“Night, brother,” Leyton said, and he and several others started to leave, saying their good nights to each other.

  Before Ted and Stella left, she said, “You tell the intruder, if he’s Eric’s dad, that you have a lawyer who will fight him every step of the way if he decides he wants custody of Eric at this late date and Eric doesn’t want to go with him.”

  “Thanks, Stella,” Rosalie said, Kolby thanking her also. Once they had left, Rosalie locked the front door and the cougar door. “Thanks, Stryker, for staying the night.”

  “You’re welcome,” Stryker said, “night you two.” He headed down the stairs.

  “I’ll get the back doors,” Kolby said, and he took off for the back of the mansion.

  It had been the best Halloween party ever!

  16

  When someone knocked on the front door of the mansion, Rosalie was afraid they’d locked somebody out who needed to grab some of their personal stuff from the house, like a phone, keys, or something. She opened the door and standing before her was one tall dude, no one she’d met before, wearing a jacket, boots, and shirt just like Nina had described him. He smelled like a snow leopard.

  “If you’re coming to take Eric back to Alaska,” she blurted out, “you can’t.”

  “I—”

  “He has me, his sister—”

  “You’re a cougar.”

  “I’m his sister! He has a whole town of cougars here who love him and treat him as one of the family. He has a job and friends. He’s part of the local community and you can’t take that away from him.”

  “I—”

  “Why the hell have you been sneaking into the basement of our home?” Kolby angrily asked, coming to Rosalie’s aid in an instant, his cell phone out and ready to call Stryker, Rosalie figured.

  “I—”

  “You’ve taken damn long to come here to speak to Eric,” Kolby said.

  The man raised his hands in defense, “I—”

  “Don’t try to deny you’re here to make Eric’s life a living hell. And ours,” Rosalie said.

  “I don’t know anything about your basement,” the man said. “And”—he let out his breath—“I’m William Wright, a snow leopard, as I’m sure you’ve guessed. If I’d been in your basement, you would have smelled me.”

  “You wore hunter concealment spray,” Rosalie accused. “Don’t you pretend that you didn’t hide what you were when you broke into our basement.”

  “I’ve…I’ve never been here before. I swear it. I’ve never been in your house, basement, or any place else on the property before tonight.”

  “All right, let’s say we believe you,” Kolby said, “it doesn’t change the fact that Eric wants to stay with us.”

  “That’s fine. I didn’t come here to take him away from here. I came to tell you that his dad died. I’m sorry it’s taken me so long to come with the news, but my triplet brothers and I were trying to decide who would go to tell you the news and then we had to track you down after you left Loveland. We didn’t even know Mac Weber had a son until he was dying. He nearly drowned in an ice fishing accident. Before he died from pneumonia, he asked my brothers and I to find his son and tell him he was sorry. I’m just one of a few snow leopards in White Bear, Alaska. Bear shifters run most of the businesses there. But we’re all friends.”

  “Oh,” Rosalie said, and Kolby took hold of her arm and steadied her.

  Eric must have heard them talking or had seen the new pickup out front from his tower window and came down to see them. “So you’re my dad. I’m not going anywhere.”

  Kolby finally said, “Why don’t we all go into the living room, and you can explain what you told us? This is William Wright, a friend of your father.”

  Suddenly, Stryker threw open the basement door and they thought he had heard that they were speaking to the intruder, and he came to arrest him or be their backup. But instead he said, “I found your intruder!” Then he saw William and said, “Who the hell are you?”

  “A friend of Eric’s dad who came from Alaska to give Eric some news,” Kolby said. “Someone else is in the basement?”

  Which didn’t make sense that Stryker was coming upstairs without the intruder in handcuffs then. “Yeah, but not quite of this world.”

  “A ghost?” Rosalie asked. Oh, God, not another one. Only this one was too close for comfort.

  “Yeah.” Stryker frowned at William. “So what’s the deal with you?”

  Poor William relayed the information about Eric’s dad’s death again, but he said, “Listen, I know he wasn’t a good dad. He never married again, never had any children, but he left everything he had to you, Eric. You were his only living relative. Also, I want to extend an invitation to all of you, not just Eric, to come and visit the snow leopards in our area anytime. We have a great shifter community with Arctic wolves, the bears, even Arctic foxes. We’d love to have you come and visit.”

