Jingle Bell Wolf by Terry Spear
Chapter 6
Landon dressed in his warm clothes and headed home, crunching through the deep snow on this snowy night and thinking what a remarkable day it had been. He’d had such a great day and night with Gabrielle that he hadn’t wanted it to end. She had really added some spark to his life.
Though he was concerned about the new-moon phase that would be upon them tomorrow. He and his family wouldn’t be able to run and play with Gabrielle as wolves since they weren’t royals and couldn’t turn into wolves then. Maybe she wasn’t a royal either. The royals had no issue with shifting at any time of the month because they had very few human-diluted genes. Instead, they had several generations of pure lupus garou blood. The only royals in the Wolffs’ group were Blake’s mate, Nicole, her brother, Nate, and their parents. It hadn’t mattered to Nicole that Blake wasn’t a royal; she loved him just the same.
Not all royals felt that way. It wasn’t that they felt superior to those who had more recent human genes, but that being a royal carried somewhat less of a risk because the full moon couldn’t compel them to shift. They wanted that same freedom for their offspring. Landon understood that reasoning.
He noticed lamplight and the Christmas tree lights still on in the living room at his and his sisters’ home and wondered if his sisters were waiting up to interrogate him about Gabrielle. He’d thought they would be in bed by now. There was nothing for him to say. He thoroughly enjoyed her company and wished there could be more than that to it, but it wasn’t happening. Not if she loved her workplace and home in Florida and wanted to stay there. She might not like the cold here, being used to the heat out there.
Then again, maybe his sisters had left the lights on so he wouldn’t have to return home to a dark house. But as soon as he entered the house, he found both of them waiting in the living room.
“We suspect you need more time off to be with Gabrielle.” Kayla was sitting on the couch, dressed in a pair of warm red-and-green-plaid pajamas, her feet in red slippers resting on the footstool.
Dressed in red footed pajamas, Roxie was sitting on the couch at the other end. “We’re fine with it.”
“Thanks. She’s leaving when her vacation is done, but her friends aren’t here yet, so I said I would take her skiing again tomorrow. Maybe for a couple of days if she would like that.”
“And meals, and swimming, and wolf runs.” Roxie frowned. “We won’t be able to run with her as wolves the day after tomorrow, you know.”
“Yeah, I was thinking about that. She may be like us anyway and can’t run during the new moon.”
“Or she may be a royal and disappointed that we aren’t royals too,” Roxie warned.
“True.” There was nothing he could do about that, unless he got hold of some of the royals in the pack to run with her. He figured a whole bunch of them would take him up on the offer. Bachelors especially.
“When are her friends arriving?” Kayla asked.
“They won’t be here for two more days. By the way”—he folded his arms and looked sternly at his sisters—“you wouldn’t happen to know how Lelandi learned that Gabrielle is a veterinarian, would you?”
“Seriously?” Roxie asked. “I asked what she did in Daytona Beach when you were having breakfast at the bar and grill, but you didn’t want me to continue grilling her, so I didn’t have a clue. You were supposed to tell me that night, but I forgot to ask you. I didn’t know she was a vet until now.”
“Me either,” Kayla said.
“Who else knew who could have told Lelandi?” he asked.
“Someone who overheard her tell you that’s what she did? When did you learn about it?” Kayla asked.
“When we were having breakfast. She told me after Roxie had left.”
“Minx then? She was the one serving you breakfast. There was no one else in the restaurant at the time,” Roxie said.
“I’ll ask her.”
“Ask Lelandi,” Kayla said. “She’ll tell you.”
“Why are you concerned?” Roxie asked. “Is Gabrielle upset about it?”
“I don’t think she was really upset, just more surprised that the pack leaders would know. You know how you would feel if you visited a place and those in charge knew just what you did and where you were from.”
“That would be unnerving,” Kayla said.
“Exactly.”
