Jingle Bell Wolf by Terry Spear

Chapter 4

While they waited for the ski patrol to arrive, Landon sat on the snow and reached his hand up to Gabrielle. “Come on, I’ll warm you up.”

She smiled. “All right. Thanks.” Then she sat on his lap and he wrapped his arms around her. She did feel warmer like this, and it wasn’t just from Landon’s protection from the wind and cold, or his body heat either. She felt an attraction for him that she’d never felt for a wolf. Rather than a casual friendship between wolves like she’d experienced before, it was an intimacy between a man and a woman that she wanted to explore more deeply. Did he feel the same about her?

Never could she have imagined she would be sitting on a hot wolf’s lap in the snow at the ski resort while waiting to have the ski patrol rescue the rescue dog—even if she had known wolves ran the whole place.

“Sorry, Blake, you’re on your own,” Landon said.

“Hell, the two, well, three of you had to do all that digging so you’ve had a lot more exercise than me and been out here longer than me. I’m good.”

Gabrielle really wished they could continue walking toward the lodge. Moving got the blood circulating and warmed her up. She was envisioning sitting by the fire, roasting her fingers and toes, and not leaving there until she returned home to Florida. It wasn’t as bad as when she’d been submerged in a frozen lake, but she really needed to get thawed out.

Though she had to admit that this was much more interesting than anything she’d ever encountered back home, and she was glad she could make a difference in the life of someone who wouldn’t have survived if they hadn’t gone looking for Rosco. Between the three of them, they had saved him.

“I bet you’re proud of Rosco,” she said, having never seen a dog locate and attempt to dig out an avalanche victim, not even in a movie.

“Yeah. You never know if the dog you train for that kind of work will be good at it. Many dogs wash out of the training. What’s interesting is that dog rescues are comparable in success to human rescues using probes in locating victims. As wolf shifters, we can smell scents and hear so much better and can often find avalanche victims faster than either humans or dogs. Still, as Rosco proved to us, since he’s trained for this kind of work, he remains alert when the rest of us are off doing other things,” Landon said.

“When we realized he’d left the lodge, I really thought he’d chased after a squirrel,” Blake said, sitting down next to Rosco and petting his head.

“Don’t you feel guilty for thinking the worst of Rosco?” Gabrielle asked.

The brothers glanced at each other and smiled. Both said, “No.”

She laughed, then grew serious. “I hope Mick is okay.” She had thought to check on him when she finally reached the ski resort, but he should be on his way to a hospital by the time they arrived.

“He’s in the best of hands,” Landon assured her. “But he was lucky this time. Hopefully, he’ll listen to his friend next time.”

They didn’t say anything for a while, and then Gabrielle worried she might be cutting off the circulation in Landon’s legs. “Did you need me to give your lap a break?”

“Are you kidding? You’re keeping me nice and warm.”

She smiled and he tightened his hold on her as if he was afraid she might just leave him anyway.

“You asked about how the dating prospects were for me in Daytona Beach. What about you with dating?” Gabrielle couldn’t believe she was talking to a male wolf about dating stuff near a ski resort miles and miles and miles from her home.

Blake was smiling, as if she meant anything by it. She just wanted to talk about something—other than rescues and snow and cold.

Landon said, “I gave up a girlfriend when I left Vermont and moved here. I haven’t seriously dated anyone since then.”

“What was your old girlfriend like?”

“She was a pretty brunette and had everyone wrapped around her little finger.”

“You too?” Gabrielle was amused to hear it. She couldn’t imagine anyone doing that to Landon. Then again, once he saw Gabrielle in her string bikini…

“For a little while. My sister Kayla thought she would change, given the chance, but none of the rest of the family did. Lyn was a rule breaker.”

Blake shook his head. “That was for sure. She was bound to get herself in real trouble someday.”

Gabrielle’s lips parted. Then she smiled. “Like me.”

“She was not anything like you. Okay, I have to admit the pool incident with you did remind me of her, but beyond that, nothing else,” Landon said.

Blake laughed.

“So if I sneak into the pool tonight?” she asked.

“I’ll be waiting to swim with you.”

She laughed. “I’m glad you’re one of the owners.”

Then they heard people talking ahead and Rosco sat up and woofed.

