“Oh, no. I’m okay.” She hadn’t thought anyone would think she was in trouble. That made the situation even worse. “I’m fine, but…I’m so sorry about saying your dad might have had anything to do with my aunt’s disappearance. I shouldn’t have said anything unless I had evidence one way or another. It was totally uncalled for.”
“It’s all right, Laurel. He might have. We just don’t know. It’s important to consider any option. If he’s a suspect, we need to investigate that angle further. You were perfectly right in bringing it up.”
“I upset you.”
“The whole issue pertaining to him has been upsetting. But none of us are burying our heads in the sand concerning his complicity if he was also involved in this.”
“I didn’t want to make you feel bad.”
“I’m fine. I talked to Brett about it, and he’s doing more investigating. Did you want some company?”
No. She needed to sleep, but what she would give to have him snuggled with her in bed at the moment.
“I’d be there in ten minutes, tops.”
She smiled. She just bet he would. “I need to sleep. I just…couldn’t.”
“You sure you don’t want me to come over? We could make a snowman in the garden, or one in front of the hotel for the guests’ arrival tomorrow. Or we could build snow forts and have a snowball fight. Surefire way to wear you out and make you sleepy. Then we could have cocoa with marshmallows on top. And I’ve been dying to have a piece of that seven-layer chocolate cake. I can’t quit thinking about it.”
She laughed. He was serious! “If you’re sure you’re not upset over what I said to you earlier—”
“Not if you make it up to me. I’m getting dressed right now.”
She chuckled. “It would be kind of cute making a snowman in front of the hotel for the celebration.”
“Nothing would be better. I’ll be right over.”
She could hear him getting dressed in a hurry, slamming drawers, but he hadn’t hung up on her yet.
She laughed. “All right. If my sisters knew what I ended up doing in the middle of the night before the opening, they’d want to commit me.”
“We’ll send them a picture.”
“No way.”
He laughed. “Be there in a few minutes.”
She couldn’t believe it. She was never this impulsive, but CJ really brought out the playfulness in her. More than anything, she did want to make it up to him. What better way to do so? She knew after they were done with this, she’d be able to sleep with a clear conscience.
She had barely dressed and made her way down the stairs when she saw a pickup’s headlights as the truck pulled into the parking lot out back. She peered out the window to ensure it was just CJ.
He was slipping on a parka as he strode to the front door. She smiled at him. “I’m never this impulsive, I want you to know.”
“Me either,” he said, and she wasn’t sure whether to believe him or not. But then maybe she brought out the playfulness in him too.
She pulled on a blue knit hat and her white parka and gloves, and then the two of them headed around the front of the hotel to begin building the snowman. “Oh, wait, I didn’t think to get anything for the snowman’s face.”
“I’ve got it all here, just in case we needed something.” CJ patted his pocket.
It wasn’t long before they were building a snowman. The Christmas lights on the hotel cast a diamond-like sheen over the front lawn where they were creating their snow art, and the old-time brass lanterns along Main Street added to the festive night with their garlands and red bows. “You look like you’re experienced in the art of creating snowmen.”
CJ added more snow to the base. “After a good snowfall like this, we often have a snowman-building contest. Brett posts pictures in the paper and online, and the pack and anyone else interested votes on the best.”
“And the winner receives?”
He stood back and watched to see what she was doing as she reshaped the snowman into something else.
“Hmm?” she asked.
The snowman wouldn’t win any contests if it didn’t look like a snowman. “The winner receives steaks on the house at the tavern.”
“For…two?”
“For as many as it took to create the best snowman.” He packed more snow on the base. She scooped more of it away and stacked it higher. They were definitely at cross-purposes on this project.
He began to watch what she was doing. And then he realized the shape the “snowman” was taking. Not so much a snowman as a snow sculpture—one wolf sitting ready to greet the hotel guests the next morning. It couldn’t have been more perfect.
