“Okay, try that and see what happens,” Maverick said. “Tell them we can have them over at seven. We’re having steaks for lunch, so we could fix brisket. Would that work for all of you? Our last tour group is out of here by seven.”

  “Yeah. We all like brisket. I’ll tell them. Don’t be surprised if they drop in a lot earlier than that, when the tour group is still there, or if they make some lame excuse about not being able to come in the event they think it’s a setup.”

  “All right. We’ll be ready.”

  “We’re sitting down to eat lunch,” Gina said. “Oh, have you seen the wolf you had danced with at the Christmas party yet?”

  “Dorinda? No. I swear the pack is conspiring against me and making sure I can’t see her.”

  Gina chuckled. “Ask Cassie for Dorinda’s phone number and ask her to go with you to the New Year’s Eve party if she doesn’t have a date already, since you’re a wolf now.”

  “I’ll try that. I’ll call you back to let you know what’s up.”

  “Talk soon,” Maverick said.

  When they ended the call, everyone sat down to eat.

  “Okay, I know what we’ll be doing,” Brooke said. “Hanging around the ranch for the rest of the day.”

  “You could return to the store if you want,” Josh said.

  “And miss out on all the news? No way. I’m here to help in any way I can.” Brooke started slicing into her steak.

  A short while later, Weston called back, and Gina answered, putting it on speakerphone. “You’re on speakerphone, Weston. What did they say?”

  “They can’t make it tonight because they have other plans, but they could do it tomorrow night, if Maverick is agreeable.”

  “What do you suspect is truly going on?” Maverick asked.

  Gina realized what a wary wolf he was, and he wasn’t buying their story. But she wasn’t sure. What if they did have commitments? It was really short notice. Still, she could see where Maverick was coming from. She wanted to think best of the plan, but they probably needed to plan for the worst.

  ***

  Maverick figured that if anyone knew his friends well, it was Weston, and he would have a better feel for what his friends’ reaction to having dinner at the reindeer ranch would be, good or bad—which was why he had posed the question to him.

  “I’m not sure. Both of my friends hesitated to answer. They covered the mouthpiece to discuss options. I could hear their muffled voices but couldn’t make out what they said exactly. I heard Bromley say, ‘No, too soon.’ It took them too long to tell me they had other plans, and they didn’t tell me what they were, like they normally would have.”

  “As if you were in the enemy’s camp already,” Maverick said. Brooke, Gina, and Josh listened in while continuing to eat lunch.

  “Yeah, because Gina’s working with you, Maverick, and they’re not sure about me. I’m not telling them I’m staying at Leidolf and Cassie’s ranch, but if they drop by my apartment, I won’t be there, unless it’s a case of me grabbing some more of my stuff. Some of Leidolf’s men helped me gather a lot of my clothes already. But I still have a lot of stuff there.”

  “Okay, tell them tomorrow night is fine. We have another tour group here—which may be why they want to be here at that time. It’s one of our late-night tour group shows. And they can be part of the group to see all the reindeer and the llama. And the two wolves.”

  “Three, because you had two males before. Now you have two males and a female. I’ll tell them. Maybe they’ll figure it will be safe with others there. I’ll let you know.”

  “We’ll be waiting to hear from you,” Maverick said.

  When they ended the call, Josh shook his head. “Sounds like these guys are wary.”

  “Wouldn’t you be if you already believed Maverick and his friends could be werewolves and the story keeps changing about having wolf dogs and now red wolves? Even I verified you two were red wolves in front of all the people there today at the show. So I knew and never told Weston’s friends. And he didn’t either, though he could have let on he hadn’t known and hadn’t even seen the show. For all they know, he’s back at work and not having to do with any of the people at this ranch or Leidolf’s.”

  “Well, I’m all for staying at the house for the next few nights then,” Brooke said, “just in case we have some unwelcome visitors pop in just any old time.”

  “Do you want to return to the shop and do any more markdowns or label anything this afternoon in the meantime?” Josh asked.

