Mattie searched for a tree to climb. A cottonwood was only a few steps away, its lowest branches within reach. Getting out of the animals' reach quickly wouldn't be easy. If the pack was intent on attacking, they would be on her the moment she tried to escape. Another wolf moved in, its head down and teeth bared. She had no choice. She took a step toward the tree. The wolf followed.
A rifle blast exploded. Mattie flinched. A second shot resounded.
Luke shouted. “Go on! Get! Get out of here!”
The wolves retreated into the darkness. Continuing to holler at them, Luke followed, galloping through thigh-high snow.
Letting out her breath, Mattie lowered her weapon. Her legs felt weak and she trembled.
Firing two more shots, Luke turned and trudged back to Mattie. “You all right?”
“Yes. Just scared. If you hadn't shown up…” She couldn't bring herself to finish the statement.
“I told you not to come out here.” Luke sounded angry.
Mattie didn't want to fight. “I know. Let's go back inside.”
“You could have been killed,” he yelled.
“Yes, I know.” She glanced in the direction the pack had headed. “I've lived here all my life and never had a problem with wolves. Why should I expect it now?” She looked at the club she'd been gripping and dropped it. “We don't know if they would have hurt me. Maybe they were just curious.”
“Curious, my foot. They meant to have you as a midnight snack.” His bluster wavered and he hugged her. “I'm just thankful you're all right.”
Mattie's arms went around him.
“I'm sorry I yelled. I was scared.” He loosened his embrace. “Let's
go.”
The door to her mother's cabin opened, and Affia stepped onto the porch. Holding up a lantern, she peered into the darkness. “What's going on? I heard shots. Is everything all right?”
“Yes. Everything's fine,” Mattie said. “There were some wolves…Luke scared them off.”
“Wolves? So close?”
“They followed me from down river.”
“What are you doing out at this time of night?”
“Walking. Everything's fine, Mama. Go to bed.”
“You're sure?”
“Yes.”
“All right. Good night.” The door closed with some hesitation.
Mattie and Luke headed for their small cabin. A smattering of snow fell. Mattie sighed. “More snow.”
“You sound unhappy about it.”
“It just makes more work.” She pouted. “We'll have to tromp it down around the cache and the wood pile, and—”
“Mattie, I don't want to talk about the weather. We need to talk about what happened tonight. You could have been killed. This isn't Seattle. It's Alaska.”
A heavy weariness fell over Mattie. She didn't want to talk about anything. She just wanted to sleep.
“What if they attacked you?”
“They didn't,” Mattie said shortly. “Can't we talk about it tomorrow?”
“No. We'll talk about it now.”
Mattie knew that tone. She could not avoid a discussion. She knocked off snow from her boots and opened the cabin door. “All right. We'll talk.”
The small room felt hot after being outdoors. Mattie sat on the edge of the bed. “You're right. This isn't Seattle.”
“What's that supposed to mean?”
Mattie said nothing.
“You're the one who's lived here all your life. You know how it can be. I don't want you hurt.”
Mattie didn't look at Luke.
“Listen to me.” Luke gripped her arms and pulled her to her feet. “I mean it, Mattie. Think next time.”
Mattie was the one angry now. “If we lived in Seattle, I wouldn't have been out walking in the middle of the night. And you wouldn't have to worry about me being attacked by wolves or anything else.”
