Chapter 9

“Hello?” Owen saw that the caller was from Montana, probably Rowdy Sanderson. He was surprised the homicide detective would call him after Candice wouldn’t take his call. The detective sure was persistent. Owen figured Candice was right and Rowdy must have taken down his license plate number when he came snooping around Candice’s place.

“Hello, I’m Rowdy Sanderson, a homicide detective with the police department in Bigfork, Montana. I don’t want to alarm you, no murders committed or anything, but I was in South Dakota when two wolves rescued a couple of snowmobilers.”

“Wolves? You can’t be right about that. They’re wild animals. No one could train them to do something like that. Even if that really happened, I don’t know what I have to do with it.”

Candice sat down on the barstool, frowning. Owen moved closer to her and swept his hand down her back.

“You were at Candice Mayfair’s place when this happened. And she lives close enough as the wolf runs to reach the injured men and return to the house.”

Now Owen was frowning. “You were the one trespassing on her land?” He figured it was time to turn the tables. Put the detective on the defensive.

“I was just tracking the wolves. I wanted to talk to Ms. Mayfair and offer my help in any way that I can.”

“Help with what?” Before Sanderson could answer, Owen said, “Okay, listen. If this isn’t a case of homicide that involves me…or her, then I have nothing further to say to you. I don’t own wolves, and neither does she. But I’ve got business to take care of. Have a great day.” Owen cut Sanderson off, ending the call before the detective could respond.

“He did see your license,” Candice said.

“Yeah, but he’s not going to come all the way out here to see me. And he won’t know you’re here.”

“Except that you left, and I’m gone too.” Candice got off the barstool and put on her coat. “That’s if he put two and two together, and he seems to be really good at following up on leads.”

Owen grabbed his jacket and slipped it on. “When we were eating breakfast that morning, he told the sheriff that he was on vacation. I doubt he’d use all his vacation time trying to track down a couple of wolves.”

Once they were all bundled up, they headed outside.

“What if he does come here?”

“What would he do? Tell us he knew we had wolves when we don’t? Then what?”

“Okay, but I keep thinking of that story you told me about the werewolf hunters.”

Hell, Owen hadn’t thought that this Rowdy might believe in werewolves like those other nut jobs who’d tried to kill them. “I’m sure if he were a werewolf hunter, he’d have some buddies, not be doing this on his own. And that’s the only time we ever ran into anyone like that. I’m sure it’s a fluke. The guys were chasing down Bigfoot.”

Owen smiled at her and took her gloved hand, squeezing it. He was thrilled to take Candice out in the canoe, so he was annoyed with the detective for worrying her over this. Once they got back in, he’d call Cameron to let him know what was going on with this detective, and Cameron would tell everyone else.

He’d love to take Candice out for a sail too in the summer. Anything that would convince her she’d love to live here. With him. Was he desperate? Yeah, just a little.

After they got into the canoe and paddled out, he guided them near the bank to see the Christmas lights on Cameron and Faith’s house, his own, and David’s reflecting off the water. The homes were separated by a lot of forest acreage to give them each enough privacy, yet close enough that the pack members could run as wolves or hike on the trails as humans to one another’s homes. Gavin was always forgetting to turn his outdoor lights on. But the Christmas lights decorating the tree inside were on and visible through his big lakeside windows.

“Beautiful. I never would have imagined something so magical.” Candice was sitting up front, paddling like a pro.

Owen recalled that she and her hiking companions had taken canoes at one point and he had lost her trail completely. “I’d love to take you sailing when it’s warmer in the spring.”

“Okay, it’s a deal. There’s only one problem.”

He couldn’t imagine what could be a problem, though he detected a hint of a smile.

“Who’s going to use the lake as a setting for his or her werewolf romance?”

He chuckled. “For you, I would give up anything. But I imagine the way I’d describe it could be much different from the way you would. Different voices, right?”

She smiled. “Yeah. I just wanted to make sure it was okay if I used it. It’s just so romantic. Uh, one other thing.”

Now she looked serious. “Yeah?”

