“Would they have kicked me out?”

  “You bet.”

  She laughed. Then she kissed him and hurried to the pool and jumped in. Laps first. She was very much a goal-oriented person. Then playing in the water came next.

  When they finished swimming laps and playing, Gabrielle left the water first and dried herself off while Landon joined her, grabbed his towel, and began running it over his body.

  “You can stay with me if you want tonight,” she said.

  He smiled broadly at her. “Hell yeah. I was trying to come up with a reason you needed me to spend the night.”

  She smiled at him and slipped on her cover-up and flip-flops. “I’m just glad I don’t have to beg you to stay.”

  He laughed. “No way.”

  * * *

  The next day, Gabrielle and Landon swam, skied, and had lunch, and then they joined the rest of the family to build the top of the snowman and decorate him.

  The last section of the snowman took them longer than they anticipated because they had to take the snow up two different ladders. When they were finally done, they were able to decorate the snowman. The largest carrot Roxie could find in the grocery store worked for the nose. Landon and Blake found fallen tree branches in the woods for the arms. Nicole and Gabrielle sorted through Nicole’s button supply, Roxie and Kayla going through theirs until they had the largest black buttons they could find for the snowman’s clothes. Kayla gave up her red-and-green-striped elf ski hat with a long tassel and matching red and green scarf to dress the snowman.

  Nicole brought out some blush she’d picked up just for the snowman, and they gave him rosy cheeks. Red buttons made the smile.

  They stood back and looked at their snowman that was about ten feet tall, trying to figure out what else they could add.

  “A string banner of Merry Christmas in red, green, and white!” Roxie said. “I’ll go get it.”

  “This is great,” Gabrielle said. “Next year, I think he should be holding a wolf puppy.”

  “A giant snowman holding a wolf pup it is. Though we’re going to have to practice making one.” Landon wrapped his arm around Gabrielle’s shoulders.

  With the banner in hand, Roxie ran out into the snow. The whole area around the snowman was wiped clean, and Blake and Landon got on the ladders to string up the banner. “How about Sparkle for the snowman’s name?”

  “Yeah, I like that. Do you have birdseed?” Gabrielle asked.

  “Yeah, we feed the birds year-round,” Roxie said.

  Gabrielle smiled. “Maybe we can prop something on the snowman’s hat and the birds could come and feed.”

  “I’ve got just the right dish for it. It’s plastic but has poinsettias on it, so it’s the perfect color scheme,” Kayla said, and headed inside.

  Once she came back outside, Landon put the dish feeder filled with birdseed on top of the snowman’s hat and climbed down the ladder. “I hope we don’t have to keep refilling the feeder.”

  “No, it’s just for the display,” Roxie said.

  They called for Jake Silver to come take pictures for the snowman and snow sculpture contest.

  When he arrived, Jake smiled. “I heard about the giant snowman. Don’t be surprised if people hear about it and come to take selfies.”

  Gabrielle figured that was a good indication the Wolff family could win.

  “Anyone is welcome to do so,” Blake said.

  “You know, we should add some battery-operated Christmas lights to Sparkle to light him up at night,” Roxie said. “Then that really suits his name.”

  “I’ll go get some. We had extra lights left over, and I wasn’t sure what to do with them,” Nicole said and returned to her house.

  “I’ll come back later to take pictures of the lighted, um, Sparkle, tonight,” Jake said. “I suspect you might just have the winner this year.”

  Everyone smiled to hear it. It had been a lot of work.

  After Jake left, Nicole returned with the Christmas lights and they all helped to hang them up all over the snowman.

  Gabrielle couldn’t wait to see it all lit up at night. “It’s probably time for my friends to arrive. And I need to get warmed up,” she said.

  “Thanks for all your help with this,” Nicole said. “This is the best snowman ever.”

  “Yeah, it is,” Roxie said. “I can’t wait to capture some photos of birds eating off the birdfeeder when we’re not all gathered around scaring them off.”

  The others went inside the houses, but Landon walked Gabrielle back to the lodge.