  Eric said, “I would love that. If my sister and Kolby can come too.”

  “They sure can. Here’s my card.” William handed Eric the card.

  “Hey, you can stay here with us for the night, can’t he?” Eric asked, sounding thankful he didn’t have to go with a father he didn’t know and leave all his friends and his family behind.

  “Yeah, for sure,” Rosalie said, so relieved that no one was stealing her brother away from her. Then she turned to Stryker and said, “So what is a ghost doing in our basement?”

  Kolby couldn’t believe this turn of events—that Eric’s father was dead and no longer an issue as far as who would raise the boy. Kolby planned to get the paperwork filled out pronto so he and Rosalie could adopt him and then he realized that was just what Nina had envisioned.

  He never expected to learn that Eric’s father would leave him his properties, though Kolby was glad for it, to make up a little for not helping to support him or to be a father to him all these years. As long as Eric wanted to visit Alaska, he was all for it. He and Rosalie would go with him though. He’d never been there so he was looking forward to it.

  Rosalie smiled. “Uhm, we’ve got some fresh sheets for one of the beds. We’ll get it set up in a jiffy.”

  “Thanks, if it’s no trouble,” William said.

  “Not at all.”

  “Uhm, I guess if we’ve discovered the intruder is just a ghost—” Stryker said.

  “Can’t you exorcise him?” Rosalie asked.

  “Is he good or bad?” Eric asked.

  Kolby hoped he would be okay. He was surprised the ghost hadn’t appeared any of the other nights while their ghost sensitive people were staying in the basement to watch for the intruder.

  “Max Squire was a woodworker, and when I picked up one of his old woodworking tools, he suddenly appeared to me. He loved to make things out of wood. He told me that he did a lot of the trim work on the mansion. Chase will have to talk to him all about it,” Stryker said. “We couldn’t smell him because he’s a ghost.”

  “Unbelievable.” Kolby was so ready to call it a night with Rosalie after a wild and exciting day. He looked over at Eric. “Are you all right about learning the news about your dad?”

  “I didn’t know him at all. So yeah. I’m just relieved I don’t have to leave with him.” Eric glanced at William as if he shouldn’t say something like that about the dead.

  William said, “We totally understand.”

  Stryker said again, “Since your intruder is just a ghost—”

  Rosalie smiled. “Yes. You can go home. We have two snow leopards and two cougars to deal with it. Thanks for being here for us and learning the truth. Oh, how come no one else knew about him? Chase? Your brother?”

  “Ghosts don’t appear on any kind of a schedule.”

  “Aww, okay.” Then Rosalie frowned. “But how did he unlock the doors that one night?”

  Eric looked a little sheepish. Kolby was wondering the same thing.

  “Eric?” Rosalie asked.

  Eric shrugged and stuck his hands in his pockets. “I dreamt I’d been in the basement looking out at the rain that night both doors were unlocked. That’s all.”

  “You were sleepwalking,” Rosalie said, sounding surprised. “I’ve never known you to do that, but then again, if I hadn’t been awake to witness it, and you didn’t remember anything about it afterwards, that makes sense.” She sighed. “Thanks, Stryker.”

  Kolby thanked him also.

  “You’re welcome. I need to let Dan and Leyton know what’s going on here and that there’s nothing to worry about. Good night, folks.” Stryker headed out and Kolby locked the door after him.

  But then Kolby got a call from Mrs. Fitz. “Hi, I called Rosalie’s number, but she isn’t picking up. I’ve got news about Eric’s father.”

  “He’s dead.” Kolby explained to her about the snow leopard bringing them the news.

  “Oh, wonderful, I just wanted to tell you right away about it, that you had nothing to worry about, concerning him coming to take Eric away. And tell Eric I get tons of compliments on his painting in the shop. I want to order another one.”

  Kolby smiled. “I sure will. And thanks for the news.”

  “You’re so welcome. We think the world of Eric and wouldn’t want to part with him. I’ll let you go. Night!”

