“Yeah, he’s Army Special Forces. I know him from the army. We were on a few hairy missions together.”

  “That’s really great then. He’s really named Phoenix?”

  “That’s what we call him. He came out of a burning building when everyone thought he hadn’t made it, and after that we all called him the Phoenix, rising from the flames.”

  “Wow, that’s amazing.”

  “It was.”

  Their new cars were finally ready to go, and she gave Nate a hug. “Thanks so much for helping me with picking out a new car. I’m usually a lot more indecisive than this, but when you started to get him to come down on the price, it was all a go for me.”

  “Well, we made a team. I never thought they’d come down any lower until you said we’d shop around. They didn’t want to lose two car sales in one day.”

  “You know, I’m going to have to tell everyone you bought the car to take your sister’s babies on trips,” Kayla said, pulling her new car door open.

  “See, if you had just gotten the van, you wouldn’t have to do that.”

  She laughed. “Then they’d ask why I had bought a van with all that seating.”

  “To take your brothers’ double sets of twins places.”

  She kissed him. “I can’t wait to go to the cabin in your new van.”

  He chuckled and kissed her back.

  “I’m headed back to the lodge. I’ll see you later,” she said.

  “I’ll follow you back to Silver Town, and then I’ll be going to the PI agency.”

  They headed out, but they ended up talking all the way back to Silver Town on Bluetooth.

  “So what’s the first trip you’re going to make with your sister and the babies and Blake?” Kayla asked.

  “The zoo. They have one in Green Valley. It’s not real big, but…well, maybe when the kids are older, we can go there. I’ll figure out somewhere to take the whole lot of them. Any special plans to take your new car out for a spin?”

  “Oh, I’ll probably take the ladies all for a teatime social. Everyone’s going to want to see it, but when I’m not driving it, it’s staying safe and secure in the garage.”

  He laughed. “After what happened to your last car, I don’t blame you.”

  When they finally arrived in Silver Town, he said goodbye to her and parked at the agency and Nicole immediately came out to see his vehicle. “Ohmigod, Nate. Have you been telling me everything that’s been up with you and Kayla?”

  “Yeah. This way I can take you and the whole family places if you need the extra seating.”

  “Uh, right. I thought you were just helping Kayla get a new car.”

  “I was. Then I got this really great bargain for us by getting the two vehicles.”

  Nicole laughed. “When I need a van, let me know when you’re available, though Blake might be able to get the salesman to come down on the price.”

  “Kayla can too. She did a great job. I’m going to work on getting some witnesses lined up to see if we can learn who was the last to see Phil and learn more what his frame of mind was before he went missing. Then I’ll be driving into Green Valley to do the interviews.”

  “Okay. I’ll go with you. I finished the last three cases we were working on. And you can drive us in your new vehicle. I love the new smell of a car.”

  That’s why he hadn’t talked to more witnesses before picking up Nicole. He knew she’d want to help him with this. “You’ll love this one.”

  “I already do. Now I’m going to have to talk Blake into getting one too. But maybe we’ll just let you be our chauffeur.”

  Nate smiled. “I’d be glad to.” They took off to speak to the other witnesses but didn’t get anything further from them concerning the missing Phil.

  When Kayla arrived at the lodge—she was parking there before she parked in the garage at the house so her siblings could see her new car—she figured she wouldn’t be explaining about Nate’s Odyssey to anyone anytime soon. Unless Nicole mentioned it to Blake and Blake asked her about it or told Roxie about it and she questioned Kayla. They were sure to think more was going on behind the scenes between Kayla and Nate than she was letting on.

  Her brothers and sister were amazed at the deal she’d gotten on the car and loved it. Then she drove it home to leave it in the garage to protect it from the world. She walked back to the lodge after that.

  This had turned out to be the best day ever. But then Blake walked into the office and showed Roxie something on his phone. Both of them looked at Kayla.

  “What?” Kayla asked.

  Landon joined them and grabbed a bottle of water from their office fridge. “What am I missing out on this time?”