“That’s a pack for you when we have a shortage of females. Though Kayla and I are available, we have been busy working on everything to do with the restaurant and lodge. Gabrielle should be thrilled the pack leaders want her to stay. They can be really picky about who can join the pack—and for good reason. They always check their backgrounds thoroughly. They checked ours,” Kayla said. “That’s great about her being a veterinarian, though if she hadn’t had a job, she could certainly have worked with us at the lodge or restaurant. There’s always something that needs to be done. But, hey, if she’s at a human-run vet clinic, she’s probably a royal.”
“You’re probably right.” Then Landon frowned, trying to remember where Minx had been when Gabrielle told him what she did for a living. He hadn’t thought she’d been anywhere near them at the time. He wondered why she would even be interested in telling Lelandi about it if she had.
“Oh, by the way, that was great how she helped you to find Rosco and the injured man,” Roxie said. “I would say since she wanted to go with you, that was a good sign.”
Kayla said, “Yeah, she didn’t want to give you up.”
He chuckled.
Roxie got up from the couch. “She wanted more of your personal touch.” She headed for the stairs, then paused on the first stair when Kayla started to speak.
“You know, if she does take over Doc Mitchell’s ranch and vet clinic, and if you and she mate, you’ll be living out there, farther away from us,” Kayla said.
“It’s not that far, and it would give all of us another place to run. He’s got a lot of acreage out there,” Landon said.
Roxie laughed. “I told you, Kayla. Our brother is seriously making a go of this.”
“I told you about them kissing in the pool.” Kayla smiled.
“Is nothing sacred?”
“No,” both his sisters said at the same time and laughed.
Landon was not at all surprised that his siblings were checking up on him and Gabrielle, and he wasn’t bothered by it. If other bachelor wolves were wandering by and captured a glimpse of them, they would know he was serious about the she-wolf. And yeah, he definitely wanted to make a go of this.
Kayla left the couch and followed Roxie up the stairs. “I would love to hear what you learn about how Lelandi discovered Gabrielle is a vet.”
Roxie called down, “No wonder Rosco loves her. She’s good with animals.”
Landon agreed with Roxie about Rosco. He still wondered who might have been the one to tell Lelandi that Gabrielle was a vet. Lelandi was known to be a matchmaker when a situation arose that she might be able to help along. He’d learned that when she ensured Nicole had enough mysteries to solve right here in Silver Town so she wouldn’t return to her home and practice in Denver.
He smiled. Well, hell, if Lelandi was attempting to do the same with Gabrielle, he was going to have to see what he could do to help make it happen.
He shouldn’t be calling Lelandi right this minute. Not as late as it was, but he had to know the truth. Otherwise, he would be thinking about it all night. He picked up his phone and called Lelandi.
“This better be an emergency.” Lelandi sounded sleepy.
Landon had hoped she was still awake.
“What’s wrong?” Darien asked near her.
“It’s Landon. What’s wrong?” she asked Landon.
“Who told you Gabrielle was a veterinarian?”
There was a significant pause on the other end of the line, and Landon suspected that Lelandi didn’t want to tell him the truth.
“That’s why you’re calling me at midnight? Why? Is Gabrielle upset that I asked her about taking Doc Mitchell’s job if she ever wanted to join us?”
“I would say more surprised than anything. She thought I had put you up to it.” Landon hadn’t wanted Gabrielle to think that of him.
“Well, you can tell her with a clear conscience you didn’t. Night!” Lelandi hung up on him.
He stared at the phone. He couldn’t believe Lelandi did that! She was a psychologist and had to know that wouldn’t work well with him. Not wanting to be thwarted, he called her back.
“Landon, it is midnight. If you want to get up with the kids at six, you’re welcome to and we can talk all night long. But it will cost you. In professional doctor fees, I mean.”
“If you’re trying to convince Gabrielle to stay, I want in.”
Again, a significant pause. “Okay, so you seem to be having fun with her, and she seems to like you, so do you have any suggestions that might work?”
“I don’t know. Maybe take her on a tour of the businesses, have dinner at the Silver Town Tavern where it’s just us wolves. Maybe—”
“Have a vet crisis and need her help?”
“That might be a little extreme.”
