Colin required several long seconds to digest this information. During that time he tried to quiet the screaming voices in his head that cried out in protest at the unfairness of it all. Luna was perfect. Perfect. Except, not really, not according to his exacting standards.

“I understand this probably changes everything,” she said. “You may not want a half-breed running the inn. But I am right for the job, and no one here knows about my mother. I’d planned to keep it that way, in case…in case someone else might feel the way y’all do.”

Colin scrubbed a hand over his face. Now everything she’d told him made sense. Her mother had run away because she didn’t want to be part of a werewolf pack. She wouldn’t have told Luna that she might inherit the ability to shift, because there was a fifty percent chance she wouldn’t. Then her mother had died before Luna reached puberty, and Luna had gone through her first shift with no support at all.

“That’s why you went through your first shift alone.”

She waved her hand dismissively. “Yes, but that doesn’t matter, now.”

“It does.” He walked toward her, his heart aching for the young girl who hadn’t known what was happening to her. “Of course it does.” He took her by the shoulders. “I’m so sorry.”

When she lifted her face to his, a mask of indifference covered the open delight he was used to seeing there. “It’s not your problem.”

“And it shouldn’t have been yours, either.” He wanted her to tell him about that first shift, because he sensed she’d never been able to unburden herself to anyone. He was the only person in the world who knew she was a half-breed. No wonder she’d decided not to contact her grandparents.

“Look, the primary issue here is whether I still have a job running the inn. If I don’t, then maybe I can train Sybil to do it. Janet’s needed back in the kitchen, and Dulcie’s a little too focused on the male of the species, but I think Sybil might—”

“I don’t want Sybil.” He released her, because he realized she wouldn’t confide in him, not after the way he’d talked about humans mating with Weres. And he still believed it was a mistake. Luna was proof of the heartbreak it could bring.

“Then let me find someone else, do some interviewing. Just don’t throw out the idea of the inn because I’m not right for the job. Sybil, Dulcie, and Janet deserve a chance to stay on and make a go of this.”

“I gave you my word that you could run the inn.”

She swallowed. “That was before I told you I’m a half-breed.”

He looked into green eyes that had been full of joy not long ago, and now were as cold and hard as a piece of jade. “You’re still the same talented and capable Were who impressed me before. I have no doubt that you’ll do an excellent job. I want you to stay.”

Her shoulders sagged in relief. “Thank you.”

“No, I need to thank you. If you hadn’t come up with this alternative, I would have listed the property with that dullard Regis and lost any right to come back here. All those cherished memories would have been stripped away.”

She nodded. “I’m glad that didn’t happen.”

“And I would have missed spending last night with you.”

Her gaze snapped to his. “Under the circumstances, you should forget about that.”

“I’ve already given you my word that I’ll never forget.”

She stared at him, and gradually her mask slipped back into place. “I release you from that pledge, Colin. I’m sure my secret is safe, because it wouldn’t help business to reveal it. If y’all will excuse me, I have work to do.” Turning, she marched back toward the steps, her back straight and her head high.

At the steps, she glanced back at him. “I’ll print out the spreadsheet for those financial projections and leave it under your bedroom door.”

“Luna, don’t put this kind of distance between us. I was your friend before, and I want to keep that friendship. I care about you.” He cared more than he was willing to admit, even to himself. But he’d held his beliefs too long and too passionately to toss them aside. He hoped she understood that.

She stood gazing at the sand beneath her feet for several seconds. When her response finally came, it was so low that he had to strain to hear it over the sound of the waves.

She didn’t raise her head, didn’t look at him. “Is it the sex? Is that what y’all want?”

“Bloody hell! No, it’s not the sex!”

She lifted her gaze to his. “That’s good, because it won’t ever happen again.” Breaking eye contact, she turned and went up the steps.

He watched her until she was out of sight. He fought the urge to throw back his head and howl. He was already worried that someone might have heard his last shouted comment, which had, unfortunately, included the word sex. That comment, followed by a howl of despair wasn’t a bright idea right now.

Luna ate breakfast at her desk while she cleaned up the spreadsheet that compared similar inns in the area with Whittier House—number of rooms, room rate, and amenities. She’d used her hotel experience to project the costs of food and beverages per person and built that into the room rate. They’d have to serve three meals a day because nothing else was available without leaving the island.

She buried herself in the work she loved, the work that would give her a haven away from a world that wouldn’t welcome her if her heritage became known. Maybe other Weres didn’t share Colin’s prejudices, but she’d never had the courage to broach the subject for fear something she said would give her away.

