“It’s my favorite when I’ve come here with my boss. So what are you working on right now? Anything exciting? If it’s okay for you to talk about it.”

  “I’m trying to track down a missing German shepherd. He raced out of his backyard when the yardmen came in to mow.”

  “Any leads?”

  “No. I’m afraid someone found him and just kept him. According to his family, he’s super friendly and will go to anyone who has a kind word to say to him.”

  “Oh dear. I love animals, so I know how hard that would be for a family to lose one. Maybe I could help you look for him after we run. With our enhanced sense of smell, we would make a great team.”

  “Sure, if you don’t mind looking for a missing dog on a date.”

  “No, I’d love to help you.”

  He appreciated the offer, and it would be nice to have the company. They finally finished their meals and Max said, “I’ll need to thank your Ms. Tynan for both a delightful dinner and dinner companion.”

  “She’ll be thrilled it worked out. Not that anything more will come of this…” Becky quickly said, as if she was afraid to sound like it was a given that he would want to see her again. Especially if it was on his own money.

  “Yeah, well, I was thinking about that. No time like the present to make another date. How about… Well, I guess we need to see if your boss can release you for another date first.”

  Becky smiled. “I’ll text her now to ask her. Don’t pay a tip,” she quickly said when he pulled his wallet out of his pocket. “She has already done so.” Becky got a response right away. “My boss is okay with it, but she insists that the only time she can afford to lose me this coming week is tomorrow night. Is that too soon? I just need to make a reservation for her and a companion at this restaurant for tomorrow night and I’ll be free. She also said to enjoy my time with you tonight. I hope she doesn’t think I’m into one-night stands.”

  He chuckled. “I know that’s not the case, not when we are what we are. Are you ready to go?”

  “Oh, yes, I can’t wait to run.”

  Just as she said she would, she followed him home in her car, and he wondered if she was surprised he owned a place with acreage that adjoined his boss’s place. Then he showed her the guest room where she could strip and shift, and he went to his bedroom to do so. He met her in the living room where she was waiting for him, a pretty black wolf, her tongue hanging out, appearing to be eager to run with him. Just as much as he was eager to run with her as a wolf.

  They took off through the wolf door and raced through the woods to the river beyond. The property had wildlife cameras all over it, and anyone monitoring them could see that wolves were running on the property. They would know him, but they wouldn’t have a clue who the pretty black wolf was. He was so glad Ryan had told him he couldn’t swap with Asher to take the assignment. Asher would be disappointed that he hadn’t gotten the job, once he learned of it. Who would ever have thought it would have turned out this well?

  They ran with each other, him leading the way, her exploring and smelling the scents of rabbits and deer, of other wolves, and he imagined she would be surprised to smell all the wolves in the area. Was there a wolf pack in Mountain View? He wondered too where her family was. He hadn’t mentioned his either though. He had to remind himself they’d had just one date. He couldn’t expect for them to know each other’s life history after one dinner out.

  Chapter 2

  Becky really liked Max, and she hoped she could continue to date him without it interfering with their work. Cute smile, great dimples, dark hair and dark-brown eyes that melted her heart defined him. His hair was a little longish and he wore a trimmed beard. He looked like he was about six two, like her dad and brother were, while her mother and sister and she all were five seven.

  His suit was light gray; his shirt was even lighter and complemented his hair and eyes. The shirt was open at the collar and a couple of buttons below were unfastened, which made him appear both dressy, casual, wolfish, and sexy.

  He was the perfect gentleman at dinner…and then offering for her to run with him on his pack’s property? She knew he liked her well enough to extend the date night a bit. She would never have thought a blind date could be this nice and lead to a wolf run.

  She smelled all kinds of wolves that had been in the area, and that made her wonder how big the pack was. She’d belonged to one when she was growing up, but they only had six other wolves in their pack. What would they think of her going on a blind date? They wouldn’t have approved. But it turned out all right, hadn’t it?

  They were running toward a river. She could hear the sound of it flowing and smell the water when suddenly rain began pouring down. She loved the rain, so she didn’t mind getting wet. Their outer coats would repel much of the moisture, their inner coats keeping them warm and dry, though it was a nice warm summer evening, so getting cold wasn’t an issue.

  She wondered if they would run into any other wolves out here.

  But she also wondered why her employer had contacted Max’s boss to hire just him. Pamela couldn’t know he was a wolf, but she suspected, from the way Max spoke of them, that his boss hired only wolves. She was feeling great, excited about running with a wolf. Max’s dark-gray saddle was surrounded by lighter gray fur, his belly fur and under his chin all blond and his muzzle a light gray, though he had a dark-gray mask on the top of his head and face. He seemed to enjoy running with her as much as she enjoyed running with him.

  The rain didn’t make any difference to her, and she was glad Max hadn’t stopped to return her home as if she was so fragile she would melt. Maybe he was afraid she would end the date with him, but she was serious. She wanted to help him look for the missing dog first. She loved her job, but she didn’t do anything like this, nothing where she could use her special wolf skills. Sometimes, she wished she worked for someone who was a wolf and would know how important that was to her.

