Jingle Bell Wolf by Terry Spear

Chapter 10

Still pondering what Landon had told her about delivering wolf pups, Gabrielle got on the chairlift with him and began the ride up the mountain. “You mean women shift and have their babies as wolf pups?”

“Yeah.”

“At the vet clinic?”

“Sometimes at the regular clinic. We have them isolated, and most humans are shipped out of there after they’re diagnosed with whatever ails them, if they even come into the clinic, so we never have any trouble with humans being there if that happens.”

“Okay. Wow. I would never have considered being a vet and delivering lupus garou pups.”

“Yeah, a lot of the Silvers were delivered by Doc Mitchell. It’s just how things are done here because we can do it that way.” Then Landon switched topics. “Have you ever worked with horses, cows? Big animals?”

“Yeah.”

“Okay, good. We weren’t sure if you’d only worked at a small-animal clinic. Doc Mitchell works with both.”

“I’ve done both.” Gabrielle smiled. He was acting as though she’d taken the job already. Her thoughts switched to Rosco and the kitten. Where in the world had he found her? She just couldn’t stop thinking about it. “Can Rosco get into the lodge on his own? Or would he?”

“Yeah, he can. The doors open and close enough, and with the treat barrel around his neck, everyone knows he belongs at the lodge. So even if the door wasn’t open, someone would let him in. Why do you ask?”

“I can’t imagine him finding the kitten in the snow. So that makes me think he returned to the lodge and found her there somewhere, then brought her home to take care of her.”

“We don’t allow guests to have pets in their rooms. We did at one point at the lodge we owned in Vermont, but we had too much of a mess with it, and sometimes guests complained a prior guest had a pet that had left fleas behind. Some guests were allergic to dogs and cats. Sometimes a dog would bark in the room while the owners were out skiing. And we had trouble with some guests with pets not cleaning up after their dogs, so we had to change the status on allowing pets in the rooms to no pets at the lodge. When we came here, we decided not to allow pets at this lodge from the beginning.”

“Does anyone mind that Rosco is in the lodge?”

“He’s an avalanche rescue dog, besides being our beloved pet. Sure, we’ve had some guests ask why they can’t bring a pet when they see Rosco there, but when we explain what he does and how he has saved lives, they drop the subject. I’m sure they understand that if they ever needed a rescue, he might be the one to save their lives.”

“Good. The lodge wouldn’t be the same without his friendly face greeting everyone.”

They were coming to the top of the run and the end of their ski-lift ride and Gabrielle prepared to get off, needing all her concentration for this. Every time she did it, she worried she would fall and be in everyone’s paths, causing a major pileup of skis, poles, and bodies. But she’d only had one fall in all the times she’d come up on the chairlift, though she’d had a couple of near spills last night when she was getting tired.

They had gone down the intermediate slopes a couple of times when suddenly Brando and his friends—she had never known their names—came up behind them on the slope as if they wanted to ski with them. She’d had no idea they had even skied before seeing Brando in the lodge. And she didn’t like it when anyone crowded her on the slope. She was trying to concentrate hard on her form and not take a spill because they were making her nervous. They had to realize she was a newbie. What was Brando’s problem, anyway? He only acted interested in her when he was on vacation? And only if he somehow ran into her?

That would make for a great relationship. Not.

When they reached the bottom of the slope, Brando skied up close to her and she didn’t like it. His whole wolf posture said he was interested in her and he wasn’t giving up. Why? Because she was with another wolf this time, and Brando had to prove to her that she should be more interested in him because she’d been out with him before? He had no idea if she and Landon had been an item for years.

“Hey, I’d like to get together with you. Dinner tonight? We could go for a wolf run. It’s up to you,” Brando said, as if he thought he really had a chance to see her further.

“I’m afraid my dance card is totally full. With my friends coming in, and Landon being so nice to teach me to ski and take me out for meals, swimming, and wolf runs and more, I just don’t have any time for anything else.” She smiled sweetly at Brando and hoped she didn’t fall down in the middle of the brush-off. That would not have the right effect for what she was going for. Cool and collected.

