“No matter what I say I’ll get in trouble, so I just won’t say a damned thing at all,” he told her.

  They just laughed at him. So pretty and talented and they laughed. Hmpf.

  When Ruby came back, he forgot about his annoyance altogether. “Let me help you with that.” He held out a hand for her jacket, which she allowed him to help her into. The backs of his fingers brushed against the skin of her neck, sending a shiver through them both.

  “See y’all later,” Ruby called out. “Tell Greg I’ll bring him back those baking sheets later tonight or he can get them from Mom,” she said to Nichole.

  “Good luck. I hope you find the perfect place that’s super close to me,” Aimee said.

  “I’m living with my parents right now. The perfect place is relative compared to that,” Ruby muttered as he opened the passenger door of his truck for her.

  “I bet.”

  As he walked back around to the driver’s side, Damon thought about the time of day and the light and mentally rearranged the order of properties he was going to show her. He had one in mind, but he wanted to take her when the light was just perfect.

  * * *

  Ruby tried to fall back on the calming breathing she’d learned over the years. Damon Dooley set her all aquiver. Her entire system zinged as her magic reacted to his shifter magic, wanting to caress it, give it love and attention.

  It wasn’t like he was a stranger! Back six years ago when she’d been finishing up all the prerequisites she’d needed to go to nursing school they’d dated. Four times. Ruby had liked him a great deal and it’d felt mutual, but he’d broken things off. Said they both had growing up to do and she was leaving. It hadn’t been fraught in any way. She’d moved away and when she’d come back for visits at the holidays, she’d waved a hello and they’d chatted here and there.

  She’d grown up out there and gotten her education and in the end it had been absolutely the right thing to do. Even if it had been sad for a while after it first happened.

  He’d gotten even more handsome as he’d aged, growing into a man’s body. He’d reached six feet with broad shoulders. His hair was a little longer than it’d been the last time she’d taken notice of him, but she had no complaints about that. He looked good and smelled even better. There was something very sensual and sexy about a man who smelled good.

  Of course, it was the way his forearms looked with his hands on the wheel that set more than her heart aflutter. Sun-kissed skin, taut over muscle. The right amount of hair too. She kept her happy sigh in her head because she had a task to take up his time with right then and that was real estate related instead of carnal.

  Regardless, his presence had awakened something inside her in a different way than she’d ever experienced before. It was really fun. And a little scary.

  “You said on the phone that you preferred a house, but you’d be okay looking at apartments. You still feel that way?” he asked.

  “Well, how many places do you have to show me if you show me houses and apartments? Not like Diablo Lake has a huge inventory of empty housing.”

  He snorted as he pulled away from the curb and headed down Diablo Lake Ave. “That’s surely true. You said two bedrooms and one bath at least, washer and dryer, good-sized kitchen and takes dogs.” He frowned and she snorted a laugh. Shifters and their weird feelings about dogs as pets.

  “Yep. I do most of my work in the kitchen. All my tonics, tinctures and other spellwork. I need a big sink, plenty of counter space. Light is good. And space to garden.” As a green witch, a great deal of her talent came from the earth and the things that grew from it. She had more than just a green thumb. She had a natural gift with green things. Enough so that even in a family full of green witches, she was legendary already.

  “There’s a two-bedroom apartment above the Mercantile. Katie Faith says you should feel free to plant as big a garden as you want out back. Major is living up there in another unit so it’s plenty safe.” Damon snorted, Ruby figured at the very idea of anyone trying to break in with an alpha wolf shifter on the premises.

  “It’s also on Dooley land.” She withheld an eye roll.

  He chuckled as he pulled into a spot behind the Mercantile. “It sure is. You wanna see anything on Pembry land? There’s a one-bedroom out on Poplar. The carriage house they call it. Has a yard shared with the main house. Scarlett Pembry’d be one of your neighbors.”

