Her Wolf

Catherine sat dumbfounded as the waiter removed what was remaining of her main course. The taste of perfectly grilled filet mignon and roasted red potatoes lingered on her tongue and the images of the short video that played were at the forefront of her mind.

“How did he get that photograph?” She asked herself as she sipped idly on her champagne. “I thought I had the only copy.”

“You look like you’ve seen a ghost,” Ryan’s voice resonated as he took a seat at Catherine’s table, wearing the same pleased smile that had been on his face for the entire evening. “Is everything all right?”

“One of the photos in the video of Snow Drift, it was of my parents and I,” she stated flatly. “How did you get it?”

“When my team and I were pulling up information on the guests we wanted to invite, that photo came up in Google,” Ryan replied. “It’s not difficult to find information on those in power in Colorado, Miss Goldberry. I knew you would be a perfect invite when I witnessed the personal tie you have to the park.”

“That’s a risky game.”

“One I played with more than just one person,” he stated. “I’m kind of a go big and hard or go home type of man, Catherine. Dance with me.”

Ryan pulled from his seat and extended his hand towards Catherine. The barely visible hairs on her arm stood up when the warmth of his palm ricocheted through her body, cloaking her in a sense of comfort and warmth.

“My father was always warm,” she thought to herself as she allowed Ryan to lead her to the center of the dance floor, her arms soon finding their way around his neck.

“Tell me about the picture,” he requested with a velvet tone.

Catherine closed her eyes briefly as Ryan’s palm settled at the small of her back. The soft music that was playing lulled them both into a steady rhythm while they kept enough distance between each other to keep eye contact. Once again, it felt as if they were the only two people on the planet and the vibe that Ryan gave off bred nothing but trust.

“I used to go Snow Drift with my parents a few times every year. They loved the outdoors and even though I’ve always been an indoor type of girl, I loved it when I was with them,” Catherine said through a smile, speaking fondly of her relationship with her late parents. “They loved to hike, camp and spend as much time as they could there. My dad used to always say that if he could be a wild animal, he would be a wolf in that park. I think he believed they were his spirit animal.”

They both laughed in unison.

“That’s why you came tonight, isn’t it?” Ryan asked as he continued to lead them in their dance. “You recognized the name of the park on the invitation and you related to it.”

“I didn’t recognize it at first. It took me a few minutes but once I found the picture, I knew I had to be here,” Catherine replied, the tone in her voice indicating that she had already made up her mind on what type of organization she wanted to be a part of. “They died deep in the trails.”

Ryan halted their steps and a soft expression shadowed the hardened, albeit attractive lines of his jaw and Catherine watched as his Adam’s apple bounced with a thick swallow.

“I’m sorry to hear that,” he said. “I believe I read something about it when looking over your file. They never did find out what happened to them, did they?”

“No. It was a few years back. They had been missing for quite a few days and it was determined that they had gotten lost on the tracks because of how deep they were,” Catherine fidgeted, clearly uncomfortable with her display of vulnerability towards a perfect stranger. “By the time their bodies were found, the animals had already gotten to them. It’s a grisly story, I know. And while you would think that because of it, I would want that place to disappear, but because of how much my parents loved the serenity of that park, I’m not sure I can just let it go that easy. I feel like a part of me owes it to them to fight for it.”

The music in the ballroom stopped just as Catherine finished with her words and a soft round of applause came from the other guests who were on the dance floor. As the crowd began to separate after the musicians announced a tiny break, Catherine caught an idea flicker across Ryan’s face.

“You look like you’ve just had an idea,” she said. “That light bulb in your eyes turned on.”

“I’ll save my comedic one liners about you looking into my eyes for another time because there’s something I want to say,” Ryan encouraged Catherine back to her seat and joined in beside her. “Before you say anything about whether or not you want to invest your time in helping the Colorado Conservation of Endangered and Rare Wildlife Foundation with preserving the Snow Drift National Park, there’s something that I want to offer you.”

“This is a Foundation, Mr. Metcalfe, there’s nothing you need to offer me,” Catherine replied.

“Your influence and help would go a long way with us, especially given the people you know are of power and frequently work with organizations that work towards keeping the safe haven of our animals intact. I know your company, I know how much you’ve worked towards building a cruelty free brand,” Ryan paused to take a breath. “If you help us, and we are successful, I would like to personally commission either a plaque or a sculpture of your choosing and have it set at the entrance in honor of you and in memoriam of your parents. If you don’t want it at the entrance, we can also choose a trail. Maybe you would like to have a specific piece of the park dedicated solely to your parents. I will leave that decision to you.”

Catherine pursed her lips and she sat silently, mulling over Ryan’s offer. “I already wanted to help for my own reasons, but he doesn’t know that. Stroking a man’s ego is definitely one way to get closer to them. I made up my mind before I came here that I was going to help save the park my parents loved so much but for the sake of saving face, it’s best I let him think that it’s because of him.”

“What do you think?” Ryan said, breaking Catherine out of her thoughts.

“I think I can help you,” she replied with enthusiasm. “In fact, I know I can. The park means far too much to Colorado, to the animals, to you, me and my parents. I won’t let anyone come in and knock down our life. I might be in the business of vanity, or outside beauty, but no one said that outside beauty strictly applies to a person’s appearance. I care about Colorado’s beauty too.”

Ryan’s teeth were a brilliant shade of white as he pulled back his lips to reveal his biggest smile of the night. He shook Catherine’s hands with an equal amount of enthusiasm and nodded his head.

“I can’t wait to work with you. I’ll have the conservation draw up drafts of our plans and have them faxed to your office right away. We can meet on Monday morning, I will be in touch.”

Catherine watched as Ryan once again made his retreat, showing her the fine definitions of his back as he did so and she released the breath she didn’t even know she was holding. Her hands shook in her lap and her heart was beating a mile a minute.

“Mom, Dad, I hope I’ve made you proud.”