“About Christmas…”

“Low key. No worries.” He hadn’t given it a lot of thought. Not when he wanted to do everything he possibly could to make her feel welcome. And get this business with the inheritance over so she could be settled here safely.

“Right. So exactly what happens?” Candice didn’t sound like she thought Christmas would be low key.

It really was just a relaxed, family-filled gathering of the wolves. “Christmas dinner with Cameron and his family. One of the guys always has Christmas Eve dinner. Usually two of us prepare most of the dishes, though everyone pitches in with something. I did it with David last year. We have snowman contests, if we have fresh snow. Play board games.”

“I’ve never made a snowman. Not a lot of snow in Houston, you know. Sure, South Dakota has snow, but it wasn’t something I’d go out and do by myself. But with a bunch of us creating them, that really sounds like fun.”

“It is. The cocoa and baked goods to warm us up afterward are great too. We have to do a lot of extra running to wear it all off, but it’s worth it. The guys and I get a little fishing in. Now that the kids are growing older, they’ll probably do some too. They did before, but they got too cold.”

“I hadn’t really considered I’d be staying over Christmas while I was here.”

“It’s low key. Really. Nobody expects you to buy them anything.”

“And no one will be picking up anything for me. Right?”

“Are you kidding? If Gavin and David think it might make a difference in winning your affection, they’ll be getting you something. The MacPhersons too, because they’ll want you to feel welcome and stay with us.”

“But you’re not, right?”

“Hell yeah. I want you to feel welcome most of all.”

Candice sighed. “Okay, so when we return to the house, you can tell me what everyone would like and I’ll order them gifts online. They should arrive in time.”

“You don’t have—”

“Yeah, I do. I want to. It’ll be fun. I haven’t done Christmas in a couple of years. No gift giving, no celebration. I always decorate, but I just continue to work on books as if it’s any other day of the year.”

Owen had suspected that might be the case. He was glad she was here to celebrate the holidays with them, and that she fully intended to participate. “I can’t tell you how excited everyone is that you’re here. You’ve made the holidays truly special for all of us. But especially for me. A couple of days ago, I would never have imagined boating on the lake with a beautiful she-wolf.”

Candice took a deep breath and dipped her paddle into the water. “I never imagined doing this with the beautiful wolf from across the river. Never in a million years.”

The sun was beginning to set, the pinks and oranges reflecting off wisps of clouds, turning them pink, and coloring the water pink and orange in places as the sun’s rays filtered through the trees bordering the lake. A snowy owl hooted in a dying tree near the shore.

“In the summer, you’ll hear the mournful call of the loon to its mate, and she’ll call back to let him know she’s nearby.”

“More story material.”

He laughed. “Does everything go in a book?”

“Only what I can remember.”

A wolf howled, and then another. She turned to look in the direction of the howls. She probably hadn’t heard a chorus of wolves howling before.

“The first one was David; second one, Gavin,” Owen said.

Then the wolves began running out of the woods and along the opposite bank as Owen and Candice paddled home. She waved at them. Then another howl sounded and several others deeper in the woods.

“Cameron was the first. Then Faith and the little ones in a jumble next.”

“Now that’s something I’ve never heard before. A whole wolf pack with pups. It’s beautiful.”

“It is. Makes us remember who we are and lets everyone know we’re all safe.”

“But they won’t hear you howling.”

“They’ll assume…” He saw movement on the opposite beach. “They’re all here, running along the beach, checking on us.”

Candice laughed, loving that the pack was so close-knit. “This is lovely.”

They were still quite a way from the dock when she saw two moose, one in the water and the other standing on the beach near the dock. They were stunning, huge, and she wished she had her camera. “They can be dangerous, can’t they?”

“Yeah. We were up in Alaska one year, looking for a missing husband. We had clues that he had gone up there to get away from family obligations—namely, paying child support for four kids. We were told to wear bear repellent spray, but that the moose were more dangerous to hikers than the bears.”

“Did you have any run-ins with bears?” She could imagine being frozen to the spot if she saw one close by.