  Ruby didn’t bother to stop her lip curl. “Ew. No thanks. I can’t imagine how hard it’s going to be for you to offload that one.”

  He chuckled as he got out and then led her to a big green space between the Mercantile and the Dooley pack house where Jace and Katie Faith lived. “That’s where you could garden. Great light over here. You can also bring the dogs out this way to do their business.”

  She used to live in an upstairs apartment and having to take the boys out had been a pain on cold days or when she was tired. Plus the garden space was big but there wasn’t a fence and so she’d have to be more watchful with them outside.

  Ruby followed him up the stairs to a short hallway at the top and into the apartment he’d told her Katie Faith used to live in. It was bright and roomy enough. But having to take the dogs out down the steps at all hours and the relatively small kitchen had her asking to see the next place.

  There were two other houses, both would have done fine. But none of them had really felt like home.

  As they left the three-bedroom two-bath—it had no windows in the kitchen—and headed to his truck, Huston Pembry, one of Mac’s right-hand wolves, waved from a few yards over.

  “Hey, y’all. What’s happening?” he called out.

  “Huston! Looking good,” Ruby replied with a wave of her own. “Damon’s showing me some possible rentals. How’s the neighborhood?”

  At her side, Damon’s sigh was annoyed and yet she was charmed. Wolves and all their posturing, good lord.

  “Quiet. Always in need of a pretty green witch, just so you know.”

  “Aren’t you the sweetest?” Ruby laughed.

  “How often would she expect to see Scarlett trying to run one of y’all down to tell you her feelings about the sacred traditions of wolf packs and the Rule of Silence?” Damon grumbled.

  Huston’s surprised guffaw told Ruby Damon and the other wolf were easy with one another. Most likely friends.

  “I can’t rightly say. I pretend I’m not home if she knocks on my door,” Huston teased but then got serious. “You and the rest of Dooley know Mac and the majority of Pembry leadership support ending those rules. She’ll wear herself out flinging herself at folks and all the wolves can step into at least the last century.”

  “Can’t she fling herself off a cliff or something instead? Or into another state? The ocean?” Damon winked and they all shared a laugh.

  Once they’d left, Ruby said, “I like the way you underlined something about Scarlett but then joked. There was tension and then you eased it. Like a grown-up.”

  Damon grunted but kept his eyes on the road. “I’ve put a lot of time and effort into being a good leader. I want Dooley wolves to know they can rely on me and my brothers to get us through the rough times and into better days.”

  There was pride in his tone certainly. But a little bit of defensiveness. And that made her sad. Because she guessed at several of the reasons why. What she didn’t hear though, was apology and that satisfied her deeply.

  “Huston has sense,” Damon continued. “He, Mac and Everett are a solid team. I like ’em more often than I want to hit them in the face.” He shrugged.

  She didn’t bother stifling her snicker. “Y’all wolves have an entirely unique perspective on punching one another. But I get your point.”

  “Nice when your job is something you’re good at and enjoy,” he said, deadpan. “Sometimes it takes a joke. Sometimes it takes a pop to the nose. I’m working on knowing which is which.”

  “That’s fair. Just wanted to say I noticed.”

  “You don’t want to live there, do you? Next to Huston?” he asked, his opinion of that choice very clear in his tone.

  That made her chuckle some more. “Well, I certainly can appreciate a neighborhood that loves a green witch. But the kitchen was small and dark. I spend so much time in there. It’s my main work space inside a house. So probably not.”

  “One more place. I think you might like this one,” was all he said.

  And then, he drove around a curve on a little road with the trees not too far off and the scent of the river on the breeze. There it was, a little pale blue house on a nice plot of land, so fertile it seemed to lodge right in her belly.

  When he pulled to a stop in the driveway, she was out the door before he’d even taken the keys from the ignition.

  “Oh,” she breathed out as she let the magic guide her through the yard. Fall had settled in, so the air had woodsmoke salting it, leaves on the trees in the forest nearby were already turning brilliant yellow, orange and red, and the ground beneath would be a carpet of color in a few weeks.

