“It’s assumed we stayed together.”
“That we mated each other.”
He smiled again. “Cream in your coffee. Right?” He headed for the kitchen. “Word in a pack spreads quickly.”
“We’re not mated!”
“We could remedy that,” he said, teasing her.
“I’m getting a shower. I can’t believe this!” She left the couch and headed upstairs.
“We were tired. Perfectly innocent of any wrongdoing. Do you want me to fix us breakfast?”
“Cheese omelets. And ham. Hash browns too, if you can make them right. I already told my sister you were here for breakfast, so it’s too late for you to sneak off now.”
“I never sneak.”
She chuckled. “I will never live this down.”
Worried that he might have caused her sisters some concern over the matter, he frowned. “Your sisters aren’t upset, are they?”
“No, I’d say ‘shocked’ would be a better word.”
“Good.” For that, he was glad. He didn’t want them to be upset with him. If he was going to make this work with Laurel, he knew he had to have their approval. CJ’s phone rang again. Eric. “Got to take the call from my brother this time before he drives over here to see if something’s wrong.”
“Great.” But she didn’t say it in a way that meant it was a cheerful “great.” She disappeared into a bedroom upstairs.
“Yeah, Eric, what’s up?” Though CJ was certain his oldest brother’s call had all to do with him and Laurel.
“Darien called me early this morning to ask about you and Laurel.”
CJ grinned. Talk about the word going viral in the pack. “Because of the picture of us?” He figured it was more like his staying overnight.
“And your truck was parked outside the hotel all night.”
Pulling a couple of large baking potatoes out of the fridge, CJ hated to break the news to him but did anyway. “We’re not mated.” He searched in a number of drawers and found a potato peeler and a grater.
Eric didn’t say anything for a moment, and CJ realized he really must have believed they were and wanted to hear firsthand.
“Not even close,” CJ added. He started to peel a potato.
“Well, hell, Brother, why not? Will you let Darien know? Lelandi’s all ready to celebrate the big event and just wanted confirmation first. And next time, be more discreet, will you? Or maybe that was the plan.”
“No, it wasn’t in the plans. But sometimes life just happens.” Though if it had worked out that way, CJ wouldn’t have objected. “I’ve got to go.”
“Yeah, you’re roping off Main Street for the party and in charge of crowd control, right?”
“Uh, yeah, after I have breakfast with Laurel.”
A pause followed. “So…you’re still there. Good show.” As if that meant CJ and Laurel still had time to mate. “Let me know first when it happens.”
“When we have breakfast?” CJ wasn’t about to take it for granted that Laurel and he would become mated wolves.
“When you become mated wolves. Talk later.” Eric hung up on him.
Smiling, CJ finished peeling the second potato and began shredding them.
His phone jingled. He looked at the caller ID. Brett. CJ was certain that each of his brothers would get in touch with him now. He’d thought Eric would just tell Brett and Sarandon the news instead.
Before Brett could say anything, CJ set him straight. “No, we’re not mated. And why did you pick that particular picture out of all the ones you took to share online with the local residents?”
“Are you kidding? The pack members loved it! Not only was it a winner as far as the wolf sculpture with the newly renovated hotel decorated for Christmas as a backdrop, but there the two of you were looking as cute as could be—romance in the making. It was the perfect Christmas shot of two wolves in courtship. And the snow wolf howling in front of you, telling the pack the news? Nothing could have been better.”
“What if posting the picture had upset Laurel?”
“Ha. She was looking up at you with such an adorable expression, no way could she object to it. I’ve been fielding questions all morning for you though. Anyway, I just had to hear it for myself. No mating yet.”
“No, and you can share that. I’m sure she’d be glad for it.”
“But it’s happening, right?”
“No, at least not for now.” Even though he’d met her months ago, he hadn’t really begun to know her until more recently. Sure, he knew she was good at organizing, had her own way of doing things—as evidenced by the way she turned their snowman into a wolf—and was very take-charge. She was very tender and passionate and family oriented, and had a great sense of humor, which was especially good around him. Once she’d let her hair down, she was playful. He prized her for all of it.
“Okay, check with you later. But if you mate, let me know pronto.”
“Eric wants to know first.”
Brett laughed. “Make it a conference call.”
CJ’s phone beeped, letting him know he had another call coming in. The sheriff. “Got another call. Peter’s calling.”
“Probably wondering why you’re not at work.”
“I am. I’m supposed to be helping Laurel and her sisters out today. Only they’re not here. Talk later.” CJ answered the call. “Yeah, Peter. I’ll be out in just a few minutes.”
“Take your time. I’ve got enough people on it: volunteers and Trevor is coordinating efforts. If anyone learned I was impeding a mating between you and the she-wolf and didn’t convince the sisters to stay here with our pack, I’d be out of a job.”
CJ chuckled. He loved the pack, his job, the boss. And he couldn’t have been gladder that he had returned to the pack when he did. “Okay, well as long as you’re all right with it, I’ll finish fixing breakfast for Laurel and me, and then I’ll be out there helping with the crowds as they begin to gather.”
“Breakfast, eh? Sounds good. See you in a bit.”