“No, never saw a one.”

“What do we do?” She couldn’t even envision what it would be like to tangle with a moose. She’d always wanted to see one, but now she wasn’t so sure. She was growing so cold. She figured she needed warmer gear to go canoeing in the winter if she was going to stay out this long.

“The wind is against us. It’s carrying our scent to the moose. The trouble is, they’ll smell our wolf halves.”

“That should make them run away, right? I mean, most animals run away when they smell us coming.”

“Not moose. They’ve been known to charge after dogs, and humans too. If they feel cornered, or if you are within fifty yards of them and in their space, they can grow riled.”

“Do they attack with their antlers?”

“They can. But they’ll kick out with their hooves and can be dangerous that way too.”

“What do you do if you encounter one? Running would just make it follow, right?”

“Unlike how you would avoid bears—making noise to alert them you’re in the area—you are better off running from an attacking moose. If you move out of the moose’s space, they usually won’t feel threatened any longer. But they can run up to thirty miles per hour. Another way is to climb a tree, or hide behind one to protect yourself. Most bears can climb trees, so that’s not a guaranteed way to escape from one. But those are some ways to safely avoid a moose. They’ve chased us when we’ve been riding snowmobiles too. One charged David’s, and he jumped off to avoid the moose’s antlers. It kept coming after him, and he finally had to run for it.”

“You didn’t go back for him and save him?” She couldn’t believe all those hunky male wolves would run and leave David behind to fend for himself.

“Hell no.” Owen smiled at her. “He aggravated the moose, not us. We watched from a distance, in case he needed us to come to his rescue. We didn’t want to irritate the moose any more than he was already. David ended up climbing a tree. The moose observed him for a while and then finally sauntered off. Moose aren’t on any kind of schedule. They do what they want when they want. But as a matter of preservation, they can be aggressive if they smell we’re wolves.”

“Okay, so what do we do about it this time? I’m growing cold.”

“Oh, I’m sorry, Candice. Let’s go to David’s place. It’s closer. And we can leave the canoe there.”

“Wait, the moose is moving off.”

“Are you sure you can wait that long?”

“Yeah. We still have a distance to go, and maybe he’ll move far enough away from the house by the time we reach the dock.”

The moose on the shore sauntered off, and the other one left the water, dripping wet. He shook, then began to follow the other. They weren’t in any hurry to move.

Since Candice was sitting up front in the canoe, she was growing closer to where the moose was, but she continued to dip her paddle into the water, matching Owen’s strokes, bringing the canoe closer to the dock with every pull. The sun had nearly set, but the lights on the house and the deck and the dock provided plenty of light for their enhanced wolf’s night vision.

The moose were maybe one hundred yards away when Candice and Owen reached the dock. Owen took hold of one of the dock posts and steadied the canoe so Candice could climb out. She should have been watching her footing, but she couldn’t help observing the moose that continued to monitor her. She was as wary of them as they were of her.

“We’ll be pulling the dock out of the water tomorrow before the ice really sets in,” he said. Just as Candice set her boot on the dock, she felt her foot slipping out from under her as she stepped on a fresh sheen of light ice, and she gasped.

As soon as she had tried to leave the canoe, she’d pushed it away from the dock, and now she was falling into the water, her back hitting the edge of the canoe. As padded as she was with all the layers of clothing she was wearing, she didn’t think she’d hurt herself. She fell into the water with a splash. She’d been mortified as soon as she began to fall, worried she might tip the canoe and force Owen into the water too.

She didn’t see what Owen was doing as she was trying to rush out of the frigid water—cold, cold, cold. The layers of wet clothes, icy water, and big boots were impeding her movement as she waded to shore through the waist-deep water. Then she saw Owen shove the canoe onto the shore and hurry into the water to pull her out the rest of the way.

“You didn’t have to come help me and end up all cold and wet too.”

“Like hell I didn’t. No more using the dock until spring. I need to dry you off and warm you up at once.”