  The little house sat surrounded by a generous front yard but the back leading to the trees and the river beyond was simply spectacular. The light was perfect for the gardens she was already busily planting in her imagination.

  Roses would cover the sides of the house once she added trellises. There were already fruit trees, slumbering a little bit inside, Ruby felt their attention, as if they’d wake up quickly once a witch lived in that little house.

  Her boys would love the yard. So much room for them to run and bark and play while she got her hands in the dirt. There were plenty of birds to chase and talk to.

  And though the place was just at the edge of Dooley territory, that didn’t matter to the heart of Diablo Lake’s magic. Here it welcomed her, leaped eagerly, playfully. This would be a good place to work. Yes.

  If the inside was anywhere as amazing as the yard, Ruby figured she’d found home.

  * * *

  Damon grinned to himself as he followed in her wake, terribly pleased with himself for holding this place until the time was just right to appeal to a pretty kitchen witch.

  She walked through the yard behind the house and he swore it seemed as if all the flowers seemed to perk up, deepen in color and scent. He watched as the particular beauty of the place worked its own magic on her.

  Damon understood that deeply. He too loved the whisper of the wind through the leaves, the birdsong, the scent of riverbanks and pine and clean mountain air.

  Ruby turned back, a smile on her face he felt to his toes.

  “This yard is perfect. I do worry that it’s a little close to the tree line and hungry predators who’d make a snack of my boys. They don’t remember that they’re small. Do you think the landlord would be okay with me putting up a fence? Nothing huge. Just a boundary to keep them safe.”

  Boys? She probably meant her dogs. He’d have to give an order that all pack leave her canines alone. They wouldn’t normally harm a pet anyway but it never hurt to underline that.

  “It’s safe to say yes, he’d be fine with that. Want to see the inside?”

  “Yes!” She nearly clapped and Damon had to swallow back a laugh, so infectious was her joy.

  He led her in through the back door, choosing it because it fed into the kitchen. Quiet, but with pleasure on her features, Ruby walked through the space, touching the counters, opening cabinet doors to peek inside.

  Damon stood back as she wandered past him and into the living room. “A big couch and a few chairs will fit in here easy. TV hookup on that far wall. Fireplace works and there’s already seasoned, split wood out on the covered rack next to the shed. Uh, lots of natural light too.” He was very glad he’d spent the hours replacing the old windows.

  Ruby looked out over the front and side yard. “Excellent view too. It’s very quiet. How close is the nearest neighbor?” she asked as she headed down the short hall and to the right.

  “Uh. Well that’s me. I’m building a house but living in a trailer on-site. You won’t be able to hear me mostly. Construction work, the loud stuff anyway, is over by nine thirty.”

  She turned, a grin on her mouth. “You’re the landlord, aren’t you?”

  “Okay. So Major and I bought land a few years ago. We’ve each been saving to build houses since. This house and the half an acre it’s on came up for sale a month ago so I snapped it up. I figured I’d rent it out. Help pay for construction costs and the like. It didn’t take me that long to get it ready to go as it had been kept up well over the years. Paint. New windows. Floors are original. Is that...are you weirded out by that?” Aw fuck, if she was, he totally messed up.

  “Huh? No. It’s such a pretty piece of land. I love it. So much natural magic.” Ruby tsked at the size of the closet but sighed happily as she checked the view.

  Why he felt so...bashful and hopeful and proud was uncomfortable and sort of thrilling.

  * * *

  Ruby absolutely loved the house. The second bedroom was a little smaller but the closet was larger and it had a window seat so she knew she’d choose that one to make hers. There was just so much possibility ready to unfold.

  The ground outside had awoken the moment she left the car. Her magic was exhilarated and the idea of this little piece of the world being a safe and healthy space to live and grow had dug roots into her heart.

  It felt right. And important.