“That looks like your rescue committee, Rosco.” Gabrielle was glad they could start walking back to the resort now.

As soon as the men came into view, Rosco got off the blanket and headed for them under his own steam. The brothers laughed. He kept going until he reached the ski patrol, while Gabrielle, Landon, and Blake, who had grabbed up the blanket and secured it to the first aid backpack, headed out after him.

“Hey, Rosco,” one of the men said. “If you can walk on your own, that’s good news for us.”

“But we’ll be here if you need us,” another of the men said.

“Thanks, guys,” Landon said to them.

“Hey, Rosco’s a hero,” the first man said.

They all trudged through the snow but after another fifteen minutes, Rosco sat down.

That time, Landon and Blake made Rosco sit on the stretcher and they started up again. Landon stayed with Gabrielle, as if he was afraid that she might fall behind, and Blake helped the other men with the stretcher.

They finally reached the area where the snow was graded, and before Rosco wanted off the stretcher, several people took pictures of the rescue dog that had been rescued. Once they put him down on the snow-covered ground, he raced for the lodge.

Everyone laughed.

“It’s lunchtime for him. You notice he perked right up when he saw the lodge,” Landon said. “And it’s lunchtime for us.” He removed his snowshoes and helped Gabrielle with hers before they crossed the base of the ski slopes to reach the lodge.

“Thanks, guys,” Landon and Blake told the ski patrol.

“No problem. Rosco’s an important member of the team.”

Then Blake had his snowshoes off, and the ski patrol headed back to the ski hut with the stretcher.

“I hope this experience didn’t sour you for returning here in the future,” Landon said.

“No. Though at one point I was thinking I might stay by the fire and never leave the warm lobby. Still, rescuing the man was worth every bit of the cold.”

“Yeah, I totally agree with you there,” Landon said.

Blake said, “I’m off to feed Rosco and take him for a walk afterward, but I suspect he’ll do his business right away and the walk will be brief this time.”

Landon and Gabrielle smiled. She imagined the Saint Bernard would be sleeping by the fire for the rest of the afternoon.

When they walked into the lobby, Rosco was lying by the fire, but as soon as he saw Blake, he raced to greet him, his tail wagging like crazy.

“Lunchtime, what did I say,” Blake said.

“I feel the same way.” Gabrielle was glad to see Rosco was just fine. She was ready for seafood.

They dropped off their snowshoes at the storage room. Once they were in the restaurant, they began stripping out of their ski jackets and gloves, hats, and scarves. When Minx brought them the menu, Gabrielle ordered shrimp linguini and Landon had veal scallopini. She’d worked up an appetite.

“How are you feeling?” Landon asked her.

“Oh, great, now that I’m inside and getting warmed up.”

Minx quickly brought them hot tea and coffee and fresh-baked rolls hot out of the oven. “I heard the two of you rescued a snowboarder. Well, and Rosco, of course. Great job.”

“Thanks,” Landon said.

“Blake said to make sure I brought over hot drinks for the both of you pronto.” Minx smiled. “Not that I wouldn’t have, but he just wanted to make sure.”

“We appreciate it.” Gabrielle was already drinking her hot tea and getting even more warmed up.

“I’ll bring your orders right out.”

“Thanks, Minx,” Landon said.

Gabrielle was just getting ready to butter her fresh potato roll when a man and a woman headed straight to their booth. She thought they might be guests who needed Landon for something. Or maybe they wanted to tell her and Landon how much they appreciated them for saving a snowboarder. News sure traveled fast in a pack.

Landon smiled at them.

Gabrielle smelled that the woman was a red wolf. The she-wolf wore a green sweater dress and black boots, her red hair hanging loose about her shoulders. She didn’t look like she was here to ski. The man was a gray wolf, his dark eyes studying Gabrielle, his dark-brown hair mussed up by the chilly wind. He was dressed in a warm green sweater, as if they had dressed to match each other, definitely looking like a cute married couple.

“I’m Lelandi, and this is Darien Silver, my mate,” the woman said, shaking Gabrielle’s hand. “We’re the pack leaders of Silver Town and wanted to officially welcome you.” She smiled brightly at Gabrielle. “And we understand not only that you, Landon, and Rosco helped save one of the ski resort’s avalanche victims, but also that you’re a vet.”