  “Look at Nate’s new van,” Blake said and showed him the picture of the Odyssey. Nicole must have sent it to him.

  Landon looked at Kayla.

  “He bought it to take Blake, Nicole, the kids, and the grandparents places,” Kayla said.

  They all smiled at her.

  “So where is our birthday party being held?” Kayla asked Roxie as they got ready for bed that night. “I haven’t heard a squeak from anyone about it.” Which meant Nate and his sister and parents were probably planning it as a surprise. Once Nicole had married their brother Blake, Nicole and Nate’s parents had adopted the Wolff brothers and sisters as part of their family. Nelda and Gary were the sweetest couple.

  “Well, Nicole said we need to dust off our Hula-Hoops.”

  “Ohmigod, a fifties party? I’m so ready. But we don’t have any costumes for the party.”

  “I can’t be certain that’s what it is, but I think so. Nicole said they’ve got it all covered. So we’re just supposed to show up and that’s it.”

  “Where is it being held? At Nate’s place or his parents’?” They were keeping everything so secret, Kayla figured they had to be having it at one of their places. “The night after tomorrow, right?”

  “Yeah. The invitations will be delivered, and we’ll know all. I have no idea where they’re even holding it.”

  Kayla was so excited about it and couldn’t wait. Enjoying the party together with her siblings would make it extra special.

  Roxie smiled at her. “I’ve never seen you so excited about anything.”

  “Of course you have.”

  “I’m glad we’re celebrating all our birthdays on the same night, especially since you’re taking off with Nate the next day for the week.”

  They straightened up the kitchen and headed up the stairs. “I can’t wait to spend the week with him.” Kayla sighed, then thought about their mystery man. “I wish we could learn about the man who came to get the keys at the lodge. There has been no word on him. I even called CJ to see if he knew anything.” She walked into the bathroom to brush her teeth.

  Roxie joined her and used the other sink to brush hers. “I heard the FBI agents took him into custody and left with him.”

  “Right. That’s what CJ said.” He was good at his job, and she knew he or the sheriff would inform them right away, once they knew anything.

  “Are you all set for camping? Do you need to borrow any of my things?” Roxie asked.

  “I’m good. As long as we don’t have any sudden storms. Well, we’ll have a couple of days of bad weather in the middle of the week, but the rest of the time it’s supposed to be good.”

  “Just don’t do any running in a hailstorm.”

  “No plans to. Or falling into a creek either. Night, Sister. See you bright and early in the morning.” Then Kayla retired to her bedroom. She couldn’t wait to get her invitation to the party and see the details.

  “Night, Sis.”

  The next morning as Nate was driving to the PI office, he was so glad Nicole had been in charge of the birthday party celebration for the Wolff siblings. He would never have thought of having a fifties party, and he was glad to help. Thankfully, she’d mentioned it early to him and he was able to reserve one of the three banquet rooms at the Timberline Ski Lodge through Lelandi, since he and his family had wanted to make this a surprise for the Wolff siblings. The rooms opened up into one large one for weddings and other events that required more than one room, but they’d only needed one room for this event. The Sleepy Hollow banquet room had a view of the outdoor swimming pool. The Wolff Park and Mountain View banquet rooms looked over the ski slopes, but one was booked, so he had picked Mountain View.

  “Hey,” Nicole said in greeting when Nate arrived at the office.

  “You’re early.” He was surprised to see his sister at the agency this early since she’d been having bouts of morning sickness for weeks.

  “Yeah, I was feeling great this morning, and I’m excited about tomorrow night. Are you all packed up for your camping trip?” Nicole asked.

  “I sure am.”

  “Okay, I figure we’ll begin setting up the party tomorrow afternoon and be ready at five. Mom and Dad said they’d come over early to help us out, and they’ve got someone in the pack handling the stationery store for us until closing.”

  “Sounds like a good deal. And costumes?”

  “Being delivered to the lodge’s office at three. Also, Jake Silver is coming to take pictures of the event,” Nicole said, sounding excited to do this.

