When the pot boils, I dump the pasta inside then give it a stir. Steam comes up in the process. Meanwhile, Carter slices the bread on the kitchen island for the garlic bread. We’ve been in comfortable silence for a while now. It’s different, unique, and I hate to admit it, but I’m loving it. All of this is seriously strange.

I’ve tried calling both the lawyers and realtor all damn day. It’s like they both went on an extended vacation. Not even their secretaries are picking up their office lines. Their cells, nothing. It’s really pissing me off, and if I have to track them down, so be it.

Moving to the counter, I slide the buttered garlic to Carter, who takes it then spreads it over the bread. Watching him work is like an art. Each movement calculated, precise, and with definite meaning. He’s agile and quick.

With his men earlier, he was demanding but respectful. Every single one of those men showed him the utmost respect, doing exactly what he said.

“Are you Owen and the other guys’ boss?” I ask, needing to know the dynamic there. Not everyone would take orders like that.

“Something like that. I told you of our businesses. Everything goes through me.”

“So, are they your employees or family?” Why this comes to mind, I’m not sure, but I’m curious.

“Family.”

“Like, your brothers or cousins? Uncles?”

He finishes the last piece of bread and tosses the knife into the bowl in front of him. “Pretty much.”

“But you didn’t introduce them as your family.”

He shrugs. “It’s just how we work.”

The pot on the stove begins to overflow with bubbles. “Crap.”

Carter holds out his hand to me. “I got this.” He moves over, pulls the butter out of the fridge, and puts a dollop in the pot. The bubbles recede.

“Is there a wolf issue out here?”

He turns sharply to me. “Why do you ask that?”

I move to the cabinet and pull out the plates, setting them on the counter. “Last night, a huge wolf came to my back door.” I look him in the eye. “It howled then growled at me. Luckily, he didn’t come through the glass door, but Carter, it could’ve in a heartbeat.”

“Did it scare you?”

“Well, yeah, at first when I saw its size. I mean, I’m not kidding, Carter, it was as tall as I am.” He listens as I speak. “But the animal must have felt my fear because it laid down and even gave me a little whimper. Then, when I told him I was going to bed, he growled again, but it wasn’t mean; it was more of … This sounds crazy.”

“No, keep going. More of …”

“Like he didn’t want me to go upstairs to bed. When I got to my room, I looked down and he laid down on the deck, whining. Isn’t that weird?”

“There have been lots of wolf sightings. Some calm and nice like the one you saw, and others you need to be more cautious of. A big thing to look for is if they fall down onto their bellies and give you no threat.” He reaches for my arm. “Not saying you need to be free with the wolves because some aren’t supposed to be in these woods, but that’s far and few between.”

His touch is electric, short circuiting my brain.

“You know a lot about wolves.”

“You have no idea.” Carter gives me a squeeze then moves off. “Need to make a call,” he calls out as I watch his tight ass move.

After dinner and light talk, we’re sitting on the couch, watching a reality show on singers trying to win money, when a tap comes to the door. I look over the couch and give out a small screech. A large, light brown wolf sits on the other side of the sliding glass door. He’s on his belly, his paw coming up to tap on the glass.

“What the hell?” comes from my lips as I scramble to my knees. “Another one. This can’t be normal.”

“Come on,” Carter says, holding out his hand for me to take.

“Where?”

“Trust me.”

Trust him. Trust him. Oh, hell. I know I need to start considering we’re living under the same roof for the time being, but this …

I tentatively lift my hand into his, and Carter pulls me up. We move to the door, his gaze trained on the large wolf.

“Carter, this is close enough.” I tug my hand back, but he doesn’t release me.

He turns, looking directly into my eyes, determination and something else lingering behind them. “I swear to you, I’ll never let anything happen to you. Ever.”

My breath catches and my heart palpitates because I believe him. I truly do, yet have no reason to.

“Okay.”

“Okay.” He turns us back toward the animal, who’s still lying on the deck, his eyes practically glowing.

Carter reaches for the door handle.

“You’re not opening it!”

“Trust me,” he says, while my blood pressure skyrockets.

Carter is opening the door to a wolf. A huge, wild animal.

Holy shit.

He slides the door open, and my assumptions of the wolf jumping at us are totally wrong. Instead, the animal tips his head and looks up at us, not moving another muscle. It’s like he’s waiting patiently. A wolf can wait patiently? Who knew?

Carter snaps his finger and the wolf moves. I jump back, but Carter pulls on my hand. I steady my body as the wolf crawls on its belly, inside the door, into my home, and stops at my feet.

