Her mother came in with an armful of fresh produce and when she caught sight of Ruby, she smiled. “Hey there, baby. I’ve got some tomatoes and a cucumber to go with the salad.”

  Ruby took the produce and put it on the counter to wait while she went to her room to change out of work clothes.

  Biscuit and K Mags had come with her and scampered up the ramp to her bed where they settled on the blanket she kept there or her mother would have whooped her for having dogs on the furniture.

  “Found us a house today,” she told them as she changed out of her work clothes. “You two are going to love the yard. In the summer you two can swim in the river and smell disgusting afterward.”

  Truth was, her childhood bedroom had been a nice place to softly land and get her bearings once more. Ruby adored her parents and her brother and cousins and their families all lived close. It had been made clear to her early on that she was welcome to stay as long as she wanted and she’d felt absolutely nothing to contradict that.

  This was the beginning of her real, adult life in Diablo Lake. The future she’d been working toward had finally arrived.

  It made her incredibly happy and finding a place to live that she could make her own was part of the journey she was on.

  They barked at her a few times, tails wagging furiously so she scooped them both into her arms and gave them love before they all went out to help with dinner preparation.

  * * *

  “One of my favorite things about being back home,” Ruby said to her mom right before she took a bite of smothered pork chop with just the right amount of smashed potatoes. “No one cooks like you.”

  Her mom laughed, clearly flattered.

  “The favorite is back home again,” Greg teased. “However I come by some smothered pork chops and mashed potatoes with coconut cake after, I’m glad to ride those coattails.”

  Greg and Nichole had just opened up a barbecue stand, a quick lunch spot with a few picnic tables. Nothing flashy but Ruby knew they each had a way with not only food, but people. In just a few months they’d already established a loyal customer base. They lived in the one-bedroom apartment above the garage while they got the lunch stand called You Want This Smoke up and running at a profit of some sort.

  “Oh hush now.” Their mother waved a hand their way.

  “Stop crying because they love me best, dumbhead,” Ruby whispered, which set her brother laughing.

  She’d really missed this silly time with her family over a dinner table.

  “How did house hunting go?” Nichole asked.

  “Good! I was a little worried I’d have to pay more than I wanted to, or make concessions I didn’t want to, but in the end, it was the last place we looked. A sweet little house about a ten-minute walk from the river at the curve near that patch of red elderberries. I just knew the moment I saw it. Huge yard. I’m already planning garden spaces. Figure I’ll head over to Once and Again to see what sorts of furniture they have. At least to get me through until I can order something or go to Knoxville to shop. Nice to have a secondhand store in town now.”

  “Before you go spending any money, I think between us all, we can get your house furnished,” her mother said. “Lovie and Pop have a garage full of not just their own things, but when your aunt passed and we sold her house, most of her stuff went in there and in storage too. If you want to take your bed and the other things in your room, go on. We just replaced that mattress last year when we knew you’d be coming back home.”

  Warmth spread through Ruby at how much her family loved and looked after her. “Thank you. I’ll take you up on that offer. I signed the lease this afternoon and he said I could move in any time after tomorrow. I was thinking this upcoming weekend if that worked for everyone?”

  Her brother shrugged. “Nichole and I can help in the morning before we go open up. I’ll take a batch of blonde brownies by way of payment as per our agreement.”

  Frankly, if that’s all he wanted in payment for lugging around a bunch of crap on her behalf, Ruby figured she was getting the far better end of the deal.

  “So soon?” Her mom frowned a moment but then sighed, resigned. “I guess. We raised you to be independent and don’t you know you all moved out the first chance you got. Backfired on me, I guess.”

  Ruby snickered. “Stop that right now. I can see you already planning to make my old room your sewing room at long last. ’Specially now that I’ll be taking the bed and dressers.”

  “Can’t harm to think on some. All kinds of room in there. Great light. But you can still come to breakfast any old time you like.” Her mom patted her hand before going back to her dinner. “I mean it. New craft room or not, there is always room for you under our roof. This isn’t one of those families where you can just la di dah your way in and out whenever you please. You’re a Thorne witch and that comes with responsibilities.”

  Her mother added a sniff to make it extra severe, but ruined it all with a wink in Ruby’s direction.

  She laughed, sure, but there was truth to what her mother had said. Thorne witches went all the way back to the origins of Diablo Lake. Their magic ran through the spell that kept them all safe.

  “I know Sunday dinner is mandatory,” Ruby said with a grin. Like she’d blow off a chance to eat meals cooked by her mom and aunts? Or miss all that time together, the group of them?

  There was no denying that despite the fact that she’d enjoyed her last six years out in the wider world. She’d traveled and learned so much about not just her own magic, but magic in general. Healing methods from multiple disciplines had made her a better practitioner and a better asset to the town.

  But Diablo Lake was home. It ran through her veins and coming back for good had only made that clearer.

  “And?” Greg stirred the pot. Ruby gave him their secret signal for fuck you with a tap of her nose.

  “And yes, I’ll take Lovie and Pop to church like everyone else does.” Her grandparents were deeply talented, powerful witches in their own right but they were elderly Southern people too, which meant they spent their Sundays at church. And their preacher never heard a voice he liked more than his own.

