“Okay, let me think on it. I’ll get back with you.” Kolby said to Rosalie, “Do you have a dollar budget for your appliances?”

  “We’ve got the money, so that’s truly no object.”

  “All right. Well, I’ll talk to some folks, and I’ll check in with you to see what you would like to get.”

  “But you’re all set with Eric going horseback riding and meeting the other teens?” Rosalie asked.

  Absolutely not, but as soon as he got in his Jeep, Kolby was getting this done, even if he had to bribe a whole bunch of people. “Yeah, sure.”

  “I’ll go with the two of you to get Eric’s clothes. I want to be able to learn the bear’s scent, and know whether it’s a bear or a shifter,” Rosalie said.

  “Sure,” Kolby said.

  The three of them left the house and took off on a hike to the location of Eric’s clothes. When they reached them, Kolby said, “It’s Blue Bearsden. His first name is really Joh, but he goes by Blue. He probably was intrigued that he smelled the snow leopard’s scent on your clothes, Eric. But if you see him again, at least you’ll know who he is—in bear form or by scent.”

  “Okay, that’s good to know,” Rosalie said.

  “Yeah.” Eric bundled his clothes together and they headed back to the mansion.

  Once they reached the mansion, Kolby got into his Jeep, and Eric lovingly ran his hand over the hood before Kolby said goodbye. “I’ll talk to you soon.”

  Then he drove off, waving goodbye. Kolby believed he’d actually reached Eric a little. He hoped he didn’t screw up the small success he’d made so far. He couldn’t help but be thrilled that Rosalie was so relieved that he was getting her brother interested in something.

  As soon as Kolby drove down the road, he called Ted. “Hey, Kolby here. We need to set up a horse-riding lesson for Eric with the other teens his age at a homeschooling activity for ten tomorrow morning.”

  Ted laughed. “You’d better get cracking on it. It sounds like you’re getting a good start on mentoring Eric.”

  Ah, hell, Kolby should have known Ted would leave the job to him. Kolby quickly called the parents of the teens in question and put them on a conference call. “Hey, this is Kolby. I know it’s really short notice, but can all your teens come to the Haverton ranch to do horseback riding lessons at ten? I want them to meet the new teen in town, Eric Squire, who has moved into Wild Ridge Mansion. He’s fifteen, going on sixteen, and he wants riding lessons, but he also wants to meet others his age.”

  “The boy who’s a snow leopard?” April Hightower asked. “Oh, absolutely. Cathy and Sonny are excited to meet him.”

  “My Avery and Andy are also,” Becky Sorenson said.

  “Bobby also,” Deacon Mayflower said, his wife, Amy agreeing.

  Sissy’s mother, Elsie Miller, also confirmed that Sissy would love to go horseback riding any time.

  “Okay, well, he’s never been horseback riding, so I want everyone to know that ahead of time. He does beautiful fantasy artwork, so that might be something everyone can talk to him about.”

  “Don’t worry,” Becky said. “The kids will come up with topics on their own. Hopefully it won’t be all about asking if the mansion is haunted, but you know some of that will come up.”

  “Yeah, I wouldn’t be surprised. Also, his older sister, Rosalie, writes a published spell caster series and she said she would be interested in teaching the kids some creative writing,” Kolby said.

  “Oh, that would be wonderful. Cathy is always writing short stories,” April said.

  “That would be a great addition to their curriculum,” Becky said.

  And that was it. Kolby thought he wasn’t too bad at this after all. It helped to have a group of cougars who could provide a unified force whenever they needed them to. Then they ended the call and he arrived at the ranch and parked his Jeep. Ted waved at him and came over to speak with him. “We’ve got the horses and we’re free at ten for the riding lessons you’re going to give.”

  “Thanks, Ted. I arranged it with the parents. The kids are all eager to meet Eric.”

  “Good show. I knew you could do it.”

  Kolby sure hadn’t been certain.

  “So how did the inspection of the estate go?” Ted asked.

  “It went great. The place will be perfect for the party. But she needs to have all her appliances changed out. I’ll be helping her with that.”

