“And I imagine you’re supposed to be a resident.”

  He smiled at her. “Believe me, everyone would be thrilled you participated.”

  “Especially if it makes me want to return here, become the local vet, and stay for good.”

  “Exactly. Besides, I thought you didn’t mind breaking the rules.”

  “Ha! When it could hurt your chances at winning any of the competitions you’re entering? No way. Oh, and I have to tell you, I have a secret, but you can’t tell anyone else.”

  He was all ears and smiled down at her, but then they finally had to catch a chair, so they paused the conversation so she could concentrate on what she was doing. For him, it was second nature, as much as he’d ridden ski lifts up mountains since he was young. Gabrielle was having to watch that she didn’t lose her ski poles or tangle up her skis, or even lose one. He’d seen everything with new skiers. Well, he’d been one at one time! And he’d experienced some of the same issues.

  Once they were sitting next to each other on the chair and headed up the mountain, the wind in their faces and snowflakes whipping off the nearby trees, she continued, “I’m a mermaid.”

  He chuckled.

  “Seriously. I have to swim two times a day most days, unless I’m sick or work just gets in the way. But I love to swim.”

  “So that’s why you had to swim at our pool even if it was closed.”

  “You bet.” She smiled at him, then pulled her dickey over her face to keep warm and nodded. “I had arrived too late to swim, but before the restaurant closed, I wanted to swim and then go eat.”

  “Do you have a pool where you live?”

  “Yeah, my home has a pool.”

  “See, if you lived here, you could swim anytime you like, and there’s no upkeep. We take care of it, and it’s indoors so you can swim all year round. Unlike even your pool back home, I imagine.”

  “It’s heated and I do swim in it year-round. Wait, you mean to tell me Doc Mitchell’s home doesn’t have a pool?”

  Knowing she was teasing him, Landon smiled at her. “You probably wouldn’t want the upkeep here because of the snow we have for months, but I bet you anything the pack leaders would put one in for you for free if you asked them.”

  She laughed. “So that means for them to get my valuable services, I can ask for more stuff?”

  “Yeah, you’re at a premium. Now the rest of us, no way, but you? Sure.”

  “Well, that’s never happened to me before.”

  Landon hoped it would make a difference in her decision to return to Florida.

  They came to the end of the ride and Gabrielle got off without a hitch. He was glad. If she moved here, he could just imagine taking breaks to ski with her, and if she could manage the long hours, he would swim with her anytime she came in before work or after the pool and her vet clinic were closed.

  “How do you feel about snow skiing now since you’ve had a night to think about it?” Landon asked her.

  “Oh, I love it. I thought I would take one trip down the green slope first thing to get my ski legs. I’ll spend the rest of the day on the blues, unless I get tired and start to fall too much. Then it’s back to the easy slopes for me. But I am loving it. I really hadn’t thought I would.”

  “Okay, I’m glad for that, and it sounds like a good plan.”

  Then they moved to the green slope and she started down the hill, doing great. He followed her all the way down, making sure she didn’t fall. She was still a little unsure of herself, wobbling a bit, but she would get better, given practice.

  She was doing super on the blue slopes after that and he couldn’t have been prouder of her. He noticed she seemed to get tired about the same time they’d taken a break yesterday, and she was shivering some when they were riding up the chairlift again. “It’s time for some hot chocolate, don’t you think?” he asked. They had much more frigid temperatures today, and she definitely appeared to be feeling the colder weather.

  She nodded, her face covered in the balaclava, her beautiful green eyes hidden by the mirrored ski glasses.

  He had to remind himself he was from Vermont, so he was used to the cold. Her cold in Florida wasn’t the same, and even when it was cold, it didn’t last as long as theirs. She wouldn’t be acclimated to it like he was. Plus she wasn’t used to skiing and her muscles would weary the longer she was up on the slopes. His family all got some skiing in on a daily basis, usually with others in the pack at some time during the day.