Brando glanced at Landon and then gave him a conceited smile. “Gabrielle makes for a fun date.”

Landon shook his head. “She’s the kind of woman you don’t ever let go of once you meet her. And you do everything in your power to show her a good time.”

Gabrielle smiled brightly at Landon. He was being her hero. She’d never had two wolves act interested in her before. She hoped that wouldn’t happen with other wolves here. But she realized none had really approached her, as if they had an unwritten rule that once a she-wolf was seeing a male wolf, the others waited to see if they’d have a chance later, if things didn’t work out between the wolves.

Brando smiled. “Hey, so I’ll see you around, Gabrielle. You’ve got my phone number, if you change your mind.”

She wouldn’t. But he skied off before she could say so, and his buddies hurried off after him.

“One good thing about a wolf pack that runs its own town is that we can tell wolves that don’t behave to leave,” Landon said.

Gabrielle smiled. “Brando is just being Brando. I swear he has shown more interest in me this time because I’m with a wolf than he did the first time I met him.”

“Too much competition for him this time. He didn’t have any when he saw you in Daytona Beach. Are you ready to go up on the slope again?”

“Yeah. I’m having a great time. And the clothes your sisters helped me pick out are just perfect for this weather. I’m feeling much better.”

“I’m glad Maxine had just what you needed for skiing and braving the snowy cold.”

All afternoon they skied, and Gabrielle was really enjoying herself, except for seeing Brando and his friends hitting the intermediate slopes right behind them several times during the late afternoon, annoying her.

“Are you sure you don’t want me to say anything to them?” Landon asked her again before they made their way to the chairlift.

“No, they’ll get tired of following us eventually.” She didn’t want to make an issue of it. Not because there were three of them against Landon and her and she worried Landon would get hurt. She knew the whole pack would be behind her and Landon, and the ski patrol would kick the men out of the resort completely. That was the thing about Brando and his friends being wolves. They had to realize that a pack would dictate their behavior. She just wasn’t into confrontation. “I will probably make a complete fool of myself and fall down and ruin the moment, but can you kiss me?”

“Hell yeah, kissing you anytime makes my day.” Landon skied beside her so that his skis were on the outside of her left ski, and he wrapped his arm around her and kissed her. She hoped that they were out of the way of anyone skiing. She should have thought of that beforehand. But he warmed her right up, and she realized Landon was the reason she was enjoying skiing so much. And…kissing. He was the perfect kissing partner whether they were in the pool or standing in the snow.

Brando and his friends skied past them. She wondered how often they skied and if they were new like her and that’s why they were sticking to the blue slopes, but she suspected they weren’t. Especially when she heard one of Brando’s friends say, “Hey, we’re hitting a diamond slope. You stay on the blues until closing if that floats your boat.”

His friends didn’t wait for him to say anything. They just skied off in the direction of the chairlift that would take them to the hardest diamond runs. Finally, Brando relented and went with his friends, glancing back at Gabrielle.

She said to Landon, “Come on. We have a couple more runs to go before they close.”

“Blue or green?” he asked, skiing with her to the chairlift.

“Blue for this one.” She was thrilled to be able to ski down with Landon without Brando and his friends tailing them.

But by the time they took the chairlift up for the last ride, she opted for the green slope. “I’m getting tired.”

“No problem. It’s better to take it easy on the way down and keep your confidence.”

“That’s what I figure.” Plus she didn’t want to injure herself.

She couldn’t wait to go to the tavern tonight, and how would that work out if she sprained an ankle or broke a leg? She concentrated on her form all the way down the mountain, her legs really getting weary. When they reached the bottom—no spills, yay!—she and Landon headed for the lodge. They hadn’t taken that many breaks from the cold this time, and she was delighted that her clothes were keeping her warm enough.

“What does everyone wear to the tavern?” She didn’t want to be overdressed or underdressed.

“Anything from casual to dressy. No suits for the guys, normally, but anything is fine, really. We have Victorian Days in the fall and we dress up for that, though.”