  Nate was glad Jake would do that since he and the rest of the Silver adults were invited. As one of the pack leader’s brothers, Jake was second in charge and a professional photographer. His artwork was even featured in several Colorado galleries. He would do a great job.

  “Are you getting together with Kayla today?” Nicole asked.

  “No. After taking time off yesterday to help her with purchasing a car and the other issue with the man at the lodge and then the birthday party tomorrow, I’m trying to get some work done on these cases and plan to do it until late tonight.” He hoped not to leave too much undone before he left for the week with Kayla.

  “I’ll be fine with the workload. The Green Valley wolf PIs will help out if I need it.” Nicole sighed. “I hope you plan to ask Kayla to be your mate soon.”

  He looked up from the file.

  “You’re perfect for each other, and waiting isn’t going to change things. I know you don’t want to go all alpha male on her because you think she’s so introverted, but you have been seeing her since you got here last year. She doesn’t date anyone else. And it’s not just because she’s shy.”

  He had to admit he had felt that way to an extent, but he knew Kayla wasn’t a real pushover; when she wanted something, she got it. He smiled at his sister. “Kayla doesn’t jump into things, like some women I know.” He had been surprised when Nicole hit it off so well with Blake and, in a whirlwind of romance, mated him. He was glad she had. They were a fun couple. “When it comes to romancing Kayla, she’s…cautious. I’ve asked her out a number of times, and she’s—”

  “Turned you down?”

  “Been too busy with work.”

  “So what do you do? Take her a box of her favorite chocolate-covered almonds as a quick pick-me-up? Order a lunch and have it with her at her office? No. You dive into your own work like the devil is after you.”

  “Nicole, if she’s busy, then I don’t want her to feel I’m pushing myself on her. She needs some space sometimes.”

  “Okay, next time that happens, you do something special for her. You don’t have to have lunch with her, but take her a boxed lunch from the Victorian Tea Shop. She loves their soups and sandwiches, and the teas and special pies are to die for.”

  Nate smiled. “All right. Next time she turns me down, I’ll do something special for her, and if it blows up in my face—”

  “You try something else next time.”

  He chuckled. He was going to say he would give her the space she needed, but maybe Nicole was right. When it came to women’s feelings, she was much more attuned to them.

  Though if things worked out for him when he asked Kayla to mate him, he would be doing all those things for her, and more, to perk up her day—just because he loved her.

  Chapter 12

  Because Kayla was going to be off for a week, she wanted to do her part and worked late that night. Then she ran with Roxie, Blake, and Nicole as wolves. Afterward, they went to their respective houses, barking their good nights to each other.

  When Kayla and Roxie had shifted at their home, Kayla said, “I can’t wait to see what Nicole and the others have planned for us tomorrow for our birthdays, can you?”

  Roxie laughed. “No. I think she’s gone all out this year. See you in the morning.”

  “Night, Roxie.”

  The next morning when Kayla and Roxie arrived with Rosco and Buttercup at the lodge, a smiling Blake raised a handful of pink-and-black envelopes and waved them at them. He was beaming.

  Kayla quickly removed Rosco’s leash so he could settle in his dog bed next to the fireplace. Kayla ran to get her invitation from her brother. Blake laughed and handed another to Roxie. She ripped hers open like Kayla did.

  “Did you read yours already?” Kayla asked Blake.

  “No. Landon and I were waiting for you both to get here.” Blake opened his invitation.

  Landon came out of a ballroom to get his invitation and opened the envelope addressed to him. He laughed. “A fifties rock ‘n’ roll party. That should be fun.”

  CJ dropped by the lodge and joined them with news about the man who claimed he was Durham Manning. “I don’t have the best of news. The mystery guy overcame the FBI agents and escaped.”

  “No way,” Kayla said, shocked that he’d escaped.

  “Yeah, the agents were pretty incensed that they lost him. They hadn’t been able to get fingerprints or DNA on him, and they weren’t able to learn who he truly was,” CJ said. “He had been careful not to have any ID on him.”