The urge to run hits me hard. My heart feels like it’s going to burst out of my chest at any moment.

Carter kneels next to the wolf, who doesn’t move again. He lifts his hand and begins to pet the wolf. I almost jump out of my skin, telling him, “No, don’t!” but I keep my body still, just in case the wolf decides to attack.

The wolf gives out a low whine, but I don’t think it’s in pain.

“Kneel down here and give him a rub.”

“Carter, this has to be the craziest thing I’ve ever done. Ever.”

Carter smiles, one I haven’t seen before, and I wish I could tell what it means. “Come on, Izzy.”

Thinking and thinking, and thinking some more, I slowly kneel on the floor.

“Go ahead,” he encourages.

My hand shakes as I reach out. The wolf doesn’t make a movement, which doesn’t help the thump inside of me. Its hair is soft, unbelievably soft. A low rumble comes from the animal, but it doesn’t move, so neither does my hand. Over and over, I stroke him, keeping away from his face.

“Wow,” I whisper in amazement. “Are all of them like this?”

“No.”

This makes me pause. “What?”

“Not all wolves are like this one. Some aren’t meant to be in Spear, but those won’t come to your door.”

“How do you know that?”

“I just do.” Carter rises, and the wolf’s attention goes to him, his snout rising.

I pull my hand back.

“Time to go,” he says and, like magic, the wolf doesn’t stand. Instead, he scoots back the same way he came in.

Carter closes the door and locks it.

“What about the black one?” I ask out of curiosity.

Carter stares me square in the eye. “Never worry about him. He’ll never hurt you.”

I’m not sure what to think. How can Carter be so certain? He’s confident in a way I can’t describe. It’s like every word he says is law and he knows it. Can he really make it so? Some part of me, deep in my belly, believes he can.

It makes me feel crazy.

* * *

Getting a glass of water in the middle of the night isn’t my normal, but when a hunk of a man wearing nothing but pajama bottoms is two doors down from me, it’s hard to sleep. He kissed me so deeply before he went to the guest room that I was pretty sure I’d pass out, just from the touch. Then I laid there, tossing and turning, aroused beyond belief. I could have relieved the ache, but Carter might have heard.

Scratching comes to the glass door, and I jolt, turning to see the black wolf from the night before. He’s down on his belly, just like the light brown one was earlier. Carter’s words ring in my ears. Never worry about him. He’ll never hurt you. Do I trust it?

The wolf gives a low whine, and just like before, my body reacts with anxiousness.

Ever so slowly, I move to the door and unlock it. With trembling fingers, I then slide the door open, taking a huge step back.

The wolf slowly crawls to me, head down. Once it gets to my feet, it stops.

Letting out a huge breath, I kneel next to him, lift my hand, and move it toward his body. Slipping my fingers into his fur, I feel that it’s softer than the brown wolf’s.

The black wolf lets out a few whimpering sounds that almost sound like comforting ones.

Continually, I sift my hands in and out of the wolf’s hair, the animal not moving a muscle. I find this odd comfort wash over me, tingles forming in my fingertips. I study the animal beneath me and am enthralled.

“You know, you’re a beautiful creature,” I begin talking to him. “Sorry I was scared of you last night. I’ve never had a wolf come to my house before, let alone seen anything as big as you. Except for the brown wolf.” At the mention of the other wolf, I feel a rumble and pull my hand back. “Easy there, big boy.” The wolf begins to calm, and I go back to stroking.

“Don’t tell your friend, but I’m a bit fond of you. Wish I knew why. Maybe it’s your eyes. You remind me of someone.” My focus goes to the stairs before turning back to the animal. “This is very strange, big boy. Never thought in a million years I’d pet a wolf, let alone two in one day. And this arrangement … it’s crazy—living with a man I don’t know for eternity. There’s no way that can be correct. Maybe I should have stayed in Jones Bend.” I continue stroking. “I feel a weird connection to you, and I don’t understand it.”

We sit there for a long time; me randomly talking, him letting out a few noises, but nothing that scares me to the point I pull back.

I watch as he sniffs the air around me. Brave or stupid, I haven’t decided yet, I let him have my hand to sniff. When he licks me with his rough tongue, I pull back, startled at first. Then he lays his head back down and all is calm again.

Eventually, I can barely keep my eyes open. I don’t want him to leave, and it saddens me that he has to. When I tell him it’s time, he goes without any growling. Then, when I look out my window from my bedroom, he’s gone.