  They reached the river and drank from it, and then he nuzzled her in a way that said he was glad she was with him. She reciprocated, and then he indicated he was ready to return home if she was.

  She agreed and they raced off to see who could reach the house first. She hadn’t raced with a male wolf on a date ever. He gave her the lead, and she thought he was cute for doing so. Though she was fast, so he might not have needed to. They would have to test their speed some other time. For their first date, this was perfect.

  As soon as they arrived at the house, they heard both their phones ringing. She’d known the bliss couldn’t last long. She hurried into the guest room, shifted, and shut the door. She was so hoping Pamela didn’t need her home right away. “Hello?”

  “Hey, I didn’t want to interrupt you about anything, but I was just checking on you to make sure you’re all right.”

  Becky smiled. She’d be even better if her employer would give her the whole night off. “Yes, we’re having fun. He’s a PI and is looking into the disappearance of a family’s German shepherd. I offered to help him look for the dog.” After telling her boss that Max was a PI, she realized Pamela already knew that.

  “Oh good. I just wanted to make sure I hadn’t done anything wrong in setting you up on a blind date you hadn’t enjoyed. Though I guess if you’re having another date tomorrow night, things are working out.”

  “Yes, thanks, Pamela. We’re having fun.”

  “Enjoy the rest of your time with your date. And good luck with finding the dog.”

  “Thanks.” Then they ended the call and Becky sighed with relief.

  As soon as she was dressed, she joined Max in the living room. She was eager to help him look for the dog.

  “Here’s Bear’s scent.” Max handed her the collar. “I kept it with me in case I find him, and I’ve got his leash in the car. We’ll park at the homeowners’ home and then take off on foot from there. I’ll let them know we’re coming so we can park in their circular drive.”

  “Okay, good idea.” She so hoped they could find the dog. “When you find their dog, then what? You’ll have another assignment to work on?”

  They climbed into his car and took off down the road.

  “I always have several cases I’m dealing with at the same time. Like the missing dog case, the blind date mission—”

  She laughed. “Hopefully, you’ll see that as a mission accomplished.”

  “Yeah, in the best of ways, and I’m going to tell my boss to refund Ms. Tynan’s fee for hiring me for the job, if Ryan had accepted one.”

  She laughed. “Pamela would not take a refund, believe me. She hired you in good faith.”

  “Was that a call from your boss?”

  “Yeah, she was just checking to see if we were still enjoying our time together. What about your call?”

  “From Ryan, asking the same thing of me. He was astounded and glad to hear you are a wolf.”

  At least the rain had stopped when they finally reached the dog owners’ two-story brick home and its big circular drive and parked. Becky was surprised they didn’t have an ornate fence and electronic gate out front, but none of the other fancy homes in the area did either.

  “Do you worry that a thief stole the dog to resell?” That was what she would be concerned about.

  “I worry more about someone in the neighborhood calling the police because two people are roaming through the neighborhood looking for a dog.”

  “Oh, I hadn’t thought of that.”

  “We have a couple of gray wolves on the police force, and everyone knows the mayor and that his investigators are good at their jobs—if the police get called to check us out. And I’m sure you have nothing to worry about since your employer is someone important.”

  “Right. I just don’t want to drag her name into it if we are picked up for looking suspicious, if I can help it.”

  “I don’t blame you.”

  After he texted the dog’s owners, they got out of the car. With collar and leash in hand, Max and Becky began walking through the neighborhood, searching for Bear’s scent.

  “When did he go missing?” Becky asked.

  “Just yesterday afternoon. I came right away, but I couldn’t find any sign of him.”

  “Did they take him in any particular direction when they took him for walks?”

  “No. They left food out for him, but raccoons ate it.”

  “Oh, that’s not good.”

  They had walked about two miles around the houses, though all of them had fenced-in backyards. Unless the dog jumped one, he wouldn’t be in someone else’s yard. Unless someone took him into their yard or home.

  Max finally said, “We could be at this all night—”

  “Wait, I hear something. Scratching? Bear! Are you there?” She thought she heard some noise from the garage of the two-story stucco home they were approaching.

  A dog yipped in the garage.

  “Bear!” Max called out.

  The dog barked. But it wasn’t alerting its owners that someone was trespassing on their property. It was a happy bark that said he recognized his name but couldn’t reach them to greet them properly.

  “That’s got to be him,” Becky said. “I don’t smell his scent here, but if they picked him up in a vehicle, they could have brought him here and left him in the garage.”

  “When I went by yesterday to ask all the neighbors if they’d seen any sign of the dog, these owners weren’t home. I checked again earlier today, same thing. No one was home. No barking either though.” Max went to the front door and knocked.

  A dog in the house was barking, and so was the one in the garage. They sounded similar in breed and size.

  No one answered, and Becky was afraid the owners didn’t want to open their door to strangers. She didn’t blame them.

  Max called out, “I’m a private investigator searching for a missing German shepherd that goes by the name of Bear. I believe he’s the dog in your garage.”

