In the Arms of Fenris

He looked at his watch and then at Marty. "It's late and you have to work in the morning. I guess you ought to take me home."

"Yeah." Marty put the car in gear and headed back to town. When they got onto the main road she turned to Graydon. "Where do you live?"

"Hennisy and Fifth in the apartments on the corner. I can't give you directions from here. Still too new around town," he said apologetically.

"I know where they are. It's about a fifteen minute drive," she finished and headed off. When they got to the apartments, he pointed to his. It was one of the ground floor single units. Marty pulled up and parked. Now what, she thought? A handshake? Or a good night kiss? She always feel so awkward at this point. Marty got out of the car when Graydon did. They stood for a moment at the front of the car. It was sort of nice to see he felt awkward too.

"Thanks for being such a good sport and coming out with me to the stable. Most men run when they find out I work with animals. Worse yet, that I'm better with dogs than men," she said staring at the ground. Marty scuffed her foot on the cement and realized that her hair had straw in it when that curl fell on her face. Before she could move, Graydon reached out and pulled the straw from Marty's hair and tucked the curl behind her ear again.

"Thank you for a wonderful dinner and probably the most interesting evening I've had in weeks," he said.

"Um.. You're welcome," she replied, not knowing what to say next.

Graydon held out his hand and Marty took it in hers. Okay, a good night handshake was a start she thought. But that wasn't what happened. He took her hand and pulled Marty slowly in until his arms wrapped around her. They kissed. Kisses come in a variety of flavors. The quick pecks you give elderly relatives, little kids or your friends. Then there are the ones that sweep you off your feet or scramble your braincells. The kiss started out as a sweet peck that slowly became a brain melter. Their lips separated at last and they came up for air. Marty had no idea of how much time had passed. She stepped back, not sure if she wanted to continue the kiss or drag him into his apartment. Her body was screaming go for it, while her mind was putting on the brakes. Graydon must have noticed her hesitation and he slowly let go of Marty.

"Good night Marty. I'll call you soon," he said and walked to his door.

"Good night." She turned and got back into her car. She realized that they must have been kissing for some time as the engine was cold and didn't want to start when she turned the key. Marty drove off as quickly as she could once it finally started.

Graydon stepped into his apartment and watched Marty drive off. He closed the apartment door while he thought about Marty. Her lips had tasted so good that he almost hadn't let her go. However, he didn't want to rush. Marty was the nicest and probably the most interesting person he'd met in months. What he didn't want to do was scare her off. He'd had that happen more than once. That dog at the kennel almost gave him away. Poor thing was hollering for help and confused all at the same time. He could hide everything except his scent. As it was, he'd wait a week or two before he called on Marty.

Marty got back to her house and crawled in the shower. Hot to rinse off the horse smell and cold to cool her off. As she washed, her mind kept thinking how Graydon's hands would feel on her. Damn, not even the cold water was helping. No matter how much water ran over her face she couldn't get the feel of Graydon's lips off hers.

Morning came way too early. Marty was running too late to stop for breakfast and hurried in to see how Whiskey and Ashka were doing. Whiskey was fine, but Ashka was still sulking in the back of her kennel. That afternoon she was still too quiet, so Marty called her owners. Afterwards, she told Nick what they had said. They both thought it odd.

"So, they said the only time she ever acted like that was when there were wolves around?" he asked.

"Yes. That's what they said. I'll check around the kennel for odd prints, but I haven't seen any feral dogs or coyotes in months. As for wolves, I don't think there are any left in the whole state, let alone this area." Marty grabbed her coat and headed out the door. The afternoon air was brisk, and the ground hard. She walked around the kennel and stables. No tracks that didn't lead right back to known animals. Marty had a mystery on her hands and that bothered her. She let it play over her mind as she headed over to Jessie's to help her clean up after the party.

Ashka's owners picked her up the next afternoon. Life got busy with new animals and old chores. It was almost a week before Marty realized she never gave Graydon her phone number or address. Oh well. If he really wanted to find her, he could always ask Dirk.

Graydon spent the next few days getting his house set up more to his liking. The apartment was furnished which was a good thing. The only things he'd really brought with him were his clothes, a few books and his computer. He found a car too. It was an older Saab. Still worked well and got good mileage. It gave him the freedom to go where he wanted. That included the Dirty Spoon where he and Kenny were becoming fast friends.