“Oh, that sounds like fun. Okay, so I’ll meet you down in the lobby?” Gabrielle asked.

Landon hesitated to say as they put their skis and ski boots and poles in the storage room.

“Landon?” She thought he seemed to be a million miles away, and she hoped he wasn’t still irritated about Brando and his friends stalking them on the slopes.

Landon was frowning. “Do you think someone has a cat and kittens in one of the rooms?”

Oh, that was what had stolen his attention. “Uh, yeah, possibly. When I was a kid, we had a trip planned and that’s when our toy poodle suddenly had her puppies. My parents wouldn’t leave her at their vet clinic’s kennel. They were both vets and wanted to look after her and the puppies.

“My parents never made reservations for hotels in advance when we traveled, never knowing how long they would drive, and when we finally reached a town, they were having a big car convention and nearly everything was booked. The one place that wasn’t didn’t say one way or another if they allowed pets, at least I don’t think so. But I was a kid. What did I know? Anyway, they sneaked her and the pups in, put them in the bathroom, and then my dad learned we had no bath towels. So he called to the front desk, and when a guy brought them to the door, he did it so quickly that we didn’t have time to prepare. In a panic, we all scrambled to keep Taffy quiet, while Dad went to answer the door.

“She had jumped out of the bathtub carrying two pups with her that were still nursing and she woofed, but not loudly, thankfully. I don’t know if her actions were her natural instinct to guard the room and her human family or to let an intruder know she was protecting her puppies.”

Landon smiled.

“Anyway, I put the pups back on the blanket we had in the bathtub for Taffy, and Mom grabbed Taffy and hurried her back into the bathroom, while my dad was trying to keep the door only partially open so he could grab the towels and not let the clerk see the wild happenings in the room. We don’t know if the clerk saw or heard anything. He probably did and was amused.”

Landon laughed.

“It made me think that maybe someone sneaked a cat and her kittens into one of the rooms here, and one got loose somehow. And Roscoe heard her meowing. The guest didn’t want to say anything about the missing kitten because he wasn’t supposed to have them in the ski lodge in the first place.”

“Well, it’s easy enough for us to learn the truth since our wolf sense of smell is so good,” Landon said. “We’ll have to check for the scent of the cats in the lodge after dinner.”

“Right. Okay, I’m heading up to my room and I’ll be down as soon as I’m changed.”

* * *

That night when Gabrielle came down to the lobby before Landon took her to the tavern, she was wearing a red sweater, a red-and-black-plaid vest, black snow boots and black leggings, a red scarf wrapped around her neck, and a black knit hat on her head, her blond hair loose about her shoulders. She had a black fleece jacket hanging over her arm and black gloves in her hand. She looked like the perfect present for Christmas—just for him.

He smiled, glad she was with him, and then took her out to the car he’d parked in the lodge’s lot, rather than walk through the snow to the house. Once they were in the car, he drove her around to see all the Christmas lights on the homes and the shops in town.

“Oh, they are all beautiful. I bet you still will win the lighting competition though. Your place just lights up the dark mountains at night when the ski slopes are shut down. It’s spectacular.” Then she saw the snow wolf sculptures in front of the Silver Town Inn and began taking pictures with her phone. “Those are just beautiful. They must have made them while we were on the slopes. I don’t remember seeing them at lunchtime. They’ve got to win.”

“I’m sure they will. Others won’t give up the competition, even if they’re sure they’re going to lose.”

“That’s the spirit.”

After he showed her the snowmen others had made for the competition, he drove Gabrielle to the tavern, where everything was decorated in lights and evergreen garlands. Inside, they met up with Blake, Nicole, and his sisters who had already gotten a table. He was glad Roxie had made a reservation when they normally didn’t when they went as a family. Silva had ensured a table was set aside just for Gabrielle and Landon’s family, with a little card sitting in the center: Wolff.

Landon helped Gabrielle out of her jacket, then pulled his own off.