Candice glanced at the moose that were eyeing her right back. Owen practically hauled her up the steps to the deck, and that took some muscle, as wet as she was. She must have weighed an extra fifty pounds. She didn’t want to leave a trail of water in the house, but he didn’t seem to care. He just continued hauling her inside, then shut the door. Before she could react, he was pulling off her gloves and hat, unfastening her jacket, and then moving her to the fire.

“Your pants and boots are wet,” she said, wanting him to take care of himself too.

“You first. It’ll only take a moment for me to pull off my boots and drop my pants.”

Shivering, she smiled at him while fumbling to pull off her sweater. Her hands were already numb from the cold, though the fire was helping some. She wished the heat could wrap around her and not just warm her front. He quickly pulled off her sweater and began unbuttoning her shirt.

Once he’d removed that, he took hold of her belt. “Here, let me help you out of your pants, and then I’ll grab some towels and blankets for you.”

She thought of taking a hot shower, but she liked that he was babying her. She hadn’t had anyone do that to her since she was a child.

He’d stripped her of everything and wrapped her in the blue throw on the sofa. He pulled her into a hug, held her tight for a moment, then kissed her forehead. “Curl up on the couch, and I’ll be right back.”

He was back before she knew it, with towels for her hair and body, warm blankets, and a heating pad. She laughed. “Now I know only to fall into frigid water when you’re around.”

“Hopefully, I won’t put you in a situation where you’re liable to fall into the water again.”

“It wasn’t your fault. I was worried about the moose and wasn’t paying close enough attention to where I was stepping.”

“Do you want me to bring you your warm pajamas?”

“Sure.” She was dry and bundled up in the blanket on the couch, her hair wrapped in a towel, and was feeling perfectly comfortable. “It’s in the middle drawer of the bachelor chest. Thanks.”

As soon as he brought her the pajamas, he said, “Hot cocoa?”

She laughed. “Sure, that would be nice. Thanks. But you need to take off your wet pants first.”

“If anyone else suggested that, I wouldn’t think anything of it.” He gave her a sexy smile.

Smiling, she shook her head.

“Need the heating pad?”

“No, I’m good, thanks.” She really wanted him to change into something dry.

“All right. Be back with the cocoa in a few.”

Reluctantly, Candice unwrapped herself from the blanket and pulled the towel off her hair to slip into her flannel pajamas. She put the damp towel on the glass top of the coffee table, dressed, then wrapped a dry towel around her hair. But her feet were cold. She headed to the guest room, not wanting Owen to think he had to go fetch her warm socks and booties too.

* * *

Owen had always loved boating and seeing the sunset on a crisp, cold night. Being with Candice would have made it perfect—if she hadn’t fallen into the lake. He’d seen it happening but had been powerless to stop her fall. He knew he shouldn’t blame himself—it was just an accident and could have happened to anyone—but he couldn’t help it. He kept thinking about what he should have done differently to prevent it from occurring.

He was glad the moose didn’t bother them when he was struggling to rush her to the house. In fact, he’d even forgotten about them for a moment.

Once he and Candice were inside, all he had wanted to do was pull off her wet clothes, dry her, and wrap her in blankets by the fire. It was impossible to forget the way she looked as he pulled off her clothes—her curly red hair and creamy skin, the freckles on her cheeks, her red curly hair at the apex of her thighs. She was just beautiful. But he’d tried to keep his mind on taking care of her.

When he had changed and was wearing a pair of slippers, thinking he needed to bring her socks and her slipper boots, he found her curled up on the couch, her laptop on her lap, and typing away. “I thought I’d work on proofing.”

“Great idea. I’ll just grab some socks for you and—”

“I got them, booties too.” She stuck a foot out from underneath the blanket.

He smiled. “Okay. I’ll join you in a minute.” After a few minutes, he brought over the cocoa, then sat near her on the sofa, pulled out his notebook, and began to write his story.

“Thanks for the cocoa,” she said, finally looking up.

“My pleasure.”

She eyed his notebook. “Working on your story?”