  When Landon and Gabrielle reached the outdoor patio of the bar and grill, they put up their poles and skis on one of the racks and headed inside. Gabrielle pulled off her balaclava and glasses and hat, her blond hair tumbling over her shoulders. He realized she did look like a mermaid—in hot-pink ski clothes.

  “About tonight…I want this to totally be your decision,” Landon said, after ordering their hot chocolates. “Do you want it to be just the two of us when we go to the tavern for dinner, or would you rather have the whole family there?”

  She smiled, her expression radiant. “Okay, so—” She paused when the waitress brought their hot chocolate.

  “Enjoy.”

  “We will. Thanks, Minx.” Landon took hold of his hot chocolate and drank a sip. “It’s hot.”

  “Thanks. If I go alone with you, everyone will think I’m dating you. If we go with the family, everyone will think I’m dating you.” She smiled at Landon again and took a sip of her hot chocolate. “Hmm, this is so good.”

  “Okay, so your choice? What will it be?” He would be happy either way as long as she was with him.

  “Either is fine with me, but since I’m not used to being around groups of wolves, and if your family would really like to go out to the tavern tonight, I’m all for it.”

  “Great. I’ll let everyone know. They’ll be thrilled. I think they believe you will like me better if they are around to help work things out between us.”

  Gabrielle laughed. “What are sisters and a brother and his mate for?”

  Landon smiled, glad she wanted the family there because he knew they would want to be there—to act as a unified pack within the pack—saying “Paws off the she-wolf” because Landon was the one seeing her—for now, anyway.

  He immediately got on his phone and texted Roxie first: Plan to have dinner at six at the Silver Town Tavern.

  Roxie texted back: All of us?

  Yes.

  Roxie texted: Did you make reservations?

  No.

  Roxie texted: I’ll do it. And I’ll let the rest of the family know we have a dinner engagement tonight. They were all waiting for the word and they’ll be thrilled.

  Thanks!

  He was glad that his family would do this for him. They would have fun. And Gabrielle would feel insulated somewhat from the rest of the pack, particularly if a number of bachelor males were there and they made her feel uncomfortable.

  “You know, if you get too chilled, we’ll come in. It wouldn’t do for you to get sick. I know we heal faster than the general population, but there’s no sense in pushing yourself if you’re feeling too cold. If you need anything warmer to wear, some of the shops in town have winter ski clothes.”

  “Thanks. I might have to go shopping. Did you see me shivering?” She sipped some more of her hot chocolate.

  “I felt you shivering when we were on the chairlift. You’re doing great on the slopes, by the way.”

  “Thanks. You’re a great instructor, and I’m really catching on a lot faster than I thought I would.”

  He drank some more of his chocolate and nodded toward a couple of ski instructors who waved at them as they came in to get something hot to drink on a break. “Well, you are the one who doesn’t quit and that’s the reason you’re doing so well. It only gets better with practice.”

  “My friends will be amazed. I really am enjoying myself, when I didn’t think I would. I envisioned spending a lot of time in the pool while they skied, and meeting them for hot chocolate breaks and meals, and maybe one or two trips down the slopes a day.”

  “You’re doing a lot better than that. But truly, if you get tired of it, we can do some other things. I can run you into town and see if there’s anything you want to buy so you’ll be warmer.”

  “Let’s run into town now. If I had a wool sweater, I’d feel much better. I should have gotten one off the internet before I left home, but I didn’t think I would ever get any use out of one in Florida. I really hadn’t thought I would return to a ski resort. I just wanted to do this the one time to prove to my friends this wasn’t for me.”

  Landon smiled. “So you’ve changed your mind. That’s good. All right, let’s do that.” He was glad she wanted to get some more winter clothes to go skiing further. She would feel better and so would he. Even more than that, it might mean she would return to Silver Town to ski again when she could get away from her job in Daytona Beach. And maybe they would have another chance to convince her to live here.

