By six Jeanie was a wreck. She was showered and mostly dressed but with only one fully functional hand she was struggling. And on the stroke of the hour Ryan knocked on her door. She opened it.
“Am I early?” Ryan asked looking at his watch.
“No, I’m disabled,” Jeanie said. “Help me, please? I can’t get the zipper up.”
Ryan stepped into the room and Jeanie turned so he could pull the zipper up on her blouse. It was a back little number that zipped up the back and hung really flatteringly in the front. She was in skinny jeans and boots. She had given up on her hair leaving it loose in long rolling curls.
“Okay, now you’re early,” she said and grabbed a jacket.
“You look really pretty,” Ryan said and he sniffed her hair. “You smell amazing, too.”
“Is your sense of smell heightened even as a human?” Jeanie asked. She had been dying to ask him about a bazillion questions since his amazing transformation.
“Yeah, it is.”
“Cool,” she smiled, wrinkling her nose in delight.
They walked out of her room and down the hallway before Jeanie remembered to lock her door. Ryan took her key and walked back to do it for her. He was in jeans and a black Tee with a leather jacket and boots. He looked so handsome.
It was a lovely drive out to the ranch, through the darkness. Jeanie looked up through the window into a clear sky filled with so many stars.
“I love that you can see the stars so clearly out here,” she said.
Ryan smiled at her. “It’s one of my favorite things about this area too. It’s still open and free.”
She grinned at him.
They spoke off and on trying to stay away from the topic of saving Sun Valley. Jeanie tried not to ask too many personal questions, but she was fascinated by this man who was partly human and partly beast.
Ryan did his best to answer her, but eventually he turned to her and said, “Jeanie, please. Enough!”
“Sorry, the scientist in me gets carried away sometimes.”
“It’s fine. Let’s just pretend I’m all human for tonight.”
“Oh you’re so much more than that,” she said dreamily and then realized she’d said it aloud and panicked.
Ryan took her left hand in his and held it. “You’re pretty amazing too.”
Jeanie was floating on air.
They pulled into their destination and found the drive lined with trucks and cars. They were forced to park way down the drive and walk up. There was a light ahead and as they neared the house, Jeanie could see a big bonfire in a field out front. Poles hung with candles in mason jars, wrapped in streamers and flowers illuminated the rest of the field were tables and hay bales had been set up. Pumpkins decorated the tables that stood looking ghostly in their white tablecloths.
Jeanie was introduced to the whole gang, as Ryan referred to them. They were all sitting round the bonfire on hay bales, bottles of beer in their hands. She met Tyler and Willow, a lovely small girl with strawberry blonde hair and blue eyes, as well as Wyatt and Jess. She was short with dark hair and a bright smile that looked strained. And then she met the happy couple, Jesse and Jamie. She was glowing, her dark hair hanging loose down her back as she displayed the small ring on her left hand.
“I was hoping to get a bigger rock,” Jesse was saying. “But they’re so gosh-darn expensive all of a sudden.”
“It’s perfect,” Jamie said and kissed him.
Jeanie was thrilled to meet them all but she felt that they were watching her carefully. It seemed that Ryan usually came to social functions alone.
“We were beginning to wonder if he was gay,” Willow laughed.
Ryan shook his head at her. “Maybe I just hadn’t found anyone interesting enough to bring.”
The conversation took off from there and Jeanie found herself involved with three at the same time. But it wasn’t until Valerie leaned close and said, “It will be sad to see this all go.” That she focused on one.
“Is this part of Sun Valley?” Jeanie asked.
“No, but most of these people will have to move. And you know it’s hard for shifters to find a place where they can set up communities of their own.”
“I can imagine,” Jeanie agreed. “But listen I have George my boss looking into something for me. We might have a chance. But don’t say anything please. I don’t want to get people’s hopes up.”
Valerie nodded.
Jeanie was swept up in a conversation with Jess and Willow about dating a bear.
“It’s fun,” Willow said smiling. “No one messes with you.”
“Almost no one,” Jess said. “So you must be something special if Ryan has taken an interest.”
Jeanie was glad it was dark out here or everyone would have seen her blush.
“He thought it would be helpful if I got to know the locals, you know, get to know what you thought of things,” Jeanie said hoping she sounded convincing.
“Right,” Willow said mocking her. She smiled and Jeanie knew she was joking with her.
The evening rolled along like a casual, well-oiled machine. People laughed and joked and had a good time. There were speeches at some point and food. Then there was dancing and more alcohol. It took a lot of beer to get Jeanie anywhere near the dance floor and then when she and Ryan kept standing on each other’s toes, they called it quits on that activity and went to sit on a hay bale under the stars.