“You bet. I always finish what I start. Always. Well, maybe not my writing, though I aim to this time. But everything else?”

She smiled at him.

“Always.” He wondered if she got his meaning. He had every intention of wooing the wolf until she could do nothing but agree to be his.

* * *

Three days later, Candice had sent in her finished book and started working on her next one, while taking breaks running as a wolf with him and sometimes with several of the other pack members. They’d pulled the dock and the dock bubbler out of the water for the winter and hadn’t seen any more signs of the moose. Though she’d told him enough times how much she’d love seeing them, despite what had happened to her. She wished she’d had her camera with her… Well, if she hadn’t fallen in the water. That would have been the end of her camera too.

She couldn’t help but want to sail across the lake with Owen. And add that to her stories. She was really enjoying the time she spent with him and the pack. She was already thinking about spending spring and summer here, and all the fun she could have.

Candice had even finished Christmas shopping for everyone. And baked more cookies with Owen, who had taken up the challenge and found a recipe for Fudge Crinkles. She decided that should be a Christmas cookie tradition from now on, as much as everyone loved them. She was beginning to think of this as her home now. That she wasn’t returning to South Dakota for good.

She couldn’t believe how much at home she felt with Owen and the pack already. She knew she couldn’t go back to the way she’d lived before. Not now. Not when she had found others who were just like her. She loved everyone.

They didn’t treat her as though they knew she was leaving. They acted as though she was staying here forever. That eventually she would be Owen’s mate. She had to admit that the longer she got to know him, the more the idea had real appeal. He was working on his own book, not in a way that said he was doing it just to be on her good side, but because he really wanted to. Some nights while she continued to work on her book, he carved ornaments he planned to give to each of the pack members, though if he was carving one for her, he wasn’t sharing. Every time he worked on another, she asked who it was for, and it was always someone different.

“They’re so beautiful, Owen. What made you start carving wood?”

“My dad, and my grandfather before that. It was just something passed down from generation to generation. Somewhere I have a photo of four generations of carvers. I was ten when I started. Mom was having fits, but my dad said he was five when he began, and I was nearly an old man when I took it up.”

Candice laughed. She wished she had the talent to create something as beautiful for everyone. Instead, she was working on a children’s book about an Arctic wolf pup who made a friend and renewed their friendship years later at Christmastime. And how he brought his sister and brother to meet her too. She couldn’t draw anything, but she had fun Photoshopping a bunch of pictures and creating a chapter book for the kids. Of course, then she realized she’d have to make one for each of the pups. When she wasn’t writing and having fun with everything else, she was creating the kids’ books. A printer in town said he would print them for her in time for Christmas.

They’d had another lovely canoe trip tonight, watched the sunset, and then returned for a nightcap. They’d found a delicious recipe for hot cocoa with peppermint schnapps and a candy cane crushed on top of it. A hot drink after the cold boat trip and time to unwind.

“These are going to be addictive,” Candice said, licking her lips. When she saw a chip of candy cane and whipped cream on his lip, she pulled Owen in close to take care of it.

That led to kissing and hugging and rousing their pheromones, which made her want more. She’d never been driven to have sex with a guy, not like she was when she kissed and hugged Owen. But still, she was cautious because of the finality of it. Was this really what she wanted for the rest of her life? Was he someone she couldn’t live without?

When she was kissing him, that was a big yes.

He pulled his mouth away from hers and held her close as if he was trying to get his raging need for her under control. She was glad he wasn’t pressuring her about wanting more, though he constantly did everything he could to make her feel at home here. He didn’t treat her as though she was just another fixture, but someone truly special.

She found it was getting harder to say good night to each other, and she really thought they might be taking this further sooner rather than later. Though she thought the other guys were cute and fun and likeable, Owen made her heartbeat quicken whenever he was near. When he was at work on a case, she missed his presence.

“Remember, I’ve got to leave first thing in the morning. I’ll probably be away for a couple of days, trying to track down a missing husband in another state. Are you sure you’re going to be all right?”

“Absolutely. I’ve got work to do on my new book, and I won’t have any distractions then.”