  A man came to the door then and frowned at him. “Have you got some ID?”

  “Yes, sir.” Max showed him his ID and a picture of Bear and his collar and leash with his name and address on them. “You can verify with the pet owners that they hired me to locate him.” He gave the man the owner’s number.

  “You’re with the mayor’s PI agency?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Come on in,” he said. “I just brought my wife home from the hospital. The dogs were staying with friends. I didn’t have time to locate the owners.”

  “No problem. They’ll be thrilled to get him back.”

  The man led them into the garage and Bear greeted them all. Max put on his collar and leash.

  “Where’s your vehicle?” the man asked.

  “We’ve been walking through the neighborhood, searching for Bear, hoping he was still in the area.” Max explained how the dog had gotten out of the family’s yard.

  The man shook his head. “My yardmen were here when Bear came into the yard to greet them. They thought the dog belonged to me so they shut him up in the yard. Imagine my surprise to find an extra German shepherd at my house. Sally, my German shepherd, was in the house at the time and she adores Bear.”

  Max and Becky smiled.

  “I’m glad you came to get him. At my age, I’m too old to have a bunch of grand puppies.”

  They laughed.

  “Thanks for taking care of him,” Max said.

  “Sure thing.”

  Then Max and Becky headed back to the owners’ home about a mile away.

  “I ought to take you on more of my cases. You’re my good luck charm,” Max said to Becky.

  “I’m glad we found him, and I can’t wait to see the happy reunion.” She couldn’t think of a happier moment for all parties concerned.

  But before that could happen, Max was texting the owners the good news.

  “I bet they’re excited.”

  “Yeah. They wanted to drive out and pick him up, but I told them we’re giving him a good walk home,” Max said.

  “He smells like he could use a bath,” Becky said, wrinkling her nose.

  Bear wagged his tail at her, looking to be having the time of his life. New friends, a nice long walk. Yeah, nothing could be better until he returned home to his family.

  When they finally reached the house, the man and his wife and three boys of about seven through ten years of age rushed out of the house to greet Bear. He was just as happy to see them as they were to see him, his tail wagging hard, his tongue licking their faces, then all giving him affectionate hugs.

  “We can’t thank you enough,” the man said.

  “We’re just glad we finally found him,” Max said.

  Then they said their good nights and Max drove Becky back to his place. He got them some glasses of water, and after they had their fill, she had to head home.

  “I’ve had a lovely time with you tonight, Max. It couldn’t have been better.”

  “I agree.” He kissed her lightly on the lips, and she kissed him back and smiled. “’Night, Becky.”

  “’Night.” She got into her car and drove home feeling heavenly. She thoroughly enjoyed a fantastic dinner with Max and a lovely wolf run, and the perfect culmination of the events tonight? Finding and returning a beloved pet home to his family.

  She finally arrived home and had barely gotten inside when Pamela called. Becky was so ready to just call it a night and bask in the delightful evening she’d spent with Max. She didn’t want to think about work right now.

  “Hello, Pamela.”

  “Did you find the dog?”

  “Yes, we did. Seeing him with his family was truly heartwarming.” But Becky suspected that wasn’t why her employer had called her.

  “Does he seem like a…good PI?”

  “Of course. I’m sure that the mayor would hire only the best for his agency’s reputation.” Not to mention, Max was a wolf.

  “You’re sure?”

  “Well, yes.” Becky wondered what this was all about. Pamela seemed so serious.

  “Okay, I want you to hire him for a job for me.”

  That was why Pamela set Becky up on a blind date with a PI? So Becky could investigate the PI for her? That was hilarious. Wouldn’t Max be amused that Becky had been investigating him even though she hadn’t known it either!

  “I need him to find the man who was to be my husband, but I don’t want anyone to know about it. No one, all right? Can Max be fully trusted with this confidential information?”

  “Husband?” When in the world did that happen?

  “Yes, yes, it’s something no one knows about. I’m an only child, and when I fell in love with Christopher Anderson, my parents were furious with the both of us. They said if I insisted on marrying him, I would lose all my inheritance in the event of their deaths. Well, I’ve finally received the rest of my inheritance, and I’m going to do what I have always wanted to do. Be with him. He’s kind and generous, and I think he still loves me like I love him.”

  The first thing Becky wondered was if the man truly loved Pamela or if he was a gold digger, waiting in the wings for her to come into her inheritance.

  “In heart we were all but married, but we couldn’t risk actually getting married. If either of my parents learned the truth about it, they would have given all of my inheritance away to a cousin. Now, I know it sounds cavalier, if I truly loved him, I would have given up the inheritance to be with him—”

  “But it was his idea for you not to throw it all away for him, right?” Becky hadn’t meant to sound like she didn’t trust the guy’s motives, though she didn’t in the least. When a woman fell in love with someone, she could easily be swayed into believing the guy loved her too. Becky had been down that road, so she knew something about it.

  “Right. I know how it sounds. If he’d wanted to marry me without hesitation, casting aside the money, and all that mattered was me, it would seem more legitimate. I understand that. And I’m no dummy.”