“Right. Then again, I don’t believe Gabrielle can practice veterinary medicine in Colorado without a license. Whatever we come up with, it can’t be obvious, or our gooses are cooked. I’m talking to Doc Mitchell about ways to encourage her to move here and take over his practice. That doesn’t mean she’ll be convinced, but the more reasons she might have to stay, the better chance we have at changing her mind. You never know. Doc Mitchell has a beautiful place out in the country. He said he’s willing to give it to her so he can retire.”
“All right. I’ll think about it.” Landon was hopeful that they could convince Gabrielle to stay. Especially if she wanted to continue seeing him.
Then they ended the call and Landon stripped out of his clothes and climbed into bed. Now, he just had to think of something to do with animal care that would convince Gabrielle how much she would love it here and how much she was needed. Not just for her vet services though.
He frowned. Lelandi never revealed to him who had told her that Gabrielle was a vet.
* * *
Lying on her back, her hands beneath her head, Gabrielle lay awake, trying to sleep, but her thoughts were going in a million different directions. She couldn’t quit thinking about how fun it had been to play with Landon as a wolf in the snow—with his family, too, all of whom were friendly and welcoming. She hadn’t played with a male wolf in wolf form in forever. When bachelor males had come through her area, she’d dated, had dinner out, gone to the movies, and walked along the beach, but only in her human form.
Swimming in the pool with Landon had been thoroughly enjoyable too. She’d certainly never done that with a wolf outdoors in the snow in a heated pool! Just way too fun. And free meals? She had never expected that. The food was the best ever. She didn’t think she’d ever had such good meals consistently for breakfast, lunch, and dinner at one restaurant, which would have cost her a fortune. Not that they couldn’t all afford the price of the meals, but Gabrielle and her friends tended to be frugal.
She sure hadn’t expected to get free personal lessons from a hot bachelor wolf. She had planned to get group lessons while her friends had some fun skiing the expert slopes, though they had said they would start her out with lessons. If they had been teaching her, she could imagine the three of them laughing so hard at all her mistakes that she would never have learned how to ski and they would never have gotten in any skiing time. Landon had only smiled at her and waited patiently for her to get to her feet every time, making sure that she hadn’t hurt herself.
Now her friends were going to foot the lodge bill too? She couldn’t let them. But she was enjoying her time there, despite them not being there yet, and she certainly hadn’t expected that. She realized she hadn’t even had time to really feel disappointed that her friends weren’t there. She felt a little guilty about that.
She thought about Lelandi and Darien coming to see her about replacing the current vet so he could retire. She still wondered who had told them she was a vet. Had they looked into her setup in Daytona Beach? That was another thing. Did they even know that’s where she had a co-op with other vets?
Then she began to think about Odette and Zelda. She knew they were dedicated to their job as special agents, but they were supposed to be on leave. Several other special agents within the organization could have been tasked to do the job, she thought. She couldn’t imagine everyone being so busy that they couldn’t have taken care of this so the sisters could go on their vacation.
Shifting her thoughts, Gabrielle hoped she would do even better at skiing in the morning. She was afraid that she would have forgotten all the moves and be at the beginning all over again. Sighing, she closed her eyes and rolled over on her side.
She thought about her co-op and how all the vets were human. How she didn’t have a wolf pack to belong to. That’s why when she’d met the jaguar sisters she’d become fast friends with them. Wolves loved to be with a pack. At least most did, based on the ones she’d met who were passing through Daytona Beach. And being around shifters afforded her the opportunity to talk about female shifter issues—like raising kids and having babies someday, or dating shifter guys—which was really nice.
The idea of not only moving to a new state so vastly different from the one where she had always lived, but also leaving the only home she’d ever known and the first vet practice she’d ever worked at overwhelmed her. She wasn’t sure she could handle all the changes. She was rather a stick-in-the-mud when it came to going places—other than Florida. She had never considered leaving her birthplace for good.
Then she thought of Landon again, his warm brown eyes, equally warm smile, easy manner, and hot bod. She touched her lips and imagined his mouth pressed against hers, his aroused body making her hotter. She knew if he had lived in Daytona Beach, she would be courting the wolf for certain.
No wonder she couldn’t sleep!
