are you always that cautious when someone gives you something to drink?”

She felt her face heat. “Sorry, force of habit, I guess. I was taught early on to be cautious when away from home.”

“No offense taken. It’s good that you’re careful. How long have you been blind, if you don’t mind me asking?” He leaned closer. “It’s okay to tell me to mind my own business if you don’t want me asking you anything.”

“No, I don’t mind questions, as long as I get to ask some of my own.”

“By all means, feel free to ask me anything.”

She leaned back. “As for your question, all my life. I was a preemie and had to spend some time on oxygen in an incubator. They got the concentration too high, for too long, and it damaged my optic nerves.” She shrugged. “At least that’s the way it was explained to me.”

“Must be tough.”

“What?”

“Knowing that somebody’s mistake in judgment could make such a profound difference in your life.”

“We all have crosses to bear, Eric.

Some are just harder to bear than others.”

“You said you were camping with your father. Where’s your mother?”

“She died when I was little.”

“So your dad raised you, or did you have a stepmother?”

Laynee sighed. “He never remarried, but he didn’t raise me either. I guess the thought of trying to keep up with a blind little girl was too much for him. After my mother passed away, he sent me away to school.”

Eric pushed out his foot and started the swing swaying back and forth. “A boarding school?”

“I guess you could call it that. The Perkins Institute for the Blind is in Portland. I went there just before I turned six, and I’ve lived there until just a few days ago.”

He got very still and laid his warm hand on her arm. “You’ve been in a boarding school since you were five years old. How old are you now?”

Laynee laughed. “I just turned twenty-one a few days ago. But I don’t go to school there anymore. I’ve been a teacher there for the last year.”

“That’s pretty cool. I have three cousins that teach. Kilana teaches middle school, and Rennia and Eloise are with grade and preschool kids. They seem to love what they do.”

“What do you do for a living?” asked Laynee.

“David and I own Shifting Adventures up in Glacier. We take people on wilderness trips, so they can photograph nature.”

“Wow, that sounds exciting. How long have you been at it?”

“We’ve been fully operational for almost three years now. We offer white-water rafting trips, fly fishing, kayaking, and photograph hunts about nine months of the year.”

“I’m envious. I’ve never done any traveling to speak of. I took day trips with the school, very well chaperoned, but never traveled with my father. He works as an investment counselor for a bank, and he travels quite a bit. He used to send me postcards from all over the world.”

“He sent you postcards!”

She laughed. “Yeah, pretty lame, huh?

The headmistress of the school always had to describe them and read them to me. It made her really angry at times.”

“Well, not to disparage your father, but that’s pretty thoughtless. He could have recorded messages and sent them to you.”

“Okay, it’s my turn. Do you have any other siblings?”

Eric laughed and put his arm across the back of the seat. She could feel the heat of his skin seeping through the cotton of her T-shirt. “There are six of us.”

“Six! Oh my goodness! What a wonderfully large family. Tell me about them.”

“Well, you’ve met David. He’s the oldest of us. He’s thirty-seven. I’m next at thirty-five. My brother Zack is twenty-nine and just got out of the Marines. I don’t think he’s decided what he wants to do with the rest of his life.”