Gabrielle guessed the pack leaders wanted to know about all the shifters who came into the town in case they had any trouble with a rogue wolf. But still, how had they known she was a veterinarian? Had they checked her background completely? That was kind of unsettling. “Uh, yes.”

“Do you have a sole proprietorship?” Lelandi asked.

“Four of us work at the vet clinic, and we have two others who come in once a week but also work at other clinics. It’s a nice arrangement so we can cover for each other and take off if we need or want to.” That question kind of ruled out that they had thoroughly investigated her background.

“Oh, how interesting. Doc Mitchell is our vet, but he wants to retire when we can find someone suitable for the pack who could take over his practice. Landon probably told you all our businesses are run by wolves. So if you ever think you might like a change of location and a friendly pack to join, we would be happy to have you,” Lelandi said.

Darien agreed. “We have a lot to offer you that other areas can’t for wolves.”

Gabrielle was really surprised she was getting a job offer, of all the things that could happen to her on vacation in Silver Town.

“Thanks. I don’t have any plans to move, but if I ever do, I’ll sure give your offer serious consideration.” Gabrielle had been born in Florida and had rarely left the state except to take a few beach-location trips with her jaguar friends. Certainly, after the situation with her parents, she hadn’t ever considered moving to any place that had snow.

Though for Christmas it was fun. She could imagine how pretty the area would be in the fall. In Florida, they had no fall colors. Relief from the heat and humidity would be welcome too.

She hoped the pack leaders hadn’t had the wrong impression that she was looking to move to Colorado, and that she was planning on or already courting Landon and they were ready to tell the whole pack the news. She had to admit she felt something deeper for Landon than she’d ever felt for a bachelor male wolf though. She really, truly liked him, but the thought of giving up her practice and moving to another state seemed too monumental.

Gabrielle loved her practice, her clients, the staff, and where she lived. Yet in beginning to get to know Landon, and seeing the other wolves in happy mated relationships, she realized she was missing out on a whole lot more in life by living a lone wolf’s existence. If anyone could yank her out of the rut she was in, that wolf would certainly be one as hot and intriguing as Landon, who was so determined to be with her and show her a good time. Even so, there was more to the feelings she was experiencing than just having fun. Increasingly intense biological and physical needs were signaling her to change her notion of maintaining the status quo.

When they finished talking to Lelandi and Darien, the pack leaders welcomed Gabrielle to Silver Town again, and then they left the bar and grill. Gabrielle raised her brows at Landon, feeling a little blindsided.

He held his hands up in a defensive posture. “It wasn’t my idea. I was as surprised as you to see them come to our table and talk to you.”

“One of your sisters or your brother must have told them I’m a vet.” Gabrielle drank some of her hot Earl Grey tea. “No one else here but you knew, unless you told the pack leaders.”

Landon pondered that for a moment, then lifted his cup of coffee off the table. “I…don’t know, then. Roxie asked you at breakfast what you do for a living, but I was eager to have her leave so she didn’t hear your answer. I haven’t told her or the rest of my family what you do back home. I do know the pack leaders have been looking for a qualified—as in also a wolf—vet for a while. Doc Mitchell wants to retire. Our regular doctor, Dr. Weber, is a red wolf and he’s retiring, too, now that we have a family physician and pediatrician who can replace him. When Doc Mitchell learned Doc Weber had a replacement for his position, I think that made our vet want to retire all the more.”

“Okay.” Gabrielle still wondered if Landon had anything to do with it, which only meant he wanted to see more of her. That was a good thing, if she’d wanted to stay. Truly, she had felt honored that the pack leaders had come here to offer her the position if she’d wanted to move.

“Believe me, they don’t welcome all new wolves who come through Silver Town.”

“Really?” Now that was a shocker. She thought they truly did personally check out new wolves, just in case they might give them some trouble.

“Yeah, really.” He smiled. “The only other time they checked out one of our new wolf guests was when Nicole arrived after the new year. She was from Denver, and we wanted her to stay. All of us did, but especially Blake. He would have done anything for her, even move to Denver, since she was a PI with an office there and her brother and parents lived there. They have wolves there, but no one she was interested in dating, and all of us were eager to do whatever we could to make her feel at home here so she wouldn’t leave. She couldn’t be happier living here with us. Her brother and parents are just as happy to be here. Her parents moved their stationery store to Silver Town, and Nate, her brother, ended up in the private investigator business with her.”

