“I surely do like this place,” Lovie told her as she settled on a nearby settee. “Your dogs like the yard. Big one. Even Pipes loves it here.”

  Ruby looked over the yard at the sight of her little guys running and playing hard with Pipes, who was easily twice their size. They kept running to the fence line to sniff up a storm before moving to the next spot to repeat. Every once in a while, they’d flop down on their bellies, noses up as they tried to rest up before the next round of activity.

  “Big enough for them to get really tired I hope.” Ruby snorted a laugh before taking a bite of pizza. “They’re so excited about a new place. Happy to see everyone here. I imagine Pipes will do sleepovers from time to time.” Her boys clearly considered her parents’ dog their best friend and as she’d grown up with Pipes, it always made her happy to have her around.

  “There’s power here.” Lovie tapped the rubber cap of her cane once on the porch to underline the point. “So close to shifters but this is our magic too. The land here likes you on it.”

  Ruby wasn’t certain but it already seemed as if the greenery was waking up. Much more than even the day before. “I haven’t done a lot of work here, but it does seem like my talent is pleased.”

  “I expect so. You’ve got plenty of power. Plenty of talent. Your passion...your compassion is the spark. I love to see it. You and your cousins going out into the world and coming back to make Diablo Lake better for her people.” Lovie grinned a moment. “I had your grandpa drive us past the new medical clinic. We’re so proud of you. Proud of all you’ve done and continue to do.”

  To hear it, to know her grandparents respected and were proud of her work meant so much. “Thank you, Lovie. Me too. Our schedule is already booked out two weeks solid. We’ll still do home visits.” Some residents weren’t the joining type. They lived out in the woods, far away from town and they liked it that way. She and Aimee would continue to go to them. To keep that tie to town and other people and to make sure they understood their health and well-being was just as valuable as anyone else’s. Aimee was very good with the super-cranky shifters. Ruby had been amazed at first but then she’d just doubled back and paid close attention to how her friend did it because learning new ways to connect with patients was important.

  “Can’t complain neither that you have shifters living so close by. Makes the neighborhood safer.”

  Safer again? It was adorable.

  Ruby locked eyes with Nichole as they stifled a giggle.

  “Damon and his brother are great neighbors to have. Not that I’d worry about any real danger in this town.” Greg flashed a grin Ruby’s way. “They’ll treat Ruby like pack, so folks’ll leave her alone.”

  “Not that you’re biased,” she said. Greg, Damon and Major were friends. They’d been in the same year at school and had bonded over baseball and football, season after season as they’d all grown up.

  “Any fool can see that. Don’t need to be pals with them to know Major and Damon are predators who’ll keep our girl Ruby safe.” Greg snagged another root beer. “Sure doesn’t hurt you live so close to Lovie and Pops.”

  “Gotta keep an eye on ’em just in case they cause a ruckus and they need backup,” Ruby teased.

  On the way out, her mother pulled Ruby to the side. “Greg was right that Damon seeing you as pack will protect you. As for leaving you alone in other ways? Don’t count on it. I’ve had more than one Pembry momma or aunt asking about you and if you were single. Never forget that wolves have their own way of doing things and that you’re a witch who doesn’t need anyone to make herself more powerful.”

  Ruby hugged her mother and kissed her cheek. “I love you.”

  “Love you too, baby.”

  * * *

  After everyone had gone, Ruby wandered through the house awhile. She made her bed and put away her clothes in the dressers and closets.

  In her kitchen, she cleaned carefully, according to a personal ritual she’d built over time. This was the space she did most of her magic and so her work surfaces needed to be cleaned and readied. Treated with respect, just like the healing mixtures she created.

  She called the corners and set a working circle. One that would amplify and protect her as she Worked but that wouldn’t keep the dogs out and she wouldn’t have to set and reset it over and over.

  A smooth stone, a candle and a crystal at each direction sat on the top of the cabinets. The energy of it buzzed over her skin until it seemed to seep into the very walls and settle into place. Solid and secure.

  The drying racks for her herbs and flowers already hung on the far wall, near the back door. Her jars and bottles, some clear, some colored to protect the contents, were slid into place according to how often she needed to use them.

  Every step was part of the spell, would be that foundation to every tincture and tisane she made.

  The boys came in from time to time to check on her and to nose around and see whatever she’d done. K Mags paused at her feet and barked three times, staring up at her as if to say...something. “You already ate today. And don’t even pretend you didn’t get a bunch of sausage from Uncle Greg’s pizza.”

  He sneezed and then snorted. And then barked again before running out of the room. With a sigh, she found him sitting in front of the dog ramp. “That’s what you meant? You made me stop all my work to make sure you can get on my bed and supervise? Or maybe be sure I don’t have any food, more likely.”

  Once she’d arranged it so the boys could easily access the bed—and she had another for the couch because Biscuit, despite his general roly-polyness, was a runner and a jumper. If he wanted somewhere he was going to get there and that led to vet visits and then the ramps. The dogs still ran and ran, though at least their hips and backs were safer from injury.