CJ had started the omelets and then the hash browns, thinking this was the best day ever, when Sarandon phoned him. CJ groaned. He was glad Laurel was upstairs taking a long shower and getting ready for the big day.
“Hey, CJ. How the hell did you manage to get an invite to stay over at the MacTires’ place—all night long?”
“I thought you were doing a guided tour in the woods this morning.”
“Yesterday morning. I couldn’t miss the grand opening or all the news about my youngest brother either. I leave you alone for a day and what happens?”
“Nothing.”
Sarandon started laughing. “You’re as good as mated.”
CJ heard footsteps on the stairs. “Hey, got to serve up breakfast and then get to work. Talk to you later.”
“Can’t believe it. I’ll see you at the opening or before.”
“All right.” CJ pocketed his phone and began slicing ham, then warmed it up.
“So…was that one of your brothers?” Laurel poured them both cups of coffee, then fixed mimosas: orange juice and champagne from the bottle leftover last night.
“Yeah, and the others all called.”
She shook her head.
“And so did Peter.”
“Oh.” Laurel’s expression turned to concern. “You’re not late, are you? I should have thought of that. You must have work to do to get ready for all the people coming to town to celebrate. You’re not in trouble with Peter, are you?”
“Nah, Peter said to enjoy our breakfast. And not to rush.” CJ loved working with a wolf pack. Anywhere else he couldn’t imagine being able to do such a thing.
“That was nice of him.” She started setting the table. “So what did your brothers say?”
“That next time I should not leave my truck out in the open like that.”
She snorted. “There’s not going to be a next time. Or even if there was, which there won’t be, my sisters will be home tomorrow and that would end any sp
eculation.”
He doubted it. She really didn’t understand pack politics. Everyone wanted the ladies to stay here and run the hotel. That was much more likely if one of them mated a pack member.
“What if the Wernicke brothers cause real trouble for us?” She sat down to eat breakfast with CJ. And smiled at the way he had made the hash browns. “Oooh, these look so good.” She took a bite. “Ohmigod, I haven’t had fresh potato hash browns in forever. You’re hired.”
He laughed. “I’m all for it. As for the hotel, we’ll come to that when we have to. For now, the Wernickes have to prove they had nothing to do with their aunt and uncle’s disappearance. I’m curious about the furniture your sisters had to retrieve though.” More than curious. He still couldn’t imagine them taking off to get it and leaving Laurel to take care of everything here on her own.
She sighed. “It was my aunt’s.”
* * *
Laurel didn’t tell CJ anything more than that, figuring he’d assume it was important to them for sentimental reasons. She took another bite of her crispy hash browns, loving them. She could get used to having these on a daily basis—if CJ made them. They were so good.
He was drinking his coffee when he set it down and frowned at her. “Wait, the furniture has some importance, doesn’t it? Like it proves something.”
She sighed again. It was impossible to keep secrets around another wary wolf. Besides, she felt their relationship had gone too far not to trust him.
“We hope so. We won’t know for certain until we get it home and can…really look it over good.”
CJ was watching her, gauging her response. “There’s something more to it than that, I suspect.”
She nodded. “We thought our aunt’s furniture might have hidden compartments. We don’t know for certain. Some old pieces of furniture were designed that way.”
“Hell, that’s great news, if something could be found to help solve the mystery.”
It certainly gave her and her sisters hope that they might find some key piece of evidence that would aid them.
“Did you have any substantial reason to believe it might?”
“Only that the two pieces were special enough and our aunt said they were unique. She willed them to our mother, and they were to go to my sisters and me if my mother died early. Why would she will the highboy and chest to us unless they were special in some way?”
“Maybe just because it cost so much to have them made in the first place.”
“True. It could be. But we’re hopeful there’s more to it than that.”
They finished their breakfasts and began to clear away the dishes.
“Can I have a look at them when they arrive tomorrow?” he asked.
“Sure, but it might be really late by the time they get in.”
“No problem. I’ll be staying in the attic room and will hear your sister’s car when it arrives. I can run over then as long as it’s not inconvenient for you and your sisters.”
She opened the dishwasher and began loading the dishes while he put away the food. “It should be fine. If they’re too tired to stay up after the long drive, I can look over the furniture with you. Have you ever had any furniture that had hidden niches?”
“No. But it should be interesting to see. You said you have a postcard from your aunt. Could I see it?”
“Uh, sure.” She left the kitchen to get the postcard out of the buffet drawer.
When she returned, CJ was scrubbing one of the skillets. She and her sisters always vied to cook the meal so they didn’t have to clean the pots and pans. A wolf who did both? A dream made in heaven.
She drew close to him. “Thanks for the lovely breakfast and for washing the pans.”
She tugged on his shoulder to get him to lean down a little, and when he obliged, she kissed him thoroughly, tasting the sweet mimosa on his lips and tongue, feeling the heat of their bodies collide, smelling his piney woods scent and male hotness.
“Hmm,” she said, pulling away, then showing him the postcard.
He was looking at her, not at the card. “Did we have to stop?”
Already his eyes were darkened and more than intrigued.