  “More hot chocolate to warm you up before your friends arrive?” Landon asked Gabrielle.

  “Yes, thanks. Hot chocolate is perfect for a place like this. I rarely drink it back home. Iced tea is just about all I drink.”

  “I don’t blame you. In a hot climate, I would be drinking a lot of cold drinks. Do you want to sit by the fireplace with Rosco?” He wasn’t sure if she wanted him to let her wait for her friends alone while she gathered her thoughts or if she would like his company.

  “Yeah, let’s do that.” As if she knew what he was thinking, she reached over and took his hand and squeezed. “Thanks for waiting with me. I keep thinking they will text again to say they’re not coming.”

  “They’re coming. They’re on the plane and should be here soon. Lelandi said she’s picking them up at three and their plane is on time.” Landon had checked with Lelandi because he was hoping Gabrielle’s friends wouldn’t disappoint her again, but if they had, he was going to cheer her up.

  When the jaguar sisters finally arrived at the lodge, they were just as happy to see Gabrielle as they were to meet Landon. Both were dark-haired and blue-eyed, but Odette was the taller of the twin sisters, and the older. Zelda, the younger, had sun-lightened streaks in her dark hair. They hugged Gabrielle, giving her warm smiles. Then they both gave Landon hugs as if he was just as important to them as Gabrielle was.

  It cheered him that Gabrielle’s friends treated him with friendship. “We’re glad you finally made it and that I had time to be alone with Gabrielle for the last three and a half days.”

  “Well, now that we’re here, you are not going to get rid of her so easily,” Odette said, patting him on the shoulder.

  He smiled. “That is good to hear.”

  “We’re going on the expert slopes tonight after dinner, and we hope you’ll take her down the intermediate slopes,” Zelda said. “We hope you’ll join us for dinner too.”

  He opened his mouth to speak, thinking the ladies would like to have dinner together alone, but Gabrielle smiled. “I agree. We’ll go up to the room and Odette and Zelda can unpack and then we’ll come down and have dinner.”

  “All right. I’ll see you in a little bit.” He was delighted.

  * * *

  Up in their suite, Gabrielle sat on one of the beds and watched the sisters unpack. “Thanks for being so nice to Landon. Here I thought you both were falling for the wolf.”

  “Ohmigod, if he was a jaguar, I sure would be,” Odette said, unpacking her panties and bras into a drawer. “You wouldn’t stand a chance. I would steal him right out from under you.” Then she paused and sighed. “I love the lodge too. It’s so beautifully decorated for Christmas.”

  “Oh, me too,” Zelda said. “As for Landon, he is gorgeous and so sweet. If he had been a jaguar, you would have had to fight me for him, Odette.” Then she finished hanging her clothes in the closet. “How can you even stand to return to Daytona Beach without him, Gabrielle?”

  “I will be so busy working and getting ready to move, I won’t have time to think.”

  “Ha!” Odette said. “You will be thinking of him when you are away from here as much as I’m sure he will be thinking of you. So you might as well get him out of your system in the next few days until you can return here.”

  Gabrielle laughed. Odette’s words were so true. Though she was certain she wouldn’t get him out of her system before she left.

  “Odette’s right. You know if we had met a hunky…well, jaguar, we would want you to do the same for us.”

  “But we were supposed to do all this stuff together,” Gabrielle reminded them.

  They smiled at her.

  “We were supposed to help you find a wolf and encourage you to join the pack and take over the vet clinic.” Odette shrugged. “Now it’s up to you to hang on to that sexy wolf. The part owner of this beautiful lodge? You are sooo lucky.”

  “I told you it was fate that Lelandi didn’t pair her up with a hot ski instructor instead,” Zelda said. “Oh, and tell us you’re not staying with us at the lodge now, but you’re staying with that hunky wolf. You know, it could be dangerous to room with us, just in case our perp tries to track us down.”

  “You never mentioned that before.” Gabrielle didn’t believe it for an instant.

  “You never told us just how hot Landon is,” Zelda said.