  “Night, Mrs. Fitz.” Kolby ended the call and said to Eric, “Mrs. Fitz has gotten so many compliments off your painting, she wants to commission another.”

  “Hot damn. I’ll get with her tomorrow about it,” Eric said. Then to Kolby’s surprise, Eric said to William, “Come with me. You can pick out a room and I’ll change the sheets. So tell me about Alaska.”

  Kolby hoped Eric would ensure William got a room far from theirs. It was Rosalie’s birthday, and he wasn’t ready for the night to end with her just yet.

  Kolby took her hand and led her to their room. “I think Eric was kind of happy to meet one of his kind.”

  “I agree. What do you think about a honeymoon in Alaska?”

  “And we’ll take Eric with us?”

  “He can stay with the snow leopards and then run with his own kind while we do our thing.”

  “You’ve got a date, Rosalie. Happy birthday, my spell casting she-cat.”

  “You caught me in your own spell from the moment you walked into Mrs. Fitz’s shop.”

  “I wanted to join you in the worst way, but if I had delayed bringing the sandwiches back to the ranch any longer than I had, they would have sent the sheriff after me.”

  She laughed. “I love you.” She began peeling his clothes off him.

  “I couldn’t love you any more than I do.” And then he was just as eager to remove her clothes and finish what they were starting.

  EPILOGUE

  Ever since the Halloween party, Rosalie, Eric, and Kolby’s brother had been planning a fun celebration for Kolby’s birthday for November 15th. That morning, she and Eric pretended that she had forgotten all about it, though she was a little suspicious when she kissed him goodbye to go to work that he hadn’t mentioned it. Eric was going in with him to work with the horses and she hoped he hadn’t let it slip already about the surprise birthday party. He was so excited about it, that she was afraid he might have.

  Once she called Kolby’s brother, Ricky, to tell him Kolby had gone into work, it didn’t take long for Ricky and his mate, Mandy, to show up to help decorate the dining room and ballroom so they could have Kolby unwrap his brand-new saddle, Stetson, and chaps at his birthday party. Ricky had driven the new Jeep into the garage to hide it. Rosalie and Mandy added a bow and streamers.

  Eric was also giving Kolby the painting he’d wanted for the bunkhouse: a western theme of cowboys riding their horses, cougars running alongside them, and one snow leopard too with a backdrop of the mountains. Though now Kolby was living with Rosalie and Eric at the mansion so the painting might go in their living room instead.

  Once they had decorated everything for the party, Rosalie called Hal. “It’s birthday time!”

  “I’ll tell Kolby he’s needed at home because you have some news, but I’ll say you wouldn’t tell me what it was about.”

  “Okay.” Kolby might think she was pregnant, which she just learned she was after she said goodbye to him this morning, so that worked too.

  “We’ll be over in shifts to wish him a happy birthday,” Hal said.

  “We’ll see you all soon.” She loved how they would all make a big deal of birthdays in Yuma Town. She had never felt more special than when they celebrated her birthday and Dan’s at the Halloween party. She hadn’t expected it at all.

  She’d barely slipped her phone into her pocket, told Ricky and Mandy that Hal was telling Kolby to go home and then the party would begin, when her phone rang. It would be an all-day affair while Yuma Town cougars dropped by to wish Kolby a happy birthday. She thought others would get here before Kolby did.

  She saw the call was from Kolby and could tell it was on Bluetooth when she answered it.

  Kolby asked, “What’s wrong?”

  She smiled. He had to know they were throwing him a birthday party. “Well, I want to tell you in person what I need to tell you.”

  “We’re pregnant!”

  She laughed. “Yes, we’re pregnant.”

  “We are!” He sounded like the happiest big cat in the world.

  Eric said, “I’m going to be an uncle? Woohoo! I get to teach them how to ride a horse. And how to paint.”

  She chuckled.

  They had taken the new road between their properties, Kolby driving, even though Eric could now, but she knew Kolby practically wanted to fly home to check on her and didn’t want Eric to get himself into trouble should he lose control of the truck.

