Gerri Wilder laughed at something her friend Bailey had said as she pulled up to the closed steel gate and placed her car in park. She pressed the button on the intercom and waited for an answer.

“What a long drive. I can’t wait to get out and stretch my legs,” Gerri said to Bailey as she adjusted the rearview mirror so she could touch up her lipstick.

A woman’s voice boomed through the loud speaker.

“Can I help you?”

“Gerri Wilder to see Daisy Parks.”

Adjusting the mirror back to its correct location, Gerri watched as the gate slowly opened, allowing her to pull forward.

“Let’s do this,” Gerri winked at Bailey.

They were in awe with their surroundings as the long driveway twisted and turned, snaking through a densely wooded forest. Gerri’s wolf bristled in the back of her mind with a yearning to run the vast property. It had been ages since she’d been out of the city.

“I don’t know about your bear, but my wolf is begging me to ditch the car and go for a run.”

“Oh yeah, once we passed the city limits my bear started to stretch her legs.”

“Sadly, business has to come first,” Gerri pouted. As the owner of a paranormal dating agency, it was her duty to check up on her recent matches so she could be certain everything was on the up and up, and because she hadn’t heard much from Daisy since Gerri had set her up with Calder Lorenson, the hunky Alpha of the Twisted Tail Pack. It was time to set her mind at ease and scope out the situation for herself.

Gerri not only wanted to check in with Daisy to see how things were going with Calder, she had a nagging feeling she was needed at Twisted Tail, and when she’d bumped into her friend, Bailey, at the coffee shop, she knew without a doubt that Bailey was meant to make the trip with her.

The driveway came to a stop at a beautiful three story log home. Windows stretched the expanse of the immense building and gleamed in the afternoon sun. Taking her sunglasses off and slipping them into the case, Gerri let out a low whistle. She’d expected a small cabin in the woods. Not the lavish home that towered before her.

“Holy crap! I was expecting a tiny little cabin in the woods,” Bailey giggled. “This place looks swankier than any hotel I’ve ever stayed at.”

“It’s gorgeous.” Gerri slid from her car, grabbing her purse and overnight bag just as Daisy bounded down the front steps.

“Gerri! It’s so good to see you!”

“It’s good to see you, too, my dear. I’d like you to meet Bailey. She was the one I was telling you about.” Gerri waved her arm in a sweeping motion toward Bailey.

“It’s so nice to meet you. Any friend of Gerri’s is a friend of mine.”

“You look wonderful! Country life agrees with you.” Gerri was stunned to see how fabulous Daisy looked. The girl was a beauty. There had never been any doubt, but to see her now—after spending a few months as the mate of a shifter—wowzers! Her skin glimmered radiantly in the sun. Gone was the timid woman who Gerri had first met. The woman who had been worried about not fitting in because of her curves. She’d been replaced by the goddess who stood before her, sporting a heartwarming smile that stretched from ear to ear. But the absolute best part for Gerri had been seeing that Daisy’s smile was not only genuine, but it reached her eyes.

“It really does. I love it here, and Calder has been amazing. I can’t thank you enough for all you’ve done for me.” Daisy wrapped her arms around Gerri, giving her a warm embrace.

“I’m happy everything turned out so well, but really, dear, you do need to learn how to pick up a phone now and again. Or even a quick text message letting me know you were alive would have been great. I’ve been worried about you. When I hadn’t heard so much as a peep from you, I figured I’d grab Bailey and we’d take a ride up to see you. I hope you don’t mind us imposing on such short notice.”

Daisy pulled back, grabbing Gerri’s overnight bag, escorting her and Bailey into the house. “Of course not! I’m thrilled to see you! Besides, I could use a break. It’s been crazy here. Calder’s been working hard to get the pack established under his command, and I’ve been trying to support him in any way that he’s needed me. I also set up a small clinic just down the road and I’m seriously understaffed for a pack this size.”