  Once they finished their hot chocolate, he wondered if she would like to go with one of his sisters instead. He knew one of them would love to go shopping! Of course, he didn’t want to give her up for even an hour or so, but he thought it would be a good move to ask. “Just an idea, but would you like to go with one of my sisters to shop?”

  Gabrielle’s kissable lips parted. Then she smiled brightly. “You don’t like to shop.”

  He chuckled. “It’s not that. Believe me, spending more time in your company, no matter what we’re doing, is fun for me. I just thought you might like to go with Roxie or Kayla.”

  “Sure. I would love to.”

  It didn’t hurt for his whole family to help win her over. Landon texted Kayla, the one he thought would want to go shopping with Gabrielle the most.

  Kayla texted back: Yes! Roxie and I will both take her. We didn’t think you would give her up to us for anything.

  He smiled and texted: Only with reluctance. She needs more winter clothes so she’s warm enough on the slopes. We are on our way to the office, and I’ll let her know you both want to go.

  Kayla texted: We’ll get ready to go now.

  At least his sisters were very good at switching gears. He turned to Gabrielle. “Both my sisters want to go shopping with you. They’re thrilled.”

  “Oh good. We’ll have fun.”

  “I’ll take over from my sisters while you enjoy yourselves. Why don’t you have lunch out at the tea shop in town, if the three of you would like.”

  “Sure, that would be great. I love tea shops.”

  Landon’s sisters met them in the lobby. Kayla paused to give Landon a list of things she’d been working on, and then Roxie did the same with him. He gave them a look to get real. No way could he do all these jobs by himself in the amount of time they would be gone.

  His sisters laughed. “We will be sure to have her back after lunch so you can go skiing with her again,” Roxie said.

  “Okay, good. Make sure she gets some warm clothes so she’ll feel great on the slopes,” he reminded them. Shopping for gifts to take home was one thing. He wanted to make sure she was nice and warm on the slopes too.

  “We will,” Kayla assured him, and then they took off with Gabrielle, looking excited to get away from the lodge for some shopping and lunch with their new she-wolf friend.

  He hoped they would enjoy themselves but wouldn’t keep her too long.

  Chapter 9

  Going shopping with the ladies was going to be enjoyable. Gabrielle couldn’t wait to find some warmer clothes so she would have more fun on the slopes with Landon.

  “We have to ask you if you’re a royal,” Roxie said to Gabrielle as Kayla drove them to the store that they said had the most winter clothing in Silver Town.

  “I’m a royal. Are you?” Gabrielle asked.

  They both sighed.

  “No, we’re not. Our great-grandfather was bitten by a royal wolf.” Kayla sounded a tad regretful. “And then our grandfather and father both mated royals.”

  “Oh, well, since your great-grandmother, grandmother, and mother were all royals, you have more wolf lineage, at least on half your family’s line. But it doesn’t make any difference to me. I’m just so thrilled to have friends here who are wolves, period. This has just been a great experience for me.”

  “Yeah, but we can’t run as wolves with you when the new moon is out,” Roxie said, as if Gabrielle hadn’t gotten the point.

  “Right. But maybe we can do something else.” Gabrielle loved running as a wolf. If her friends arrived soon, she could run with them. But she didn’t want Roxie and Kayla to feel she would be upset with them because they couldn’t shift and play with her. If she really wanted to go out, she could anyway, by herself, like she had planned to that first night she had arrived, before she saw the family of wolves playing. And she was having too much fun with the family to not spend more time with them if they wanted her to.

  “Landon would ask other royals to run with you, if you really want to go. We know what it’s like to want to stretch our legs as a wolf at night,” Roxie said.

  “Or we could do something else,” Kayla suggested, “like Gabrielle said: have a pool party or play board games or something.”

  “Make a snowman? Landon told me you were entering one in the contest. He said I could help. I’ve never made one before, so I might just make a mess of it. But I could cheer you on.”

