Long Snows Moon Read Online Free

smell of bourbon was overwhelming and the
driver’s seat was sticky. She noticed the purse and rescued it from
the damp floorboard. Moon jumped in over her and got in the
backseat, sniffing and barking.
    Jameson replaced the items that toppled from
the purse and fished around for a wallet. She pulled out a fancy
snakeskin that contained an astonishing number of credit cards and
cash.
    “I knew you had a wealthy family,” she said
to Moon. She found the driver’s license.
    “Devon,” Jameson breathed. “Shadow Wolf.”
    Moon barked and stomped her foot.
    “Wow, Shadow Wolf is your owner.”
    Moon barked once and with vehemence.
    “So beautiful,” Jameson smiled, remembering.
“But not so good on the icy roads.” She found the cola can and
smelled it. “Drinking and driving, not a good idea anyway,
downright reckless on Elk’s Pass Bridge this time of year.”
    She assessed the interior of the car, stunned
to find the keys still in the ignition.
    “There’s no sign she’s been hurt,” she
announced. She found a flashlight in the rear hatch and trained it
along the passenger side of the vehicle. It was obvious what
happened and how the impact tossed Moon out of the open window.
    “You’re one tough pup,” Jameson noted,
trailing the beam down the embankment. “That’s quite a fall,
seventy feet I’d say. My guess is Devon went down there looking for
you.”
    Moon stood and peered over the railing. She
looked at Jameson and whined.
    “Don’t worry, she won’t be hard to find. I
know this area like the back of my hand. After all it’s my own
backyard.”
    Moon barked in clear agreement.
    “I think I should get her car off the road,
take it back to my place. It’s not safe here.”
    Moon jumped into the Range Rover and waited
for Jameson.
    Moon seemed solemn as she sat next to
Jameson. Although familiar aromas surrounded her, she seemed more
forlorn than before. Jameson watched as Moon pressed the window
button with her paw and watched it go down. She watched it go back
up.
    She looked over at Jameson and barked
twice.
    “Sorry, Moon. Trust me. I grew up roaming
these woods. If she’s out there, I will find her.” She locked the
window and scratched Moon’s ears. “Do you trust me?”
    Moon barked once.
    Jameson drove the short distance back to the
store and parked the Range Rover in the back by the greenhouse. She
led Moon in through the back of the store and finished preparing
the hamburger from earlier. Jameson added some kava kava and mixed
in a few drops of Star of Bethlehem extract to help Moon deal with
her stressful day. She placed the plate on the floor.
    “I’m going to grab a few supplies, enjoy your
dinner, and try to relax for a while, okay?”
    Thank you, my sister.
    “For what?”
    You are generous to feed me. I like you
very much. You smell nice, like a fresh bath and the flowers Devon
always keeps on her night tables .
    Jameson sat on the kitchen floor next to
Moon, not surprised that she had spoken, only that it took her that
long to do it.
    Your eyes are warm and kind, but in their
depths is immense sadness. I can see the sorrow. It clings to you
like a murky shadow. Sometimes, like when you were cooking the
hamburgers or inspecting Devon’s car, the sadness goes away, but
mostly it’s there.
    “I guess I am sad,” Jameson admitted.
    I would be fierce for you. I am not supposed
to be ferocious. I am not to show my teeth or to growl. Devon said
it is bad manners. I am a wild animal and that is sometimes my
nature.
    “Yes, you are more wild than tame. You are a
high content hybrid although you don't look like it. I understand
it is difficult for you to suppress your feral temperament and I
apologize for domesticating your species. Do you understand
why?”
    So humans can learn.
    “That’s right.”
    Jameson grinned at how daintily Moon ate.
“You do have very nice manners,” Jameson joked.
    Thank you.
    Moon followed Jameson through the swinging
door and left the kitchen