He brought more snow over, only this time he set it next to her, surprised to see her creating such a wonder. “I wouldn’t think you’d ever have a chance to build a snowman where you lived.”
“One of the hotels we renovated was in Minnesota. We haven’t been there in many years, so we’ve gotten used to the hotter Florida climate. It’ll take us some time to get used to the snowier weather. I guess we won’t win any snowman contest though.”
He continued to bring her snow as she formed the head: chin lifted, the wolf howling, calling the pack together. It was perfect for the welcoming tomorrow. He took a picture of her doing the finishing touches.
A car’s lights, engine rumble, and tires slushing in the snow caught their attention. It slowed down as the driver looked at their creation and honked the horn with approval.
“John Hastings, owner of the hardware store and bed and breakfast.” CJ waved at him as he passed them by on his way to the bed and breakfast.
“I wouldn’t think anyone would be out this late.”
“Are you kidding? We’re wolves. I bet anything that Darien will change the contest tomorrow. Instead of being strictly for snowmen, it will be for snow sculptures.”
“Would he do that? Doesn’t seem fair to anyone else.”
“I say Darien, but Lelandi will probably be the one with the final say in the matter. They know what everyone would like in the pack anyway, so no one will be upset with the changes. Believe me, when everyone sees this, you’ll be the sure winner. Wolves trump snowmen any day.”
She smiled. “But we did it. If you hadn’t brought over all that snow, I’d still be moving handfuls over here. The wolf needs something more. Hold on. I’ve got it. Be right back.”
CJ stepped back so he could take pictures of the wolf with the hotel all lit up as the backdrop. He was afraid if they had a lot of wind tonight, it might whip away some of the snow.
She was taking forever, he thought, but he reminded himself that she had to go all the way around the hotel, or through it, to reach her house out back. And no telling what she was looking for. Or how long it would take her.
When he finally saw her, she was smiling brightly, her green eyes sparkling, a green, blue, and red plaid wool scarf clutched in her gloved hands. “It is said our family worked for the Ross clan, but others say that when we left Ireland and moved to the Highlands of Scotland, we were part of the MacIntyre clan.”
“Which do you believe about your roots?” He watched as she reverently tied the wool scarf around the wolf’s neck. Now it had a human touch and wasn’t just a wolf, but a lupus garou calling the pack together. If he didn’t know any better, CJ would say she was reaching out to the pack, the symbolism so vivid with the wolf wearing her family’s tartan. She and her sisters were welcoming the pack into their space, their home. They were ready to stay. If it wasn’t for the problem with the Wernicke brothers.
“I believe that we are the son of the earth, the wolf, with allegiance to the pack.”
His pack now, he hoped. “Let me take some pictures of you and the wolf.”
“You should be in them too.”
Another car slowed down to see their creation and CJ smiled. Then he realized it was Brett and waved to him to park.
“What are you doing?” Laurel asked.
“It
’s Brett. John must have called him to come by and get a really good shot of it before the wind gets to it. He can take a picture of both of us.”
Grinning, Brett got out of his truck and pulled out his camera.
CJ was certain his brother would never have believed he’d be creating snow art after their conversation tonight. He was sure to suspect more was going on between CJ and Laurel.
“Bertha’s husband called and said you needed me to take some pictures of the two of you. Says this has to be the winning snowman of the season.” Brett motioned for the two of them to get closer to each other.
CJ was already standing right next to Laurel, and he couldn’t get any closer.
“We need more energy in the picture,” Brett said.
“Should we both get a snowball and throw it at him?” Laurel asked CJ.
“Great idea, only don’t throw it,” Brett said.
Laurel laughed. They posed a number of ways, including one where CJ wrapped his arms around Laurel and felt her trembling from the cold. He leaned down and kissed her nose, then turned to smile at the camera. “Okay, enough pictures. Laurel’s cold and you’ll take pictures all night long if we let you. You’re as bad as Jake.”