  “Wow,” Kayla said. “That’s not good, but at least he won’t be coming back here. The agents still have the ring of keys, right?”

  “They couldn’t find them.”

  “Okay, but if he took them, he still won’t be returning here,” Kayla said. The man still needed to be apprehended, but at least it would no longer involve them here.

  “Correct,” CJ said. “They have search parties looking for him because he attacked the agents. They hope to still bring him in to learn who he is.”

  “But what about Durham Manning?” Kayla asked. “He’s still at large too?”

  “As far as we could confirm, he is,” CJ said. “But we looked into the booking of the room, and he might not have actually booked it. Maybe the guy claiming to be him had actually registered the room in Manning’s name. Maybe the keys really belonged to the shaved-headed guy who came for them. We’re still checking into it.”

  “Roxie said she’d smelled the black-haired man had been here at the lodge, but not the blond-haired guy. Have there been any more robberies that you know of?” Kayla asked.

  “No, they’re probably lying low or got caught at something else or somewhere else, but we still haven’t been able to connect the crimes to them,” CJ said.

  The next day, Kayla and Nate concentrated on doing their respective jobs, but Kayla was too excited about the party that evening. She didn’t know when she’d been this happy. Nicole had even sent over the outfits for the fifties party that afternoon, and Roxie and Kayla changed into pink poodle skirts, black-and-white oxford saddle shoes, and white shirts. They pulled their hair back into ponytails.

  And then Nicole arrived at the office dressed as if she were their triplet—though she had an expanded waistline because of the twins—and they hugged her.

  “This is so much fun, Nicole. Thanks so much,” Kayla said.

  “We’ve had a blast getting ready for this. Mom, Dad, and Nate are in the Mountain View banquet room setting up. I need to go help them.”

  “We will too,” Kayla said, eager to assist them. “I can’t believe you were able to keep the party location a secret when it’s at our lodge.”

  Nicole laughed. “We had to work at it. But it’s your birthday surprise. We’ll set it all up.”

  “All right.” Kayla and Roxie went out to help at the front desk until the party began.

  Their guests were snapping pictures of the three ladies in their poodle skirts.

  Kayla smiled. “This is so neat.” She felt like the party had already begun once she had put on the fifties-era clothes.

  Wearing a black leather jacket, jeans with the cuffs rolled up, sneakers, and a white T-shirt, his hair all greased up in a ducktail, Nate came to escort them to the banquet room. “It’s time to party.”

  “Ohmigod, you look just great,” Kayla said, adoring him for going all out for this.

  “He does!” Roxie hurried off ahead of them.

  “You look beautiful.” He reached around and slid his hand down Kayla’s ponytail.

  Kayla gave Nate a hug, and then they kissed. “Thanks to you and your family for going all out for our birthdays.”

  “We’ve had a wonderful time setting this all up.” He took her hand and walked her to the room.

  Inside, red-and-white-checkered tablecloths covered the tables. Hamburgers, french fries, deviled eggs, and watermelon were displayed on one table. A dance band was playing “Yakety Yak,” and immediately Nate took Kayla to the dance floor and began dancing with her.

  “This is so much fun,” Roxie said, Blake agreeing.

  “Did you have any clue they were going to do this?” Kayla asked Blake.

  “I sure didn’t, or I might have let it slip. Nicole was being really sneaky about it all.”

  Kayla laughed.

  Gabrielle arrived, and she was already dressed in her costume, her blond hair twisted, swept up, and pinned into a poof on top of the head to give her the curly bob look. Kayla guessed Nicole had arranged for her poodle skirt and shirt to be sent to the veterinary clinic. Like Nicole, her waistband accommodated the twins she was carrying. Her green eyes alight with excitement, Gabrielle smiled at Kayla, Roxie, and Nicole as she joined them.

  They hugged her like they were all sisters and best of friends, which they were. They loved to go together to Silva’s tea shop when they could all get away from their jobs. A Silver Town theater was opening around Christmastime, and they were eager to see some flicks together that the guys weren’t all that interested in going to.