They’d made dinner at his mother’s house a regular Wednesday routine, and each time, Luke’s mother invited a different guest to join them. An elderly aunt, an old friend, a cousin. Carly wondered who it would be tonight.

  “Luke! Carly!” Marlene Brandstetter called from her porch. Her face lit up as it always did at the sight of her only surviving child.

  When Carly had first met Luke’s mom, she had half expected a stooped, defeated figure. After all, the woman had been through so much. But Marlene, it seemed, had done a lot of healing in the past two years, and having Luke come home had helped, too. In fact, Marlene was so chipper and energetic — almost as happy as the young couple who’d asked for permission to run — that Carly almost suspected Marlene was in love. Luke’s father had died at Greer’s hand fifteen years earlier. Maybe Marlene was ready to love again. But if so, who was the lucky man?

  Not being one to pry, Carly hadn’t mentioned her suspicions to Luke. And she couldn’t figure out who the object of Marlene’s affections might be — or if she was totally off the mark.

  “Hi, Mom.” Luke smiled and stooped to give her a peck on the cheek.

  Mother and son paused for a moment, as they always did, holding one another’s forearms. Were they seeing the past? Cherishing the present? Whichever it was, Carly was glad they each seemed to have found a measure of peace.

  “Carly!” Marlene turned and hugged her next.

  Carly grinned. It was kind of fun, having the nice, normal mother she’d never had. At least, one the right age, because she’d had way too much mothering from her sister, Tina, over the past years. Marlene, though, didn’t make her feel smothered at all.

  Is that her or you? her inner wolf asked.

  Carly didn’t deign to answer, though, yes — Luke hadn’t been the only one turning over a new leaf lately. She had to admit she’d grown up a lot. And, honestly? She didn’t miss her old life one bit.

  “How can I help?” she asked.

  “Can you finish setting the table, honey? I need to check on the pot roast,” Marlene said, turning to the kitchen.

  There were four plates at the table, so Carly added four glasses and sets of silverware to the gaily decorated table. Luke’s mother made dinner an occasion every time, and who could blame her? There was even a vase of water as if Marlene expected an old friend who could be counted on to bring flowers.

  I wonder which friend is coming this time, Carly’s wolf mused. Oh! Maybe the man she’s interested in?

  Heavy footsteps scraped over the front steps, prompting Marlene to dash out of the kitchen, straighten her clothes, and touch her hair. She nearly banged the door on Luke as he followed her out.

  “Hello?” a deep, oaky voice called. Barely a whisper, but the bass resonated through the house.

  Carly froze. Wait a second. She knew that voice. Could it really be?

  “Coming!” Marlene called cheerily.

  Definitely in love, Carly’s wolf said.

  That much was clear. Still, Carly blinked. Was that really who she thought it was?

  “Come in, come in,” Marlene cooed, ushering her guest into the house. When he entered, the two of them stared at each other, dreamy-eyed.

  “Dad?” Carly gaped.

  Luke’s eyebrows shot up.

  Carly’s father tore his eyes off Marlene, noticing his daughter for the first time. “Oh. Hi.”

  Yep, that was her dear old dad, all right. Gruff and growly as ever. But, whoa. What was with the—

  “Flowers!” Marlene beamed. “Oh, Tyrone, you shouldn’t have.”

  Carly stared. Flowers? Her dad had brought Marlene flowers?

  “The least I could do,” he grumbled, handing them over in a stiff gesture that showed how out of practice he was when it came to wooing women. In fact, Carly was pretty sure he had never wooed a woman. From what she had gathered, women had always thrown themselves at him. And though he’d led on plenty of women in his younger days, he’d never shown genuine interest in one.

  Until now, maybe, her wolf murmured.

  Carly was flabbergasted. But holy crap — it was true.

  He’s actually trying to be nice, her wolf said. Look — he even cleaned up.

  The scent of a woodsy shaving cream wafted into the room with her father, which was a miracle in itself. Her father didn’t do fine scents. He didn’t waft. And he certainly didn’t fall in love.