Brett smiled. “Night, folks.” And then he quickly left them alone.
“Do you want some cocoa and cake before you go home?” she asked CJ.
“Yeah, it was the main reason I came over tonight.”
She laughed, and he considered taking her hand as they walked back to her house, but he decided it was time to show her just how much he wanted to be with her, that there were no hard feelings about her comments concerning his father, so he wrapped his arm around her waist. He pulled her close—to warm her up too. She snuggled against him, showing she was just as happy with getting close to him.
He smiled down at her. She was the most beautiful she-wolf in the world: her nose, cheeks, and lips rosy from the cold, her red hair flying in the breeze, her green eyes bright and cheerful. And she didn’t look the least bit sleepy. It was only a little after midnight.
“Do you have anything we could watch while we’re drinking our cocoa and eating our cake?” He wasn’t about to give up the opportunity to spend more quality time with her if she was willing.
“Yeah. How about something…Christmassy?” Laurel asked.
“Sounds good. What did you have in mind?”
She unlocked the door. “I have some oldies—but they’re my favorites: Miracle on 34th Street, It’s a Wonderful Life, A Christmas Story, A Christmas Carol, and some others. You choose, and I’ll make the cocoa.” She removed her jacket, took his, and hung them both on a coat rack.
“My brothers and I love A Christmas Story. It reminds us of ourselves when we were that age.”
“Your father didn’t want to give you a BB shotgun because you might shoot your eye out?”
“Nah, back in our day, we grew up with the real thing and used rifles for protection as young as eleven years of age.”
“What part reminds you of your childhood then?”
“Doing something dumb when trying to please Dad and cursing when it went all wrong. Then Mom washing out our mouths with soap.”
Laurel smiled at him as she mixed cocoa into the milk in the saucepan on the stove. “It’s a wonder you didn’t go blind.”
He laughed. “Yeah. So we really love that movie. What about you? Which is your favorite movie and why?”
“Oh, I love all of them. Even The Snowman. You know, that animated one? I could watch it over and over again. I listen to the beautiful music and dream I have a snow buddy like him.”
“Ah, but he was an only child and didn’t have any brothers and sisters.”
“Still, I missed the snow and building snow sculptures.”
“Do you always create wolves? As good as you are at it, you must have made them before.”
She stirred the cocoa. “A few times.”
“Here I thought I was going to be teaching you how to make your first snowman.”
Smiling, she poured cocoa into snowman-decorated mugs. “So what was your favorite gift ever for Christmas?” She sliced off a couple pieces of cake, put the mugs and plates on a red-and-green Christmas-tree platter, and carried it into the living room.
He wanted to say his best Christmas present was that Laurel would be here for the holidays. But what if she didn’t remain here? What if he was moving a little too fast?
“My first rifle,” he said instead.
She shook her head and set the tray on the coffee table. “Men and their guns.”
“Having my first rifle was a sign of manhood. I helped hunt for food and protected my family. What about you? What was your favorite Christmas gift?”
She sat on the sofa and took a bite of her cake while he crossed the floor to start the movie.
“Well, a cloth doll Ellie made me. The button eyes were askew, the hair—her own real hair—shed everywhere until Missy was bald, but she was the most special doll I ever had.”
“Do you still have her?”
“No. In one of our moves, a box was misplaced. I swear Ellie got rid of it because she didn’t want to be reminded of her earlier creations.”
“Does she still make them?”
“No. She made one for Meghan, but she wasn’t into dolls and it disappeared long before that. I think Ellie had something to do with her doll’s disappearance too. She couldn’t get to mine because I kept her with me always, until we moved that one time. Ellie likes to try new things all the time. She never really gets good at anything hobby-wise because she doesn’t spend the time to learn any particular craft.”
“What about yourself? Do you like to make things?”
“Snow wolves?”
“Yeah, that’s sure to be a winner.” He joined her on the couch.
“So what’s the worst Christmas gift you ever got?” she asked.