“I’m thrilled to hear you’re embracing your new life. I remember how terrified you were when I first brought up the idea of meeting a wolf.”

“Haha. I’m so glad I took your advice. I can’t imagine going back to my old life.”

“So, Bailey, are you enjoying the fresh country air?” Daisy asked.

“It’s a really cute area and much nicer than I expected it to be. But I have to admit I’ve become a city dweller. I used to live in a small town. I’m not so sure I could ever go back to the small town lifestyle.”

“I used to feel that way, too. I grew up in a rural area, but moved to the city after college. I loved my city life until I met Calder and moved here,” Daisy sighed. “I love the wide open spaces, and being able to see the stars at night. There’s so much about the country life that I hadn’t realized I missed until I met Calder and decided to make Twisted Tail my home.”

“It’s definitely nice and quiet here. I’ll give you that. We’ll see about the rest of it as the weekend progresses,” Bailey winked, teasing Daisy.

“Tell you what, let’s get your things inside and I’ll give you both the grand tour.”

“That sounds wonderful, dear! I can’t wait to meet your hunky Alpha. Is he around today?”

Daisy giggled, “Absolutely! I’m glad the two of you will finally get a chance to meet.”

 

***

 

Gerri was impressed with the mad hostess skills that Daisy possessed. Not only were their rooms fabulous, Daisy had spared very little expense in making sure they would be comfortable. Every little detail had been meticulously thought out for each of them. Daisy had even made sure to plan accordingly for Bailey and the fact that she was a bear and not a wolf. The subtle differences in the two rooms made everything perfect.

Now they were off to see the town and meet some of the locals, and that was fine with Gerri. She had a pressing need to head into town.

“Whatever happens, just follow my lead. There’s a reason I brought Bailey with me this weekend,” Gerri whispered to Daisy.

“You really think her mate is here? At Twisted Tail?”

“I not only think it, I know it. They just have to run into each other.” Gerri smiled and headed into the coffee shop where Bailey stood holding the door, waiting for them.

“Are you okay, Gerri?” Bailey asked as her friends finally made their way into the coffee shop.

“All of the sudden I have a bit of a headache. I’m not sure what happened. One minute, I was fine, and the next, boom. It’s like something exploded in my head,” Gerri explained, trying to keep the conniving smirk off of her face that threatened to give her away.

“Oh no. Do we need to head back to Daisy’s? Maybe you should lie down for a bit?”

Gerri felt bad about deceiving her friend, but desperate times called for desperate measures. She knew deep in her gut it was the only way to get Bailey to see her mate. The girl was as stubborn as they came and hung up on a city life that just didn’t suit her. Gerri knew damn well, some people just needed a little push to make them see what they were unwilling to admit.

“Nonsense. I’m sure I’ll be just fine. Daisy, honey, is there a convenience store or something close by where I can grab some Advil or something?”

“Of course. It’s right around the corner.”

“Bailey, would you be a dear and see if you can find a bottle of Advil or Tylenol for me?” Gerri pulled a twenty dollar bill from her purse and handed it to her.

“Sure. I’ll be right back.”

Gerri watched as Bailey hurried off to the store to grab her a bottle of painkillers that she’d never use.

“I can’t believe she fell for that. Surely she has to know wolves don’t get headaches, and even if we did, human drugs would do nothing for us,” Daisy laughed. “And the grabbing your head part, massaging it. Priceless.”

“I know, right? It was the first thing that came to me. I don’t know what I would have done if she would have questioned my excuse.”

Daisy sipped her coffee. A concerned look replaced the smiling, giggling look she sported only moments ago. “Do you think she’ll be okay? I mean. He’s the right one for her, right? There are some shady people left over from the old pack leader. We’ve been keeping an eye on them, but you never know.”

“She’ll be perfectly fine.” Gerri reached over and clasped Daisy’s hand. “Have a little faith in this old woman. Besides, it looks like things turned out just fine for you.”