  “Why y’all making it sound like a chore?” their mother demanded like everyone didn’t know exactly what a chore it was.

  “There’s enough cousins you only have to do it once every two months or so,” her dad said, making everyone laugh.

  “Stop that now, Mel,” their mom said to their father, trying to hold back a smile. “When the pastor shuts up, the music’s always good. Plus afterward there’s food. You have to stay anyway because if you think you can herd your grandparents anywhere they don’t want to go, you’re mistaken. May as well have cake while you wait.”

  “That and Lovie wants to show off how many of her grandchildren show up to take her to church. She’s got to preen a little,” her dad said with affection.

  Pearl Thorne was a proud woman. Her reputation in the community meant a great deal to her. It was generally benevolent. But she had no problem showing off when the situation called for it. Her children and grandchildren gave her plenty of cause to show off a new scarf or a date to the women’s luncheon. If it brought their grandmother pleasure and some social currency, why not?

  “It’s fine. I figure it’ll give me the stamp of approval since I’m taking over most of Aimee’s patients. I’ve been away awhile so if I’m at Lovie’s side here and there, it gives me a chance to keep an eye on folks and they know I’m the real deal.”

  “Good idea. And that church does a sale of some sort every month too. May as well sell your tinctures and tea to them while they interrogate you about your love life.” Her mother raised a shoulder.

  That made Ruby guffaw. “Maybe I’ll save that until I’ve been there with her a few Sundays.”

  “Wednesday nights too for her ladies’ group. No wine in sight so I’m going to suggest you drink it before you go. You’ll need it as your life flashes before your eyes and you realize all the stuff that’s going to happen to your body when you’re their age,” Nichole said. “Believe me when I tell you, they hold nothing back. I’m doing Kegels multiple times a day.”

  Ruby guffawed again.

  “When you go to pick her up, have a cup of coffee with Pop first. That’s what I do. He’ll slip some bourbon into it. You know that’s how he’s dealt with her all these years anyway,” Greg teased.

  After dinner and cleanup, Nichole and Greg gathered their things and made to go back to their apartment. Ruby hugged Nichole, who whispered, “We’ll talk more later about how cute Damon Dooley is and how you had so much sexual chemistry going on it nearly scorched all that brand-new paint off the walls at the clinic.”

  Chapter Four

  Damon looked down at his phone’s screen and answered on a sigh. “She’s not moving into your neighborhood so give that up right now,” he told Huston by way of answering.

  His counterpart for Pembry laughed. “You know I don’t even like girls, dingbat. I’m calling to see if we can meet for a brief pack-related issue. Mac and I can make ourselves available any time today or tomorrow.”

  “What’s up?” They’d been having inter-pack meetings all year long working on reforming their old laws that did more harm than good. Trying to make the relations between the wolf shifters in town better. And they had. But a few big issues remained, like the abolition of the Rule of Silence.

  “It’s easier to explain in person. It shouldn’t take too long.”

  Damon groaned. “Fine. Salt & Pepper in an hour. The fries and cokes are on you.”

  “What did you just commit me to?” Jace asked after he tucked his phone away.

  “God knows. Huston says he and Mac want to meet for a brief pack-related issue. I’m making them buy us refreshments.”

  “Katie Faith told me Scarlett made a scene the other day at the market. Again. Wonder if it’s connected to whatever the hell that was about. I’ll be back at ten ’til and we’ll walk over to Salt & Pepper.”

  * * *

  An hour later he and Jace sat across from Mac and Huston, a mound of fries and rings between them, four ice-cold cherry cokes their accompaniment.

  “So? What’s this little meeting about?” Jace asked Mac.

  “I’m going to skip the official language and just say it. My mother has made an appeal to allow my father to return to Diablo Lake from Halloween to the day after my wedding. She says he wants to be part of the festivities from our engagement dinner on and it’s easier if he’s here instead of having to drive back and forth from Gatlinburg.”

  Jace’s expression went flat and utterly blank. But the emotion leaked through and Damon knew his brother was pissed. As was he.

  “And?” Jace asked.

  “Obviously we won’t make any decisions on this without input from Dooley.” Mac shrugged. “We want to know what you think about it.”

  Jace’s scoff was sharp enough to slice. “What the flying fuck does Pembry think about it? Dwayne got sent away for a year after breaking our most serious law. We were all there when he brought a human to this town without permission. He exposed us all to discovery by the outside world. He did it for pride. He did it for spite. He did it while he was the Patron of the Pembry pack. Everything about that act was selfish and aimed to cause the most harm. Here we are barely ten months later and he’s got the nerve to ask to come back for a month. He doesn’t even like Aimee, for god’s sake.”

  Mac sighed deeply. “I understand that you’re still angry over what happened. That’s why we’re here talking. To get your perspective.”

  Jace cocked his head. “Right now my perspective is that I want to punch your father in the face more than I did before I sat down. My dad, well I can’t even mention his name because of pack punishment, but your dad wants to eat appetizers and drink champagne for what? He gets to come back early for what? What’s so special about Dwayne Pembry that the rules don’t apply to him?”