  Then what’s with the tie? her wolf pointed out.

  Wow. In addition to shaving and showering, her father had put on a bolo tie. Carly wasn’t even aware the man owned one. He’d certainly never donned a tie for any occasion she’d witnessed.

  Luke’s jaw dropped as he looked at his mother with the same shocked expression Carly aimed at her dad. Holy shit. My mom is in love.

  Holy shit, Carly agreed. My dad is in love.

  Wait. With my mom?

  Sure looks like it, Carly said as her dad leaned in to give Marlene a kiss on the cheek, blushing as he did so. Blushing! Marlene’s cheeks turned pink, too.

  Carly’s wolf sighed as she looked on. Could it be that her father had finally learned about the finer things in life from his happily mated offspring?

  “I’m making pot roast,” Marlene said, putting the flowers into the empty vase.

  “My favorite,” Tyrone rumbled in return.

  Luke’s jaw dropped. He has a favorite? How long has this been going on?

  Carly caught his arm before he could grab his mother’s arm and demand an explanation.

  I have no clue, Carly said. But it’s kind of cute.

  Cute? her wolf and Luke protested at the same time.

  She never thought she’d use the word cute in connection with her dad, but dang. It was cute, the same way her dad was grudgingly sweet around his grandkids.

  “Will you help me in the kitchen, Tyrone?” Marlene asked in a hopeful tone.

  Carly held her breath. Her dad helped in the kitchen about as often as he helped with diapers — namely, never.

  “Of course,” he said with a totally straight face.

  Carly and Luke watched the two of them go, dumbstruck, until the kitchen door swung closed with a bang. Carly turned to Luke, not quite sure what to say. Not quite sure she could say anything given the way her jaw hung halfway to the floor.

  Luke stared at the door. When a faint giggle sounded from the kitchen, he winced.

  “So, what do you think?” she whispered. “You okay with this?”

  He pursed his lips. “No. Yes. I mean… I guess…”

  Carly squeezed his hands, trying to decide what she thought. But then her mind roved back to her first days with Luke, when she wished everyone would mind their own damn business and let her figure her life out for herself.

  “I guess it’s not for us to decide,” she said.

  Luke’s throat bobbed with a deep gulp, but he nodded. “I guess not.”

  “So that’s why Dad hasn’t rushed back to Arizona yet.”

  “So that’s why Mom has been so happy,” Luke mused, looking toward the kitchen door.

  “So what do we do?”

  Luke raised his eyebrows helplessly. A moment later, he took Carly’s hand and kissed it. “I guess we do what we came here to do. Make a better future for this pack. Although I have to admit I was thinking more about the kids. The next generation.”

  Carly smiled. “I have to admit I was mostly thinking about me and you. Our future, and our future kids.”

  Luke broke into a naughty smile. “Something we really need to get started on.”

  She play-smacked his arm. “Luke Brandstetter, we both said we’d get to that a few years down the line.”

  He caught her hands and pulled her in close. “Right, boss. But you know what?”

  “What?” She nestled in closer, nuzzling his jaw.

  “I can’t wait. And I bet those two would like the idea of grandkids, too.”

  “Ha,” she said. “You’re only thinking about them, right?”

  “Them. Us. The pack. Our pack.” His whisper turned into a kiss. Then he eased away slowly and poured two glasses of wine. His voice cracked a little as he raised his glass in a toast. “To love.”

  “To minding our own business.” Carly grinned.

  Luke nodded and tapped his glass against hers, producing a clear ring. “To the future of North Ridge pack.”

  * * *

  Thank you for reading Twice Upon A Desert Moon! If you enjoyed these stories, won’t you please leave a review on Amazon or Goodreads? Reviews are the best way to thank an independent author for the stories you’ve loved. Thank you!