He smiled. “I’m a distraction now, am I?”

“A welcome distraction.” She sighed. “Okay, you get some sleep, and I’ll see you off in the morning.” She thought it was a way to firm up how she was feeling about him. If she didn’t miss him, wouldn’t that be an indication?

When she retired to bed that night, she still worked on her story. She wondered what he did late at night. Carved an ornament for her? Would she find wood shavings in his bed?

* * *

The next morning, Owen had to leave early, and this was the first time he’d be away from Candice overnight. He hated leaving her. Not because he felt she couldn’t manage on her own. She had for two years. But simply because he didn’t want to leave her. He kissed her and reminded her to call Faith if she had any trouble, since all the guys were out on jobs.

“I’ll be fine, Owen. Quit worrying. You’ll be home before you know it.”

“I’ll miss you,” he said quite honestly.

She smiled. “I’ll miss you too. You’re a great cook. You rescue me from cold lakes, and you make a great cup of hot chocolate.”

He hoped she missed him enough to know she needed him in her life permanently. As far as he was concerned, after they took care of this business with the will, he wanted to convince her she couldn’t live without him. Or at least the pack. But mostly him.

He hugged her soundly one last time, gave her a parting kiss that promised much more, and left. He swore he had never felt so disconcerted in his life. He listened to another of her books while he was on the road, which made him miss her even more. He kept picturing her in the scenario, now that he knew she used so many of her life experiences in the books. He could envision how much she had longed to have her life back, then resolved to make the most of it by finding a wolf mate to love—at least in her fantasy books.

And he was that wolf mate, as far as he was concerned. As he was crossing the state line, he figured she was working on her book. Despite the early-morning hour, he knew she wouldn’t have gone back to sleep. She’d work on the book until he returned.

He thought about calling her, just to take his mind off the drive, to reassure himself she was missing him like he already missed her, but he fought the urge. She needed some space, and he needed the time to think about his case. Which is why he listened to her book and thought again about her in those scenes with him as her Arctic wolf lover—and smiled.

* * *

Candice walked to Faith’s home to have lunch with her. She felt good about finally having a female friend who understood what she was going through.

The kids had already eaten and were in one of their rooms playing a game when Faith and Candice took seats at the dining room table to eat chicken pot pies.

“Owen told me how David and he were turned. How he accidentally bit Gavin, and how that came about. How Cameron was bitten, but Owen only said Cameron accidentally turned you.”

Faith smiled. “I wasn’t happy with him over that. He knew he was a wolf shifter, and he’d been wounded in a fight with a wolf while trying to protect me. I came into his tent to tend to his wounds, thinking he was human at that point. In the dark tent, I reached out to wake him, and I touched fur and nearly had a heart attack. He growled and bit me. I accidentally knocked the tent pole down, and it collapsed on top of us. I tried to scramble out of the tent, afraid he was going to attack. I finally found an opening in the tent, and there he was, his fluorescent amber eyes glowing in the dark tent as he stopped me from leaving. I didn’t know if I’d be just like him, but I suspected so.

“Anyway, we really had the hots for each other before that, loved each other during all the trials we were going through, and then had to deal with the wolf business too. But not just us…Cameron’s partners too. We were one big Arctic wolf pack family. We fumbled around in the dark trying to learn how to cope, and we’ve finally managed to get our lives back on track.”

Candice thought being bitten by an adult male wolf might have been scarier than how she was turned. But the fact that they already loved each other would have made a difference.

“I can’t tell you enough how sorry I am that our son bit you and turned you, but I have to say I’m glad you’re here with us, that you and Owen are so good for each other, and”—Faith wiped away trails of tears—“I finally have a female friend to talk to. The guys have been wonderful, don’t get me wrong. But they have one another when they’re dealing with male issues. I haven’t had anybody to commiserate with, both with having the children and raising them. And just…” She shrugged. “Girl talk.”