She fussed with the spreadsheet for too long, but she wanted it to be beyond reproach. Besides, as long as she worked in her office with the door closed, she could avoid Colin. Sometime before noon she ventured out, the spreadsheet in a manila envelope with his name on it.

On the way up the stairs to the second floor, she had to pass Dulcie, who was polishing the wooden banisters on either side of the marble staircase.

“There you are!” Dulcie put down her cloth and bottle of lemon oil. “I’ve been dying to find out how everything went last night. Did huddling over those projections turn into anything exciting?”

Luna took a deep breath. “No.” She wasn’t a good liar, and she felt the heat rush to her cheeks.

“Aw, that’s okay, honey.” Dulcie patted her arm. “Don’t be embarrassed. I probably shouldn’t have asked, but you know we all want you to find a hunky Were who can give you some action. We, um, took bets on whether Colin would be the lucky one.”

“Bets?” Luna was scandalized.

Dulcie tugged at the hem of her rhinestone-studded shirt and had the good grace to look a little uncomfortable. “Well, we saw the way he looked at you, and after you left the kitchen last night, we finished off the wine, which led to a little friendly wager. Innocent fun.”

Despite being scandalized, Luna was intrigued. No one had ever paid enough attention to her activities to place a wager on the outcome. “How did you bet?”

“I put my money on you two doing the nasty last night. Janet thought it would take longer, and Sybil’s convinced you’re a virgin and nothing will happen because you won’t take that kind of chance with your new boss.”

“Hm.” Luna glanced away, not wanting Dulcie to read anything from her expression.

“You did it, didn’t you?”

“No.” She looked Dulcie straight in the eye and reminded herself of Colin’s rigid belief system. “Sybil’s right. I wouldn’t risk my future like that.”

Apparently she was convincing, because Dulcie sighed. “If you say so. I’ve already lost then, but Janet’s holding the money until Colin goes back to Scotland, because she and Sybil still have a bet.”

“How much money are we talking about?” She hoped it wasn’t a small fortune, but after a couple of glasses of wine, the Weres might have become reckless.

“Twenty bucks each. An amount we can afford to lose, which obviously I will. Damn. I thought Colin was more assertive than that.”

“Is somebody accusing me of not being assertive?”

Luna glanced up and wished she hadn’t stopped to talk with Dulcie. Now she was trapped. Colin stood at the top of the stairs looking gorgeous as ever, the rat. No one should be that handsome. Despite what he’d said this morning, she still craved his body.

He’d obviously showered and changed clothes since this morning. He wore khaki slacks and a crisp white dress shirt open at the neck. Plus he smelled like heaven on earth, a combination of natural musk and a cologne that he’d probably brought from Scotland. She didn’t know what the scent of heather was like, but logically Colin would bring the aroma of Scotland with him.

She held out the manila envelope. “You saved me a trip. I was coming up to slip this under your door.”

He came down the steps with an easy stride that seemed to say he hadn’t a care in the world. But his blue eyes searched her expression, and lines of weariness bracketed his mouth.

“Thanks for putting this together.” He took the envelope. “Actually, I was coming to look for you. Yesterday we talked about taking a trip into Seattle to look for books, and I’ve arranged for the helicopter to pick us up. Can you be ready in the next hour?”

“Well, no.” She hadn’t expected him to take charge like this, and she scrambled for a reasonable excuse. “Janet and I need to start planning menus that are in line with my cost projections, and this afternoon is the best—”

“Janet can adjust,” Dulcie said. “You two go on. Have fun. You haven’t had a trip to Seattle in months, Luna. You deserve it.”

Surely she could get out of this tangled web. “It’s a nice thought, but considering all that has to be done in preparation for opening the inn, I can’t take the time. We need to see about advertising, and all the rooms will have to be evaluated in terms of linens, and I also think we should consider installing a hot tub.” She glanced at Colin, a plea in her eyes. “I couldn’t possibly get away.”

He ignored that plea. “Sure you can. We’ll price hot tubs while we’re in Seattle, maybe even buy one. I agree it’s a great idea. So is the library we talked about, and it needs books, unless you plan to empty Henry’s collection.”

Dulcie waved her polishing cloth in Luna’s direction. “Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth. Let his Lairdness of Glenbilbo take you hot tub shopping.” She waggled her eyebrows. “Could we set aside a few hours for staff use of the hot tub?”

“Of course.” Colin gave her his high wattage smile. “I believe in keeping the staff happy.” He glanced over at Luna. “Meet you at the helipad in forty-five minutes. I’ll ask Janet to pack us a lunch to eat on the way.” He continued on down the stairs.

