Alaskan Sanctuary by Teri Wilson Page B

now.
    He jammed his hands in his pockets and cleared his throat. “Don’t worry. Tate’s going to keep an eye on things for you.”
    “Right.” She nodded, but her smile looked forced, her stare vacant. Shell-shocked. “And you’ll be around.”
    “For a while, anyway.” Twelve more days. Surely he could go that long without making the mistake of touching her again.
    “Awhile. Sure, that’s what I meant.” She swallowed, looking wounded. Which Ethan supposed was only natural, considering she’d been the victim of a crime. Although she still didn’t even know to what extent, since he couldn’t bring himself to tell her what the graffiti had said. “I should probably check on the wolves. Sometimes they get spooked when strangers come around, especially when I’m gone.”
    “You do that.” He gestured toward the bucket and can of paint. “I’ll finish cleaning up here, and then I’m heading to town.”
    “To town? What for?”
    Distance. Space. A little breathing room to clear my messed-up head.
    “To pick up a lock for your shed.” He walked past her, painting supplies in tow, before he said something else. Something he shouldn’t.
    All the while forgetting the words that he should have said most of all.

Chapter Six
    To: Anna Plum [email protected]
    From: Ethan Hale [email protected]
    Subject: Thank you
    Dear Ms. Plum,
    Thank you for your call today. I’d appreciate the opportunity to meet you and learn more about the position available at The Seattle Tribune . With my experience and background, I believe I could be an asset to your paper. I’ve attached links to a few of my recent articles on hydropower in the Arctic and the dangers of tsunamis on the Kenai Peninsula.
    As we discussed, I’m on assignment at the moment. However, I look forward to making a trip to Seattle as soon as possible.
    Thank you again for your time and interest in my work.
    Best regards,
    Ethan Hale
    To: Ethan Hale [email protected]
    From: Anna Plum [email protected]
    Subject: RE: Thank you
    Hello Ethan,
    It was great connecting with you. We at The Seattle Tribune are following your wolf diary with avid interest. Please contact me as soon as you have an opening in your schedule.
    I look forward to hearing from you at your earliest possible convenience.
    Sincerely,
    Anna Plum
    Editor in Chief
    The Seattle Tribune
    * * *
    “W hat do you think?” Posy held up a tutu that looked too small to fit a wolf cub, much less an actual person.
    Piper stared at it, wondering just how miniscule a four-year-old could possibly be. “I think that’s the smallest tutu I’ve ever seen.”
    “Nope.” Posy shook her head. “They definitely come much smaller.”
    Anya Parker, a friend of Posy’s who’d been recruited for the dance school’s costume committee, looked up from her needle and thread. “One thing’s for sure. It’s definitely the reddest.”
    “Good.” Posy grinned. “The theme is Little Red Riding Hood , after all.”
    “And that’s large enough to fit a real child?” Piper peered through an opening the size of a nonexistent waist.
    “For a four-year-old? Certainly.” Kirimi, Anya’s mother, gave a reassuring nod. “Little girls are more delicate than you think they are. They’re just itty-bitty things.”
    Piper’s throat grew tight.
    Little girls are more delicate than you think they are.
    She knew exactly how delicate little girls could be. Once upon a time, she’d been one of those delicate girls.
    But why was she thinking about that here and now? The church thrift shop was no place for revisiting her mess of a childhood. Until this evening, Piper had never even set foot in the building.
    The thrift store was run by Kirimi, Anya’s mom. Kirimi was also apparently some kind of sewing genius and had agreed to spearhead the costume efforts for Posy’s recital. So they’d all met in the thrift store after hours—Piper, Posy, Kirimi and Anya. The gathering had been a little