He Moved Into an Old Ranch Alone — Then Discovered a GIRL Who Grew Up WITH WOLVES
Chapter 2
Sterling Maddox dismounted with the casual confidence of a man who had never been told no.
Built like a bear with steel-gray hair and eyes that missed nothing, he approached Boon’s fence with the hard smile of a predator who had already decided how this conversation would end. Behind him, two younger men sat their horses with rifles across their saddles, wearing the identical expressions of men who made their living through violence.
“Afternoon,” Sterling called out, tipping his hat but keeping his hand near his holster. “Name’s Maddox. We’re tracking something dangerous through these parts.”
Boon set down his hammer and walked toward the fence, noting how the men had positioned themselves to block any escape routes. “Dangerous how?”
“Wild girl. Been living with wolves, killing livestock, terrorizing folks for miles around.” Sterling spat into the dust. “Some say she’s not fully human anymore. We aim to put an end to that problem.”
The casual way he spoke about ending a human life made Boon’s jaw clench. “Haven’t seen any wild girl.”
He lied smoothly, but Sterling’s eyes narrowed as he studied Boon’s face with the patience of a man who had been reading lies for decades.
“Funny thing about tracks,” Sterling said, his voice dropping. “They don’t lie like people do.”
He gestured toward the ground near the water well, where small bare footprints were clearly visible in the damp earth. “Fresh footprints. Bare feet. Small like a woman’s. Leading right to your property.”
One of the younger men—a wiry fellow with a nervous energy that made him twitch in his saddle—shifted uncomfortably. “Boss, maybe she’s already moved on. Could be miles from here by now.”
“Shut up, Pike.” Sterling snapped without taking his eyes off Boon.
He stepped closer to the fence, his hand now resting openly on his gun. “See, Mr. Carter. This girl ain’t some lost child you can save with kindness. She’s been raised by beasts. Thinks like a beast. Acts like a beast. She killed a man’s prize bull just last week. Tore its throat out with her bare teeth.”
Sterling’s voice dropped to a menacing whisper, and for a moment, something flickered behind his eyes. Something that looked almost like desperation.
“Now I can search this property the easy way or the hard way. Your choice.”
Boon felt his own hand drift toward his weapon, but he forced himself to stay calm. Three against one weren’t good odds, especially when they were already suspicious.
“Like I said, haven’t seen anyone matching that description.”
Sterling studied him for another long moment. Then he nodded slowly, the smile never reaching his eyes.
“Pike. Dalton. Spread out. Check the woods, the outbuildings, everywhere she might hide.”
He turned back to Boon, his voice soft and dangerous.
“And Mr. Carter? If I find out you’re lying to me—protecting something that dangerous—well, let’s just say accidents happen out here in the wilderness.”
As the two men rode off toward the tree line, Sterling remained mounted near the fence, his predatory gaze sweeping the landscape. Boon tried to act natural, returning to his fence work, but his mind raced. The girl was out there somewhere, probably watching, probably terrified. And now she had nowhere to run without exposing herself to these hunters, who clearly saw her as nothing more than an animal to be destroyed.
The sound of Pike’s voice calling from the woods made both men freeze.
“Found something!”
Sterling’s face split into a predatory grin as he spurred his horse toward the sound.