“But it’s happening, right?”
“No, at least not for now.” Even though he’d met her months ago, he hadn’t really begun to know her until more recently. Sure, he knew she was good at organizing, had her own way of doing things—as evidenced by the way she turned their snowman into a wolf—and was very take-charge. She was very tender and passionate and family oriented, and had a great sense of humor, which was especially good around him. Once she’d let her hair down, she was playful. He prized her for all of it.
“Okay, check with you later. But if you mate, let me know pronto.”
“Eric wants to know first.”
Brett laughed. “Make it a conference call.”
CJ’s phone beeped, letting him know he had another call coming in. The sheriff. “Got another call. Peter’s calling.”
“Probably wondering why you’re not at work.”
“I am. I’m supposed to be helping Laurel and her sisters out today. Only they’re not here. Talk later.” CJ answered the call. “Yeah, Peter. I’ll be out in just a few minutes.”
“Take your time. I’ve got enough people on it: volunteers and Trevor is coordinating efforts. If anyone learned I was impeding a mating between you and the she-wolf and didn’t convince the sisters to stay here with our pack, I’d be out of a job.”
CJ chuckled. He loved the pack, his job, the boss. And he couldn’t have been gladder that he had returned to the pack when he did. “Okay, well as long as you’re all right with it, I’ll finish fixing breakfast for Laurel and me, and then I’ll be out there helping with the crowds as they begin to gather.”
“Breakfast, eh? Sounds good. See you in a bit.”
CJ had started the omelets and then the hash browns, thinking this was the best day ever, when Sarandon phoned him. CJ groaned. He was glad Laurel was upstairs taking a long shower and getting ready for the big day.
“Hey, CJ. How the hell did you manage to get an invite to stay over at the MacTires’ place—all night long?”
“I thought you were doing a guided tour in the woods this morning.”
“Yesterday morning. I couldn’t miss the grand opening or all the news about my youngest brother either. I leave you alone for a day and what happens?”
“Nothing.”
Sarandon started laughing. “You’re as good as mated.”
CJ heard footsteps on the stairs. “Hey, got to serve up breakfast and then get to work. Talk to you later.”
“Can’t believe it. I’ll see you at the opening or before.”
“All right.” CJ pocketed his phone and began slicing ham, then warmed it up.
“So…was that one of your brothers?” Laurel poured them both cups of coffee, then fixed mimosas: orange juice and champagne from the bottle leftover last night.
“Yeah, and the others all called.”
She shook her head.
“And so did Peter.”
“Oh.” Laurel’s expression turned to concern. “You’re not late, are you? I should have thought of that. You must have work to do to get ready for all the people coming to town to celebrate. You’re not in trouble with Peter, are you?”
“Nah, Peter said to enjoy our breakfast. And not to rush.” CJ loved working with a wolf pack. Anywhere else he couldn’t imagine being able to do such a thing.
“That was nice of him.” She started setting the table. “So what did your brothers say?”
“That next time I should not leave my truck out in the open like that.”
She snorted. “There’s not going to be a next time. Or even if there was, which there won’t be, my sisters will be home tomorrow and that would end any speculation.”
He doubted it. She really didn’t understand pack politics. Everyone wanted the ladies to stay here and run the hotel. That was much more likely if one of them mated a pack member.
“What if the Wernicke brothers cause real trouble for us?” She sat down to eat breakfast with CJ. And smiled at the way he had made the hash browns. “Oooh, these look so good.” She took a bite. “Ohmigod, I haven’t had fresh potato hash browns in forever. You’re hired.”
He laughed. “I’m all for it. As for the hotel, we’ll come to that when we have to. For now, the Wernickes have to prove they had nothing to do with their aunt and uncle’s disappearance. I’m curious about the furniture your sisters had to retrieve though.” More than curious. He still couldn’t imagine them taking off to get it and leaving Laurel to take care of everything here on her own.
She sighed. “It was my aunt’s.”
* * *
Laurel didn’t tell CJ anything more than that, figuring he’d assume it was important to them for sentimental reasons. She took another bite of her crispy hash browns, loving them. She could get used to having these on a daily basis—if CJ made them. They were so good.
He was drinking his coffee when he set it down and frowned at her. “Wait, the furniture has some importance, doesn’t it? Like it proves something.”
She sighed again. It was impossible to keep secrets around another wary wolf. Besides, she felt their relationship had gone too far not to trust him.
“We hope so. We won’t know for certain until we get it home and can…really look it over good.”
CJ was watching her, gauging her response. “There’s something more to it than that, I suspect.”
She nodded. “We thought our aunt’s furniture might have hidden compartments. We don’t know for certain. Some old pieces of furniture were designed that way.”
“Hell, that’s great news, if something could be found to help solve the mystery.”
It certainly gave her and her sisters hope that they might find some key piece of evidence that would aid them.
“Did you have any substantial reason to believe it might?”
“Only that the two pieces were special enough and our aunt said they were unique. She willed them to our mother, and they were to go to my sisters and me if my mother died early. Why would she will the highboy and chest to us unless they were special in some way?”
“Maybe just because it cost so much to have them made in the first place.”
“True. It could be. But we’re hopeful there’s more to it than that.”
They finished their breakfasts and began to clear away the dishes.
“Can I have a look at them when they arrive tomorrow?” he asked.
“Sure, but it might be really late by the time they get in.”
“No problem. I’ll be staying in the attic room and will hear your sister’s car when it arrives. I can run over then as long as it’s not inconvenient for you and your sisters.”
She opened the dishwasher and began loading the dishes while he put away the food. “It should be fine. If they’re too tired to stay up after the long drive, I can look over the furniture with you. Have you ever had any furniture that had hidden niches?”
“No. But it should be interesting to see. You said you have a postcard from your aunt. Could I see it?”
“Uh, sure.” She left the kitchen to get the postcard out of the buffet drawer.
When she returned, CJ was scrubbing one of the skillets. She and her sisters always vied to cook the meal so they didn’t have to clean the pots and pans. A wolf who did both? A dream made in heaven.
She drew close to him. “Thanks for the lovely breakfast and for washing the pans.”
She tugged on his shoulder to get him to lean down a little, and when he obliged, she kissed him thoroughly, tasting the sweet mimosa on his lips and tongue, feeling the heat of their bodies collide, smelling his piney woods scent and male hotness.
“Hmm,” she said, pulling away, then showing him the postcard.
He was looking at her, not at the card. “Did we have to stop?”
Already his eyes were darkened and more than intrigued.
She chuckled. “Yeah, we do. Opening day. Remember? I need to get over to the hotel.”
This time he sighed and then looked down at the card. “Says Breckenridge, Colorado, and that’s a picture of their town some years ago.”