“It’s really pretty out here,” Jeanie said feeling her nose start to run from the cold. Ryan put his jacket around her shoulders. “Thanks.”
“Can’t have you dislocating your wrist and catching cold, now can I?”
“Guess not,” she said.
Ryan put his arm around her shoulders and drew her to him. “You’re shivering.”
“It’s cold!”
“So you say,” he said and smiled. He seemed completely unaffected. “I’m really glad you came here, to Colorado.”
“Funny old world ain’t it?” Jeanie joked. “If Petersen wasn’t trying to kick you guys out of your homes, I might never have met you.”
“Yeah, funny old world,” Ryan said and tilting her chin up with his hand, he kissed her.
Jeanie would never say that she had been kissed a lot. Somehow being interested in science and always rushing off into the wild every chance she got, made it hard for most men to understand her enough to want to kiss her. But this wasn’t her first kiss ever. It was the best, by far. Ryan tasted of beer and something sweet and fresh. He smelled amazing and she wanted to melt into him. Eventually they had to surface and Ryan decided it was time to go home. Jeanie didn’t mind. They had a whole car ride together and then who knew what?
Jeanie was still all warm and floaty when they pulled up outside Grandma’s Inn. Ryan held her hand as they ran up the steps laughing like teenagers in love for the first time. She was so happy that she didn’t notice anything was off until the door was open and she and Ryan were standing in the lobby. Two men stood at the counter. They were speaking to a small old lady with grey hair and milky blue eyes. Mrs. Graham was looking uncharacteristically ruffled.
“I don’t have a presidential suite,” Mrs. Graham was saying. “You’ll have to make do with a luxury room. Both of you!”
“That will not be suitable,” one of the men said. He was shorter than the other and wore white. His hair was white, as was his skin and he had the same disconcertingly clear eyes that Calvin had.
“This is a small town,” Calvin said. Jeanie hadn’t seen him as she entered but she saw him now.
Her heart stopped. She knew these men; one so white he was like snow and the other grey as the light before dawn.
“Oh, no!” she said softly. “It’s too late. He’s here.”
The grey man turned at that moment and regarded her with a face devoid of expression.
“Mr. Petersen,” Jeanie said. She felt Ryan grip her hand tightly in his.
“Miss Buchanan, I presume.” Mr. Petersen looked down his thin nose at her. “And fraternizing with the enemy. That should be grounds for your removal. Calvin see to it.”
“Yes sir,” Calvin said. His face showed nothing but Jeanie thought he must be smiling on the inside.
“Fine!” Jeanie said hotly. “I just want to tell you a thing or two. Both of you. What you’re doing here is despicable! You are terrible excuses for sentient beings! How can you let a little personal issue cloud your judgement like this?”
“Remove her!” Snow said.
Calvin moved to grab Jeanie’s wrist. As his fingers closed over it Jeanie cried out. Of course he went for the injured one. But Ryan stepped forward and pried the other man’s hand from her.
“Leave her alone!”
“You can’t fight here!” Mrs. Graham cried out from behind the counter. She was holding a shotgun in her hands and sighting down the barrel. Her hands were steady as a rock. “I’ll call the cops on you! Bear and Wolf business can’t be sorted on human land. You all know that. Now get out! The lot of you!”
“But…” Jeanie began.
“You stay dear,” Mrs. Graham said kindly to her. “You’re human. These others know the law and they’d best remember I can shoot them on my land if they cause trouble.”
Ryan held his hands up. “Meant no disrespect Mrs. Graham. I apologize.” He stepped back towards the door, not turning his back and not taking his eyes off the three wolves.
Mr. Petersen regarded the old lady and then turned on his heel. “We have no need of you.” And he strode to the door. “And you Miss Buchanan, will never find work in your field again. I will see to it personally.” He left.
Mr. Snow followed but stopped to glare at Jeanie. He was sniffing her.
“You got a problem?” she asked, feeling brave with Mrs. Graham’s shotgun trained on him.
“No, but you do,” he said and left.
Calvin was the last to go of the wolves. He and Ryan never blinked, their gazes locked until the wolves had all gone. Then Mrs. Graham lowered the gun. “My word! Sorry about that, Ryan. I know you’re a good boy. Just had to get those men to leave.”
“I understand, Mrs. Graham,” Ryan said politely. “This business is best sorted on our land anyway. Jeanie I’ll see you in the morning.” He kissed her cheek and left.
Jeanie let her breath out and sagged. Mrs. Graham offered to make her a cup of chamomile tea but she refused. She had something she desperately had to do.