  She went outside to greet them as soon as they parked the ranch’s pickup. Kolby, all smiles, exited the vehicle in a rush, Eric right behind him.

  Kolby lifted her off her feet and swung her around, then kissed her. Ricky and Mandy came out to wish him a happy birthday, not expecting the news she was pregnant.

  When Kolby told them, Ricky said, “Hot damn, I’m going to be an uncle.”

  “I’m going to be an aunt,” Mandy said, giving Rosalie a hug.

  Then Kolby frowned. “What are you doing—”

  He didn’t have a chance to finish what he was going to say as they all shouted, “Happy Birthday!”

  Then everyone began arriving. Ranch hands took shifts to come and visit, to eat, hand over gifts, and wished Kolby the best. Hal, Tracey, and their children, Ted and Stella ended up there too.

  The beautiful cake Ava had made of a cowboy on horseback, a dog running behind him, a cougar and snow leopard beside him was on display. Mrs. Fitz lit all the candles.

  Rosalie loved how everyone included Eric in their world of cougars. He belonged with them. He was one of them. Different, but a big cat too. All the deputy sheriffs and their families, the sheriff and his family, every one of the CSF agents and their mates, the doctors, their mates, the nurses and their families, all the teens who had become Eric’s friends, everyone dropped in to celebrate. And of course everyone had to love on the kittens too.

  Kolby was overjoyed that Rosalie and everyone else hadn’t forgotten his birthday. How could she forget such a special day? She loved her big cat with all her heart. Moving here and mating Kolby had been the best decisions she’d made in her life.

  Kolby had been certain that Rosalie would do something special for his birthday, but he hadn’t expected it to be as grand as all this. He was having so much fun as Ted and Hal grilled steaks for everyone who was there at the time, and then they’d take a break and others took over to grill steaks for newcomers, even Eric taking a turn. The cake that Ava made was beautiful, and he swore everyone had come from Yuma Town to make his birthday special. But more special than anything? Learning that Rosalie was pregnant. That was the best birthday present she could give them.

  She kissed him and Ricky opened the garage door while Mandy backed out a bright new, shiny blue Jeep.

  Kolby’s mouth gaped. He couldn’t believe it. “For me?”

  Rosalie had kept telling him they’d get him a new vehicle before Christmas. He’d been using the ranch’s pickup so hadn’t needed to get anything right away.

  So this was the reason Rosalie had been putting him off for the last two months! He adored her.

  “I love it.” He kissed Rosalie soundly.

  Eric was running his hand over the hood. “Nice. When do I get to drive it?”

  “You’ve got your own, buddy. Don’t mix them up and take mine for a spin by mistake.”

  Eric laughed.

  After they ate steaks, french fries, and a mix of veggies, they had champagne, milk and juice for the kids and for all the pregnant mothers. After enjoying the birthday cake, those who were still at the mansion went running as big cats. The best conclusion of a birthday party ever.

  Though that afternoon, they received even more great news—the adoption papers had just come through and Eric never had to worry about who had custody of him until he came of age.

  Just around the corner was Thanksgiving and Kolby knew just what he was thankful for—new neighbors at the old mansion—which meant a mate he loved for life and a younger brother to look after who was just as wild and fun as his brother Ricky. And just as much loved.

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  Thanks so much to Donna Fournier, Darla Taylor, and Lor Melvin for reading my book and helping it to be the best it can be. You ladies are the greatest.

  AUTHOR BIO

  USA Today bestselling author Terry Spear has written over a hundred paranormal and medieval Highland romances. In 2008, Heart of the Wolf was named a Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year. She has received a PNR Top Pick, a Best Book of the Month nomination by Long and Short Reviews, numerous Night Owl Romance Top Picks, and 2 Paranormal Excellence Awards for Romantic Literature (Finalist & Honorable Mention). In 2016, Billionaire in Wolf’s Clothing was an RT Book Reviews Top Pick. A retired officer of the U.S. Army Reserves, Terry also creates award-winning teddy bears that have found homes all over the world, loves to garden, create photo composites, helps out with her grandchildren, and she loves on her two Havanese dogs all the time. She lives in Spring, Texas.