Home for the Holidays

by Terry Spear

  She ran her hand over his leg, making him smile at her. “I was modeling him after you.”

  He raised his brows a little and chuckled. “Okay, then you had it right.”

  She sighed. She’d had such a good time that she didn’t want to even think of the business with Bill, but she needed to call him first thing after Peter dropped her off.

  “As long as we don’t have any real trouble tonight, I’d still like to get together with you for dinner,” Peter said, escorting her to the inn.

  “I’d like that.” If she wasn’t still dealing with Bill.

  * * *

  After having such a good time with Meghan, Peter found his day going downhill fast. Due to the recent snowstorm, he’d had to take care of more fender benders, which landed three people at the medical clinic with broken bones, and another storm was on the way. Then while he was trying to get paperwork done on the accidents, Kemp and Radcliff Grey, twin brothers who were ski instructors at the ski resort, dropped by to hassle him before they had to report for work. Peter glanced at his calendar. Yep, it was Tuesday. They went into work a little later on Tuesdays, so that’s usually when they bugged him about Meghan and her single status.

  “You know, if you don’t mate Meghan soon,” Kemp said, “the rest of us bachelors are going to be old and gray before you ever make the move.”

  “Yeah, if you’re not interested in mating her, give us a chance to court her,” his brother said.

  Peter shook his head. “Every week you drop by to hassle me about this, and every week I tell you to look for your own she-wolf—somewhere else.” He was certain the pack members who had been building the snow castle exhibit today would spread the word about how much fun he and Meghan were having, and that would help show they were headed for a mating.

  “What if some old beau of Meghan’s drops in from someplace else?” Radcliff asked.

  “Yeah, and they take up where they left off,” Kemp said. “If you’d give one of us a chance—”

  “Preferably me,” Radcliff said.

  “—I’d date her, and she’d know I was interested in mating her.”

  “Yeah, before some other yahoo who has a past with her rekindles the flame.”

  Peter eyed the brothers speculatively for a moment, wondering again about the calls Meghan had received last night, but then dismissed their concern. They were always coming up with different reasons for why he should give Meghan up so they could date her. She had never said anything to him about any old boyfriend.

  He got a call from his deputy, CJ, and figured there’d been yet another vehicle accident. Trevor Osgood, another deputy, was still directing traffic for the last incident. “Yeah, CJ?”

  “See ya, Sheriff,” the brothers said, smiling and waving as they headed out of the sheriff’s office. They were good-natured men, blond, amber-eyed, sporting Viking heritage, and Peter always took their joking for what it was—though he knew if he ever said he and Meghan were no longer seeing each other, the twins would ask her to go out with them in an instant.

  Peter figured they’d catch some she-wolf’s attention someday, if they had the chance.

  “Hey, we’ve got some real trouble,” CJ said, his voice tight with concern.

  Now what? At least Peter had lucked out in seeing Meghan running as a wolf first thing this morning. That had been the highlight of his day until they were building the snow wolves together. He’d been so busy with work for the last few days, he hadn’t had a chance to see her except for dinner last night. He hoped he wouldn’t have to call off dinner with her tonight. “Yeah, CJ, what do you have?”

  “A man was attacked in one of the Timberline Ski Lodge’s rooms around approximately six this morning.”

  “What?” Now that was news Peter hadn’t expected. He was on his feet in an instant and heading for the door.

  That’s all they needed—for their guests in town to get mugged.

  “He’s a wolf, thirty-two, and he’s suffered a head injury. He’s being taken care of at the clinic. The maid found him semiconscious when she went to clean the room at nine this morning. I’m still at the crime scene. His name is Bill Weaver, and his home address is St. Augustine, Florida.”

  “St. Augustine?” That was where Meghan and her sisters were from, and the calls she’d had last night came to mind for Peter with a vengeance. “I’ll be right over.” They didn’t have murders or attempted murders in the wolf-run town very often, and they were usually wolf-related, though humans did visit the area and occasionally get themselves into trouble. Anytime they had out-of-town wolves causing issues, the whole pack was made aware of it.