  Ted smiled. “Fantastic. If you need any advice, just ask. And you know how Tracey is. She’s good at figuring out stuff like that. So ask her for some ideas too.”

  “Okay, I will.” Kolby would take all the input he could get. He called Rosalie back. “Hey, it’s me, Kolby. Everyone’s eager to meet Eric tomorrow and they’re also up for you to work with their teens on creative writing.”

  “Oh, wow, okay. I’ve taught some writing classes at libraries for kids before, so that will be fun.”

  Kolby was glad he had been able to set things up so that Rosalie and her brother would feel like they were more part of the cougar community. “Okay, I’ve got to check out some resources on your kitchen appliances and get back with you.” Here he was thinking of dating her, and instead he was too busy to even ask her out. But maybe this worked even better. “Oh, what about a new washer and dryer also?”

  “Yeah, we need the larger ones, industrial strength, to handle all the bedding in the mansion. Oh, I need to go. Someone’s at the door, Kolby,” Rosalie said.

  “Okay, I’ll talk to you later.” Things were looking up with Rosalie, Kolby thought. He couldn’t be more thrilled about it.

  Rosalie was so glad she and Eric had gone to Mrs. Fitz’s shop for lunch and met Kolby and that he was willing to help them out with so many chores. She had been setting up her office when Kolby called, and then she heard the doorbell ring. She hurried off to see who it was and answered the door.

  “Hi, I’m Shannon Buchanan, and my husband and I own the resort on Lake Buchanan.” She was striking with her golden eyes and dark hair, and she was carrying a beautiful basket filled with a bottle of cabernet, a variety of cheeses, and several kinds of crackers.

  “Oh, yes, come inside,” Rosalie said. “I understand your husband does woodworking.”

  “Exactly. Oh, this is a beautiful place. Chase would love to refinish things for you, if you’d like him to help you with it. He teaches kids wood crafting when he has time, and he could even bring a group out to help with it.”

  “That would be great.” As long as the kids didn’t destroy the beautiful wood.

  “Oh, this is for you to welcome you to the neighborhood.”

  “Thanks so much. It looks wonderful. Would you like a soda?” Rosalie took the basket of goodies from her.

  “Yeah, sure.”

  Rosalie took her in to see the kitchen and set the basket on the counter.

  “Oh, my, this would be perfect for an 80’s themed party,” Shannon said.

  “Right.” Rosalie offered her a choice of drinks and Shannon took one. “I really need to update it.”

  “We can help with that,” Shannon said.

  Rosalie felt overwhelmed by the generosity of the Yuma Town residents. She’d never expected this. “Kolby offered too.”

  “Good. We’ll coordinate with you and him on that. Believe me, if you want us to butt out at any time, just say so. You won’t hurt our feelings. We just want to help you out, but we don’t want you to feel we’re being too intrusive.”

  “No, no, thinking of renovating this place is really overwhelming and I’ve never done anything like this, so I really appreciate everyone’s help.”

  “Okay, great. But don’t ever feel like we’re taking over. We just want to assist. So what theme do you want to use for the Halloween party?” Shannon asked as Rosalie showed her the ballroom. “Oh, this is beautiful.”

  “It really is. It will make a great place for a party.”

  “Several.” Shannon glanced up at the spiderweb-covered chandelier. “We would pay to have big celebrations here.”

  “Well—”

  “We would insist on paying.”

  “All right.” Rosalie smiled. What could be better than having venues here that were attended by all shifters? How much fun would that be? “On the theme, how about spell casters, wizards, warlocks, and witches?”

  “That sounds like fun.”

  Eric came out of his art studio and said, “I finished getting my art room set up and started to paint again.” Then he saw Shannon. “Oh, sorry, I didn’t know you had company.”

  “Hi, I’m Shannon Buchanan. We all try to share our expertise in anything we do. If you would like, you could teach others about painting.”

  Eric beamed. “Would you like to see my artwork?”

  “You bet.” Shannon went with him, and Rosalie felt wonderful.

