She got a call and thought it would be from Maverick or her brother, but it was from her apartment manager. What did she want?

  “This is Ms. Prescot. One of your neighbors said you had a big dog at your apartment.”

  “What? I don’t have a big dog. I don’t have any kind of a dog.”

  “He said the dog barked several times and he thought you’d never get him to shut up. You know the new policy we have. Anyone who hasn’t registered their pet with us prior to signing the earlier lease agreement can’t have a pet now.”

  Which she didn’t think was fair. Maybe new renters, sure. But she hadn’t agreed to that when she had signed the lease. And she didn’t have a dog! It had to have been some other dog barking.

  She glanced back at her bedroom. Ohmigod, had she shifted? Was that why she had pulled off her pajamas in the middle of the night?

  She thought back to when she was on the campout and how she’d planned to take Shep home with her. She figured now that wouldn’t have worked if he’d been a real dog. But now she worried that she would shift in the middle of the night and howl!

  “Well, I don’t have a dog, cat, or any other pet in my apartment. You can come and check it out at any time.” But not if she shifted. This could be a total nightmare! She hadn’t lied. She wouldn’t have a dog in her apartment, she’d have a wolf there instead!

  “Your neighbor recorded the dog’s barking.” Her manager played it back for her.

  “Okay, whatever. I don’t have a dog.”

  “We can terminate your lease agreement if you violate the lease.”

  “My lease said we could have pets. Merry Christmas.” Then Gina hung up on her. So much for having a super great start to her morning. But she was rattled that she could have turned into a wolf in the night, not known about it, and barked her fool head off.

  Then she called Maverick. “I’m ready for you to pick me up.”

  “I’m on my way.”

  “Bye.” She figured she’d tell him when he picked her up that she might have shifted last night, unbeknownst to her.

  Then she frowned. Maybe she had shifted the night before too in the tent and that’s why she wasn’t shifting during the day. That would be good if she could control it to a degree, as if shifting without her knowledge was having any say in it.

  She quickly packed a red sweater dress and high-heeled boots to wear to the dinner-dance club and a bag with more clothes to wear for working and looking Christmassy enough for tour groups or exhibitions. She hadn’t planned to stay with Maverick overnight until she had no control over the shifting, but if that had actually been her barking last night—how would she know, she didn’t recognize the bark because she’d never barked before—then she didn’t want to be evicted because she had a dog—wolf, whatever. And she could just imagine an irate manager coming to her apartment in the middle of the night to see her as a wolf. Then again, she guessed she was going to have to move out of her apartment anyway because the shifting issues weren’t going to just go away in a month’s time.

  Twenty minutes later, Gina heard a knock at her door, and she opened it to see Maverick smiling at her. She seemed to brighten his day like he brightened hers. A piece of straw was caught on his worn and stained cowboy hat, and he was wearing chaps, blue jeans, cowboy boots, a plaid flannel shirt, and a vest. He looked like a real cowboy, and she really liked that look, she realized.

  “I’m excited about working with you today.” She pulled her suitcase toward the door, and he hurried to get it for her.

  “Good. I’m looking forward to it. We’ve got a couple of tour groups coming in today, but also we are taking three reindeer calves to show off to three preschools in one of the communities. So you’ll have your pick of what you want to participate in.”

  She loved how he was including her as a participant and not just an observer. “I definitely want to see the preschoolers with the calves.”

  “Okay, good. The preschool visits are this morning. You can also see one of the tour groups come to visit the ranch later in the afternoon.”

  “Great.” She glanced back at her apartment complex and saw a man watching her from the window. The neighbor who had reported her for having a dog? No dog here, she wanted to say to him.

  Before she climbed into the truck, Maverick gave her a hug and kiss, and she tongued him in a fun-loving way. “Very nice start to my day.” With Maverick. The business with the barking dog was another matter.