“Chicken pox.”
She laughed.
He loved hearing her laugh and seeing her happy. This was a much better way of ending the night. “No kidding. And then my brothers all came down with it, but after Christmas. I was the only one lying on the couch, itching to pieces and sicker than a wolf, while everyone was opening gifts.”
“You poor thing.”
“It was the worst Christmas ever for me. I was running a fever, and for the first time ever, I didn’t even want to open gifts. What about you?”
“I don’t think anything could be worse than chicken pox on Christmas, except for measles on Valentine’s Day. I was dating a wolf, but he wouldn’t come near me for Valentine’s Day. And then I guess he felt guilty about it and couldn’t face me, so he didn’t come to see me for a couple of weeks after that. That was it for me. I never saw him again. My choice.”
“Had he ever had measles before?”
“No.”
“That’s probably why he wouldn’t get close to you. But the delay afterward, not acceptable. To tell the truth, I’m glad about it. You don’t need to be hooked up with a cowardly wolf.”
She smiled and settled back against the couch. “I guess my worst Christmas gift ever was the kitten that ran away.”
“Kitten?” He pulled Laurel into his arms and got comfortable for the movie.
“Yeah. Meghan gave her to me, but the kitten was too wild and soon took off. I had the sweetest gray-and-white kitten, and then I didn’t have her. Christmas gifts that run off are the worst.”
He laughed and started the movie.
Snuggled together, they ate their cake, drank their cocoa, and watched the movie. Between the lateness of the hour and his unwillingness to let go of Laurel, he didn’t even realize they’d both fallen asleep curled up together on the couch.
Until both their phones began to play tunes, letting them know they had calls coming in. And it was already well into the next day.
Chapter 11
“Oh no,” Laurel said, sounding shocked out of her sleep, lifting her head, and looking at CJ. She gri
maced. “I can’t believe we fell asleep on the couch last night.” She tried to get off him, and he shook his head.
“Creating snow wolves takes a lot out of a body.”
She smiled.
He glanced at his phone and answered. “Eric. I’ll get back to you in a minute.” He wanted to get a cup of coffee before he had to deal with whatever his brother needed to discuss with him.
“My sister.” Laurel sat up on the couch as she answered her call. “Hey, Ellie, what’s up?” She pushed her hair behind her ear and leaned back against the couch, looking pleasantly dreamy.
He couldn’t believe he’d fallen asleep on the couch with her and had held her in his arms all night long. He smiled a little. This was more like the way he had wanted to end last night’s date.
“Coffee?” he mouthed. The time to just walk out of her home like none of this had happened had passed. And Laurel seemed unwilling to send him on his way. For which he was glad.
She nodded, then closed her eyes. But they popped right open, and he stayed to see what the matter was. “What? Okay, no, I haven’t seen it.” She looked up at CJ. “What do you mean, is he still here?” Laurel’s face flushed a little red. “We’re having coffee and breakfast before the hotel opening. Thanks. I’ll tell him.” She closed her eyes and groaned.
“What’s wrong?” But he suspected someone had already told her sisters that he’d stayed the night with her.
“Well, the good news is we won the snow sculpture contest.”
He smiled. “That’s great news. We get to have a steak dinner on the house at Silver Town Tavern. And the bad news?”
She turned her phone toward CJ and showed him the screen. The picture Brett had featured online for everyone to see was the one where CJ was kissing her on the nose, and she was smiling up at him as they stood behind the wolf sculpture, the hotel lights glittering in the background.
He smiled.
“That’s not all of it,” she warned.
His smile faded. “Okay, let’s hear it.”
“Ellie got word that your vehicle has been parked outside the hotel all night long. The picture of you kissing me was shared online, which would have been innocent enough, except that she got word about the scene on the slopes too—like a couple dozen shots of us kissing as I was sitting on your lap—and then this other business showed we were still together late last night. Since you never moved your vehicle—”