  The Twin Moon series includes two more books: Sasquatch Surprise, an action-packed, romantic spin-off from Desert Wolf, and Desert Yule, a heartwarming holiday story that revisits all your favorite characters. Check those books out today! And once you're done with those, check out Blue Moon Saloon and Aloha Shifters, two series that interconnect with the wolves of Twin Moon Ranch. You can read on for a sneak peek of Damnation, the Blue Moon Saloon series starter, or explore each series on your favorite bookseller right here: Aloha Shifters and Blue Moon Saloon.

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  Sneak Peek: Damnation

  Blue Moon Saloon, Book 1

  Tina Hawthorne has a soft spot for wayward shifters looking for a second chance, and where better to give them a new start than the Blue Moon Saloon, a business owned by the wolves of Twin Moon pack? Bear shifter brothers Simon and Soren Voss are a couple of wounded souls willing to run the saloon, but the last thing they’re expecting is to be paired up with couple of she-wolves on the run. This new series features wounded heroes, powerful alphas, more-than-capable heroines, and the spellbinding scenery of high-altitude Arizona – all the elements that have made the Wolves of Twin Moon Ranch series a fan favorite. There’s some crossover between Twin Moon and Blue Moon Saloon series, so that even as you get to know new characters, you’ll also get glimpses of characters you know and love, including Ty and Tina Hawthorne, Rick Rivera, and Kyle Williams, shifter cop extraordinaire.

  Never fear – the Twin Moon series is far from being finished! It’s just that the wolves you love have some new friends in town, and the adventures continue for one and all. Find out for yourself with this sneak peek of Damnation, Blue Moon Saloon, Book 1!

  He hasn’t forgotten her, and she sure hasn’t forgiven him…

  * * *

  “Are you sure you want to do this?” Tina asked.

  Jessica forced herself to keep up a steady, confident stride and nodded firmly. “I want to do this.”

  I need to do this was more like it, but pride was about the only thing she had left.

  Tina glanced at her, but Jessica kept walking down the sidewalk in the dusty western town, pretending not to notice. She was getting to be a champ at pretending lots of things, like the fact she wasn’t shaking inside.

  Run! Run away! her inner wolf screamed.

  If she hadn’t had her sister, Janna, to think of, Jessica might have done just that — hit the road running and never looked back. Except she’d tried that already, and it hadn’t worked.

  Time to stop running, she told her inner wolf.

  We don’t know this pack. We don’t know this place, her wolf whined.

  “This is going to be great!” Janna smiled. “Is that the saloon?”

  Janna wasn’t just putting on a brave face. She actually was excited about what she’d called their lucky break. As if they were lucky to have lost their pack to a band of rogues one awful night six months ago. As if they were lucky to be leapfrogging from one place to another in search of some safe refuge.

  Jess shook her head. God, she was getting bitter. Her sister was right. This could be their lucky break. They’d found a pack willing to set them up with work and a place to stay. And not just any pack, but Twin Moon, one of the most powerful packs to emerge in the Southwest in recent years. Tina Hawthorne-Rivera was a leading member of that pack, and she seemed to have a soft spot for wayward shifters in need of a second chance.

  Jessica bit her lip, thinking about the long road she’d traveled in the past few months. Maybe she and Janna could finally stop looking over their shoulders and catch their breath.

  “That’s the place,” Tina replied, waving to the two-story building owned by her pack. “Blue Moon Saloon.”

  Jess drew in a long breath and slowed to look it over.

  She couldn’t have conjured anything more Wild West out of her imagination if she’d tried. The whole historic center of the old town was like that — a high-altitude frontier town, barely dragged into modern times.

  “Perfect location, just a block off Whiskey Row.” Tina nodded in pride.

  Jessica’s inner wolf whined. I like home better.

  Yes, well, home was gone, and she could never go back to that place.

  Want my mate, the wolf whimpered.

  Yeah, well. He didn’t want us. When would the stupid beast get that through its head?

  Anger worked better than the grief that welled up every time she thought of that part of her past, so she hung on to it for the time being. She combed her long, brown hair back and stood at her full five foot eight. She needed this job, damn it. She’d get it.

  “This is so cute!” Janna exclaimed. “Don’t you think, Jess?”