  She climbed into Maverick’s truck while he put her bag in the back. As soon as he joined her, she asked, “Would a wolf bark just to…uh, well, bark? Don’t they howl?”

  He started the engine and took off. “We can bark, howl, yip, yelp, woof, whine, squeak, just all kinds of sounds, depending on the situation and our reaction to it.”

  She pondered that. She wondered if she’d been sitting at the door barking to be let out so she could run free.

  “You’ve decided to stay with me tonight?”

  “Uh, yes. My apartment has a new policy about not letting people have pets who didn’t have them when they signed their lease agreements. But back then pets were allowed.”

  Maverick smiled. “So you were worried you might shift and bark in your apartment.”

  “No, I’m worried I did it already. Last night.”

  Frowning, he glanced at her. “You don’t…remember?”

  She sighed. “No. I don’t even remember dreaming about it. But one of my neighbors said I had a dog, and it was barking last night. He even recorded it, but I wouldn’t recognize the sound, of course.”

  “Hmm.”

  “So I figured rather than get an eviction notice, I’d better stay with you tonight.”

  “I’m glad you are, and I think you should stay longer. But if you shifted last night, maybe you shifted in the middle of the night the evening before as well.”

  “I considered that too.”

  “Okay, so that would explain why you’re not shifting during the day.” He took a deep breath and let it out. “I was worried about it.”

  “Yes, that’s good, isn’t it?”

  “Yeah.” He smiled at her. “I was afraid you would never shift.”

  “That’s not a real possibility, is it?”

  “Not that I know of, unless you hadn’t been turned. But you have all your other enhanced senses, and you smell like a she-wolf, so we know you were turned.”

  “Okay. Oh, and I know why I love your food so much. I mean, it tastes really great, but I’m tasting more of the flavors now with being a wolf. I could be a professional taste tester.”

  He chuckled. “You could be.”

  “Of course, if it’s something that isn’t really great, I’m sure I’ll be able to taste that too.”

  “Yeah, that’s the downside to smelling and tasting bad things. How are you feeling about things as they are?”

  “Much, much better. And about turning my parents too. I need to give them a call.” Then she got a notification her mom was calling her, and she said, “Speaking of which, Mom is ringing me.” She took in a deep breath and let it out. “Hi, Mom. I meant to call you last night, but I got in so late from a Christmas party, and then I was up so early this morning—”

  “Weston said he was worried you were involved with a bunch of werewolves.”

  Gina’s heart skipped a beat. Her parents humored her brother’s searches for Bigfoot and werewolves, but they didn’t believe in them—she didn’t think. “Uh, yeah, he told me that last night.”

  “He said there were wolf tracks all over the ranch where you were. Is it safe?”

  “Sure. They have a couple of really sweet wolf dogs.”

  Maverick glanced at her.

  She smiled at him and patted his leg with reassurance. “Did Weston mention that I slept with one in my tent? He was well-mannered. A beautiful dog. Or wolf dog.” Suddenly, Gina thought back to the fact that Maverick had slipped out of her tent while she was sleeping. That no one had unzipped it and let him out. He had been naked, and she had never even seen him! She imagined she would have screamed her head off and woken everyone in camp, but he would have shifted and turned into his wolf and fled. Her brother and their friends would have thought she’d had a nightmare! Still, she realized she would have seen Maverick in the dark when the others might not have.

  “Yeah, a wolf dog,” her mom said. “They can be dangerous.”

  Okay, so her mom hadn’t suddenly begun to believe werewolves existed.

  “Just don’t let any of the wolf dogs bite you because you might turn into one of them,” her mom joked.

  It was too late to heed her mother’s advice, but she knew her mom was only humoring her. “Oh, did Weston tell you I’m going to be studying the reindeer at Maverick’s ranch? We’d love to have you come and have lunch or dinner sometime and see it. I think at night would be the most spectacular time because the whole ranch is lit up in Christmas lights. I haven’t seen them after dark yet, but I will tonight. Maverick and I are dating, if Weston hadn’t told you.” Though she hadn’t exactly told him that either. But she assumed he’d figure as much.

