Bear of a Cowboy

Chapter Ten

**** Two weeks later, Gwyn sat in the lounge on the deck, trying to force air into her lungs.

On the verge of hysteria she hugged herself, rocking back and forth.

"I am not goin' crazy, I am not goin' crazy, I am....oh dear God, I must be goin' crazy."

Aunt Zinnie marched through the screen door and stopped in front of her.

"Girl! I been lookin' all ova de house fo' you! I done got too old ta be tryin' to keep up wichoo."

When she noticed her niece's pallor and body language the older lady pulled a chair up closer and sat down.

"Now. You tell Aunt Zinnie where you been an' why you t'ink you be goin' crazy."

Gwyn continued rocking.

"I saw it again. I'm not jus' seein' things, Aunt Zinnie. I know I saw it."

Zinnie sat up slowly and began methodically looking all around her cabin and the surrounding swamp land without appearing to do so.

"Meaning de white wolf." Gwyn, was astounded, she knew she had not told her aunt about seeing the white wolf. She nodded.

"How did you....?"

"Dis white wolf, did it come out o' de mist again? De white mist dat jes' comes up all o' da sudden?" Again, Gwyn nodded, she couldn't believe Aunt Zinnie knew about the wolf.

"An' dis happened afta you come outside, alone." Gwyn nodded.

Zinnie was contemplative for several moments.

"I been hearin' an' seein' strange t'ings. De swamp been tellin' me strange t'ings. Dose people, dose stalka's....dey been drawin' attention ta theyselves in de swamp. Dey up ta no good. Dey been askin' questions 'bout t'ings noooobody needs know 'bout lessin dey be makin' trouble."

Zinnie let that sink in while writing a text to Bear and Nico.

"Don' you eva wonda why ya neva see de wolf or hear de voices when somebody else is close ta you?"

"It pains me ta t'ink dat somebody from de swamp be he'ppin' deese animals dat wan' ta hurt my girl. Dey have ta be gettin' he'p ta get around de swamp wit'out runnin' inta gatta's an' quick sand."

"I know." Gwyn admitted, "Part o' me knows dat Aunt Zinnie, but...."

"But de otha part sees an' hears t'ings dat don't make much sense." Zinnie finished.

"Nico an' yo young man, dey goin' ta run deese animals ta ground. Dey gonna see to it Gwynnie girl, believe yo' Aunt Zinnie an believe in dose good men. Dey goin' ta run dem ta ground if de gatta's don' get'em fust. But, mo dan dat, dis white wolf, you got no reason ta fear dis animal. It be yo spirit guide."

***

Zinnie went inside upon hearing the oven timer. A few minutes later an argument began.

"You're goin' to screw it up! It's too soon, it's...."

A backhand across the face stopped the arguement.

"I don't understand how you and your father got so far without taking a risk." The man looked snearingly at Deputy Dogg.

"If it wusn't for me and my pop you would be nuthin'." The ex deputy said as he planted his fist into the man's face.

"We set everything up so all you had ta do was keep it goin' and you still screwed it up."

The two men stood glaring at each other, one wiping blood from his mouth, the other from his nose. Dogg looked at his hand.

"I ought ta kill you for that."

"You ain't got the guts. You just followed along after your daddy and enjoyed the results of his work."

"Who do you think kept things goin' with the wolves and cattle rustling while he was friskin' around with all those widda women and little girls?"

Both men stepped back and away from each other.

"OK look. We gotta git this finished and git outa here."

He swatted a mosquito.

"I hate the bloody swamp."

"Me too and that white wolf is gettin' hard to handle. She's pushin' to go to the girl, almost like she wants to make friends with her."

"Damn it! What else is gonna go wrong? Thosw men are pretty sure we got the place bugged, they just haven't been able to find the devices."

"Somethins' hot to give and soon. That sick jerk is gettin' hard to hold off. All he can think of is gettin' to the girl." Dogg said with a snear.

The other man brightened.

"You know what? If we work it right, we can let him lose around her so the Indian is close by."

Dogg took a puff of his cigar and looked thoughtfully through half closed eyes.

"Ya know, that jus might work. That Injun can't wait ta get his hands on our little physixal therapist. He'd get the pervert outa our misery."

Both men grinned and began making plans.