  Biscuit wandered through to get a few scratches under his chin and to check on his brother. They were fiercely protective of one another. Got into a lot of trouble together too, but generally, they were very good boys who loved to run and dig and bark and nose around to see what they could see.

  The light of late afternoon called to her. She wanted to be out among the plants, the earth at her feet. “Let’s go outside. I want to garden a bit now that it warmed up some.”

  The way the house sat on the lot, there was some sort of green space out every door and window. The main street was partially screened by bushes that created a fence of greenery. She wanted to see how the dogs reacted and if she needed to keep them in the back, using the front only if she was with them. Ruby walked out front and the boys shot out at her heels, racing through the grass, sniffing and peeing and then peeing some more.

  “What do y’all think? A trellis gate at the front where the mailbox is? I’ll train some roses over. Yellow I think. Yellow and deep red.” Her favorites and if she wasn’t mistaken, that’s what lay within the newly forming little buds on the rosebushes that dotted along the yard and had most likely served as a fence for whoever had lived here before. A brush of her fingertips over the leaves sent a warm wave of pleasure through her veins. Delight by all the green and living things in the soil that a witch was living there.

  Her magic rose quickly and easily as she called it, sliding over the yard, uniting with the magic the earth at her feet gave off. Her magic, her talent would grow here, be nurtured. Soon this yard would be full of flowers and life. Bees and butterflies, birds of all types would find a haven there.

  Ruby followed the boys around the side of the house into the backyard. There were two big bluebell bushes that she trimmed back. She’d take some plantings from the hollyhocks in her parents’ yard and transplant them so the peaches and pinks of the blooms would fill the area. Dahlias maybe. She had a cousin who was just saying she had some rhizomes if Ruby wanted some. More Thorne magic in the soil would only strengthen her connection to the land there. There were already a few unkempt but perfectly happy hydrangeas around the yard. She couldn’t wait to see what colors they’d be.

  Because they’d always been sweet to her—and because their Lovie had given them a look—Ruby’s cousins had dug out a nice-sized kitchen garden after she’d mentioned that part of the yard being perfect for it. Tomorrow, she’d start planting according to the seasons. Fresh ingredients for meals and for any sort of working she planned were necessary. Dried was acceptable for many things, but her tinctures, tisanes and balms were more powerful with fresh ingredients. Next fall she’d plant pumpkins and squash for soups. Until the weather warmed up, she’d keep her herbs on the many windowsills inside. She’d have the time to experiment now. Maybe even try lavender and some beekeeping for honey and wax for candles.

  The future was wide open and full of so much promise. It filled her with a deep sense of comfort as well as excitement.

  * * *

  And just beyond, where Damon had worked all day long on the house, the land tugged at him too. Just a quick sort of hello and did you know there was a witch living here now thing. His wolf found it playful and bounded into the man to make him pay attention.

  His wolf really liked Ruby. Loved the scent of her magic.

  Major had left half an hour earlier. Heading over to Jace and Katie Faith’s place for the evening. Alone, Damon had slowly put away the tools while making mental notes of what he’d need to do next. What needed to be ordered or if it could be accomplished in town.

  Really, it was just his way of walking the perimeter of his den. The place he’d live and sleep and now, in the back of his mind, find that luscious witch who’d just moved in.

  Perhaps because he’d been thinking of her so strongly, man and wolf were extra sensitive to the rush of magic that flowed over the woods all around where he stood.

  Damon tipped his head back fully at the sensuous caress of it, but the wolf stretched just at the perimeter of becoming. Yearning to burst free to go to the source and roll in it. Make it partly his.

  He let it go as long as possible, holding himself at that place where both sides of himself were aware and in control. A test of will. The man exhaled slowly, standing tall once more. After grabbing two ciders from his fridge, he took a leisurely walk down the way to visit with his new neighbor.

  Night had fallen but white lights had been strung up in the backyard, along the posts of the porch, through the railings. It cast a pretty, golden glow over the space and—if he wasn’t mistaken—the assorted plants in the yard that appeared to have gotten lusher in the last hours.

  Even the peach and cherry trees in the yard had perked up.

  In the fenced portion of the backyard, she’d already dug up rows for a garden and stood on the bottom step of the back porch, laughing as she watched something just beyond. Tiny balls of energy bounded up and down the fence line, pausing to mark every single tree and bush. They barked back and forth with one another, obviously sharing a familial bond.

  Damon appreciated the way they included Ruby in their bond, frequently checking back with her verbally and with little drive-by runs as she talked to them.

  But when the hefty little dude scented Damon their joyful play changed. His buddy noticed and doubled up at his side as they charged in Damon’s direction. Getting between him and Ruby.

  Fierce. He’d eat them up in two bites, but the important part was the courage and loyalty they showed in Ruby’s favor.

  Still, it was important to establish the proper order of things. Damon was the alpha here. His wolf rose, shining through his eyes as he growled low and quick. Enough to bring them up to a stop as they tilted their heads.

  “It’s okay, boys. This is our landlord, Damon Dooley.” Her smile his way warmed a path from his belly outward. “They’re very protective, but really, they’re total sweetie pies. Who like digging holes. I’m sorry about that. I should have mentioned that when I signed the lease.”