“See?” Roxie said. “Silva is doing her part to keep you here, Gabrielle.”

Gabrielle smiled and she and Landon sat down next to each other. Everyone ordered a roast beef sandwich, and an appetizer of balsamic mushrooms. The ladies all wanted brandy Alexanders, the guys, beers.

Landon noticed right away that Doc Mitchell was sitting with Doc Weber at one of the tables. When the veterinarian saw Gabrielle with the Wolff family, he waved at them and came over to say hello. Landon was glad he did, but hoped he wouldn’t scare Gabrielle off.

“Hi. I’m Doc Mitchell. Everyone calls me that. And you must be the young lady that everyone says needs to take over my clinic.” He smiled at her. “My clinic and ranch will be at a bargain basement price, but only for you. The market value for the land, ranch, and clinic is quite high.”

She smiled back. “Gabrielle Lowell.” She shook his hand. “But I work in a vet practice in Daytona Beach.”

“A co-op, Lelandi says. They’ve got enough people to handle the patient load. They’re not wolves, are they?” Doc asked.

“No, they aren’t.”

“Well, we…um, well, I desperately need someone to take over the clinic. Hell, at this rate I could be here for another forty years serving as the pack’s vet, if I live that long and we don’t get someone else in to replace me.” Doc Mitchell sighed.

That had all to do with their longevity. That was one thing about having their own wolf-run town. They didn’t have to worry about hiding their identity when they didn’t age as fast as humans. Which could be a problem for Gabrielle at some time in the future at her current job.

Landon hoped Doc Mitchell wasn’t coming on too strong though. Landon felt they needed to ease Gabrielle into the idea of moving here and taking over the clinic by showing her the fun they had as wolves and how many friends she would have.

“I have an excellent staff. They’re eager to meet you,” Doc Mitchell said.

Gabrielle sighed and smiled. “We’re bringing Rosco in for his vaccinations tomorrow. I mean, Landon is, and I’m coming along to see your place and your clinic.”

Landon smiled, grateful that she was going to at least check it out. He hoped when they arrived there the doc wouldn’t try to pressure her into moving here. He was afraid it would have the opposite effect on her and put her off.

Doc Mitchell was a grizzled, white-haired gray wolf. He loved animals and didn’t have any use for humans who didn’t take care of their pets properly, but since they rarely had a human pet owner come through Silver Town and need to make an emergency stop at the vet clinic, that normally wasn’t an issue. He didn’t smile a whole lot, even though he was pleased with life in general. But he did smile at Gabrielle, as if she was the angel who would save him.

“I bet you have some stories to tell,” the doc said.

Gabrielle smiled. “I do.”

“I had to help out at a vet clinic in Green Valley once when their doctor got sick. Human, you know. And”—Doc chuckled—“well, I have some stories to tell too.”

She laughed. “I bet you do.”

Now Landon wanted to hear them! He was sure the rest of his family did too.

“Well, I’ll see you tomorrow then.”

“We have to bring in a kitten, too—a calico about eight weeks old. Have you seen any calico cats at the clinic that gave birth a couple of months ago?” Gabrielle asked.

“No, can’t say that I have. I saw the message from the pack leaders, though.” Doc rubbed his bearded chin. “But I’ll certainly check her out for you.”

“Thanks.”

Landon was pleased Gabrielle had asked Doc the question about Princess Buttercup. He hadn’t thought of it.

As soon as Doc shook Gabrielle’s hand, he said to Landon and the others, “Make sure you convince her she needs to stay here.”

Silva brought over their drinks and balsamic mushrooms. “We all have to convince her of that, Doc. Even you.”

“I’ll do my damnedest. I’ll see you tomorrow, Gabrielle, Landon.”

“See you then,” Landon said.

When Doc Mitchell returned to the table to sit with Doc Weber, Silva said, “You should have seen me fighting with patrons about keeping this table reserved for you. Now, if you hear anyone mention it’s because the new vet is here, I only had to say that to keep the others from fighting over the table.”