  Mac raised his hands, open palms facing them. “Pembry is not inclined to grant that request for the reasons you outline. There’s been enough special rules for certain people to last the pack a lifetime. I would like him to be allowed to come to the wedding itself. But he’d leave the day after and not be allowed back until after his sentence is up.”

  Jace’s spine relaxed and Damon eased back a little as well.

  “We don’t object to him coming to your wedding. Him. Not your brother. His sentence stands.” Jace referred to Darrell Pembry, Mac’s brother and his dad’s partner in the crime of bringing an outsider into Diablo Lake without permission. Not only had Darrell aided in bringing a human to town to attempt to smear Aimee during her mayoral campaign, he’d been tireless in stirring up trouble so severe it had created a schism between packs and the wolves and the rest of town. His crimes had been worse and his sentence had been a year longer than his father’s. Damon doubted either of them had learned a damned thing.

  Mac said, “On that we have news. Darrell and his wife have asked and received permission to move to Silver Falls. His children will still be Pembry should they ever wish to return, but Pembry gave our leave for them to go. And good riddance. My job is hard enough and he’s a problem for someone else to solve now.”

  “Amen.” It was a relief for Damon to hear. One less agitant in Diablo Lake made his life a lot easier. If only Scarlett and Dwayne would go as well.

  “We good?” Mac asked. “I want to keep the air between us clear and not only because my fiancée and your wife are tight and will kick our butts if we don’t get along. I feel the same way you do about special rules for my dad and not yours. You understand that, right? It’s why we’ve been working on ending the Rule of Silence once and for all.”

  Jace tipped his chin. “We’re good. Appreciate the heads-up and the transparency on this. And the efforts on the Rule of Silence. Oh and for the late-afternoon snack.” Jace tapped his glass to Mac’s.

  “Silence helps no one.” Mac shrugged. “Whatever the crime, it’s not the denial of speaking of it or the criminal that prevents the next crime. It hurts families that had zero to do with the incident. Whatever your father did, not being able to say his name doesn’t do any good. I’m sorry it’s taking this long to get rid of it.”

  “I tell myself I should be comforted by all the rules in place to change our laws. These aren’t changes we should ever make lightly. So I understand that part of the democratic process is that this all takes time. But when I watch your aunt Mary and your mother manipulate those rules to hold things up, it just pisses me off,” Jace said of the administrative roadblocks thrown out to grind the whole process to a crawl.

  “You’re not the only one. But they don’t have much left they can use. When it’s all past, we’ll hold a full pack vote and the rule will be ended. Progress takes time,” Mac said.

  “Fuck that. Progress is right there and your mother and her cronies are being assholes and it makes me wonder just exactly why,” Major said.

  Jace snorted a surprised laugh. Of the three Dooley brothers, Major was the least likely to say something like that in public.

  “I hasten to point out how y’all have some older wolves who don’t want any changes to our laws too,” Huston told them as he dunked a ring into a pool of ranch dressing.

  “Some are opposed to any change at all. Mostly the rest are cranky and spiteful and naturally contrary. They’ll come along. More than enough to win a vote.” Damon poked a finger in Mac’s direction. “But the spiteful ones are getting stirred up by your spiteful ones.”

  That made everyone laugh because it was true. And because despite the grumbling, they were all stuck at a snail’s pace together.

  “I’m doing all I can on my end. I promise you.” Mac meant it. Which was a good thing and why they weren’t all brawling.

  “Now, tell me why you and Ruby were in the neighborhood a few days ago,” Mac told Damon.

  “I’m absolutely sure your special friend the mayor already told you,” Damon said with a snort.

  “She said you took one look at Ruby and it was like you were struck stupid.” Mac didn’t bother to hide his smirk.

  “You’ve seen Ruby Thorne, right? Who can look at her and not get struck stupid?” Damon tried to remain nonchalant but even he could hear the emotion in his words.

  “True. Not that I look at anyone but Aimee or anything,” Mac hastened to add.

  Damon rolled his eyes. Looking—discreetly of course—wasn’t a crime. And heaven knew just how much Mac loved Aimee.

  “She was looking at rentals around town,” he finally explained.

  “Where’d she end up? Hopefully in our side of town since Pembry can always use another witch in our territory,” Huston said just to poke at Damon. Which he had to admit, was masterfully done.

  “Not on your side of town.” Jace put money down for a tip and then flipped Mac off as the two of them grunted a laugh. “She’s renting from Damon.”

  “On my land even.” Damon stretched, looking smug because he had every reason to be smug. “She’ll be moving into her place this weekend. I’ll tell her you asked after her.”

  “Better make a claim quick if you’re going to make one,” Jace told him quietly as they walked back to the Mercantile.

  “With Ruby?”

  Jace nodded. “She’s a power. From one of the original families. She’s gorgeous and successful and works hard. Don’t make the mistake of thinking you’re the only one who notices and might want a bigger bite.”

  Damon saw red for a moment at the very fucking idea.

  “Be mindful. Keep your control. The wolf has to cooperate or you’ll be a mess. Handle that now so you’ll be ready. Because shifters and witches alike notice she’s back. And single.”