  Yet, that’s just what Gabrielle had wanted to do—move in with Landon at his house and stay in the guest room, if it was truly more soundproof. But she hadn’t wanted her friends to feel she was slighting them.

  “Yeah, what Zelda says. We’re trained in hand-to-hand combat, if the woman shows up here. We sure don’t want you to be in the midst of danger,” Odette said.

  Gabrielle smiled. She knew they were just teasing her.

  “Right. We’re serious about this.” Zelda looked perfectly—serious. “What if it takes you a couple of months or more before you can return here? You would be kicking yourself for not spending every precious moment with Landon for as long as you could before you have to leave.”

  “Landon did say I could stay in the guest room at the home that he shares with his sisters.”

  “There, see? Pack your bags. When we are finished with dinner, or skiing, you’ll need to haul your bags right over there,” Zelda said. “Though if he’s busy with lodge business, we’ll help you.”

  “Well, after we ski, we’ll want to swim.” Gabrielle did want to stay with Landon for the rest of the time she was here. Once she was finished packing her bags, but leaving her swimsuit out, she glanced at the stuffed jaguar. “I didn’t smell any jaguar scent on your gift.”

  The sisters took a minute to look the box, paper, card, and jaguar over.

  “Hmm, so we have a new mystery.” Odette was frowning as she tried to smell anything from any of the items. “I smell wolves have touched it. And you, of course, Gabrielle.”

  “Same here,” Zelda said, checking all the items over.

  “Are you sure there wouldn’t be anyone you know who might send you a Secret Santa gift and who knew you were coming to the resort?” Gabrielle asked.

  “You, our boss, and a half-dozen other people with the JAG agency who knew we were going on vacation,” Zelda said.

  “And no known boyfriends?” Gabrielle couldn’t believe a random jaguar who didn’t leave a scent on the package would have sent it. She knew the sisters had dated a lot of jaguars, but neither of them was interested enough to settle down with any of them. What if one of them had a secret admirer who was afraid to just come out and say so?

  “Nope,” the twins said at the same time.

  “Then it must be a secret admirer,” Gabrielle said.

  “Yeah, but if so, it’s a secret as to which of us he’s admiring too,” Odette said. “That doesn’t work for me.”

  “Me neither,” Zelda said.

  “Okay, well, it sounds like a mystery for the two of you to unravel.” The radio/alarm clock on the table caught Gabrielle’s attention. “Are you ready for dinner?”

  “Yeah, I’m starving.” Odette grabbed her purse.

  “Me too.” Zelda lifted her room key off the chest of drawers. “We’re eating at the restaurant here, right?”

  “Yeah. The food is great.” Gabrielle led them out of the room and down the stairs and saw Landon talking to somebody in the lobby. Then she realized it was Brando. Ugh. She hoped he wasn’t causing trouble.

  “Hey, isn’t that the guy you went out to dinner with in Daytona Beach? He was from Alabama or Georgia or somewhere close to there,” Zelda said.

  “Yeah, he’s from Georgia. I never heard from him after that and then he saw me here. I figure he wanted to have a couple of dates, nothing real between us, but just as a diversion.”

  “He’s not alone, right?” Odette asked.

  “No, he’s got a couple of his buddies with him. They came with Brando that time I saw him in Daytona Beach too.” Gabrielle waved at Landon, and he smiled at her and said something more to Brando, then headed toward them.

  She wondered what was up with the talk between Landon and Brando.

  Landon glanced at her bags, smiled, and gave her a hug.

  “My friends are kicking me out of the room,” Gabrielle said. “I left our swimsuits in the room so we could change, and then we can change back after that.” She shrugged. “Maybe my friends thought we might get carried away. I have no idea where they would come up with that idea.”

  “They’re JAG agents. Very intuitive. I’ll take your bags to the office, and we’ll carry them to the house after we swim.” He took her bags off to the office.

  “Man, he’s droolworthy,” Zelda said.

  “Oh, yeah. He has got all the right moves,” Odette said.

