The Rogue Winter Wolf

Chapter 3: The Stranger

Chapter 3: The Stranger

The next morning, Amanda braved the pickup sitting in the garage for a trip into town.

She hadn't been lying when she said she didn't need supplies from Todd, but the destruction of her phone screen protector forced her hand. She knew herself too well–without the screen protector, she was just begging to shatter the phone itself in a matter of days, and she didn't have the money to replace her cell anytime soon.

Amanda thanked her lucky stars that the Silverado was an automatic as she started down the steep driveway and towards town. She was sure to keep an eye out for wildlife, not fond of the idea of totaling the 2019 Chevrolet; it had to be worth more than she made in a typical year.

The town was small, though Demetri had said it was rather large for a community of its size. Still, she was from the city, and the prospect of there not being a Walmart within a hundred-mile radius of her was daunting. She wasn't even sure where to go for another screen protector.

As Amanda pulled into town, she spotted Gunter's General Goods, which Demetri had told her beforehand that she could find just about anything at. It was a cute little store; wood-cabin-like with a hand-painted sign and tasteful hedges lining the front. Amanda pulled her coat tightly around herself and stepped down from the truck, out into the cold.

Inside she was blasted by heat. Amanda sighed in relief and dried her boots on the mat, though there were already countless muddy bootprints on the floor. She waved to the girl behind the counter, who was reading some sort of magazine, and then started looking around.

There were all kinds of little tourist items; sweatshirts, T-shirts, mugs, and even a calendar with pictures of the mountain views. Amused, she picked up a mug and then headed further back.

The frozen section was pitifully small, and she was surprised to see there was wild game packaged in brown paper within. She thought back to the wolf pups she'd seen, much skinnier than they should be. And yes, the first words out of anyone's mouths around these parts was not to feed the wildlife, but…

Well, maybe if they had more to eat, they wouldn't be a danger to humans anymore? She knew it was spotty logic at best, but couldn't help it as he reached inside to grab a package with Sharpie declaring it “ground elk." She noticed the price and cringed, but after a brief sweep of the freezer found everything to be marked up. Small town advantage, she supposed.

She turned quickly with the meat in hand and nearly ran face-first into a man standing just behind her.

“Oh! Oh, sorry, I wasn't looking!"

The man stepped back and frowned at her.

She swallowed.

He was… well, beautiful was the first word that came to mind. Amanda felt herself blush as she took in all six-foot-five of him. He had broad shoulders, biceps barely contained by a ratty flannel, a chiseled face, and eyes so amber they looked nearly gold in the light of the store. He had high cheekbones, a strong jaw, and lips she couldn't help but fixate on. She noticed that his eyebrows were white, but the rest of his hair was hidden by a beanie. He didn't look nearly old enough to be going gray; in fact, he had to be thirty at the most.

His gaze settled on her, eyes widening, as though he recognized her.

She was instantly smitten.

And then he ruined it when he scowled and grunted at her.

Amanda nearly gaped at him as he stepped around her and to the freezer, where he pondered over the game meat. She opened her mouth to say something before sighing–it wasn't worth her time. Some people really had all the nerve.

After perusing the small tech section, she was faced with the option of no screen protector or getting a giant brick of a phone case that had a screen protector built-in. Seeing no other choice, she picked up the eyesore and headed for the counter.

Mr. Tall Dark and Rude was at the counter, where he'd placed a large selection of meat. The cashier was ringing him up silently.

“Sixty-three-forty-two," she announced. “Is a paper bag okay?"

“Sixty dollars?" he muttered. “That's too high."

“Mmm, no, everything looks right." She looked over his items again. “It'll be ten percent off if you wait a few days."

“I don't have a few days," he growled. “This is criminal. How can you charge this much for food?"

“You must not be from around here," she said. “Everything is going to be a higher price than what you'd see elsewhere, but the wild game especially. That's how some folks out here make their money."

“This is last year's hunt," he snapped. “They should mark it down."

“Look, pal, there's plenty of freezer meals if this is soo expensive." She crossed her arms, evidently also not impressed by the stranger's attitude. “Arguing with me isn't going to make the price go down, either."

He pulled out a messy jumble of bills and slapped them down on the counter. “How much for this?"

“For that?" She pulled all the meat back and left a few lonely bricks of frozen deer. “Best I can do."

“That's nothing." Amanda noticed him looking from the pile of cuts to the door. Evidently, he was thinking about grabbing what he could and making a run for it. The girl at the counter must have noticed because she pulled everything a little closer to herself.

“If you can afford to vacation here, you can afford to pay," she said. When he didn't answer she sighed. “Look, if you need it that bad, you can talk to Sam. You can usually find him at the coffee shop down the street on Tuesdays, so if you come in tomorrow you can probably catch him. Guy's got a huge deep freezer full of game, and he's usually willing to sell."

“I won't be here tomorrow." He picked up the lone package of deer in front of him and turned it over in his hands. His long fingers dwarfed the bundle. “Fine," he snapped. He pushed the cash towards her.

As soon as she handed him back his change, he stormed towards the door.

“Yeesh," Amanda said. She set her own items down. “Sorry you had to deal with him."

“Men," the girl agreed, rolling her eyes. “Like arguing with me is going to make anything change. Oh, well. You gonna get mad when I tell you your total?"

“Oh, for sure," Amanda laughed.

“Five percent off on household items if you get a mini-can of bear spray," she said, holding up the phone case. “It works on wolves, too."

Amanda looked at the cans lined up on the side of the counter. “You're worried about that in town?"

“Harsh winter," she answered. “And after that hunter got killed, who knows?"

Amanda frowned, but after a moment, nodded. The cashier added the spray to her bag.

Outside, Amanda found that the stranger was still loitering about, fiddling with his backpack. He was trying to stuff the deer he'd bought inside. Amanda's jaw dropped when she saw more brown paper inside.

“Hey!" She marched straight up to him, clutching her grocery bag in both fists. “Did you really just throw a fit about the price, and you were stealing all that anyway? What's your problem?"

He managed to finally shove the deer he'd actually bought inside. “Mind your business, woman."

She ignored how pleasing his gruff voice was. If he was going to use it to be an a**, then she wasn't going to be affected by it. “Wh– mind my business? You mind yours! What if the owner decides to take that out of her paycheck?"

“Not my problem." He slung the backpack over his shoulder and started walking away.

Amanda stomped after him. “I'm about to make it your problem. Go return that stuff or I'll–"

He whirled around, towering over her. Up close, his body heat rolled off of him in waves. She noticed, idly, that he smelled like pine. “Or you'll what?"