“Was she a private investigator”—Gabrielle forked up more of her linguini—“on a job here or just on vacation here like me?”

“On a job. She was trying to catch someone who was staying as a guest at the lodge.”

“And she figured she would have enough work to keep busy if she moved to Silver Town?”

“Yeah, Nicole and her brother still go to Denver when they have a case that clients want them to handle there. But here is where Nicole’s heart is.”

“Because of Blake.” Gabrielle believed in happily ever after. But she had been certain her dream mate would be swimming in the Atlantic Ocean, leaving the water, then using a beach towel to wipe off the water beaded up on his skin when he saw her walking along the sand, and then he would sweep her right off her feet. She had never envisioned finding the wolf of her dreams at a ski resort. Though she had to admit she had met Landon when he was getting ready to swim and she was already swimming. Who said the dream would have to be perfectly accurate in real life?

Still, coming here to live was another thing. She finished her lunch and saw that Landon was already done. “That was delicious. Are you ready to ski?”

“You bet. Do you think you can manage the cold?”

“Sure, as long as we have a hot chocolate topped with whipped cream when I get too cold.”

After lunch, they skied for some time. She had graduated to the intermediate slopes, narrower and longer and steeper than the easy slopes, and had done really well. When they finally stopped for a hot chocolate break to warm up, several men and women came by their table at the bar and grill, praising her for helping to save the snowboarder’s life.

Gabrielle felt like a real heroine. Though she felt like that from time to time when she saved someone’s pet’s life, it was never to this extent. The family would be thrilled, but a whole wolf pack?

Landon was smiling at her.

At first, she kept saying if it hadn’t been for Rosco, they would never have found the snowboarder in time. But everyone wanted her to know she was the reason they were coming by to thank her.

“Do you feel a little neglected? I mean, you were as much a hero as Rosco.” Gabrielle rose from her seat and began to pull on her ski jacket.

Landon pulled on his ski jacket too. “Not at all. They are just so thrilled to—”

“See me. I know.”

“Several were bachelor males, if you didn’t realize it.”

She laughed. “I should have known.”

“But the thanks were sincerely given.”

“They want me to join the pack.” She put her hat on but carried her gloves.

“Do you blame them?”

She smiled. “No. I never envisioned a wolf pack would be this nice.”

“They are. Not to say we never have problems, but for the most part, they’re a great group to be with.”

Before they could leave the lodge, a young man chased after them. “The dude at the check-in counter said you saved my friend’s life. I want to thank you. I told Mick he was an idiot for going off slope. I guess he learned that lesson pretty well today.” He ran his hands through his dark hair. “That’s the end of snowboarding with him this trip. I just wanted to thank you again.”

“And Rosco,” Gabrielle said, pointing to the dog.

“Hell yeah. My friend and I ordered him a big box of doggy treats online. They should be coming in a few days.”

Landon chuckled. “Thanks. We were glad we could help.”

“I’m just glad Mick’s okay.” Then the young man shook their hands and took off for the parking lot.

Gabrielle was so glad she had gone with Landon to help him look for Rosco. She was relieved the snowboarder hadn’t suffered any injuries. It would be one of the most memorable good experiences with a snow emergency she’d ever had.

The rest of the afternoon, Gabrielle and Landon went down the intermediate slopes. She did really great too. She wanted to ski on the slopes until they closed for the night so that she would be in good shape by tomorrow morning when she skied with her friends. But on the last run down, she fell twice. Her muscles had been used in ways they weren’t used to, not to mention all the trudging through snow on snowshoes and digging out a buried snowboarder. She was tired. Happily so, though.

After she and Landon ditched their poles and skis and ski shoes for their snow boots in the supply room, they had dinner together at the bar and grill. Gabrielle wanted to order a pizza that came in the shape of a Christmas wreath, and he wanted the same. She took a picture of it when the server delivered it and texted that to her friends. And then she began eating it. “Your food is excellent here.” She took another bite of her double-cheese pizza, topped with red bell pepper strips pieced together to resemble a red bow, green peppers, sausage slices, dried tomatoes, and basil leaves. Not only was it beautiful, but it sure tasted great.