  Brooke nodded. “I might as well go to the shop since they’re not coming this evening.”

  “Plan to have dinner with us at our place then,” Josh said to Maverick and Brooke. “Your brother can come too, Gina, if he’d like.”

  “That sounds great,” Gina said.

  Then they cleared the dishes, and Josh and Brooke took off for town.

  Weston called Gina back while she and Maverick were cleaning up the kitchen. “It’s a go for tomorrow night. They were eager to see the reindeer and the wolves, of course.”

  “Okay, that sounds good,” Maverick said. “And we’d love to have you come and have dinner with us tonight. Josh and Brooke’s treat. Bring Sarge, if you’d like, since you’re staying with him.”

  “Right. He can be my designated driver.”

  “I guess we both have to have one now,” Gina said.

  “Yeah. It’s a bit of a bother, but lots of people are willing to help me out,” Weston said.

  “Did you ask Dorinda if she’d go with you to the New Year’s Eve party?”

  “Uh, yeah, and Dorinda said she would—because she feels sorry for me.”

  Maverick chuckled. “Believe me, she’s dating everyone, not taking chances on mating the wrong wolf. So if she said she will go with you to the New Year’s Eve party, she’s interested in you.”

  Gina smiled. “Great! See you tonight then.”

  “See you.” Weston ended the call.

  “When’s your next show someplace else?” Gina sounded hopeful she could attend while she put the last of the dishes in the dishwasher.

  “Tomorrow afternoon.” Maverick finished washing the saucepan and frying pan. He hoped she could come too. But if she couldn’t, he’d stay at the ranch with her and do the show for the tour group visits instead. That way if she had to shift, he’d be there for her.

  “Okay, maybe I can sleepwalk as a wolf again tonight.”

  Smiling, he rubbed her back. “Or just go running with me as a wolf while you’re awake.”

  “Oh, sure, even better.”

  Then they pulled on their parkas and headed outside. She was documenting things, and he worked with the ranch hands getting things ready for the afternoon show here. But he also told Leidolf of the situation with Weston’s friends and the dinner date with them tomorrow.

  “I’ll be there,” Leidolf said.

  “You’re coming to dinner?” Maverick was surprised. He was afraid that would make the men warier.

  “No. But I’ll be there to help turn the men.”

  “In the shadows?”

  “I’ll stay at Josh and Brooke’s house. When you need me, one of you can text me and I’ll be there.”

  “Will do, Leidolf.” Maverick wondered if any of the men, Weston included, had figured out that Leidolf’s name was old Norse for “descendent of the wolf”.

  Gina was out in the field taking pictures of some deer, and he watched her for a moment. Then she turned to see him observing her, and she headed toward him. The deer scattered. He was about to walk toward her to join her when Randall intercepted him. “Hey, boss, I thought you told Gina about jaguar shifters.”

  Ah, hell, he had meant to. “Uh, no, I guess you told her. I hope she’s all right with it.”

  Randall smiled. “Shocked is more like it.”

  “I suspect so. I’ll go talk to her.” Maverick headed in her direction again and soon joined her.

  She shouldered her camera and wrapped her arms around his neck. “Is there anything else you want to tell me about?”

  He smiled and kissed her cold lips and her cold nose. “Okay, so, yeah, jaguar shifters exist, and we’ve heard rumors bear shifters and cougars do too. Which makes me think that others might also. It’s just hard to believe they exist until we’ve seen it for ourselves. We’ve actually dealt with a policing force called the United Shifter Force that was started by jaguars. Wolves have joined their ranks. So you never know when their staff might expand to include different kinds of shifters. I meant to tell you after you got over the shock that you’re a wolf and that our kind exist.”

  “Wow, that would be amazing to see.”

  “Yeah, I missed out on all the drama when they were at Leidolf’s ranch, too busy with the reindeer activities at the time.”

  “So they don’t live here,” she said.

  “No, they’re located in Dallas and the Houston, Texas, area. They might need to expand their network, but that’s all I know of for now.”