Gabrielle shook her head. “When people learn I’m returning to Daytona Beach on Friday, they’re going to be really disappointed.” She took a sip of her brandy Alexander. “Oh, this is good.”

“Thanks. I’m glad you like it. It’s one of our most popular drinks,” Silva said.

“I can see why,” Gabrielle said.

Landon knew that Silva was making up a story about the reserved table. Sure, the tables were filled with wolves tonight, like they often were, but if Silva said a table was reserved, it was reserved. Her mate, Sam—a wolf who looked like a big bear, with his black beard and amber eyes and tall stature—wouldn’t have allowed anyone to give Silva trouble. And the only ones who would have considered giving her trouble would have been rogue wolves passing through. Everyone in here tonight—except for Gabrielle—was local.

“I’ll get your sandwiches. They should be ready by now.” In a few minutes, Silva returned with their sandwiches and chips. “Enjoy.”

“Thanks,” everyone at their table said.

“Sorry about that, Gabrielle,” Landon said. “You’re just on vacation, and we want you to enjoy your time with us. We don’t want you to feel that you’re being pressured to stay and then you would feel rotten about being here.”

“That is the sweetest thing anyone has ever said to me. I’m having a great time with you. I can understand how Doc Mitchell feels and the problem with replacing him with a wolf veterinarian.” Gabrielle drank some more of her cocktail. “I sure do like this drink.”

“They are good. The sandwich is great too,” Roxie said.

“And the homemade vinegar potato chips.” Nicole took another bite of one of hers.

“The mushroom appetizers too.” Gabrielle took her first bite of the roast beef sandwich. “Oh, this is delightful.”

“Their food is always great,” Blake said. “At the lodge, we offer different fare, but when we want to be with only wolves, this is the place to be.”

“This is wonderful.” Gabrielle bit into one of her vinegar potato chips. “Hmm, this is so good.” Then she sipped some more of her drink.

Christmas music was playing overhead and conversation and laughter filled the air.

“Maybe it’s fate that you came to ski with us at this time,” Nicole said.

“Fate?” Gabrielle asked.

“Yes. A few years ago, Doc Mitchell might not have wanted to give up his clinic.”

“Have the pack leaders tried to find another vet?” Gabrielle asked.

“You know how it is with our kind. The only wolf veterinarians they might learn about would be with a pack, and getting them to leave their pack would be counterproductive,” Blake said.

“Hmm, so it’s fate then.” Gabrielle smiled.

The way she smiled at Landon told him she didn’t believe it. Not that he did either. They just got lucky that Gabrielle had arrived and they learned she was a vet. Especially if they could convince her to return here and give them a try.

“So, what vet stories do you have to tell us?” Kayla asked. “You can’t leave us hanging like that.”

Gabrielle laughed. “Okay, well, we had a case where one cat patient wouldn’t tolerate any dogs when she came in to see the vet. We had to move all the dogs out of her sight so she would calm down.”

Roxie laughed. “Here I thought we spoiled Rosco.”

“That cat definitely ruled the roost.” Gabrielle took a sip of her water. “You know, pet owners can get really upset if their pet suddenly is injured or sick in the middle of the night. I had to go in during the middle of the night to meet with one client like that who called to say he thought his pit bull had broken his leg. When the client arrived, he was stark naked.”

Everyone laughed.

“Being what we are, I was just amused. Poor guy. I gave him some scrub pants and took the dog into surgery. Melvin, the dog, had broken his leg. I can only imagine what happens in the emergency room in a hospital for humans if they have a child who is needing emergency care in the middle of the night.”

“That is too funny,” Kayla said.

“It was. You probably have heard the old tale where someone’s at a party and they want legal advice from a lawyer or medical advice from a doctor. Well, being a vet, I’ve had to field medical questions from our human clients too. I’ve had a number of clients remove their shirts to show me rashes or other ailments they have while I’m supposed to be seeing to the pets.”

The group laughed.

“What do you say?” Kayla asked.

“Well, in one case, the client’s dog had a heart murmur and the client said his was even worse. He pulled up his shirt and wanted me to listen to his heartbeat.”