  “Yeah, but here’s the real kicker. Meghan’s name is in his cell phone contact list. I was looking for a family member to notify. I didn’t find one. A handwritten note listing the Silver Town Inn and its phone number was sitting on the desk in Weaver’s room.”

  “Meghan MacTire?” Peter caught himself before he called her my Meghan as he got into his car and drove to the clinic.

  He and Meghan had been dating for over a year, but she’d been reluctant to go very far with their relationship until now. He thought it had something to do with her ability to see ghosts. He didn’t see them, but he was open-minded about the whole issue. When CJ had courted Meghan’s sister Laurel, she’d had the same concern about CJ believing in her psychic ability. The same with Brett and Ellie. Despite Peter telling Meghan that he didn’t have problems with her talent, she’d been holding back from their relationship. Until now. Her sisters weren’t giving him any hints as to why either. Maybe they really were clueless too.

  “Yeah.” CJ clearly hated to be the bearer of bad news.

  Meghan and her two sisters had a business renovating Victorian hotels and had lived in different parts of the country before finally settling down in Silver Town. Being with a pack had convinced them to stay. As much as Peter cared for Meghan, he vowed to work out whatever issues she was having with him about agreeing to a mating. He and the other pack members loved the women’s hint of an Irish accent. Their parents had been born and raised in Ireland, and though the sisters had been born in the States, they had picked up their parents’ accent. He could listen to Meghan all day, feeling as though she transported him to the green isle of Ireland.

  “I’ve talked to the owners of the lodge, the brothers Blake and Landon Wolff, about this,” CJ said. “Their sisters, Roxie and Kayla, still haven’t moved here from Vermont. I believe they’re hoping to be here before Christmas, but it might not be until after New Year’s. The brothers are perturbed something like this could have happened at their ski lodge and want us to go over their security procedures to give them advice.”

  “Okay, good job. We can do that.” Peter couldn’t help wondering if the stranger in town might have something to do with Meghan not wanting to settle down and the calls she’d received last night. Hell, had that been what the Grey brothers were referring to? Just how many other pack members knew about this guy? Maybe he wasn’t an old boyfriend from where she’d previously lived. Maybe they’d just assumed he was. Then again, maybe he was, and he’d been looking to take Meghan back to St. Augustine with him.

  Hell. “I’ll let Darien and Lelandi know about the attack on the wolf at the ski lodge. And CJ?” Peter said.

  “Yeah, Peter?”

  “Don’t share the information about the wolf having Meghan’s phone number on his contact list with anyone until I can speak with her about it.”

  “Absolutely. Though I can’t say whether he’s spoken to anyone at the ski lodge about knowing Meghan. I didn’t think to ask the Wolff brothers, but if they knew of it, I’m sure they wouldn’t have shared it with me, knowing how you’d feel about it. And just for your information, Meghan’s sisters aren’t listed in his contacts. Just her number.”

  That’s what Peter was afraid of. Bill Weaver was Meghan’s former boyfrie
nd and was interested in renewing his friendship, maybe even joining the pack. If Peter’s educated guess was correct.

  As to the wolf joining their pack? He’d only do it over Peter’s dead body.

  * * *

  “I’m calling Bill to arrange for us to meet up,” Meghan told her sisters as they cleaned up after having roasted pumpkin soup and ham sandwiches for lunch.

  “You better not meet with him at his hotel room, or there will be all kinds of rumors spreading,” Laurel warned. “I wouldn’t go with him to your home either.”

  Meghan shook her head. “I don’t want to meet him in public, or the same thing will happen.”

  “Have him come to the inn. You can speak to him in our office. We’ll be here to chaperone the two of you and defend you if anyone thinks you have a new—or old—out-of-town boyfriend,” Laurel said.

  Ellie agreed, but then she said, “On the other hand, it could stir things up a bit. Sometimes that can be a good thing.” She winked at Meghan.

