Wolf’s Glory Read Free

scrambled to stay on, her purse swinging wildly. “Hey, me and horses don"t get along.”
    “We will go slowly, Gloria Peterson,” he promised. It sounded like he tacked on her last name, as if he wanted to call her by her first name. “Here, give me your bag, and I"ll carry it so it doesn"t pull you over.”
    His hand on her thigh was warm when he gave her a quick caress before slinging her purse over his shoulder and swinging onto the other horse. Damn, only a guy like him could make her big purple purse look small on his shoulder. And he didn"t seem to mind carrying it.
    Her last boyfriend would have bought her tampons before he would have carried her purse.
    Wolf"s Shadow raised his hand to the others, and he led her away from the Indians at a fast walk, with a couple of the dogs dancing along. She wondered how long the ride would take.
    She"d like to call the study center before it closed, to let them know that the plane had crashed and set up a new interview.
    Glory clutched the horse"s mane with one hand since there weren"t any reins, and waved good-bye to Jane with the other. Then she clamped both hands in the horse"s mane. The last time she had been on a horse she had ended up with a broken arm and a concussion. She felt about horses like she now felt about planes. Evil creatures. Wolf"s Shadow rode close beside her, his knee brushing hers from time to time. He was watching her with an odd expression, like she was dessert. And he leaned close every now and then and inhaled. The sight of her purse, bright purple patent leather, slapping against his back, made her smile. The sight of his chiseled, hard pecs and long, muscled legs made her drool. At a half inch under six feet, she was used to towering over most women and quite a few men. He was five or six inches taller than she. She liked that in a guy. But in her experience, guys who looked like him were not interested in girls who looked like her.
    Then again, his eyes kept going over her, and every time they did, he smiled. What could it hurt to try to get to know him? If she was stranded here overnight … She could definitely stand to spend a little time with him in bed. The Nine Inch Nails song “Closer” passed through her head. Oh, yeah. She"d like to eff him like an animal.
    “So,” she said brightly, looking up at him with what she hoped was a flirtatious smile.
    “Who are you? I mean, where are you from, and what do you do?”
    He smiled back at her, and that white smile made her breath catch. “I"m Wolf"s Shadow.
    My friends and family call me Shadow. I"m from here.” He waved his arm broadly to indicate the empty prairie. “I am my father"s Beta in the Lakota Wolf Clan. We migrate to where the hunting is best. Once or twice each season we go down to Kearney to visit kin and trade for supplies. Our cousin Taye leads a pack there.”
    She had no flipping clue what he was talking about. “Lakota?” she asked with interest. “I lived not far from the Standing Rock res for a while. Are you from there? Or maybe Pine Ridge? Or…?” She trailed off to give him a chance to answer.
    He shook his head, and the wind lifted his hair again, making her want to pet it. “No, the Clan doesn"t live on a reservation. We live on the plains like our ancestors did long ago.”
    Weird. Not that it was any of her business. “That"s nice,” she said instead. “But what about in the winter? It must get pretty cold.”
    “It"s warmer in the Sacred Lands. We move there for the cold months. It"s a good time of the year in spite of the cold. We gather in each others" lodges and sing and tell stories. The Grandmother and the other women teach the young reading and history and math. And…”
    His voice sank to that sexy rumble, and he smiled at her. “It"s a time for loving.”
    Glory swallowed hard. The way his black eyes were looking at her dried her mouth and wet her panties. “Oh?” she said stupidly. “ The Grandmother?” She attempted to get her wits back