“Did you?” Kayla asked.

“I was reluctant at first, but he was insistent so I listened to his heart. He was right. His heart murmur was much worse than his dog’s. But the human client was having heart surgery a few days later, and he called me afterward to tell me he was perfectly fine. I have to say I love my clients.”

Landon was glad they’d met Gabrielle. She was so much fun.

“One client said her cat was going to the bathroom in her house even though she let her outside a couple of times a day. I asked her what kind of litter box and litter she used. Sometimes cats can be finicky. The client didn’t have either. That was the problem. After she bought them, she called me and was thrilled to tell me it worked!” Gabrielle took another sip of her brandy Alexander. “I imagine you’ve had some funny cases of your own at the lodge.”

“Oh, yeah, we’ve had several funny stories too,” Blake said. “One time we had someone call the night manager and ask for a Jacuzzi in a room. The manager had to tell the person we didn’t have Jacuzzis in the rooms. The guest was irritated and actually called to speak with one of us about the rude manager who refused to give her a Jacuzzi in her room.”

Gabrielle laughed. “That’s what I want.”

“We’ve had the same thing with pillows,” Kayla said. “One irate man said we didn’t give him fluffy pillows like he had asked for. The clerk said the guest hadn’t requested any fluffy pillows when he checked in or at any other time, but that he would make sure the maid staff knew to leave him some fluffy pillows the next time. Then there was the time we had someone complain bitterly because someone was making a lot of noise in the room next door, but they didn’t tell us until they were checking out.”

“Oh, I know how that is. I had that happen to me once where someone had their TV blaring half the night. It was loud enough to annoy humans, but for wolves? Even worse. I suspected he fell asleep through it, though I sure couldn’t imagine how he could,” Gabrielle said. “I finally had to call the front desk. They went to his room, woke the guy, and he turned off the TV. Blessed silence. I just wished I’d called them sooner. We were staying several days, and he pulled the same thing every night. I smelled alcohol on him when he was leaving his room one night when I was arriving at mine, and I suspected he was drinking himself to sleep every night.”

“We’ve had a similar complaints—loud TV or a party going on,” Landon said, “but if a guest tells us about it, we’ll take care of it right then and there. One time we had a pot-smoking party going on. It’s legal in Colorado now, but we’re still a nonsmoking lodge because wolves don’t smoke and it’s so pungent to us. We kicked the partygoers out and had to air out the room for three days before anyone could stand staying in it.”

“Ugh,” Gabrielle said.

“When we were in Vermont, we had an incensed woman who came to the lodge two months after she’d stayed there and said she’d left some items behind. She didn’t remember who booked the room, what the room number was, and best of all, she didn’t remember what she’d left behind,” Blake said.

Everyone laughed. Landon was the one who’d had to calm the woman down.

“Yeah, and another time, this was at the lodge in Vermont when we allowed pets, a woman brought in about ten cats, unbeknownst to us, and left them in the room with a hundred-dollar bill and a note that said ‘Take care of my cats, and I’ll return in a week.’ She never did return to take care of the cats, and we ended up having to find homes for them,” Roxie said.

“Oh, that’s awful,” Gabrielle said.

“Yeah, we thought the same thing. Now we have another cat mystery case we’re trying to unravel at this lodge,” Landon said.

“Princess Buttercup,” Roxie said. “I asked all the cleaning staff to smell for signs of a litter box or cats in any of the rooms when they start their cleaning tomorrow morning.”

“Good.” Landon had told the rest of the family what Gabrielle had suspected, and they figured she was right. “But I imagine guests who would sneak in the cat and kittens, if that’s the case, would not ask for housekeeping. They’ll have a Do Not Disturb sign posted on their door.”

“True.” Roxie ate another chip. “We could just check all rooms that have a Do Not Disturb sign on the door afterward if we don’t find the cats. We could knock on the door, and if someone opens it, we’ll be able to smell if cats are in the room.”

“Well, hopefully, we’ll find the cat before long and settle this,” Landon said.