It had been busy at work, and Graydon figured he'd contact Marty on the weekend. He hadn't seen her at the diner which he'd thought odd at first. Then he realized that his own schedule ran opposite hers. Dirk had been good enough to give him her phone number. It wasn't really necessary though, once he'd gotten a good smell of her. He still had her scrunchy that he'd picked up the night of the party. It was in his pocket.

On his first night off, he'd gone for a run and found her house without too much effort. Dirk had given him general directions. That and a gentle breeze had him in the right neighborhood within thirty minutes. He knew he had the right place when he found the Volvo parked out front. Graydon had marked the spot and then gone home. There had been no lights on in the house and he had guessed she was asleep. He'd also gone out to the stables a time or two. He'd gone when there was no one around, and he had been careful not to upset any of the horses or dogs.

Sitting at his computer emailing a cousin, Graydon realized he was hungry. He looked in the fridge even though he was pretty certain that the only things in there were butter, milk and a few eggs. Not enough to slake the empty feeling in his stomach. Looking up at the clock, he realized it was only 8:15pm. The Dirty Spoon would still be serving for at least another hour. Graydon grabbed his jacket and headed for his car.

When he got to the diner, he was surprised to find that the dinner crowd was still present. Vicky gave him the back booth that he'd shared with Marty the first night. She didn't bother with a menu for him, but brought a glass of iced tea and his silverware. She smiled at him and chit chatted for a few minutes. Kenny peered around the corner and when he saw Graydon, he bounded to the booth and took over the opposite bench.

"Hello Kenny. How's life? Lots of left overs tonight?" Graydon asked the dog. Kenny just cocked his head at the sound of his voice and then lay down. He knew he'd get some bites of food from the man. If not, the kitchen was close by with his bowl.

Vicky brought Graydon his steak, biscuits and gravy a few moments later. He thanked her and began to eat. He heard the diner door open and Vicky exclaim "Oh you look exhausted" about the same time Marty's scent hit his nose. He turned in his booth to get a visual lock on her. Vicky was right. She did look worn out. He stood up and started towards Marty only to realize that Vicky was bringing her his way. Marty wasn't even watching where Vicky was going and was surprised when Graydon suddenly appeared before her.

"Oh! Graydon! I didn't expect to see you here," she said in a tired but surprised voice.

Vicky shooed Kenny off the bench and literally seated Marty at the same time she took her coat. "I'll be back with your dinner in a minute," she said and disappeared into the kitchen.

Graydon sat down, moved his plate aside and took her hand in both of his. She not only looked tired, she smelled tired. What on earth had she been doing?

"Marty, what have you been up to? You look worn out," he said with concern in his voice.

"I have been chasing horses for the last six hours. Max, remember Max? He got out of his kennel and ran straight to the barn. Whiskey was in the corral and went nuts. In the panic that followed, five other horses got out. We had kids there, half the staff and one or two other owners all trying to catch Max or one of the horses. Whiskey was actually the easiest because he was in the corral. I just shut the gate and decided the fence would hold till later. Max got kicked by one of the horses and Nick had to do some patch up work. We can't get a hold of the Sheppard's to let them know either," she stopped to take a sip of tea and catch her breath a bit. "The worst one was Kimmy, an old stock show horse. When she broke loose, she just went. I grabbed my saddle and tossed it on Butters and headed out. Have you ever dealt with a ranch-trained cow pony?" she asked.

"Oh yes. Had one as a kid. Best horse in the world as long as no one else tried to ride her." Graydon was still holding Marty's hand. He put it down as Vicky came up with her dinner. Vicky had decided that she needed a steak and French fries with brown gravy and peas on the side. Marty thanked her and started eating without even looking at the food.

"Kimmy loves to run. Still thinks she is running the cattle. So, it took every trick I knew to slow her down long enough to catch her halter." Marty stopped long enough to chew a bite of steak. "God this is good. I am so hungry."

Graydon remembered his own plate and decided he'd better eat before Ma Henry glared at him again from the kitchen hatch. He could hear Kenny whining on the other side of the door. Apparently, the Henry's decided that Marty had had enough of animals for a bit. Maybe they'd let him out for dessert.