Glad to be there for another woman in the same boat as herself, Candice reached across the table and squeezed Faith’s hand, feeling just as emotional about finally having a girlfriend that she could talk to. “I would have been scared to pieces if I’d experienced that with a full-grown wolf. Corey was so cute, and with him being a pup, I knew he hadn’t bitten me on purpose. My concern was that he might have rabies. That he could turn me into a werewolf?” She shook her head. “I’m glad I’m here, that we can be friends, and that I’m no longer alone.”

“If you ever have any questions or just need to talk to me about anything, I’m here for you. It’s like being an alien in a human world. We just learn as we go along.”

“Thank you. And the same goes for me, if you ever need to talk,” Candice said.

* * *

By two in the afternoon, Owen had to call Candice. She’d said she was going to have lunch with Faith at eleven, so he figured she’d be home by now. “Hey, it’s me,” he said as if they were already a couple.

“Hey, you. Miss me?”

“Hell, if I didn’t have your book to listen to, yeah. I’ve been lost in the story, missed two of my exits, and keep thinking of you in those scenes. With me. You know, we can do all that for real.”

She laughed.

“No, I’m serious.”

“I know you are. I miss you. I thought about making some more Fudge Crinkles.”

“Not without me, you don’t. That’s our special dessert.”

“Which is why I’ve been craving them so badly.”

Which he wanted to believe meant she was really craving being with him. “We’ll make a batch when I arrive home.”

“How are the roads?”

“Good. I’m almost to the hotel, and I’ll start searching the town to see if I can locate the perp. He’s supposed to have a job here. I need to find his home address. How’s your writing coming along?”

“Great. I came up with this new scene. Heroine tries to leave canoe and tips the boat, knocking them both in the water. Moose charges them, and for a few minutes, they’re under the dock while they wait the moose out.”

“They’d grow awfully cold.”

“They’re shivering and hugging each other. As soon as they feel it’s safe, they make a slow dash and reach the house. Inside, they begin stripping off their wet clothes, and the next thing you know, they’re taking a hot shower, kissing, and declaring their love for each other, and then they’re mated.”

“Wait, I missed the mating part.”

“You’ll have to read the book.”

He laughed. “Okay, so that means I did it all wrong.”

“Did what wrong?”

He sighed dramatically. “I was supposed to fall into the water and hide with you underneath the dock.”

“No, you did everything just right. This is fantasy.”

“I could use a little more fantasy in my life.”

She laughed. “I have to admit my stay here has really jump-started my writing.”

“I will do anything you need to help you write the rest of your books. Oh, here’s the hotel. I’ll call you back in a little bit.”

“Okay, bye, Owen. Be careful. Talk soon.”

“Same here,” Owen said and ended the call. He fully intended to be back before the other guys.

But after two days of trying to track the guy down, Owen worried that, at this rate, one of the other men in his pack would have to take Candice to Houston when the time was right.

It was as if someone had tipped off Kendall Malt and he’d gone into hiding. His workplace said he’d quit his job at the fish-packing plant without a really good reason, and Owen wasn’t able to determine where he lived. Until he discovered Kendall had a girlfriend who worked in receiving at the plant.

“What’s it to you?” she asked, twirling long, dark strands of hair around her finger, green eyes rounded.

“He’s owed some money,” Owen said. The promise of money got them every time.

“How much?”

“I can only discuss it with him.”

“He’s staying with me.”

“Why did he quit his job?”

“He didn’t get along with the manager. But he’s got another job already.”

“How can I reach him?”

She gave Owen her home address and Kendall’s new place of employment.

“Thanks. He’ll thank you for this. Good day.” Owen was certain she’d call Kendall right away with the good news, but Owen was already feeding the information to the local police department to pick Kendall up for failure to pay child support. The mom was struggling with two jobs to make ends meet for her and her two kids, living at her mom’s house while Grandmom took care of the kids. If Kendall had the money, he needed to do what was right.

Owen wanted to call Candice right away with the good news, but he quashed the inclination until he was certain the police had arrested Kendall.

Once that was done, Owen called her right away as he headed home.

“Oh, that’s great, Owen. Don’t kill yourself trying to rush home or anything.”