  The sisters smiled at each other. “Building snowmen is just what we’ll do. The women and their mates who run the Silver Town Inn make wolf sculptures and have won the last two years,” Kayla said. “So we’ll stick to snowmen. But Roxie and I were thinking we could make a snowman for each of us and one of Rosco.”

  “You know, you could do your own thing, if you would rather. We don’t want you to feel like you have to do something with us. You might be getting tired of being in Landon’s company all the time too,” Roxie said matter-of-factly.

  But Gabrielle wasn’t. She was glad to go with his sisters to shop and have lunch, but she couldn’t wait to spend more time with Landon.

  Kayla gave Roxie a look like that was not the right thing to say to Gabrielle and she would talk to her about this later.

  Gabrielle smiled. “I like doing things with Landon. And with all of you. I want to make a snowman while I am here, but not by myself, so I would love to help you with yours.” She wasn’t going to lie about how she felt about being around Landon, and she suspected Roxie just wanted to know how far Gabrielle intended to take things with him.

  Roxie’s eyes widened all of a sudden and she did a facepalm. “Oh, I forgot Nicole is a royal, so the two of you could run together as wolves. She would love that since none of the rest of us can. She never runs when we can’t.”

  “Oh, sure, I can do that. But building the snowman sounds like fun too. And it’s on my bucket list for while I’m here.”

  “Okay, a snowman it is.” Kayla gave her sister a look that said she had better not nix the plan.

  Gabrielle didn’t have any siblings, and she was always amused to see how they interacted with each other.

  They finally reached the town and pulled into a parking spot in front of Silver Town Boutique, a women’s clothing shop featuring winter clothes right now. It looked just perfect for outfitting Gabrielle for her snowy vacation. She would have to return here next year to put good use to anything she bought to wear skiing, though. She had thought she would come here only at her friends’ insistence and never return—figuring they would realize how much she hated the snow. Now she was planning to return next year? She really hadn’t believed that would happen. Of course she hadn’t realized it was a wolf-run town either, but she liked the town and the people here.

  Like the other shops, everything was decorated with Christmas lights, making Silver Town the most festive place Gabrielle had ever been at Christmastime. A Christmas tree covered in pink, silver, and white balls and bows stood in the middle of the big triple-paned windows of the boutique, and Christmas light icicles hung at the top edge of the window frame. When they walked inside, a little bell jingled. The shop was warm and cheery, the fragrance of hot holiday wassail and snowball cookies enticing them to take a drink and a bite to eat.

  They greeted the shopkeeper, a pretty redhead with hazel eyes, a red wolf wearing a sweater dress and high-heeled boots, her hair swept up in a chignon. Gabrielle couldn’t believe it when she saw her. “Maxine Fox?” She’d been one of Gabrielle’s clients in Daytona Beach and had two adorable black-and-white tuxedo cats that would only see her and none of the other vets. Some of that, Gabrielle was sure, had to do with both Maxine and Gabrielle being wolves. But Maxine had sworn that her cats wouldn’t tolerate any of the other vets on general principle. Gabrielle knew she’d moved, but not where to.

  “Ohmigod, tell me you’re our new vet in Silver Town. Puss and Boots adore you, and when they need their regular checkups and vaccinations, I’ll bring them right in,” Maxine said.

  Gabrielle smiled. “No, I’m still back in Daytona Beach. I just learned about this place and am here on vacation. How are Puss and Boots?”

  “They’re loving it here. It’s so great. Though I’m back to everyone checking me out because I’m a ‘fox shifter,’ you know, despite the word getting out to the pack that a new red she-wolf is here and owns a clothing store.”

  Gabrielle smiled.

  “In the old days in England, my ancestor was a red wolf, of course, but they called him the Fox because he was so cunning. So the name stuck, and for generations, our wolf family went by the name of Fox,” Maxine said. “I couldn’t have been more thrilled to discover you were a vet and that I’d found a great doctor for my cats, but when I learned a whole community was filled with wolves, I had to move here.”