Odette texted back: Save a slice for us.

Gabrielle smiled.

Odette texted again: Melany Williams, the woman we’re trying to chase down, supposedly killed her husband and is on the run. I’m sure you saw it in the news. We tried to keep it quiet—given what we are.

Odette sent her a picture of Melany and Gabrielle frowned and texted: But?

Odette replied: Zelda and I think it might be a setup. Enjoy your meal!

Gabrielle studied the woman’s photo. She was a pretty brunette with blue eyes and a lovely smile, and just from appearances, she didn’t look like anyone who could kill anyone. But what did Gabrielle know?

“Is something wrong?” Landon asked.

“No, just my friends told me they were looking for a woman who might or might not have murdered her mate.”

“Oh, not good.”

“She might have been set up, they said.”

“That’s awful.”

“It is. Sorry, I didn’t mean to go on a tangent. The pizza is great,” Gabrielle said.

“Only the best for our guests and for anyone else who wants to eat here, whether they live in town or are passing through. We take pride in making food that everyone raves about. You can leave five-star reviews anytime.” Landon grabbed another slice. “So, did you want to go for a wolf run before we swim in the pool, or do you feel you’ve had enough exercise for the day?”

“Your family is going to fire you for neglecting your work.”

“I’m doing my work—making sure that my guests are happy with the accommodations.”

She chuckled. “Only one guest.”

He smiled.

She loved how he was making her feel welcome when her friends weren’t here. He probably could afford to take off a day while she was alone, but tomorrow, she would be spending the time with her friends. Though she wouldn’t mind running with Landon as a wolf—and swimming—all week long when they were done skiing.

“Are you still up for a wolf run?” She was tired, but she knew if she ran, she would have a blast anyway.

“Yeah. And then we can break the rules and swim in the pool after hours?” Landon left a tip on the table.

“That’s the only way to go, isn’t it? Fewer people, no kids in the pool?”

He laughed. “You can strip out of your clothes and shift in the downstairs guest bedroom at our house to run as a wolf, if you would like, rather than in the woods. It’s the first house after the lodge. The house after that is Blake’s and Nicole’s. Roxie mentioned you had shifted in the woods before.”

“Yeah. I couldn’t very well shift at the lodge and run out of there as a wolf. I did worry someone would see my backpack and sound an alarm that someone was lost or steal it. I guess when I passed your house I heard Rosco barking, warning that an intruder was in your yard.”

“Yeah, that was Rosco.”

“Okay, well, going to your place to shift works for me. Thanks a lot.”

“You’re certainly welcome.”

After they pulled on their ski jackets, hats, gloves, and scarves, they left the restaurant and headed through the snow to the house. White Christmas lights trimmed both of the homes and a couple of trees out back, just like at the lodge. The lights reflected off the snow. So pretty.

When she walked into the house, Rosco greeted her as if she were family. Gabrielle laughed at the dog. “You look like you have recuperated just fine.”

She glanced around at all the Christmas decorations—the beautiful Christmas tree filled with lights and ornaments all done up in blues and silver. Stockings hung from the mantel, and evergreens and red candles trimmed the top. But there was no fire going at the moment.

“Did you have someone professionally decorate the lodge and your home?” Gabrielle loved everything they had done.

“No, we did it all as a family. As soon as Blake and Nicole tied the knot, they began making plans to build their own home. We own the property up to the tree line, so we’ll keep building homes along that way when a couple more of us are mated. The last one to mate will remain in this house.”

“Wow, that’s so nice to have a family like that.”

“We are lucky. We all get along great. Not to say we don’t have our squabbles from time to time, but we work out our differences easily enough. It’s the same with the pack. To have a new business in Silver Town, you have to have the pack leaders’ approval and every pack member gets a say in the matter. Sure, new owners have to be wolves, but the pack doesn’t want to ruin the economy for the business owners who have been here for years. Or bring too many humans to the area, even just for sport.”

“Oh, I totally understand.”

“In your case, should you want to take over Doc Mitchell’s clinic, it’s already well established and you’ll have all his clientele. In our case, I really believe they agreed for us to open the lodge not only because there was a need for it, but because we have two unmated sisters. There’s a shortage of eligible she-wolves for mating in the pack.”