  Everyone was really bringing her brother out of his shell. This was the best thing she could ever have done for him. She hadn’t been sure at first when they moved in, and she saw how much work they had to do and how unhappy Eric had been about it.

  She followed them into the art studio, wondering what he’d done with the room. He’d already hung several of his paintings on the walls featuring centaurs, winged horses, unicorns, elves, fae, beautifully illustrated scenes that made her feel she could fall into their worlds and live there.

  He had his easel set up and all his paints were organized. She was always proud of how much he liked to keep things nice and neat, and it was perfect for showing off to anyone who visited.

  Shannon just gaped at the paintings. “Oh, you’ve got to teach us how you paint. Not just the kids, but the adults who would love to learn how to paint, even if they can’t create beautiful artwork like you. These are just stunning—the colors, the details, the realism.”

  “Thanks,” Eric said.

  Rosalie swore he hadn’t smiled this much since he had turned thirteen. She was thrilled to see him happy for a change. She hoped he would like the other teens, and no one would make him feel subconscious because he was a snow leopard and not a cougar like them.

  “I don’t know how to teach it, but I guess I can learn,” Eric said.

  “You can do it, Eric. And it would be fun. Heck, I’d love to learn how to paint, even though I know I’d never be as good as you at it,” Rosalie said.

  “No way, sis. You buy covers from me when you write your strictly fantasy stories. I don’t want to lose that book cover market.”

  Rosalie laughed. He could be cute when he wanted to be.

  “Well, I’m really excited about this. And having the party here. I need to get back to my place, but I just wanted to welcome you here and to the Yuma Town family,” Shannon said, finishing her soda.

  Rosalie thanked her for coming by and bringing the housewarming gift, then saw her to the door. “You made my brother’s day, by the way,” she said quietly to her.

  “His artwork is beautiful. He’ll inspire others with it.”

  “He’ll be thrilled about it.”

  Then they said goodbye and Rosalie went back to work on cleaning up the room where she would create her stories. The internet was working great. She had worried about that.

  She was back to work on the room when the doorbell rang again. She hurried off to see who it was this time. An older woman. When Rosalie opened the door to her, the woman smiled warmly.

  “Hi, I’m Mae Sorenson, some call me the cat lady. My momma cat, Spooks, had kittens and they’re two months’ old now. Since you’re living out here in a big old estate, I wondered if you could give one a home?” She pulled out her phone and showed her a picture of the all black kittens.

  “Aww, they’re adorable.”

  “I brought them with me. They’re ready for a home.”

  Rosalie smiled. There was no way she could turn down a cat. She hadn’t had one for years and with this big old place, it would be perfect.

  Then her brother came out to see who the new visitor was, and Mae smiled at him. “You’re the new snow leopard in town. Everyone is so excited about both of you taking over the old place.”

  “She’s offering us a cat.”

  Mae said, “I’ll bring them right in.”

  Smiling, Eric raised a brow at Rosalie. “I’m all for it,” she said. “What about you?”

  “We haven’t had one in years. Yeah, I’m game.”

  Mae brought a basket of black kittens inside. Eric and Rosalie were smiling and talking to the kittens.

  “We’ve got to have two of them so they can continue to socialize with each other,” Rosalie said, knowing her brother wanted more than just one.

  Eric laughed. “Yeah. Can we have two of them?” he asked Mae.

  “You sure can. They’ll have a ball exploring this big old place.”

  They picked out the two most playful of the litter and named the female Leia and Vader for the male.

  “I’ll be right back,” Mae said. “I have a couple of starter packages that go with the kittens as your welcome gifts.”

  “I’ll help you,” Eric offered, while Rosalie watched the kittens playing in a jumble of legs.

  When they returned to the house, they were carrying two cat litter boxes, kitty litter, food, squeaky, fuzzy play toys, and one climbing perch.

  “Oh, wow, thanks so much,” Rosalie said. She’d never expected all this.

  “It’s from me, but also from my son, Mick Sorenson, who is in charge of the department of Fish and Wildlife Services that Tracey and Hal Haverton work for, and my niece, Becky, and her teens, Avery and Andy.”

