Bear of a Cowboy

Chapter Eleven

**** "Now," Aunt Zinnie said as she sat a bowel of blackberry cobbler on the deck table in front of Gwyn.

"Say when." Zinnie said and poured fresh cream onto the cobbler."

"When." Gwyn said and watched as the purpleish red cobbler juice swirled and blended with the white cream.

"I'm gonna ask you a question an' I wancha ta t'ink a minute befo' ya ansa'."

Gwyn nodded.

"Good. Now t'ink, when ya see da white wolf, whut is the very fust t'ing ya see?"

Gwyn thought for a moment.

"A white mist appears, sort o' like when a pot jus' begins ta boil. At fust, it's jes' a little then it gets real thick an' swirls around an' de wolf jus' sorta steps out of it."

"Good, dats real good. Whut happens den?"

Gwyn frowned and looked perplexed.

"Well....nuthin really. I mean it steps through de mist, looks around a bit, like it's lookin' fo' somethin'. Den....it looks at me, right at me and...."

"An' whut, Gwynie," her aunt encouraged quietly. "

"Well....it's almost like it recognizes me an' wants ta come ta me but can't."

"Why can't it?" The older lady asked.

"I don' know, it's like it starts ta run ta me, but somethin' pulls it back, quick like."

"Like it be on a leash an' somebody pulls it hard?" Zinnie felt they were getting closer to a real answer.

Gwyn looked closely at her aunt.

"Yeah, like dat, 'cept I don' see a colla' or a leash. Den it jus' looks at me. At fust it wus jus' one mo' example dat I was loosin' my mind. But...."

"But whut chile," Zinnie encouraged her to think, to reason through her fears.

"Well," Gwyn answered, "It looks kinda lonely, like it wants ta come ta me. Not to attack or hurt me, but....almos' like fo' love."

"Dat's whut I thought!" Zinner said smiling and patted Gwyn's hand.

"De swamp done tole me ta go see my friend Bingo Joe. Tu'ns out, he foun' an orphaned wolf cub an' wus raisin' it. It wus jus' about starved, poe li'le t'ing."

"Gwyn! Gwyn!" Bear began slamming doors as he searched the house.

"I'm out here wit' Aunt Zinnie."

Bear came through the kitchen door, weapon out but relief clearly written on his face. He opened his mouth to answer when Nico came around the house. Upon hearing the voices he returned his weapon to the holster.

"Whut's wrong?" Both women asked, alarmed.

"I have been callin' you for the last hour." Bear said, clearly upset.

"What good is havin' a phone if you won't answer it?" Bear asked frowing.

"Oh!" Gwyn said. "I turned it down when Aunt Zinnie an' me went ta see Miss Mildred today. She don' like cell phones an' I guess I fogot ta turn it back up. Now....I....I don' rememba where I put it."

Both men looked exasperated at the her. She brightened suddenly.

"I know! We can all go in de house an' you call ma phone. It's on low so we'll ha'e ta listen close ta find it." She looked quite pleased with herself.

"Dat's a good idea. I'll jus' do dat." Nico winked at Bear and walked into the house.

He opened the kitchen door and began yelling.

"Heeeeere phooooone! Heeeeere phooooone! We done need ya phone! Come out, come out whe-eva you be."

Bear was dumbfounded at first, then had to sit down or fall down from laughing.

Zinnie was trying to hide her amusement.

Gwyn roled her eyes before closing them and sighed. She looked at Bear and Zinnie and let them see she was annoyed. She shook her head, gritted her teeth and stomped into the house after her brother.

She found him leaning against the wall waiting for her with a lazy grin. He held up her phone and petted it.

"Dis is a nice, well trained li'le phone, be'be'! Why when I come in callin' it come boundin' outa da kitchen like a good li'le phone an' sat up."

Gwyn tried hard to maintain a mad face and would have succeeded had Bear not appeared behind her.

"That's a good trick, bro! Where'd you learn to do that?"

"Ma péré taught me. Always said it wus a skill dat'd come in handy someday an' he wus right!"

Gwyn threw her arms up in the air totally exasperated with the two men. Nico looked at her smiling, grabbed her around the neck and knuckled her head.

"Now you got ta admit, cher. Dat wuz a good one"!

She gave him a dirty look while turning toward the deck muttering....

"I jus' wish I had thought o' it sooner." And slammed the door on their laughter.