“Thanks,” Laurel said. “We appreciate it.” She and her sisters went inside to strip off their clothes and shift.
Cody joined CJ and asked, “So are the sisters all taken yet?”
CJ raised his brow. “Don’t tell me you’re interested in one of them.”
He laughed. “Nah, I’m still trying to make some headway with Minx, and so is Anthony. But we got bets going that you and two of your brothers will beat out the other guys who are interested in the sisters.”
CJ shook his head and sighed dramatically. “They all came in the truck with me tonight.”
Cody grinned. “Yeah, we were all talking about that. Who would have thought that you, the youngest of your brothers, would get all the girls?”
Laurel and her sisters loped out of the building as wolves, and CJ felt his cheeks heat a bit despite the cold, certain the ladies had heard Cody’s comment.
“I’ll be right out,” CJ said, then went in to change.
Laurel and her sisters were delighted with the prospect of running over the snow-covered ski slopes as wolves—as a pack. She was surprised to see so many of the pack members here, even though it was really only a small portion of the Silver pack. But it seemed like a huge group to her, because their previous pack had consisted only of the three of them since they lost their mom. Their dad had died when they were young.
The wind was whipping the snow about, but Laurel’s fur coat kept her nice and warm. It was so different from running in Florida where the cold wasn’t nearly this brisk. Their coats had thickened up considerably while they’d been living here.
As soon as CJ joined her, she and her sisters followed his and Brett’s lead. This felt so good. Everyone else was smelling the air, learning the sisters’ scents as Laurel and her sisters tried to memorize as many wolf pack members’ scents as they could. They’d met a few people already in the pack and had cataloged their scents, but not nearly enough.
CJ and Brett stayed nearby and watched to make sure the sisters didn’t get lost, which Laurel appreciated. Two other wolves joined them, and recognizing their scents, she realized that they were CJ’s brothers Sarandon and Eric. The brothers led the way, and she and her sisters followed them into the backcountry away from the ski resort.
She realized then that it was good that they hadn’t participated in any other pack activities, because having fun with these wolves wasn’t in the cards. She was afraid that the more they enjoyed being around the pack, the more they’d want to stay. Then what would happen if they learned about foul play related to their aunt?
For now, she was having the time of her life. In Florida, they had explored some of the more than one million wooded acres—in the thirty-five state forests—when they ran in their wolf coats. They really had to watch out for humans though. Living there, they never got to play in snow. Ellie glanced her way. Meghan wore the same devious expression. Laurel knew they were considering tackling her.
Ellie was closest to her, so Laurel pounced on Ellie first, and Meghan leaped on top of Laurel after that, making a pileup of three gray she-wolves in the pure white snow. They were so busy playing with each other that they didn’t realize until they shook off the snow that several wolves were watching them and smiling.
Wolves loved to play. But this kind of play was a lot different from what she and her sisters were used to. She loved how big the pack was and how it could be the perfect place to raise a wolf family. For others. Not for them.
* * *
After the run in the snow, Eric, CJ’s oldest brother, took him aside while the women were in the timber lodge getting changed.
“Be careful, little Brother.” Eric was the most serious of the brothers, the one who had made decisions for them when they were younger, but no longer.
“The ghost busters won’t give me any problems. Even if they’re well-known for their ghost-busting show.” CJ attempted to keep the irritation out of his voice. He was a deputy sheriff now. No professed ghost busters were going to give him any trouble.
Eric raised a brow at him.
CJ let out his breath in exasperation. He and Tom would never live it down that Darien and Jake had scared them to pieces at the hotel when they were kids. “There are no ghosts,” CJ added.
“I’m not referring to ghosts or ghost busters.” Eric shoved his hands in his jeans pockets. He was the tallest of the brothers at six one, and his black sweater made him look especially formidable. His dark gaze turned to the lodge where Laurel and her sisters were exiting the building, laughing and talking.
A couple of women intercepted them and began chatting. The sisters looked like they’d had a grand time. CJ smiled to see them in such great spirits. All of the pack members had gone out of their way to speak with the ladies about doing something fun, sure that they had needed the break from the renovations. He couldn’t believe they’d finally agreed to do this.
“They’re not staying long,” Eric warned.
“How do you know?” CJ couldn’t help feeling defensive. He was certain they were here for some purpose other than joining the pack. But he believed that if enough of the pack members made them feel welcome, the ladies would make this their home. “Because they’ve done the same with the last couple of hotels they’ve renovated? There were no wolf packs in the area.” At least that he and his brothers knew of. “If they’re not used to living around wolves, give them a chance. They’ll get used to us. Before you know it, they’ll feel as though they’ve been members of the pack forever.”
“It’s more than that. They’re here for some other purpose. Mark my word.”
CJ suspected that too, but he refused to believe that the women would decide to leave after a while. At least in the case of the other hotels, the sisters had waited a good year after they renovated them and got them into the black before putting them up for sale. That meant they’d be here for another year.
Unless this one became profitable too quickly and they found another hotel they needed to buy pronto. Then he had a thought. What if one of the she-wolves really became interested in one of the wolves of his pack? The sisters wouldn’t leave without her, would they? Then again, maybe the male wolf would leave with the women.
“Maybe you should…court one of the ladies,” CJ said.
“Laurel?” Eric asked, and CJ tried to hide how growly he felt at the mention of her name.
Eric smiled knowingly at him. “She’s in charge of her sisters. If anyone’s mind needs to be changed, it’s hers.”
“If either or both of the other sisters decide to mate a wolf from our pack, Laurel won’t be leaving.” CJ let out his breath in annoyance. From what he’d seen of the way she interacted with her sisters, she wouldn’t want to leave them behind.
Eric slapped his brother’s back with his gloved hand. “You have the best chance at making that happen.”
CJ studied his brother, wondering why he thought that. He was only interested in Laurel, and he suspected her sisters were leaning toward staying, but Laurel wasn’t.
He and his brother grew quiet as the ladies drew near.
“That was fun,” Ellie said to them. “I’d love to do it again soon.”
“Anytime,” Eric said, smiling a little. But he didn’t seem interested in any of the sisters.
CJ wasn’t sure what was going on with his brother. He knew he’d been butting heads with Darien, as alpha as both were. Eric still believed that their father, and not Darien’s, should have run the pack. And when their father got into the mess he did, Eric would have led the pack. CJ really thought they’d resolved that issue to some degree.
He was happy with Darien’s rule. He was a fair and just leader, and CJ was close to Darien’s brothers and many others in the pack. He was afraid Eric would leave the pack again. Only this time, CJ wasn’t leaving. He wasn’t sure about Brett and Sarandon, but he didn’t want to see any of them go.