  “Thanks so much,” Eric said, sitting on the floor, playing with all the kittens now.

  “Can I fix you something to drink?” Rosalie belatedly asked.

  “Thank you, but I need to get home to the rest of my babies. Thanks so much for giving two of them a home.”

  Eric helped Mae out with the basket of four kittens, while Rosalie held onto Leia and Vader, and they said their goodbyes.

  “I love this place already,” Eric said, returning to the mansion with Rosalie. “So where do we set up the kitty cat room? Can they be in my room at night?”

  She smiled. “They sure can.”

  Rosalie and Eric had pizzas that night, and then they cleaned up and she sat on a chair in his bedroom in the tower for a while, playing with the kittens. Now she wished his room was closer to hers. The mansion was spooky at night. Though thankfully, their cat eyes could see well at night. “We can move your mattress to the bed in the room next to mine if you’d like.”

  “Are you scared?”

  She smiled. “I might sleep as a cougar tonight.”

  He laughed. “I might sleep as a snow leopard. I think it’s going to really work out well here for us. We’ll see what happens tomorrow though.”

  “You’ll be fine.” At least she sure hoped so.

  “Okay, I’m going to bed, but if you get lonely, let me know and I can curl up at the foot of your bed in my fur coat,” Eric said.

  “Ditto for me. If you find me sleeping on the foot of your bed, think nothing of it.”

  He chuckled. “Uhm, do you think there are any ghosts here?”

  “No.” She’d purposefully not brought up the notion of ghosts when they moved in. She didn’t want him to worry about them. She really didn’t think there were any here.

  Then she finally retired to her bed while he went to sleep in his. Or at least she hoped he’d sleep just fine. She’d heard strange noises all day in the mansion, but it was a big place and even if it had just been a normal home, hearing strange noises wouldn’t be unusual.

  She’d done research about the old place and found the original owners had died there, both due to natural causes, two years apart, the husband dying after his wife had passed on.

  She was surprised there hadn’t been a lot of vandalism, but she wondered if that was due to the vigilance of the sheriff’s department and the local community being all cougars.

  She climbed under her sheets. She was glad she had her own bedding. She wouldn’t have been able to breathe if she’d had to sleep on the original dusty bedding. Closing her eyes, she sighed. This had been one interesting and exciting day.

  She heard the wind blowing against the window, knew it was cold out, but inside the mansion she was nice and warm. Tomorrow morning when it was still dark out, she wanted to run as a cougar with her brother. She had meant to tonight, but they had worked so hard on the house, that by the time it was dark, she was worn out. Eric, to her surprise, was too. So tomorrow, they would first thing, before Mrs. Fitz brought their breakfast and Eric took off for his riding lessons.

  She was thinking about running with Kolby too. And other cougars also. But especially with Kolby. She was thinking Eric might want to run with his new friends also.

  She was about to drift off to sleep when she heard Eric padding into her room on his big cat paws. She should have helped him move his mattress to the room next to hers. He might be nearly sixteen, but he was still a kid, and he appeared nervous about the new place.

  She smiled at him and patted the bed. He leaped onto the bed and then she could sleep with him being near like that, just like he could.

  Yet in the middle of the night something woke them both. Eric lifted his head then leapt off the bed. “I’ll be right there with you,” she said.

  Eric left the room, and she pulled off her pajamas, felt the heat warming her muscles, her muscles stretching, and then she suddenly shifted and leaped from the bed. She ran into the hall where her brother was listening for whatever sound they’d heard that had woken them. She was glad he’d been with her.

  The two of them moved quietly down the hall and she thought the sound had come from downstairs. She headed down the stairs, her paws silent, the stairs not creaking like when they walked down it as humans.

  Eric was right behind her, his nose touching the tip of her tail from time to time when she flicked it past his face. He was sticking close to her, and she was glad he was.

  They finally made it down to the bottom of the stairs and began searching each of the rooms downstairs—the kitchen, dining rooms, living area, ballroom, her office, his art studio, the library, the den, the foyer and the meeting rooms.