  She took in the peeling paint, the dusty windows. Cute might describe the empty shop to the right, but not the saloon, which was dark and dreary, just like the people who gravitated toward a place like that, she’d bet. Waitressing, she didn’t mind. But getting her ass pinched… No, thanks.

  She glanced at her reflection in the glass and grimaced at her worn jeans and checkered top. Maybe she didn’t have to worry about getting harassed. She’d gone from lean and athletic to downright gaunt in the past couple of months.

  “The saloon ran well for years — well enough to pay the rent, at least — but the man we were leasing it to retired, and the new guys only took it over a month ago.”

  Jess raised an eyebrow in a question.

  Tina gave a tiny nod and lowered her voice. “Shifters, like us. None of the neighbors know.” Her stern look made it clear that none of the neighbors could ever find out. That was a given in the shifter world. The constant secrecy, the veil of normalcy. Shifters could blend in perfectly as long as they kept their beast sides tightly leashed.

  Tina tilted her head toward the wooded hills surrounding the town. “Good place to run when you need a break.”

  When your wolf needs a break, she meant. Every shifter needed a chance to let their inner animals run free — and not only under the light of a full moon.

  “The building is over a hundred years old,” Tina went on, speaking louder again.

  Yes, she could see it in the detailed moldings, the ornate windows, the false front.

  “The ground floor is really three units, but two were combined for the saloon.”

  Jessica’s eyes kept traveling to the smaller place on the right. The cute one. “What’s in there?”

  Tina sighed. “It used to be a small art gallery. Before that, a café. But we haven’t been able to find a renter for it in years.”

  God, if she had some start-up capital… Jessica shook the thought off. It would take a hell of a lot of tips to get to the point where she could even think about that. And until she had peace of mind about the rogues hounding her… Why even wish?

  “You can live upstairs,” Tina said. “If you’re sure you don’t want to stay on the ranch. We do have the space, you know.”

  Jess wasn’t sure about anything, but living among a pack of strangers didn’t really appeal. Not even a whole pack of wolves as nice as Tina. Plus, neither Jess nor Janna had their own wheels, and even if they did, the forty-five-minute commute into town each day — and each late night — would be a bit much.

  “This will be fine,” Jess said, trying to keep doubt out of her voice.

  “It will need some work…” Tina warned.

  Jessica wondered if she meant the saloon, the apartment upstairs, or the whole new life she faced now.

  “…and you’ll have to share a bathroom with the guys…”

  “No problem!” Janna chirped.

  God, Jessica hoped not. That was the other unknown in the equation. She’d have to live under the same roof as her new boss or bosses. Who were the two men running the place, anyway? Shifters, was all she knew.

  “They’re good guys,” Tina added quickly. “Hard-working. Honest.”

  She sure hoped so.

  “…a little rough around the edges, maybe…”

  Jess pictured natty beards, worn jeans, western drawls.

  “…but I’m sure they’ll be fine. And they can really use your help.”

  That was another thing. Everything Tina didn’t say suggested the saloon wasn’t exactly off to a stellar start. Not that Jess minded hard work, but it would be nice to be part of a successful, competent team.

  “Anything you need, you let me know,” Tina said.

  “Thanks,” Jess said, meeting her eyes so Tina knew she meant it. The she-wolf had gone out of her way to help Jess and Janna from the very start.

  She’s got a soft spot for outcasts, Tina’s mate, Rick, had explained back on the ranch, when he’d looked at Tina like she was the sun and he was the moon, devoted to orbiting faithfully to the end of his days.

  The saloon doors — a pair of real saloon doors that swung both ways — split open, and a tall figure strode out.

  “Hello, Ty,” Tina said while Jessica and Janna hung back.

  Tina was probably the only person west of the Missouri who could greet that man so casually. Jessica’s eyes hit the ground, and not just because it was a required sign of submission to the alpha of Twin Moon pack. The man had a pointed, laser glare, and sheer wolf power sloughed off him in waves.