Gabrielle would never have guessed it. “Was that also the reason Lelandi and Darien offered me a job? Just because I’m a woman?” She hoped she didn’t sound as annoyed as she felt.

“You’re a wolf and a vet, and you’re young so you probably won’t want to retire for a long time, at least to their way of thinking. I’m sure if you were a male vet, they would have been just as eager to meet you and make the offer for you to stay.” He motioned to a room down the hall. “You can strip out of your clothes in the guest bedroom. I’ll meet you downstairs in a minute.”

That made her feel better. Once she had changed and shifted, she headed into the living room. Rosco was wagging his tail as he greeted her again, even though she was a wolf this time. He could smell her same scent. She nuzzled his face in greeting.

She listened for any sign Landon’s sisters were here. She’d had fun playing with them and Blake and Nicole last night, and hoped they would all join in again in the wolf scuffle.

Then Landon came down the stairs as a big wolf, his mask a darker brown than Blake’s, very striking black lines of fur above his eyes giving him the adorable look of having black eyebrows. His back was a mixture of black guard hairs and brown, blond, and gray, his chest mostly white. He smiled at her in a wolf way and nuzzled her face in greeting. She enjoyed the camaraderie as wolves, something that she didn’t get to experience back home.

Rosco wagged his tail hard upon seeing Landon too. She wondered if they ever took him running with them when they were wolves. Then she and Landon headed outside through a wolf door.

She saw his family members gathered in the backyard of the other home, and they all woofed in greeting. Gabrielle relaxed. She was worried Landon had set this up to be a wolf-run date, trying to convince her to stay in the area. She did like that there seemed to be a number of eligible bachelors, if she ever had the notion of moving to Silver Town. That sure wasn’t the case back home. But she just wanted to have fun with a group of wolves for now, no pressure. Not when she didn’t live here and couldn’t really consider courting a wolf.

They all ran off through the woods for about a mile and then they began playing. She was just as aggressive with the she-wolves as they were with her. She was glad they weren’t giving her an inch just because she was not part of the family. Wolves had to show they had the mettle to take on other wolves. Landon and Blake just watched the four she-wolves playing as if they were putting on a show for them. Then Nicole tackled her mate, as if to tell him he had to participate or else, and the whole bunch of them began to play.

The wolves were all tackling one another until it seemed like the others faded away—all but Landon, who nuzzled Gabrielle’s muzzle. She nipped at him in pure enjoyment and then tackled him. Play fighting was a great way to practice real wolf fighting—in case they had to battle a rogue lupus garou as a wolf—but it was a great way to play as wolves too. She’d never met any wolf who was into playing catch or fetch in his or her wolf form. That was more of a dog’s game. Instead, the wolves chased each other, tackled the others, and ran together, racing each other. That’s how they played.

They rose on their hind legs, snapping at each other, snarling, growling, biting. She had played with her jaguar friends, but they had to be more careful with her because of their stronger bite and their wicked cat claws.

Because of playing with them, she was used to their heavier weight and how agile they could be, and that had helped her to employ new tricks. She tackled Landon as if she were fighting a springier cat, and she was more aggressive too. Sure, he was a bigger male, but she was used to the rules of engagement being different with her jaguar friends.

Despite her aggressiveness, he was gentle with her. Then, he turned the tables on her as if he was just waiting for her to let down her guard, or maybe he thought she would respect him more if he was a little more aggressive. It didn’t take him long to pin her to the snow, and she gave him a toothy grin. She didn’t expect his brother and sisters and Blake’s mate to tackle Landon all at once.

She was both amused and delighted that they had come to rescue her.

In short order, they pinned him down and were nipping at him in good fun while she watched with utter amusement. He finally woofed and they let him up. He licked their faces and then hers to say he’d had a great time. He woofed again to let them know he was headed in with Gabrielle. They were going swimming.

She couldn’t wait, though she was having fun playing with the wolves in the snow. She had never thought she would be doing this with other wolves and loving it like she did. She thought she might be running with her jaguar friends, if they felt safe running as jaguars in the snow. And she thought she would be building a snowman with her friends—she’d never done that before—or throwing snowballs at each other.

That was if they ever got there.