  “Okay, so if I see a bear or a cougar on your acreage, it might be a shifter?”

  He frowned. “If you see either, you treat them like they are wild animals.”

  She laughed. “Of course. I’m a pragmatist. I wouldn’t be foolish enough to think any wild predator was a shifter. But you better believe I’ll be watching them for unusual behavior if I see one.”

  He smiled and kissed her again. “Okay, that sounds good.”

  “No other secrets?”

  “Not that I know of.”

  They heard the sound of a tour bus driving up, and he glanced back at it. “It’s showtime. Are you going to help with it, or do you want to continue your work with the wildlife out here?”

  She slipped her gloved hand in his. “I want to do this with you.”

  “I’m glad.” He kissed the top of her head and walked her back to the stables where Randall was starting to talk to the tour group. “Do you want to work with the kids and the reindeer calves?”

  “I certainly do.” Gina looked eager to greet the kids.

  Early that evening, they saw Brooke and Josh arrive at their own home and waved at them.

  After the group tour was done, Maverick and Gina walked inside his house to warm up and have some hot cocoa before they went over to have dinner with Brooke, Josh, and her brother.

  They pulled off their parkas and gloves and washed up.

  “Do you ever wish you were just human?” Gina asked as they sat down in the living room and enjoyed their cocoa by the Christmas tree and the fire.

  “No. I’ve never known anything other than being a shifter, but with the faster healing, all our enhanced senses, our increased longevity, and the freedom we have as wolves, I wouldn’t want it any other way.” But he was worried about Gina changing her mind, especially with the situation of having to turn their friends and her parents. “What about you?”

  “Oh, I love being a wolf. I could smell the deer, their different scents distinguishing each of them, heard some of the sounds they made that I wouldn’t have as a human. Plus I feel more like them, wilder, on a par with them, not as a human looking down on them, feeling more superior. It’s proving to be a wonderful gift for my research.”

  “That’s great,” he said, leaning over to kiss her, when they heard a truck park outside.

  “That’s probably Weston and Sarge.” She kissed Maverick, and he kissed her deeply, and then they reluctantly separated.

  He wanted to kiss her right into his bed. “Yeah, that’s Sarge’s truck. I can tell by the roar of his engine.” Maverick’s doorbell rang.

  “I’ll be able to recognize it from now on.”

  “Exactly. It’s a great ability to know if someone new has arrived unfamiliar to you or it’s someone you know.” Maverick answered the door. “Hey, Weston, Sarge.” He shook their hands and told them to come in.

  “Are the two of you mated yet?” Weston asked.

  “No,” Gina said. “And don’t ask. If it happens, we’ll let you know.”

  “If you’re not going to mate her, let me date her,” Sarge said.

  Maverick gave him a look like he couldn’t be serious.

  “Okay, I know that look, and that means a big fat no,” Sarge said.

  Maverick pulled on his parka, and she took his hand, telling everyone there she truly was with him. He liked the intimacy they shared. He couldn’t wait to run with her as a wolf again and really play with her if she was up for it.

  They all headed over to Josh and Brooke’s house, all lit up just like everything else. Maverick loved this time of year when everything was brightly illuminated. It was so cheery and welcoming.

  When they reached Josh and Brooke’s house, Brooke opened the door and greeted them. “Come in, come in. We’ll have drinks first, and then we’ll have dinner. We’re so glad you joined us too,” she said to Weston and Sarge.

  “Thanks for inviting us. Everything smells great,” Weston said. “With our sensitive sense of smell, I can’t believe how the aroma of food seems even more mouthwatering.” His stomach grumbled.

  They all smiled.

  “Okay, special Christmas cocktails all around. This is a combination of Irish cream, coffee liqueur, vodka, and double cream,” Brooke said.

  They took their drinks and said “Merry Christmas” to each other, clinking their glasses together.

  “Okay, what about battle plans?” Josh asked as they sat down in the living room, a crackling fire going, the Christmas tree all lit up.