"It took me an hour to get back to the stable. Then I had to rub down both Butters and Kimmy and then finish the general clean up. I still have the fence to repair in the morning. Oh, and Nick decided that I get to tell the Sheppard's that they can't bring Max back until he's passed some sort of obedience training or has a major attitude change. What I am afraid of is that the Sheppard's will just have Max put to sleep." She picked up her fork and ate some more of her dinner.

Graydon was trying to decide what to say that didn't sound condescending when Kenny broke through the kitchen door and made a beeline to their booth. He didn't bark, but the slobbering kisses were distracting enough.

"Kenny! Get down. Down boy," Marty was saying. Marty tried to get him to sit or lay down and it wasn't working. Graydon tried and he too was failing. Finally, he gave up and a low growl rose out of his throat that was barely audible over Marty and Kenny. Marty didn't hear it, but Kenny did. The dog sat down so fast that Marty pitched forward and bumped her forehead on Kenny's. She sat up rubbing her forehead.

"Wow! Guess he was concerned about you too," Graydon said to cover up any chance that she had heard the growl. Kenny was still watching him and hadn't moved.

"Yeah. Just what I need at the moment. An over-exuberant dog the size of a horse," she said as she patted him on the head and then gave Kenny a bite of her dinner. Kenny looked to Graydon before he took the bite. Graydon nodded and Kenny licked her fingers clean.

Graydon hadn't wanted to do that, but there wasn't any choice. Hopefully there was enough confusion and Marty was too tired to notice. Kenny would certainly be obedient for a while. Graydon finished his dinner and had given his plate to Kenny when Vicky appeared with dessert. Cherry pie for him and an ice cream sundae with extra hot fudge, nuts and whipped cream for Marty.

Marty managed to smile and took the dessert. She ate one last bite of steak and put the plate in front of Kenny. He finished off her dinner before she had gotten past the first layer of whipped cream. She was slowly melting into place on the bench across from Graydon. He could feel her finally relax. He finished his pie and signaled Vicky for the ticket.

She brought it over and he looked at it twice before he realized that they hadn't given him Marty's bill. "I'll be right back Marty," he said and walked over to the register.

Vicky saw him coming and smiled. "Honey, just go back to the table. You read that bill right. I'll come by for your money in a bit. Just go take care of that girl," she said.

Graydon sat back down. He pulled $8.50 out and a $5 tip for Vicky. By this point, Marty was trying to figure out what was going on. She got her wallet out and Graydon just shook his head. "Kenny bought your dinner tonight Marty," he said softly.

"Oh. They didn't have to do that," she said.

"No, but they think a lot of you and it's their way of helping you out when they can. Especially when they see you come in as tired as you did tonight," he explained.

"I know. They are so sweet," she yawned. "I'm so tired that I'm not sure I can drive home."

Graydon nodded. He had been trying to figure out how to get her home without her driving. "How about I drive you home? I'll pick you up in the morning and we can come back and get your car then," he suggested.

Marty looked at him for a moment and then nodded. She was too tired to care.

Graydon got her into the car and made sure she had her safety belt on. He started to drive off and then remembered that she hadn't told him where to go. "Marty, how do I get to your house?"

She blinked at him and then realized what he was asking. "Down two blocks, left at the light, four miles down Race to Stevenson. Left on Stevenson. Number 465. Brown house, blue roof," she said, almost falling asleep.

Graydon started off and was going to continue to ask directions when he realized she was asleep. He drove straight to her house and parked where the Volvo had been the time he had visited.

"Marty, wake up. Is this your house?" he asked.

She yawned, stretched as best she could and looked out the window. "Yeah."

"Do you have your keys?" Graydon asked, hoping she hadn't left them in the Volvo.

Marty nodded. She pulled a set of keys out of her pocket and held up a skeleton key. "Old key for an old house," she said as she got out of the car with a bit of help from Graydon.