Dulcie flapped her hand in front of her face. “Whew, that Were is hot.”

“If y’all like the type.” Luna struggled for nonchalance and was afraid she’d failed miserably.

“What are you talking about? He’s a stud! Every female in the world would like his type, Were or human. What’s the matter with you?”

“I just don’t think it’s a good idea to mix business with pleasure.” The hypocrisy of that statement made her tummy hurt, but she was battling for her very existence and compromises had to be made.

Dulcie rolled her eyes. “I can see that Sybil has this one in the bag. I knew you were a straight arrow, but I didn’t think you were quite this straight. But here’s a tip. Don’t piss off the boss. Even if you don’t want to play footsie with him, when he invites you to Seattle to shop for books and hot tubs, you go to Seattle and shop for books and hot tubs.”

“Y’all have a point.” Luna hadn’t figured that Colin would pull rank on her, but he had, and in front of Dulcie, which had worked out well for him. She couldn’t refuse to go without seeming to sabotage the entire operation. And that she definitely didn’t want to do.

“You bet your sweet ass I have a point. Power to the sisterhood, girlfriend! We’re counting on you to keep that Were happy.” Dulcie glanced at Luna’s sweatshirt and jeans, which she’d been wearing since last night. “I suggest you clean up a little bit, too. I hate to say it, but your hair’s a hot mess.”

Luna instinctively touched her hair and realized she hadn’t done a thing with it since rolling around in Colin’s bed, followed by walking along a misty, wind-blown beach. She hadn’t bothered to look in a mirror, but had headed straight to the office and barricaded herself in there to work on the spreadsheets. She probably looked deranged.

That wasn’t far off. The past couple of days had taken their toll on her, and she only hoped she could hold onto her sanity until Colin boarded a plane and headed back to his native land. She wanted nothing more than to be left alone.

No, that wasn’t true, either. There were moments when she wanted nothing more than to strip naked and welcome Colin into her outstretched arms. But she throttled those urges every time they arose. She wasn’t about to give her body to someone who disapproved of her ancestry. If sex was the only thing that would keep him happy, then they’d all get kicked out of Whittier House.

But she could be reasonably accommodating, so she showered, washed her hair, and dressed in a flowered summery frock, another of Geraldine’s gifts to her. Of course Geraldine hadn’t known about Luna’s unorthodox background, either, but Luna hoped that Geraldine wouldn’t have cared. She’d defied the MacDowell clan to mate with a foreigner from Vancouver.

Still, that wasn’t the same as being descended from a human mother and a Were father. Luna hadn’t chosen that for herself, and sadly, she could understand Colin’s objections to mingling the two species. The impetuous mating between her mother and father had caused her plenty of anguish.

Yet now she lived in a castle with other friendly Weres. Assuming Colin didn’t go back on his word, she had a chance to make a nice living for herself and her new friends. She didn’t think he would go back on his word, but refusing a simple request to accompany him to Seattle wasn’t very smart.

She strapped on a pair of sandals, grabbed a straw purse and her sunglasses, and walked out the door to the helipad. This was a simple request, wasn’t it? She could manage to browse through a few bookstores and check on hot tubs without turning the day into a complicated dance.

Colin stood beside the helicopter, his hair tousled by the wind from the chopper blades, his Wayfarers making him look like a fly-boy, himself. A paper bag dangled loosely from his long fingers.

Giving the two men a wave, she ducked under the swirling blades and joined them next to the cockpit. “Hi, Knox.” She become friends with him through the many times he’d taken Geraldine on shopping trips, but he’d earned her total respect the night he’d flown in the medical team. Despite being a Trevelyan, the pack Geraldine and Henry had ignored, he’d grieved right along with Luna as Geraldine had lost her fight for life.

“Beautiful day for a trip to the city!” Knox shouted above the noise of the rotor. “I’ll put Colin in back and you next to me, like we did the time Geraldine took you shopping.”

Luna nodded. The seating arrangement had been Geraldine’s idea, because she’d wanted Luna to have the full experience of flying over the sparkling water and into the city. Despite Luna’s mild acrophobia, she wasn’t bothered by riding in a helicopter, possibly because she was strapped in and someone else was in charge of getting them safely back to ground level.

Trevelyan Enterprises had its own helipad at the top of one of Seattle’s office buildings. It was an elegant and quick way into the heart of the Emerald City, and Luna had enjoyed her trip with Geraldine.

Colin glanced at her, but she couldn’t read his expression behind his dark glasses. “You look great,” he said in a voice barely loud enough to carry over the roar of the helicopter.

“Thanks.” She turned away. From now on, every interaction between them would be strictly business.