by Terry Spear
Also by Terry Spear
Heart of the Wolf
Heart of the Wolf
To Tempt the Wolf
Legend of the White Wolf
Seduced by the Wolf
Silver Town Wolf
Destiny of the Wolf
Wolf Fever
Dreaming of the Wolf
Silence of the Wolf
A Silver Wolf Christmas
Alpha Wolf Need Not Apply
Between a Wolf and a Hard Place
All’s Fair in Love and Wolf
Highland Wolf
Heart of the Highland Wolf
A Howl for a Highlander
A Highland Werewolf Wedding
Hero of a Highland Wolf
A Highland Wolf Christmas
SEAL Wolf
A SEAL in Wolf’s Clothing
A SEAL Wolf Christmas
SEAL Wolf Hunting
SEAL Wolf In Too Deep
SEAL Wolf Undercover
Heart of the Jaguar
Savage Hunger
Jaguar Fever
Jaguar Hunt
Jaguar Pride
A Very Jaguar Christmas
Billionaire Wolf
Billionaire in Wolf’s Clothing
A Billionaire Wolf for Christmas
White Wolf
Dreaming of a White Wolf Christmas
Flight of the White Wolf
Heart of the Shifter
You Had Me at Jaguar
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Books. Change. Lives.
Copyright © 2019 by Terry Spear
Cover and internal design © 2019 by Sourcebooks
Cover art by Craig White
Sourcebooks and the colophon are registered trademarks of Sourcebooks, Inc.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems—except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews—without permission in writing from its publisher, Sourcebooks.
The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious or are used fictitiously. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.
All brand names and product names used in this book are trademarks, registered trademarks, or trade names of their respective holders. Sourcebooks is not associated with any product or vendor in this book.
Published by Sourcebooks Casablanca, an imprint of Sourcebooks
P.O. Box 4410, Naperville, Illinois 60567-4410
(630) 961-3900
sourcebooks.com
Contents
Front Cover
Title Page
Copyright
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Epilogue
Acknowledgments
About the Author
Back Cover
To Thomas Richardson, who tells me that he goes broke buying my books but to keep them coming. Love your sense of humor, and remember, YOU are the alpha of your pack of dogs.
Chapter 1
Her parents’ garden nursery had been open for a brief time that morning when Natalie Silverton, who was loading flowers into the back of a customer’s pickup, realized it was time to leave for the airport. “Thanks, Mrs. Nesbitt,” she said, barely waiting for the woman’s response.
She ran back to the shop where her mom was cashiering. “I’ve got to leave.” Having helped all she could before she departed, Natalie grabbed her purse from a locked drawer under the counter. Her dad had left to deliver trees to a customer’s home, and Natalie had been handling everything else except the register. She hated to leave her mother alone in the nursery.
“Go, give our Angie a hug for us,” her mom said, giving Natalie a quick squeeze. “Have a good time, and don’t hurry back. Your schedule is clear for five days. See some sights while you’re there. Have some fun.”
Her mom knew Natalie wouldn’t see any “sights” on her own. She suspected her mom was hoping she’d go out with some of the wolves of the Greystoke pack while she was away.
“Love you, Mom.” As their master gardener, Natalie gave classes and tours of their nursery all the time. But she had to catch a flight from Amarillo, Texas, to Denver, Colorado, to celebrate the marriage of her best friend, who was like a sister to her. Half a decade earlier, Natalie’s parents had learned Angie lived in the Amarillo area and didn’t have a family of her own. They had promptly taken her in as part of their family.
Natalie rushed back through the garden to reach the gate that led to her carriage house behind the Silverton Garden Center. She should have parked her car in front of the garden shop, but she had intended to leave a little bit ago.