  The wolf liked digging too so Damon didn’t judge.

  They waited, staying between Ruby and the big bad predator. He put the cider bottles down before approaching them.

  * * *

  It wasn’t often that Ruby found herself speechless. But the sight of Damon, all predator’s grace and movement as he came toward them and knelt a little, letting the boys scent him, sent butterflies scattering through her belly.

  It was strong and gentle at the same time. Her dogs were so little compared to him, but they were also loyal and very brave, so they kept between her and the big bad wolf. Protecting their human until they figured out if Damon was friend or foe. And Damon understood it and then went and honored it by letting them take a whiff, giving them his measure. Ruby caught the amusement and affection in Damon’s eyes but he wasn’t being mocking at all.

  Both dogs eventually dropped their eyes and Damon’s response was a satisfied grunt.

  “Everything okay, guys?” Ruby asked at last.

  Damon stood after he ran a hand over the top of each dog’s head. “Yes. They’re very good guards.”

  God. He was good with animals. Kind to smaller creatures. On top of the sexy and the sense of humor and the way he looked and how smart he was. She didn’t stand a chance. “They are. Thank you for noticing and for reassuring them you aren’t a threat. Let me formally introduce you three,” she said once he’d gotten the bottles he’d set down earlier.

  She knelt next to the dogs. “This is Biscuit. Biscuit, this is Damon. He’s also a wolf but I guess you probably smell that.”

  Damon nodded his hello.

  “And this is Kenny the Magnificent, or K Mags.”

  “Very nice to meet you.”

  “Okay, boys,” Ruby said, accepting the hand Damon had extended to help her stand, “it’s nearly bedtime so get that last run in.” She grabbed the ball and tossed it, sending them off running to fight over it.

  “I brought some cider to share,” he told her.

  “Well aren’t you handy?” she said. “Come on inside. I was just about to have a snack and a glass of something.”

  He helped her put away all the tools she’d been using in the yard before they went inside. Before she could say anything, Damon gave a yip of sorts and the boys finished their business and came running inside, no backtalk.

  Really handy.

  * * *

  They settled on the couch in her living room, a plate full of leftover pizza between them. “I can’t believe they don’t even try to give you the sad face to convince you how starved they are. I’m such a sucker for that face.”

  Damon had nearly leaned over to kiss the top of her head by the time he realized it and made himself stop.

  Ruby turned, no fear or surprise on her features at finding him so close. “Hi.”

  “You smell good,” he murmured before forcing himself upright.

  “If you say so. I’ve been painting and moving and unpacking and working in the yard.”

  “You smell like roses and jasmine. That’s your magic. And clean sweat. Laughter. A little bit of woodsmoke.”

  Her lips parted and she whispered, “Oh,” and when he forced his gaze away from her mouth, it was to find her eyes, pupils so large, long dark lashes sweeping down a little.

  “Um. Thank you. That was a lovely thing to say.”

  Damon cursed himself. Ruby Thorne tied up his tongue and fuzzed his brain with thoughts of kissing her until he couldn’t kiss anymore. Memories of the handful of times he’d actually kissed her in real life were so much better than anything he could have dreamed up.

  “You really did make it look good in here,” Damon said, taking a sip of cider to do something with his hands and mouth.

  “A little bit of this and that from various storage units, garages and spare rooms turned out pretty well. There’s a fair bit of stripping, sanding and painting in my future off time to tie it all in together and make it my own, but that’s a fun sort of work. I’m told I can order things via the Mercantile, so I can get the fabric I want. The curtains in my bedroom right now are from my childhood room. I can sew exactly what I want easily enough. I guess I’m nesting.”

  When she laughed, the tiny bells on her earrings salted the sound and made it music that was hers alone.

  “Winter’s coming. You’ll be glad you nested come December and January. Couple of years back, the Mercantile and Pembry Freight came to an agreement on who could handle what as far as goods being shipped to residents. Boring stuff really, but yes, we’re the go-to for fabric. Or say you wanted a type or shade of paint or varnish, we can special order it if it’s not on the shelves.”

  “Good to know.” She settled back against the cushions, turning to the side enough to face him. “The last two times I was with you we talked a lot about rental stuff but not much about personal stuff. What have you been up to?”

  “I think I told you I was building a house, right?”

  She nodded. “I admit I saw you here and there through the trees. When I was in the driveway taking boxes from the truck, I mean. You’re doing it all yourself?”

  “What I can, yes. We’ve always done a lot of construction. Since we were kids. Fixed most everything mechanical when it broke. So luckily I’m able to do nearly all of it, at least helping in some way. Major is a whiz with wiring and that and I’m teaching myself plumbing.”

  “You’re good at everything, apparently. That’s really impressive. Doing it yourself, putting your energy and creativity into your house from the ground up sounds lovely. I’d like to see it sometime. The land here is special. Full of shifter magic. The green things are healthy and strong.”

  Damon ducked his head, blushing. Blushing. And glowing with pride at all she’d said.