  He told her what the rent was and she scowled. “No way. I know that’s under market by at least two hundred bucks a month. It’s really nice that you’re giving me a break, but I don’t want to take advantage of our friendship.”

  “Way I see it, Ruby darlin’, having a witch on my property will bring flowers and bees and then honey and all sorts of good-smelling things that wolves like.”

  Ruby darlin’? Oooh, yeah, she liked that.

  God. He was just so damned sexy and he owned this land that was like the sweetest treat she’d ever happened upon. It was...he was irresistible.

  “Sure. And because of that, I’ll happily accept a modest discount. But this isn’t a modest discount. You’re building a house. I know that costs money. Yes, I’m awesome. But let’s come to a deal here that’s fair.”

  They were friends and because Diablo Lake was a place where you traded on favors and goods as a healthy part of the economy, Ruby did know she added value simply by making a home on Dooley land. Because she was a green witch, things would grow. Also, her presence would strengthen Katie Faith who now ran Dooley along with her husband, Jace. Through her, the pack.

  It wasn’t that she didn’t know her worth, it was that she knew the worth of what was fair.

  He hemmed and hawed until she just gave him a number she thought was closer to market value. “Come on. Wolves love money! I’ll let you lug firewood into the house for me and you have to make sure the rest of the Dooleys can’t eat my dogs, but I won’t move in here unless the terms are just.”

  He laughed. “Okay. I think I can do that. I can also help with a fence when you’re ready to put one up. Major and I just finished a fencing job a few weeks back, so we even have some leftover materials.”

  Maybe he’d build without a shirt on. That would be a nice thing. She’d have to invite Nichole over if that was the case.

  “If you’re not uncomfortable having some woman you dated a few times as your tenant, I don’t want to look at anything else. This is a perfect option for me. My grandparents are about a mile to the west. I can walk there, which would be really nice.” But not so close her Lovie would be popping in at all hours. Unless she wanted to. And in that case, Ruby would open the door, invite her in and make her a cup of tea.

  “Stop it now, Ruby. If I was uncomfortable, I wouldn’t have brought you here. And you’re not some woman.” He ducked his head and the late-afternoon sun glinted against the caramel strands in his dark brown hair.

  She was glad they’d still had a connection because if nothing else, Ruby liked to keep her friends when they were worth keeping.

  And so okay, he was super sexy and they had a zing. Zing was awesome and it had been a while since she’d had it with someone.

  “When can I move in? I assume you’ll want a deposit and all that and the extra for the fence.”

  Chapter Three

  Ruby wasn’t surprised at all to find her father sharing a peanut butter sandwich with the boys when she went home at the end of a very long day. Kenny the Magnificent, better known as K Mags, barked a hello and hopped down from his place in her dad’s armchair, though Biscuit clearly planned to stick close until the sandwich was gone.

  “Hey, Dad.” She bent to kiss his cheek before hanging up her coat in the front closet.

  “Hello there, sweetheart. Your momma was just in here wondering when you’d get home. How was your day?”

  “I didn’t forget you were there,” Ruby crooned as she picked K Mags up for a snuggle and a kiss on the top of his head. “Today was a good day. Busy. Finished the install for the security system. They promised the phones will be working by tomorrow but we’ll see about that.”

  By that point, Biscuit barked sharply to remind her he was right there waiting to be paid attention to and she’d already spent far too much time with his brother, thank you very much.

  “Be patient,” she said as she put K Mags down with one last smooch to his little noggin. “Were you a good boy for Grandpa today?” Ruby asked Biscuit as she picked him up, nestling his muscled little bulk in the crook of her arm.

  “No, ma’am,” her dad said. “That one right there,” he pointed at Biscuit, “got Pipes all stirred up and there was a whole lot of howling and such.”

  “Sure. It was Biscuit who started that. Not the dog named Pipes because he never stops talking. He’s saying you’re a bad influence.” Ruby snorted a laugh as she put the dog down.