  “Are you kidding? Peter would arrest Bill on the spot—for anything! I was thinking the inn’s office would be the best place to meet too.” Meghan sometimes felt like she was in a fishbowl in the pack. She assumed that once she mated someone, the interest in her love life would vanish. And that would certainly be welcome.

  She had to punch in Bill’s number, having removed it from her contact list when they’d broken up, and waited to hear him answer the call.

  “Hello? Meghan?” Peter said, sounding really surprised to see her phone number pop up on Bill’s caller ID.

  Meghan nearly dropped the phone, just as shocked to hear Peter’s voice. She wanted desperately to pretend she hadn’t called Bill. Why in the world was Peter answering Bill’s phone? This was so not good.

  “Yeah, Peter, where’s Bill?” Her voice was way too shaky.

  Her sisters’ jaws dropped.

  So much for keeping this whole situation under wraps as much as possible. But now Meghan was worried something bad had happened to Bill, since the sheriff was answering his phone. Which reminded her that Bill had sounded concerned about something last night when he’d called her. Had Peter known all about Bill and arrested him on something minor to keep him away from her?

  “Someone attacked him in his room at the Wolff’s Timberline Ski Lodge. Dr. Weber’s seeing Bill at the clinic now,” Peter said.

  “What?” She felt a total disconnect from the conversation. “How… What… I—I don’t understand.”

  “We don’t know the details yet.” Peter sounded sympathetic.

  “I’ll head over to the clinic now.” She hung up on Peter. She should have said something more, but she was so worried about Bill that she wasn’t thinking straight. She explained what had happened to Bill to her sisters.

  Laurel grabbed her car keys. “I’ll drive you over there.”

  “No. I’ll be fine.” Meghan thought it was better if she just dealt with this alone.

  “You didn’t tell Peter anything,” Ellie said as Meghan grabbed her purse and headed for the back door of the inn.

  “I’ll talk to him later. I need to run.” Meghan did feel badly about that, but she didn’t want to discuss this right away with Peter. Not when Bill had been hurt.

  “Wish him well for us,” Laurel said.

  “I will.” Both her sisters had liked Bill. He was a likable guy. But the issue of her turning a wolf over to the police had been a sticking point with him.

  She drove the short distance to the clinic and was only halfway surprised to find Peter there, awaiting her arrival. Was he afraid she was dumping him for an old boyfriend? No way.

  The office manager at the clinic, Carmela Hoffman, a red wolf and distant cousin to their pack leader Lelandi, greeted Meghan before Peter had a chance to say anything to her.

  Peter immediately joined Meghan and gave her a small hug that was as warm as ever, but when he was in uniform and in public, he was usually more reserved and reluctant to show a lot of affection. Except when they’d been building the snow wolves, and that had been a welcome change in their relationship.

  She imagined this business was making Peter feel a little unsettled.

  He kissed her lightly on the cheek. “I’m sorry about your friend.”

  “He’s an ex-boyfriend,” Meghan told him right off, emphasizing the ex so Peter would know she had not invited Bill to visit her in Silver Town. She was glad Peter wasn’t standoffish and putting some distance between them. “How bad is he?”

  “He has a concussion. Whoever attacked him tried to kill him. His assailant must have thought he had finished him off. Doc is running some more tests on him. Was Bill in Silver Town to see you?”

  She suspected Peter knew Bill was here for that purpose, but he was being careful how he handled discussing the matter with her. She appreciated him not jumping to conclusions or at least not acting as though he were.

  “Yeah. He’s an ex-boyfriend from when we lived in St. Augustine. We broke it off way before my sisters and I moved here.”

  “He wouldn’t be coming here to see you unless he was thinking of making a go of it with you again.” Now Peter sounded concerned.

  “He did mention it.”

  Peter let out his breath. “He was the caller last night. He—”

  Before he could say anything more, Meghan placed her hand on his chest. He immediately placed his hand over hers and squeezed lightly. “I’m not interested in him. I told him last night we weren’t getting back together. It would never happen.”