They went up the steps and he opened the door. It was a Craftsman bungalow, something he hadn't noticed that night he had followed her scent. The door was heavy and led into a wood-floored entry hall that opened into a large living room. There was wood flooring and paneling everywhere Graydon looked. There was also enough general chaos to let him know that he really was in Marty's house. A saddle was hooked over the staircase railing and various bits of horse tack and dog harnesses hung where coats should have. Graydon closed the door behind him and then turned back to Marty.

"Marty, where is your bedroom? You need to shower and get to bed," he said quietly.

She looked at him, trying to figure out if she was missing something and decided she was too tired to think. "It's upstairs," Marty said pointing.

Graydon started heading her upstairs and when they got to the top, she veered left. He kept her going until she was at the bathroom doorway across from the bedroom door.

"Marty, take a shower. I'll be downstairs. If you need help, holler," Graydon turned and went downstairs. He could hear her dropping clothes on the floor and the water starting. His nose told him that she used some apple scented shampoo. She also used a fruit scented body wash. When he heard the shower go off, he went into her kitchen and found stuff to make a cup of tea. There was only one cup in the sink and a package of herbal tea next to the stove. He didn't see any honey or sugar bowl, so he guessed she took it straight. The house was cold, and he looked around to see if he could turn on the heat. Graydon gave up and grabbed her teacup. When he got to the bottom of the stairs, he hollered that he was on his way up. Marty said something, but it didn't make any sense. When he got to the top of the stairs, he called again.

"I'm in bed, it's okay to come up," she called sleepily.

"I brought you a cup of tea. Hope it's to your liking." Graydon found her in bed in an over sized plaid flannel shirt, propped up on the pillows. He handed her the teacup.

Marty took the cup and a small sip. "Oh this tastes good. I'm just cold now."

"Not surprised, your hair is still soaking wet and I can't seem to find a heater thermostat to turn any heat on," he said as he headed towards the bathroom for a towel. He started to hand her the towel and then changed his mind. Graydon slowly started toweling her hair dry. She held very still and carefully took sips of tea as he mopped the water up out of her curls.

"Now, where is the thermostat?" he asked.

"Won't do any good. The furnace isn't lit yet," she said.

Marty, it's September, why haven't you lit the furnace?"

"Money. I'm never here, so why should I heat the house?" she asked.

Graydon just shook his head. "Okay Marty, how do you turn on the furnace?"

When he wouldn't relent, she explained how to go down into the basement and where the panel was as well as the matches to light the pilot. She also told him where the thermostat was located. He headed downstairs, expecting a mess, but was surprised to find it well organized and fairly clean. Graydon got the furnace lit and running in about ten minutes. He went upstairs and started checking for the floor vents he knew these bungalows had and made sure that they were clear. Only one was blocked, and that required him to move a pile of Horse and Rider magazines. Then he turned the thermostat to 70 and went back upstairs. The smell of hot dust began to course through the house as the heater began to work.

When he got to the bedroom door, he realized that Marty was asleep. Her cup tipped precariously off to one side with the dregs of her tea in the bottom. Not enough to make more than a wet spot, but he carefully took it and placed it on the nightstand. He tried to cover her up and she curled into a ball. He walked around the bed and knelt behind her on the edge to reach over her to finish covering her up. Just as he got the blanket up around her shoulders, she reached out in her sleep and grabbed the covers which were wrapped around his hand.

Oh gods he thought. What am I going to do now? He tried to move his hand out and she just held on tighter. Graydon thought about it for a moment, kicked off his shoes and then slowly lowered himself down on the bed and the pile of pillows. She snuggled up closer to him and sighed in her sleep. Graydon smiled a wry smile. She smelled good and he felt things stir. No, now was not the time for that. He took a deep breath to settle down. It wasn't exactly what he had thought would happen if and when he finally got in bed with Marty, but it wasn't a bad start. It didn't take long for him to fall asleep either.

Graydon wasn't sure what woke him, but he looked over to the clock to see that it was 6:45am. Marty had let go of his hand sometime in the night, but was still curled up with her back to him. Very slowly, he got up off of the bed and put some of the pillows up against her back. It gave the illusion that they had been there all night. Graydon tipped toed downstairs and put his shoes on in the living room. He could either say he slept on the couch all night or sneak out the front door and then knock in an hour or so. He had already decided to call her in sick. The stables could just do without her for a day. Now to just decide how best to handle it.