Legend of the White Wolf by Terry Spear

boots, an ivory wool sweater, and ski pants, she looked ready for cold weather expeditions, minus the ski jacket. Tangled by the wind, her platinum blond hair drifted past her shoulders. Her golden eyes wary, she was a looker, with skin the same color as her clothes and ruby lips glossed for show. High angled cheekbones gave her the look of a movie star, but her tiny nose contradicted that image. She pulled off her glove and extended a hand.
       "Cameron MacPherson," he said, shaking her hand. "You run Back Country Tours?" Now maybe he'd get some answers concerning his friends.
       She lifted her nose and sniffed. "You were in my office earlier today? Along with a woman friend? Found one of my employees dead, according to the police?"
       So, she hadn't just happened to run across him here. She was investigating him.
       "Yeah, I was looking for you or your partner, Kintail Silverman. Two of my friends went on a hunt and haven't returned."
       "Owen and David are quitting. Haven't they told you?" She raised a brow and smiled just a hint, but it was icy like her whole demeanor.
       "Quitting the hunt."
       "No, quitting your business. They're going up north with us, joining our hunting guide team. They're tired of the P.I. work. Didn't they tell you?"
       Cameron stared at the woman as if she'd managed to turn him into a frog. "I'll hear it from them first."
       "Owen said he called your partner, Gavin. Said he told him they were quitting the business. Since you were…"—she smiled—"checking out our office, I figured you might not have gotten the official word yet."
       "I'll get the official word directly from them."
       "Hmm," she purred and took a step toward him, and he envisioned a lioness on a hunt, her eyes fixed on him, just waiting for the right moment to pounce and rip out his jugular. She reached her hand out and trailed her fingernails down his sweater. "Maybe you could quit your job, too. Come join us."
       That's when the door suddenly opened and Faith stalked inside, a frozen smile on her lips, her eyes narrowed in a confrontational way. She looked as though she was ready to punch out her competition, and he loved it. "Forgot your towel, honey." Faith waved the blue towel at him and slid her arm around his waist, snuggling up next to him. She gave Lila a get-lost look.
       He was ready to play the lover's role for real.
       Lila sniffed the air. "She's the one with you at my office this morning. Are you looking for his partners, too? Or something else?" she asked Faith.
       Faith stiffened. "Office? You're from Back Country Tours?"
       "Lila Grayson."
       "I'm looking for Trevor Hodges. He works for you, right?"
       Her smile faked, Lila said, "Not of late. What did you want him for?"
       "He guided my father on a… tour. I wanted to see the route they took."
       Lila narrowed her eyes. "And you are?"
       "Faith O'Malley."
       The woman's eyes widened a little in recognition. Then she smiled slyly. "Well, old Trevor Hodges could be anywhere out there." She waved her hand around in the direction of Baxter Park and the surrounding woods. Then she glanced outside at the steamy spa. "Don't want to let your water get cold." She smiled again at Cameron. "Offer still stands, if you decide to come work with us."
       "Have David and Owen meet me at the lodge, and I'll hear for myself if they plan to quit our partnership."
       "I'll be sure to give them the message." Lila whipped around and headed out of the building, shoving the door against the wall as she left the place.
       Faith hurried to close the door against the blowing wind.
       "Why did she recognize your name?" Cameron asked, pulling off his sweater.
       "Dad seems to have made an impression on a lot of people. And she might have met him when he hired Trevor to take him on the tour." Faith dumped her ski coat on one of the cedar benches.
       "I thought maybe there'd been