“You won’t kick the family and the cat and kittens out in the snow, will you, if you find them staying in a room?” Gabrielle picked up another chip.

“No.” Landon took a sip of his beer. “They can have the cat and kittens boarded at the vet’s clinic. The owners can’t keep the pets in a room. We have rules. But the guests are welcome to stay.”

“Oh, good.”

Roxie laughed. “We’re animal lovers. We would make sure the cat and kittens were well taken care of.”

“Rosco could take care of them,” Kayla said. “But he has to be on call for avalanche searches. He normally loves to sleep next to the fire during the day at the lodge, loving to be near us and around people. I guess we could bring the kitten to the office and have them curl up in there so she’ll be with us during the day at least and Rosco can check on her anytime he wants to, if he leaves her in the office.”

“We can do that,” Landon said. “I miss having him around the lodge. I just want to make sure the kitten doesn’t get lost.”

“I agree.” Blake finished off his sandwich. “I can see us now, running all over the place looking for the kitten if it wandered off.”

They all chuckled.

“A couple of people said they’ve heard of friends who thought someone had kittens in the pack, but none of the stories panned out,” Nicole said. “I’m continuing to learn what I can.”

“Good. I hope we can keep Princess Buttercup,” Roxie said.

“So are the two of you going swimming again tonight?” Blake asked Landon and Gabrielle.

“Yeah,” Landon said, then glanced at Gabrielle. “Right?”

“Yeah, we sure are.” Gabrielle finished her sandwich. “This has been great. Thanks for dinner. I’ve had a ball.”

“We have too,” Kayla said. “You’re so much fun to be with.”

Gabrielle drank some of her water. “You are too.”

She and Landon were about to leave when Brando and his friends unexpectedly showed up at the tavern. There were no tables for them at this point so they had to order their meals and drinks at the bar and stand in one corner, out of the path of everyone using the bathroom. It was the only spare spot to stand in. No one made a move to leave the tavern, and the way the wolves in the place were eyeing Brando and his cohorts, Gabrielle had the distinct impression they knew they’d been hassling Landon and her. Otherwise, he was sure someone would have offered them a table to sit at.

Which was confirmed when Silva came to the Wolff table and refilled their water glasses. “They’re on the pack’s shit-list.”

Gabrielle frowned. “How—?”

“Several of the skiers on the slopes today that belong to our pack and some of the ski patrol are in here. They passed along the word that these guys have been giving the two of you grief. Lelandi and Darien were made aware of the situation, but Lelandi said as long as nothing gets out of hand, you can deal with it as you see fit. Of course, since she’s the pack’s psychologist and co-pack leader, everyone is going along with it. Though I can tell you right now, several of our pack members are ready to start crowding them and see how they like it.”

Gabrielle smiled. “Wow, I never realized just how tight-knit pack members can be.”

“You better believe it. We want good members, and wolves like them who try to start trouble with our own wolves certainly aren’t going to be coddled.” Silva smiled brightly. “If you want to have them tossed out on their ears, Sam will take care of it.”

Gabrielle shook her head. “I think Landon and I are about ready to go swimming.”

“Yeah, that’s exactly what we’re bound to do next.” Landon got Gabrielle’s jacket and helped her into it, then grabbed his own and pulled it on. “Night, all. I’ll see you later,” Landon said to the rest of the family.

They looked like they weren’t leaving just yet. He didn’t blame them. They didn’t have a swim date next. But they might be stubbornly holding onto the table too because of Brando and his friends needing one. But then Nicole and Blake walked out with them, and Landon thought they might have needed some special alone time together at their home.

“We’re calling it a night,” Blake said, his arm wrapped around Nicole’s shoulders. “Though our sisters are staying for a while longer to hold onto our table so Brando and his friends don’t get it. See you in the morning.”

Landon laughed. “See you tomorrow.”

After that, Landon and Gabrielle headed back in his car to the lodge. “Are you still going to wear the string bikini for me?”

Gabrielle smiled.