up.
“I’ve got her.” Brendon waited until Blayne stepped aside and then easily scooped Gwen up in his arms.
“You don’t need to carry me like I’m an infant.”
And proving how much like Mitch Shaw he really was, Brendon cried out dramatically, “Would it kill you to let me help you?”
Blowing out a sigh, Gwen looked at Blayne and Blayne looked down at the floor, her shoulders shaking from laughter.
“No, Bren. That’s fine.”
He smiled, happy he’d gotten his way. “Thank you.”
Ulrich Van Holtz continued to read the latest tome on world economics, pretending to be bored, but in truth absolutely fascinated!
He loved weekends like this. Weekends without his father, Alder, or brother in attendance because if there was one thing that pair knew how to do really well was ruin a relaxing weekend among family.
But instead of enduring the presence of those two, Ric was instead getting a few days of downtime with his favorite cousins, a few hours on his own to read a dry, detailed exploration on failing economics, and a chance to watch his best friend storm into the house, slam the door behind him, and make all Ric’s lounging cousins disappear in the face of that grizzly boar-rage.
Awesome.
Lock MacRyrie stalked by the living room entryway wearing hospital scrubs, a scowl, and a series of fresh bruises on his face and neck.
“Lock?”
The grizzly walked back and stood in the archway. “What?”
“Should I ask what happened to your face?”
“It doesn’t matter,” he growled before storming off again.
Placing his book on the table, Ric followed his friend. When the grizzly started to head out a back door, Ric caught his arm and led him toward the kitchen.
Adelle Van Holtz, his father’s first cousin but mature enough that Ric always referred to her as Aunt Adelle, glanced up from whatever she was mixing for tonight’s dessert. Her mouth dropped open in shock when she saw Lock.
“Lachlan!” She put down her mixing bowl and rushed to him. “My poor baby. What happened to you?”
“I really don’t want to talk about it,” he muttered and Adelle pulled him toward one of the stools by the breakfast bar that separated the kitchen from one of the smaller dining areas.
“You sit right down here,” she said, amusing Ric, who sat next to him. It fascinated him the way the older She-wolves pampered Lock like a giant teddy bear, while all the older males hated and feared him.
“You going to tell me what happened?” Ric asked, reaching for one of the berries from the massive bowl Adelle placed in front of Lock, but quickly snatching his hand back when she slapped it.
“I said I don’t want to talk about it.”
“You’ll feel better.”
“No, I won’t.”
“Did you end up on the wrong side of a buck again?”
“No. Wolves.” When Ric and Adelle passed glances, both wondering who in their Pack would be stupid enough to go up against any bear, much less Lock, he shook his head. “Not your Pack. Some other flea-bitten Pack.”
“Excuse me, but we haven’t had an outbreak of fleas in years. And what other Pack?”
“I don’t know.”
Adelle cleared her throat, her face concerned. “I know some of the Smiths are staying out at Shaw’s place this weekend. But I can’t imagine Bobby Ray would—”
“These weren’t Smiths. I’ve dealt with Smiths before, and met a few of the New York Pack at Jess’s wedding. It wasn’t them.”
“Okay. Then who do you think—”
“She’s going to think I deserted her,” Lock blurted out.
Her? Lock didn’t have a “her” in his life. He’d had a few “you remember, what’s-her-names” over the past couple of years, but they’d come and gone quickly with little thought. The only females in his life that Ric knew Lock thought about on a regular basis were his mother and sister. Otherwise, Lock kept primarily to himself.
“And who would this she be exactly?”
“I said I don’t want to talk about it.”
“But I’m sure we can go to wherever she is and—”
“Forget it. It doesn’t matter.” Lock picked up his bowl of berries and walked out of the kitchen.
After they heard his bedroom door slam shut, Adelle asked, “Do you think his ‘she’ is a wolf?”
“He smelled like he’d been around a feline, but what kind, I’m not sure.”
“A feline? For my Lock?” Adelle scrunched up her nose. “I’m not sure some feline’s going to be good enough for him.”
If Lock really liked her, whoever she may be, Ric wouldn’t care. His friend had not had an easy life, so a little feline canoodling couldn’t hurt.
Ric slid off the stool. “Let me see what I can find out.”
“Good.”
“Did you say Brendon Shaw was in town?” he asked, always wanting to get information up front before he threw himself into things.
“Yes. Brought out a bunch of people, too, including Smitty’s Pack and Jess’s.”
Ahh. Sweet Jess. Ric had always liked her, and was not happy he couldn’t make her wedding. But he should have known that a sudden demand for an important business trip would rise up out of nowhere as soon as Ric’s father had found out he hadn’t been invited to the wedding but Ric had.
“I’ll let you know what I find out,” he promised, heading to the back door and pulling out his cell phone.
CHAPTER 5
One small kitchen fire later and Jess Ward-Smith was racing across territorial lines and right into Ulrich Van Holtz’s open arms.
Oh, and it was a small, controlled burn. Nothing to worry about. Simply a way to distract one overprotective hillbilly wolf and his hillbilly wolf kin while she illicitly met up with one of the coolest-named guys ever.
“I’m so glad to see you!” she said, hugging the wolf tight.
He hugged her back and kissed her on the cheek. “Me, too.” He placed her down and studied her carefully. “You look astoundingly beautiful,” he said easily. He had to be the only man she knew who made those kinds of compliments sound as if he was stating the
