Instinct woke Lyle. Someone was watching him, staring at him, and warnings sounded inside his head with the bawling intensity of a fire alarm. He opened both eyes wide—every nerve in his body ready to spring—and found himself face-to-face with Rafe’s blue-eyed gaze. A small smile played on Rafe’s lips and Rafe looked as serene as a person could possibly get on a perfect summer morning.
“What’s Wolf?” Rafe whispered.
Lyle’s half-asleep mind fumbled to process Rafe’s question. “The animal? Or do you mean me?”
Rafe’s smile grew. It warmed his entire expression. “Wolf the place, dumb ass.”
“Oh.” Lyle turned onto his back and stretched his spine. “My hometown. It’s a small unincorporated community in Sheridan, Wyoming, beside Bighorn National Forest. I was born there. Grew up there. My fath
