His front paws hit the glass pane hard, and he grunted and jumped back. Hell. Swinging his head around, he saw Bertha Hastings, the owner of the establishment, peer out the kitchen window. For a while, she just watched him, not recognizing him. A lone wolf. Not of her pack. An outsider.
He sat and waited.
Bertha’s round face lifted in a happy countenance with springy silver curls tracing her cheeks where they’d fallen loose from a bun and a dash of white powder on the tip of her pert nose. Did she finally recognize him? She hadn’t been at the battle when the reds and grays fought. And he hadn’t been in his wolf form at any other time when Bertha had been around.
She opened the window, lifted her chin, and breathed deeply. Then she smiled again, this time her eyes matching the cheerful greeting.
She knew it was him. He took a breath of relief as she disappeared from the window. Then the back door opened, and she motioned for him to hurry inside. He hesitated, concerned she might have some human guests about. More vigorously this time, she again waved for him to come in.
With a loping gait, he hurried into the kitchen. The scent of strawberries and whipped cream, sugar-powdered cakes, roasting duck, and spears of asparagus grilling in olive oil met with his approval. He took another whiff, which made her smile.
“Dinner will be served in a couple of minutes. What are you really doing here, Ryan McKinley?” Bertha asked as she pulled a key off a rack and hurried down the hall, the key clinking on its chain.
He guessed, as many years as she must have lived, she didn’t believe he was just attending the spring festival the next day as he’d said. He followed close behind her, wanting to slip into the room before a human guest saw him and went into hysterics.
Bertha unlocked his door and let him in. “I closed the window because heating this place is difficult enough. I didn’t realize you’d taken a run on the wild side. I do have an electronic wolf door in the kitchen if you need to go out. No human guests are staying at the bed and breakfast right now, so feel free to come and go as you please in whichever form you prefer.”
He’d seen the wolf door when he’d first checked in, but he hadn’t wanted Bertha to know he was headed out, figuring she would have been curious about what he was up to. And he hadn’t known if she had any human guests, although that could have changed if one had checked in while he was on his run.
She motioned to the bedroom with its floral prints in varying shades of green on white backgrounds, dark forest-green walls, white furniture, and a vase filled with fresh green-and-white carnations. The place made him feel as though he was staying in a room in the forest, minus bugs and weather problems.
“This is the room Lelandi used when she first arrived. She sure brought a hornet’s nest of trouble with her, although in the end it all turned out for the best,” Bertha said and then raised a brow. She gave a resigned sigh.
“You aren’t planning on stirring up the town also, are you? I should warn Darien you’re here. But I doubt you’re any real threat. I take it you’re not here to see Lelandi this time.” Then Bertha’s brows both elevated as if she’d worked out the mystery on her own. “Oh, not Lelandi. Carol, then?” Her lips curved up in a sly way.
He waited patiently for Bertha to leave, but she seemed preoccupied with sorting out why he was here and letting him know what conclusions she was drawing from the situation.
“Oh… now I see. I’ll leave you to your business.” She turned to go but stopped and said over her shoulder, “Darien’s getting ready to encourage one of our pack members and Carol to mate. So if you’re interested…” She sighed. “I shouldn’t be saying so since you’re not one of our pack, but I think you could handle her best of all since you’re an alpha and patient to boot.
“She puts on airs that she’s strong and doesn’t need anyone to look after her while she’s supposed to take care of everyone else. Don’t believe it. Under that competent, no-nonsense, skilled nurse is a woman who needs someone for moral support from time to time. Jake would be a good candidate for her, but they quarrel a lot in a lighthearted way. And Tom, well, I’m not sure what he’s thinking half the time. You might want to step in and make a bid for her. I can only say she’d be worth it.”
She smiled broadly, then closed the door and left Ryan in peace.
He didn’t like hearing that Jake was quarreling with Carol. After all she’d been through, she needed someone who was supportive and not confrontational. He shifted and threw on his clothes, thinking about what Bertha had said about him being patient. Yeah, he guessed he could be described in that way. Also methodical, dogged, and thorough.
But in the market for a mate? He shook his head. All he needed were answers.
His cell phone rang and he grabbed it. Rosalind. “Hello? What’s wrong?”
“Did you see her?”
No matter how many times he told his sister this was strictly business, he couldn’t convince her. “I plan to see her tomorrow.” At least that was the plan.
Chapter 3
THE NEXT MORNING, APPREHENSIVE AS TO WHETHER Jake or Tom had caught up with Ryan last night, Carol hurried to dress in jeans, her favorite soft violet sweater that always made her feel ready for any adventure, and a pair of tennis shoes. If the brothers had had heated words with Ryan, no one had said a thing about it to her. Which made her worry more that they were hiding the truth from her.
Sneaking away to see Ryan privately was going to be a real challenge, if Darien and his brothers hadn’t warned him off and Ryan still managed to slip into the festival. Not knowing what to expect at the spring affair, since only werewolves were allowed and she hadn’t been to one before, she had been excited to participate.
She had barely slept, wondering what Ryan had wanted of her and hoping he hadn’t gotten into a lot of trouble with Darien and his brothers the previous night. Not to mention that twice more the damned hot flashes had invaded her body, an annoying prelude to the shift. Thankfully, she’d been able to stop it both times with a recurring vision of the man in red and white stripes.
Festive pipe-and-whistle music could be heard playing in the meadow near the woods, and that lifted her spirits. Darien’s pack gathered in the meadow for werewolf-only functions due to its private location, and the music made it sound like a fairy troupe had descended on the area.
Downstairs, she smelled bacon frying. Had to be Jake. He was always up the earliest and loved to cook.
Then the aroma of rose and lilac wreaths pelted her senses—the fragrance of spring, well, and summer. The roses and lilacs had arrived, compliments of the local florist shop, while the rest of the flowers were grown in Lelandi’s own garden. Everything from the staircase to the fireplace mantels was decorated in nature’s finest: pine cones, feathers, crocuses, tulips in red, purple, and yellow, and a soft sprinkle of white lights—as if a floral garden had found a warm, cozy niche in a spacious wolves’ den to escape the still cool spring weather.
What really enlivened her step was the notion that she would meet with Ryan again and learn why he wanted to see her. Was he interested in her? It wasn’t that she didn’t want a mate; she simply wanted some choice in the matter. So far, she hadn’t been attracted to anyone in the pack except Darien’s brothers, and they weren’t showing any interest back. Maybe the reason she’d had the vision of Ryan was because he was the one meant to sweep her off her feet.
Or not. Her visions could be irritatingly deceptive, unenlightening, or just plain ominous.
When she entered the kitchen, Jake’s back was facing her while he turned bacon in a cast-iron skillet. “Morning, Carol,” he said without turning around.