The End
Innocent Assistant Extended Epilogue
Two years later …
Artimus
Snow fell from the trees as we made our way through the thick forest. Jackson Hole, Wyoming, was where my wife wanted to spend our second anniversary. I had talked Julia into making our bond a legal one as well as a spiritual one just days after she had moved in with me.
“Oh, look, Artimus.” Julia stopped as she pointed at the snow-covered ground. “Are those wolf tracks?”
Crossing our path did seem to be a set of wolf prints.
Very large ones.
“That is what they seem to be, baby.” I looked in the direction the prints went and saw that the forest closed in pretty rapidly not far from the path that had been carved out by visitors to the log cabin I’d rented for us for the week. “It’s getting dark; we should try to hurry a bit so we can make it back to the cabin before we lose all the light.”
Julia flipped her long, dark ponytail over her shoulder as she laughed, a light-hearted sound that told me she thought I was being a big chicken. “Afraid of a little wolf, Mr. Wolfe?”
Julia had this crazy idea that wild animals wouldn’t harm us as we trapesed through their homes. I had no idea why that was. It seemed like we should worry at least a little about coming up on some wild animal in his territory. “Make fun of me all you want to, Julia Wolfe, but those paw prints aren’t little. That’s no cute little pup that just came through here. And it is getting dark, and it’s probably supper time for the monster.”
Her eyes rolled as she finally began to move on. “Monster? It’s a monster now, Artimus?”
“You know what I mean.” I put my hand on the small of her back to urge her to move at least a little faster.
One thing I had found out about my wife, after promising her forever, was that she seemed to absolutely love pushing her limits. That meant I had to push mine too, if I wanted to keep up with the precocious female. And I did want to keep up with her.
“Mark my words, Artimus Wolfe, I will see at least one wild animal while we’re here. And I will see it up close, so I can prove to you that we can commune with nature peacefully. Even in its own home.” As she took the next step, her right leg sank into the deep snow; she’d found a hole and was waist deep in the cold snow. “Shit!”
I took the opportunity to scare her. “Probably just a badger hole. Tell him I said hello, will you?”
“Ha, ha. You’re a riot, my one and only true love.” She held her hand out to me. “A little help would be appreciated.”
I took her hand, heaving her out of the snow-covered hole. “You’ve got to tread lightly, babe.”
Brushing the leg of her jeans, she nodded. “Yeah. I’ve figured that out now. It’s just our first foray into the woods. You’ve got to cut me some slack. Perhaps if you would lead the way, then it would be you who finds the holes in the forest floor.”
“I told you, I’m bringing up the rear, so you can go wherever you want, and I can keep track of you. Plus, I like the rear view I get of you.” I slapped her on the ass, making the sound echo around us.
She looked over her shoulder at me with a sexy grin on her red lips. “Sounds interesting, doesn’t it? Maybe tonight we can have a little moonlight adventure and make some more beastly noises out in the open.”
The cold had a different effect on my personal pleasure zone than it did hers. “I’m game. But I won’t be stripping down. I’ve got to keep warm, or Mr. Wiggly will become Mr. Gopher.”
She stopped as she looked confused. “Gopher?”
With a gentle push, I kept her moving. “Yes. Gopher. You know how they pop their heads in and out of their holes. Too cold and my male member won’t poke his head out for anything.”
“I’ll keep that in mind then.” She made a little giggling sound then I scooped her up to carry her the rest of the way to the monstrous cabin that had come into sight.
“Thank goodness. We’re nearly there.” I kissed her red cheek. “Let’s not walk so far away next time. That was a bit on the too-long side.”
“Three hours is all that it took, Artimus.” She ran her fingers along my jaw. “You know I wanted to come out here to the American wilderness to be one with nature. That means getting out into the woods to feel them, understand them, and experience things I never have before.”
“I had no idea you wanted to be a zookeeper, Julia.” I got to the back door and opened it, kicking it closed behind us.
“I don’t want to be a zookeeper, babe. Sometimes I think you really don’t understand me at all.” She gestured to the fridge as we walked through the kitchen. “Wanna grab a bottle of wine and some glasses before we retreat to wherever it is you’re taking me?”
She placed her feet on the dark, rich, wood floor. We ditched the heavy coats and boots we’d put on to go out in the cold. Then I set about getting what she’d asked for. “A 2010 Chateau Margaux should do the trick.”
“Sounds delicious.” She pulled a couple of wine glasses off the rack that was full of them. “This place is so nice. And it’s huge too. Maybe this summer we could rent this place for another week and bring along our friends too.”
“They’d like that lake that’s in the back. The owner said there’re all kinds of fish in there. But winter isn’t the time to catch any of them.” I opened the wine to let it breathe for a few minutes. Pulling Julia into my arms, I kissed her with a softness meant to intrigue her.
No matter how many times our lips met, nothing ever changed. Warmth always enveloped me in a way that was difficult to explain. If I didn’t know any better, I could have sworn that a blanket, fresh from the dryer, had been wrapped around me. That’s just what she did to me. She turned me on in ways I had never known were possible.
The sound of a wolf howling just outside had me releasing her lips. I looked at the window, finding green glowing eyes looking at us through the floor to ceiling windows that ran along the back wall of the kitchen.
Julia moved out of my arms, going to the window. Placing her palm on it, I watched as the wolf, with thick gray and white fur, came toward her. He kept coming until he was just on the other side of that glass pane.
I was frozen as I watched her sink to the floor, her hand never leaving the window. She leaned her forehead on the glass, and I was shocked to find the wolf pressing its head against it too.
Julia truly was a one of a kind human being. I’d had no idea how special she was until I saw that.
Everything was mesmerizing until she whispered, “Open the back door, Artimus.”
Oh, hell, no!