“Why would I do that?”

“Because you’re craving those Fudge Crinkles as much as I am.”

He chuckled. “You bet.” And a hell of a lot more. Even just sitting on the couch, his arms wrapped around her while they watched a show, totally appealed right now. They talked for about an hour, and then they ended the call and all he could think of was how he couldn’t wait to be with her soon.

* * *

Candice hoped she’d sounded low key about being eager to have Owen home right away. She’d meant what she’d said about him not rushing home, not with the winter weather conditions the way they were. She wanted him home in one piece.

She could hardly wait to see him. She cleaned house, did their laundry, and sat out on the deck, watching the lake and imagining another couple of canoe trips before it was too late to go boating. And she was already thinking of other ways to occupy themselves. Like building a snowman as soon as they had another good snowfall, for one thing.

Then she saw two moose near the lake some distance off and ran inside to grab her camera. She took some shots of them, perfect for describing them in her book. Owen wouldn’t be home until tomorrow at the soonest.

He called her every once in a while with progress reports, and she told him she’d captured pictures of the moose.

“You didn’t get close to them, did you?”

“Only with a zoom lens. They were a long way off. And I was on the deck, an easy dash to the back door if they’d miraculously flown through the air like Santa’s reindeer to come and get me.” She appreciated his concern and loved even having anyone to talk to like this about what she was doing. And she loved hearing about his experiences.

“All right.”

“Believe me, I’m not getting near moose unless you’re here to protect me.”

“Under the dock.”

“That might be a little too cold.”

He chuckled. She loved that he had a sense of humor.

“I’ve missed you,” he said.

“You’ve been so busy chasing down the deadbeat father. How could you have?”

“I miss hearing your voice, smelling your scent, sharing meals and other pursuits.”

“We’ll have to run as wolves when you arrive home.”

“Are…you having trouble with shifting?”

“Some. I mean, not any trouble with shifting as long as I don’t plan to go anywhere, which I don’t. Staying at home is no problem. What about you?”

“I’m okay for now.”

Still, she worried. If he’d said he never lost control of his shifting, she would have felt better.

Then they signed off, and the next evening, she couldn’t sit still. He’d called several times on the drive home, but when he was near the lake, he gave her another call. “Did you fix us anything to eat?”

“I’d tease you and tell you that you need to bring home takeout, but knowing you, you’d do it. Yeah, I fixed you something. See you in a few minutes.”

She’d baked him a small welcome-home chocolate fudge cake and made his favorite spareribs, grilled asparagus, and sweet potatoes for dinner. She greeted him on the porch, unable to hide how she was feeling. Not only was she glad he was home, but she appreciated everything he’d done for her.

Instead of waiting for him to join her, she hurried to stand beside the SUV while he cut off the engine. As soon as he left the vehicle, she threw her arms around him, kissing and hugging him with enthusiasm.

He kissed her back, his arms wrapped snuggly around her. “Wow, you can’t imagine how I’ve envisioned coming home to see you. I thought you would be sitting on the couch, lost in your manuscript, a mug of cold tea at hand, or sitting on the back deck taking pictures of moose or writing in your book. But you couldn’t have made my coming home any more welcome than this.”

“No way would I have my nose in my book when the hero of said book needs a hero’s welcome.”

“Just so you can write the scene correctly?”

She smiled. “You got it.” She dragged him in the house before he could grab his bag. She was starving, and she didn’t want the food to grow cold.

“You really know how to make a hero feel like a king.”

“Right, to ensure the story is told just right.”

He laughed.

When they had nearly finished supper, Owen’s phone rang. He wiped his greasy fingers on his paper napkin and looked at the caller ID. “Your uncle. I need to take this. Hello, sir, this is Owen Nottingham.” Owen’s jaw dropped slightly. He covered the mouthpiece and said to Candice, “You’ll want to hear this. Putting it on speaker.”

Candice knew at once something wasn’t right. She was afraid her uncle had somehow learned her book-signing tour hadn’t happened at all.