  Maverick smiled at her.

  “You just met him,” her mother said.

  “Yes, and I’m studying the reindeer at his ranch and the wild animals on their acreage that make it their home too. I’m going with Maverick to show off some reindeer calves to preschoolers this morning even, but we’re having a dinner date tonight.”

  “Oh. Reindeer calves? I’d love to see them.”

  Her mom and dad loved animals as much as Gina and her brother did. “Let me ask when it would be a good time for Maverick to have you over. He’s an amazing cook too.”

  “Like your dad.”

  “Yeah, just like that. Different kinds of dishes though.”

  “All right, just let us know when and we’ll add the date to our schedule.”

  “Okay, perfect. I just arrived at the ranch. I’ll talk to you later.” She didn’t want to mention that Maverick was driving her to his home. Then the questions would begin—questions she couldn’t answer.

  Maverick drove them across the cattle guard at the ranch and pulled up next to the main house.

  She got out of his truck, and he joined her, pulling her in for another hug and then kissing her with gusto. “Wow,” she said, coming up for air. “Now that’s what I call a good morning greeting.”

  “Yeah, well, we’re dating, so no holding back. Thanks for telling your parents that.”

  That was what this was all about. She had made it official with her parents. Wouldn’t they be surprised to learn she was moving in with him because she figured she was bound to get evicted over the barking wolf business if she stayed in her apartment any further—unless it was the phase of the new moon.

  “With you, it works.” With other guys she’d dated, it wouldn’t have. There was just such a draw between her and Maverick that she’d never felt with any other man. Even now she smelled his pheromones—and hers—coming into play. That didn’t happen when she was dancing with Ethan or the coroner last night. She smiled at Maverick and then got serious. “I talked to my parents about getting together for lunch or dinner. I think dinner would be nice so they can see the whole ranch lit up in Christmas lights. I guess if I suddenly shift when my parents are here, that would decide it.”

  “I agree. I was going to suggest having them over. Tomorrow night then? We’ll have a tour group out both tonight and tomorrow night, but I have ranch hands who can run the show or Josh will. So no problem.”

  “Oh, sure, I didn’t think about that. I guess with all the Christmas lights and the reindeer, it would make for a big draw.”

  “It does. Come on, I’m getting the calves ready to go to see the preschoolers.”

  “My mother said that Weston told her you all were werewolves.” Gina followed him to the stable.

  “Oh? I didn’t think your parents believed in werewolves.”

  “They humor us about going on the hunts. She was worried about the wolf dogs though. I told her I slept with you, um, the wolf dog, and he was safe. Somewhat.”

  “Uh, yeah, after I bit you. Then I was perfectly harmless.”

  “You cut me with your tooth. You didn’t really bite me.”

  “True.”

  Then she helped Maverick load the reindeer into the trailer. She was so excited about this. “What time do you want to have my parents over?”

  “How about six? What do they love to eat?”

  “Any fish. Salmon, steaks too, but fish would be great. They like just about any side dishes. I’ll help you make them.”

  “We can do that.”

  Then they got into his pickup truck, and she called her parents. “Will six tomorrow night be good for dinner for you and Dad?”

  “Yes, that would be perfect.”

  “Okay, great. We’re taking the reindeer calves to the preschool now. I’ll talk to you later.”

  “Tell Maverick thanks.”

  “I will.” When she and her mom ended the call, she told Maverick, “My mom thanked you. And by the way, I never invite my parents to dinner to meet my boyfriends, so they know you’re someone special already.”

  He smiled. “Good.”

  “But I worry about my brother if he wants to see a photo of your wolf dogs. I’m sure my parents will want to actually see them in person too, to make sure they are safe to be around.”

  “Well, a lot of red wolves look similar to the human eye. We could just have a couple of wolves on hand to play the part of our wolf dogs.”