She chuckled. “Yeah, we do. Opening day. Remember? I need to get over to the hotel.”
This time he sighed and then looked down at the card. “Says Breckenridge, Colorado, and that’s a picture of their town some years ago.”
“Right, but it was mailed from here.”
“Well, I kind of wondered. I didn’t think anyone had made postcards of Silver Town. Though it’s a great idea. Maybe Jake would like to do that. Especially now that the hotel is newly renovated. Let me finish washing this skillet, and I’ll give the postcard a good look.”
“Sure. I can wash the other one while you’re looking over the card.” At least she only had to wash one pan and not both.
“Don’t you dare. After all the trouble I caused you by staying over here last night, it’s my treat.” He finished cleaning the pan, rinsed it, and set it to the side to dry. “Come on and we’ll look at this together.” CJ eyed her as if he was afraid she’d start washing the pan while he wasn’t looking.
“All right.” She sighed dramatically. “Here I thought I’d found a great live-in cook and pot washer.”
He laughed. “You can come to my home and that’s just what I’ll be.”
She hadn’t realized he was going to sit on the couch or anticipated his next move either. He pulled her onto his lap and looked over her shoulder at the postcard.
“See where she says she was staying here at the Silver Town Inn?”
“And hints at a romance.”
She reread the note out loud, as if that would make it clearer and reveal something more. “Silver Town Inn. Miss you. Falling in love. Kiss girls for me. See you at Christmas. Love, C”
“And it’s her handwriting?”
“Yes. Mom never doubted it.”
“But she never came to see your mother for Christmas?”
“No. After Christmas, Mom came to see her at the hotel, to learn if anything was wrong. She had a sixth sense about her sister sometimes. She’d thought something was really wrong before this, and then she got this much brighter card and believed things were turning around for her sister. She could have thought Aunt Clarinda was just busy with a romance and hadn’t had time to visit, but Mom worried that something had happened to her.”
“So she came here, but no one your mother spoke to knew Clarinda worked at the hotel. And my dad, as sheriff, said the same thing. On the card, she doesn’t say she actually worked here.”
“Her furniture was in with the hotel furniture that was sold off at auction.”
“How do you know that it was hers and not just part of the furniture that belonged to the estate?”
“She had sent Mom pictures of it. She was so proud of the highboy and blanket chest. It was the first time she’d bought any new furniture. She had to have been working at the hotel to earn both room and board and to afford to buy the furniture. She had no other income.”
“Were the hotel and the home’s furniture sold off at the same time?”
“Yes.”
CJ didn’t say anything more, and she wondered what he was thinking. “You think the furniture wasn’t in the maids’ quarters downstairs?”
“Here’s a far-out thought. What if Clarinda was romantically involved with Warren Wernicke? What if she came here to rent a room as a guest while she was looking for work, and he became interested in her? She needed a job, but maybe he didn’t want her to work for him because he didn’t have romantic liaisons with his staff. Particularly because they most likely were wolves. Or maybe he already had all the maid staff he needed.”
“Okay, so you’re saying she moved in with him? Was living with him?” That put a whole new wrinkle on the situation.
“It’s possible. And then she didn’t want to tell your mother that she was living with a man she hadn’t mated.”
?
??Huh, okay. That makes sense.” Laurel didn’t know what to think now.
“So then Warren Wernicke hadn’t lied when he said Clarinda hadn’t worked for him.”
“Nor would your father have lied. Maybe he was even protecting her memory. No sense in telling my mother she was living with a wolf and not mated when she had already disappeared. Wouldn’t Aunt Clarinda have at least run across folks? Someone else in the pack would surely have seen her at some point and wondered what had happened to her.”
“Let’s say she’s been traveling, searching for a place to stay. She’s rather a nomad. No job. Maybe just enough money to get her to Silver Town. Or maybe someone gives her a lift, and he drops her off at the hotel. It’s late. Maybe the hotel is full and Warren is interested in her. They hit it off, and he offers her one of the rooms in this house. Plenty of room. He’s living alone.”
“What about his sister?” Laurel asked.
“Right. She was living with him and taking care of the household duties while he ran the hotel. When Warren vanished, Charity stepped in to run the place.”
“Then she vanished. Who was living here at the time who would have known the Wernickes?”
“Peter will be putting out the query to ask all pack members if any of them knew the brother and sister or anything about a Clarinda O’Brien.”
“And no one has responded yet?”
“We’ve only known about your missing aunt since last night, and with the grand opening of the hotel this morning, folks might be a little slow to get back to us on it.”
“You’ll let me know if anyone comes forth, won’t you?”
“Absolutely, Laurel.”
She was glad she’d finally told them about her aunt. She just hoped her sisters wouldn’t be upset with her for not asking them first. But the situation had been awkward last night when she was speaking with Lelandi, and it would have been a lot more awkward if she hadn’t told her about their missing aunt before the Wernicke brothers mentioned it to Darien.
“Wait. Last night at the meeting Darien held, the Wernicke brothers knew our aunt had disappeared. How did they know if we hadn’t told anyone about her and none of you knew about it?”