  Peter didn’t look reassured. She understood his concern. She’d obviously felt something for Bill, since she’d dated him. But that truly was the past. She shrugged and gave Peter a slight smile of encouragement. “He doesn’t move me like you do.”

  Peter still wore his serious sheriff expression.

  She sighed. “I need to see him.”

  “Right. And I need to speak with him.”

  She frowned.

  He tipped his head. “About his assailant.”

  “You and I need to talk.” It was past time, and if Peter couldn’t handle what she had to say, then he wasn’t the one for her. Besides, he’d want to know why she and Bill had a falling-out, and it was time to tell him the reason. “This evening. After you get off work.”

  “All right. Dinner at your place still?” he asked.

  “Yeah.” They needed to speak in private. She’d never expected to have to talk to Bill at the medical clinic, though.

  The nurse joined them in the lobby. “Mr. Weaver’s asking for you,” Nurse Matthew said to Meghan.

  “How’s he doing?” she asked as she followed Matthew back to Bill’s room.

  “He’s feeling some dizziness and nausea. His assailant bashed him in the head with a heavy object. We don’t know what it was. He might have some short-term memory loss. Maybe long-term. We just don’t know yet. We’ve had skiers with bad concussions who walked right out of here. No memory loss at all. Others might be all right for a couple of days and then collapse. Head injuries are still unpredictable, despite us being wolves and healing in half the time humans can. You never know how a patient will react. He seems to be doing all right for now. Answering questions coherently, remembering some details, not others. But he’s in bed naked.”

  Meghan raised her eyebrows at Matthew.

  He shrugged. “We keep helping him into his hospital gown, and he keeps shifting periodically, which is a sign the head injury is affecting him.”

  That wasn’t good news. “All right. Thanks, Matthew.” Meghan couldn’t help feeling bad about what Bill had gone through—and all because he’d wanted to see her. She couldn’t imagine why someone had done that to him. He was really easygoing, except about her putting a wolf in jail. Some random mugger? Someone with a vendetta against him? She knew Peter and everyone he could solicit would
be searching for the assailant. She hoped it wasn’t a pack member who knew Bill was trying to see her.

  Meghan walked into Bill’s room. His normally tan skin was pale and his blond hair longer than she remembered. The blankets were resting at his navel, showing his naked chest, and he had a bandage around his head. His eyes were closed, but as soon as he smelled her scent, they opened. Soggy blue eyes stared at her. He cast her a small, tired smile.

  “Bill, I’m so sorry. What happened?” She approached him but noticed Peter’s shadow spilling into the room. She glanced back to see the sheriff filling the doorway. Possessive wolf.

  “A man in a black ski mask attacked me. He was waiting in the room for me when I came in after getting a bite to eat in the lodge’s restaurant early this morning. But I recognized his scent. Rollins. The bastard. I have to warn you that he’s out, even though I hadn’t thought he’d be out this soon. And he may be coming for you. I didn’t think he’d come after me too.”

  “Hell. Why?” Peter entered the room in investigative mode, taking notes.

  She hated that Bill had brought it up first, that this was the way Peter had to learn of her mistake. She couldn’t believe the attempted murderer was in the area and could be planning to hurt her, too, or that he had attacked Bill. This was so not good.

  “Ralph Rollins?” she asked, as if there was any other that she knew of. She couldn’t believe he was out of prison already, but if it was him, she was glad she was with the Silver Town pack. Rollins should have been grateful she had helped send him to prison, rather than having him put down by one of their wolf kind. If he was coming after her, she was worried that he might also try to eliminate her sisters in revenge. They had both been observers at the trial, and he’d cast them some vicious looks, they’d informed her.

  “Yeah. Sorry. After you told me what you had done, I stewed about it for a long damn time. Too long. You and your sisters had already sold your hotel and moved from St. Augustine. I didn’t know where you had moved until recently. I had gone to see Rollins in prison.”