  Gabrielle was amused. She’d never heard her friends talk about a wolf like that. If they were trying to convince her Landon was the one for her, she didn’t need much convincing.

  Landon hurried back. “Are you ladies ready for dinner? It’s on the family.”

  “Wow, thanks,” Zelda said. “Here we planned to pay for dinner for you since you’ve been so good about taking care of Gabrielle while she waited for us to join her.”

  “It was totally my pleasure.”

  “Well, thanks so much,” Odette said.

  Then they all went inside and got a booth. Gabrielle and Landon sat together on one side, and the sisters on the other.

  “I love all your wolf decorations,” Zelda said. “This is such a fun place. We had made reservations at the Silver Town Inn last year before you had built the lodge, so we never got to see it.”

  “Yeah, this is a great addition to everything the resort offers. Gabrielle told us that the Silver Town Tavern is for shifters only. We would love to try it out too.”

  “It’s a great place to have dinner,” Landon said.

  “Hmm, okay, then tomorrow night, if you don’t have any other plans, we’ll take you to dinner there,” Zelda said, “if you can drive us.”

  Landon chuckled. “Thanks, sure, we can go there.”

  Gabrielle was glad the ladies had asked him to go with them tomorrow night too. “So what was the deal with Brando, Landon?”

  “He wanted you to know he really likes you and he had planned to get together with you again in Daytona Beach.”

  “And you told him I’m going to be returning here to live and work permanently?”

  “I did mention it. And that you’re seeing me, and it’s not a one-time affair. He said he’d been busy but he had planned to get back together with you.”

  “Yeah, like that would ever have happened. He hasn’t thought of me since he left, until he saw me here.”

  “Hopefully he’ll quit pestering you from now on.”

  “Let’s order the pizza,” Odette said. “Ever since you sent us the picture of the one you were having that they made in the form of a Christmas wreath, I’ve wanted to try it.”

  “Yeah, that’s what I want too,” Zelda said.

  Landon waited for Gabrielle to decide on something.

  “I think the blue-cheese-topped burger is the one for me. And the vinegar fries.”

  “Okay, I’ll have the mushroom burger,” Landon said.

  Zelda and Odette agreed on the toppings they wanted on the pizza they would share.

  “After skiing tomorrow night, we thought we would take a run in the snow,” Zelda said.

  “We’ll be going swimming after skiing.” Gabrielle didn’t want to give up what had become her fun routine with Landon.

  “Oh, sure, we could run after that, unless you are too tired,” Odette said.

  “No, we can do that.”

  “Since it’s safe here, we wanted to make the most of our runs. We did last year when we came. We did startle a couple of wolves accidentally, but I’m sure they had a good laugh over it later,” Zelda said.

  “We sure did,” Odette said.

  Landon laughed. “We missed hearing about it. I’m sure the wolves who had been scared by a couple of jaguars running through the woods here would have mentioned it to the rest of the pack.”

  “We would be honored if you all came with us,” Odette said.

  Gabrielle cringed. She hadn’t told her friends that Landon and his family couldn’t shift to run the rest of the time she was here. The moon wasn’t strong enough.

  “We’re not royals, if you know anything about that,” Landon said. “But Blake’s mate, Nicole, can run with you if she would like.”

  “I’ll ask her,” Gabrielle said. “But she might want to spend the time with Blake instead.”

  “We were thinking it would be fun to run on Doc Mitchell’s acreage. You haven’t really seen the property as a wolf, right?” Odette asked Gabrielle.

  “No, I haven’t and yeah, that would be fun. I need to ask Doc Mitchell if it’s okay. It has a river, too, and I want to see it.”

  “The pack leaders own tons of acres of land and that’s where we ran last time. So if Doc Mitchell is reluctant to have us run on his land, we can run on the pack leaders’ property,” Zelda said.

  Their meals came and Gabrielle said, “I’ll call him, just to be sure.” She got her phone out, and while her friends were taking pictures of their Christmas pizza pie to share with their friends, she called him. “Hi, Doc Mitchell, this is Gabrielle.”