  “Tomorrow night we’ll have dinner at our place,” Maverick said. “Leidolf plans to be at your house during dinner, if he didn’t already tell you, and will wait for us until one of us texts him. He’ll help turn one of the men. I guess it’s up to you or me to turn one or the other, however it works best.”

  “I can do it,” Brooke said.

  Josh ran his hand over her shoulder. “I’d prefer one of us to do it. I don’t want either of the men injuring you.”

  “I’ll still be backup,” she insisted.

  “I guess Weston and I can’t be backup,” Gina said.

  “No. Even if you could call on the shifting at will,” Maverick said, “it would be better if a royal turned the men.”

  “How are things going between the two of you?” Gina asked Weston and Sarge.

  “Good. He’s usually at work during the day, and I work at his place. We have dinner together, watch shows, and when I shift, we can go running together.”

  Gina reached over and squeezed Maverick’s hand. “I hope we can too again soon.”

  “I do too.”

  They finally ate dinner, and then Sarge and Weston left for the night. Maverick and Gina said goodnight after that and then left.

  “Are you ready for bed?” Maverick was ready for much more than that with Gina. He just hoped she wouldn’t get the urge to shift at the wrong time, not because he would be upset about it, but he was afraid she would be.

  Chapter 15

  Gina was sure ready for bed and lots more hot wolf loving from Maverick. They began getting ready for bed play, pulling off their clothes, and her blood was heating. But then she realized it wasn’t because they were getting ready to have sex. She was shifting!

  “No, no, the shift is coming on.” She was happy and disappointed at the same time. She really wanted to make love to Maverick, and she hoped he wasn’t frustrated with her. She could see where this could be a problem, especially if they were mated and they couldn’t just make love whenever they were ready and willing if the shifting issues came up at the same time.

  “Oh, ready for a run instead,” Maverick said, hurrying to help her out of the rest of her clothes. He sounded fine with switching gears so all of a sudden.

  She was so glad he was helping her pull off her clothes in a rush. She didn’t think she would have made it in time otherwise. Once she was naked, she couldn’t hold back the shift, but she still got in a super-quick kiss, and then she dropped to all fours and was a wolf. She howled, telling the world she’d mastered another shift one more time. It was the first time she had actually heard her own wolf howl.

  Quickly ditching the rest of his clothes, Maverick smiled, grabbed his phone, texted Randall, and shifted. Maverick and Gina raced each other to the wolf door, their nails clicking on the floor, their bodies bumping each other in playful fun.

  Now this was great. She figured he would have gotten to the wolf door first with his longer legs, but he was being a wolf gentleman and let her go first. She was glad he hadn’t locked the wolf door already as she barged through it. They would have to do it after they returned for the night, just in case she shifted and went sleepwalking again.

  Then he bolted after her through the wolf door and out of the house. She woofed, he howled, and they tore off together. Randall was running out of his house, waved at them, thumbs up to Gina, and headed to Maverick’s house to get her clothes for her, she figured.

  She was glad Randall would bring her clothes in the event she shifted back while they were on their snowy run. Small snowflakes fluttered in the air, catching on their wolf whiskers and eyebrows. She felt alive, free, wonderful as she chased around Maverick in circles, and he tried to catch her tail. She swore he was smiling while he did it.

  They played chase back and forth, and she heard the Jeep coming for them—Randall to the rescue, in case she needed it. But she sure hoped she wouldn’t because being with Maverick as wolves was so entertaining. She tried to stay on more of a beaten path so that Randall could follow them in the Jeep. Then she realized she was on the same trail as she’d been on last night. She’d left her scent from her paw pads. Oh, this was so cool!

  Okay, so if she went this far last night and didn’t shift all the way home, she should be able to this evening, she assumed. She paused and looked back at the ranch houses off in the distance, the Christmas lights all turned off for the night, yet she could still see the homes with her wolf’s night vision and the security lights illuminating certain key places on the ranch.