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"She puts on airs that she’s strong and doesn’t need anyone to look after her while she’s supposed to take care of everyone else Don’t believe it Under that competent, no-nonsense, skilled nurse is a woman who needs soood candidate for her, but they quarrel a lot in a lighthearted way And To half the tiht want to step in and make a bid for her I can only say she’d be worth it"
She smiled broadly, then closed the door and left Ryan in peace
He didn’t like hearing that Jake was quarreling with Carol After all she’d been through, she needed someone as supportive and not confrontational He shifted and threw on his clothes, thinking about what Bertha had said about hiuessed he could be described in that way Also h
But in the market for a mate? He shook his head All he needed were answers
His cell phone rang and he grabbed it Rosalind "Hello? What’s wrong?"
"Did you see her?"
No matter how many times he told his sister this was strictly business, he couldn’t convince her "I plan to see her tomorrow" At least that was the plan
Chapter 3
THE NEXT MORNING, APPREHENSIVE AS TO WHETHER Jake or Toht, Carol hurried to dress in jeans, her favorite soft violet sweater that always made her feel ready for any adventure, and a pair of tennis shoes If the brothers had had heated words with Ryan, no one had said a thing about it to her Whichthe truth from her
Sneaking away to see Ryan privately was going to be a real challenge, if Darien and his brothers hadn’t warned hied to slip into the festival Not knohat to expect at the spring affair, since only olves were allowed and she hadn’t been to one before, she had been excited to participate
She had barely slept, wondering what Ryan had wanted of her and hoping he hadn’t gotten into a lot of trouble with Darien and his brothers the previous night Not to mention that twiceprelude to the shift Thankfully, she’d been able to stop it both ti vision of the man in red and white stripes
Festive pipe-and-whistlein the meadow near the woods, and that lifted her spirits Darien’s pack gathered in the meadow for olf-only functions due to its private location, and the music made it sound like a fairy troupe had descended on the area
Downstairs, she s Had to be Jake He was always up the earliest and loved to cook
Then the arorance of spring, well, and summer The roses and lilacs had arrived, compliments of the local florist shop, while the rest of the floere grown in Lelandi’s own garden Everything from the staircase to the fireplace mantels was decorated in nature’s finest: pine cones, feathers, crocuses, tulips in red, purple, and yellow, and a soft sprinkle of white lights--as if a floral garden had found a warm, cozy niche in a spacious wolves’ den to escape the still cool spring weather
What really enlivened her step was the notion that she would ain and learn why he wanted to see her Was he interested in her? It wasn’t that she didn’t want a mate; she simply wanted some choice in the matter So far, she hadn’t been attracted to anyone in the pack except Darien’s brothers, and they weren’t showing any interest back Maybe the reason she’d had the vision of Ryan was because he was the one meant to sweep her off her feet
Or not Her visions could be irritatingly deceptive, unenlightening, or just plain o her while he turned bacon in a cast-iron skillet "Morning, Carol," he said without turning around
She lifted her nose and took a whiff of him He had a spicy scent, a fresh woods sht in another load of firewood Even though it had been fivetheir sense of s they had psychic abilities like she did, although Lelandi assured her they didn’t Except for Lelandi’s strange ability to feel her brother Leidolf’s strong emotions
Leidolf He was now a red pack leader in Portland, Oregon, and totally intriguing He had been single and very available but not interested in a newly turned red Nope, he was a royal That arou, and very few humans had tainted his fa ti her But only a couple of days ago, Lelandi had sprung the news on them: it looked like her brother had finallyher frohts about Lelandi’s brother Jake was an interesting character He was tough, hiding his e like his older brother, Darien But unlike Darien, Jake wore a beard, and his eyes were nearly black Whenever he had the time, Jake headed into the wilderness, not to hunt or fish or be a macho man, but to take pictures of wildflowers And he played down the fact he did
"Eggs, bacon?" he asked
No longer did she crave fruit for breakfast Eggs and bacon were h, hating all the changes she’d experienced