  “Okay, and maybe make it the same two for future encounters. I mean, my brother and his friends saw you as a wolf when you were wet, not all fluffed out. They might not realize you aren’t the same one as the ones we’ll showcase. Not to mention, they never saw your other supposed wolf dog. So they have no idea what he looks like.”

  “True.”

  When they reached the first of the preschools, Gina was so glad she’d been given this opportunity to help with the reindeer calves. They set up a corral for the calves while the preschool teachers, children, and staff came out to visit with the reindeer. It was such a heartwarming experience, watching the three- to five-year-olds visiting with the reindeer, petting them, talking to them, giggling.

  She enjoyed watching Maverick explain all about the reindeer to the boys and girls. “Both male and female reindeer grow antlers. Males are called bulls, females are cows, and the babies are calves. The two female calves have thin antlers still. They’re named Silver Antlers and Jingle Bells, and the male calf is Glistening Hooves. He shed his antlers earlier this month.”

  Which meant that Santa’s reindeer crew were all females, Gina was thinking, but she noticed Maverick didn’t mention that.

  After the kids had pictures with the calves—even the teachers and staff had to have theirs taken too—they went back inside while Maverick and Gina packed the calves into the trailer. They took them to two more preschools before Maverick got a text, which he shared with Gina.

  “Brooke wants us to drop by with the calves and show them off at her antiques shop. She and Josh will take care of them while we grab some sandwiches at the bakery across the street for lunch. Then we’ll take the calves home. We regularly set up a couple of adult reindeer at advertised times at the antiques shop to draw visitors. But Brooke wanted to have the calves there since we were so close by and then we could break for lunch.”

  “Oh, that sounds really nice.”

  When they arrived, Josh hurried out to help Maverick with the calves while Gina went inside to see Brooke. A couple of customers were perusing merchandise, and Brooke hurried to give Gina a hug. “Thanks so much for bringing the calves.”

  Hearing that the calves were there, the two shoppers went outside, excited to see them.

  “You’re so welcome. They’re so cute, and it’s been a lot of fun to see the kids with them.”

  “We might get some more traffic here. I already made an announcement about their appearance. I have a lot of fans who watch my posts to see when I have sales, new items, and reindeer visits.”

  “Oh, that’s good,” Gina said.

  “And I’ve made friends with the owners of the bakery. Sarah and her husband, Gerry Burns, make great sandwiches, soups, cakes, cookies, and pies. You’ll love their food.”

  Maverick came inside then and ran his hand over Gina’s shoulder. “Are you ready to go to the bakery?”

  “Yeah, I sure am.”

  They had lunch there, sitting in front of one of the large floor-to-ceiling windows, watching over the antiques store and all the rest of the shops lining the road. Several people, young and old, were going into the antiques shop or through the back gate to see the reindeer.

  “The reindeer are sure a great draw,” Gina said while she ate her brisket sandwich topped with caramelized beer onions and blue cheese with a side order of potato chips.

  “They are. A lot of the people who come to shop in the area learn about the reindeer and then spend more time at her store and the other businesses. So they all make a lot of sales from the venture and help pay for the reindeer when they are on exhibit. We don’t normally have the calves on display, just the adult reindeer.” Before Maverick took another bite of his Christmas crab and avocado roll, he explained how his brother had met Brooke when one of their reindeer calves ended up in her courtyard.

  Gina laughed. “I love hearing how they met.”

  “Yeah, almost as wild as how we met.”

  “Searching for reindeer, only not your own this time. Seems to be a pattern there. Brooke wasn’t kidding about the food here.”

  “I haven’t had anything at this bakery that I didn’t like.”

  After lunch, Gina shopped at the antiques store, loving the crafts and antiques, while Maverick was outside talking to customers about the reindeer calves. Gina picked up several Christmas gnomes, delighted to add to her collection she’d grown over the years.