Her bags were already in the car, so she changed out of her jeans and Silverton Garden T-shirt, yanked on a dress and heels, and tore out of the house. She jumped into her car and drove off, tamping down the urge to speed. She would make it, but without a lot of time to spare. She would much rather arrive at the airport early and relax before she took the flight. Better yet, if she hadn’t given a gardening workshop last evening, she would have just driven to Denver. It was only about a six-and-a-half-hour drive.
A half hour later, she parked and rushed into the airport, pulling her bags behind her. Inside, she paused, looking for the right airline counter to check her bag, then saw it and hurried toward it. Without warning, a little girl ran in front of Natalie to catch up with a woman who appeared to be her mother, forcing Natalie to stop suddenly. The abrupt stop caused a man to stumble over her bag and fall, sprawling out on the floor. She was so used to apologizing to customers that she let go of her bags and hurried to help him up. He looked to be in his early thirties, so it wasn’t as if he needed the help, but she immediately made the gesture. Getting closer to him, she smelled he was a wolf, and that took her aback. She didn’t know of any living in the area other than her parents and Angie.
“I’m so sorry.” She offered her hand to him.
Blond-haired and mustached, he narrowed his blue eyes at her and cursed. “Hell, woman. Don’t you ever look where you’re going?” He took a deep breath of her scent, his eyes widening a little when he realized she was a wolf too. He ignored her offer of help, rose to his feet—towering over her at six-foot-plus—and brushed off his jeans.
He had the situation a little backward, since he was the one who wasn’t watching where he was going and had run into her bag. Was he just passing through, visiting the area, or did he live in Amarillo?
The wolf jerked his bag past her and headed for the same check-in counter she had to use. Great. She smelled liquor on him. Whiskey. She sure didn’t want to have to put up with a drunken wolf. Though he could be on a different flight with the same airline.
For a moment, she thought about whether to get in line behind the surly wolf or wait until someone else came up to give her some distance. She decided not to wait and moved in behind him, keeping some space between them.
He was already arguing with the agent at the counter, wanting to carry his bag on the plane, but the woman said he couldn’t. “It exceeds the maximum size for a carry-on. You’ll have to put it in the cargo hold.”
It was the same size and style as Natalie’s bag, and she knew she’d have to check hers. She would have shipped Angie and Aaron’s wedding gift to them if she’d had the time. Then she wouldn’t have had to check a bag.
“They let me carry it on the last flight I took it on. I had no problem at all.”
“That may be, if you flew on one of the bigger planes. This one just doesn’t have room.” The agent wasn’t backing down from the growly wolf. Good for her.
“Hell, lady.” He slammed his bag on the scale. “Someone should have said so beforehand.”
“I’m sorry, sir. It’s just that the bag won’t fit under the seats or in the overhead bin.” She gave him the claim tag for his bag.
He jerked the claim tag from the agent’s hand and stalked off. Natalie felt embarrassed for being a wolf, considering this man was one too. His rude behavior would have given the wolf kind a bad name, if humans had known wolf shifters existed.
Natalie checked her bag and hurried to security, where she ended up behind the wolf again. How lucky could she be?
“I always have precheck stamped on my ticket. That ticket agent didn’t like that I was annoyed about not being able to carry my bag on the plane. I want to report her.”
“Sorry, sir,” the man said, “but it’s really random.”
“I still have to go through all this crap?” the growly wolf said.
“That’s the rule, sir. Please remove your shoes and step through the screener.”
The wolf grabbed a bin, jerked his sneakers off, then slammed them into the bin and shoved it onto the conveyer belt. Natalie wondered if he was always this disagreeable or if the liquor was the reason. She felt sorry for anyone who had to cross paths with him today.
She removed her heels and put them and her purse in a bin. After she put her carry-on on the conveyer belt, the security officer motioned her through. She grabbed her stuff and hurried to put on her shoes. Then she began looking for her gate. Of course, it had to be on the other side of the terminal.
At least she had a straight flight and no transfers. She saw the wolf ahead of her. There were a lot of gates in this direction, so he could be headed to any of them. She was counting on that, but then he took a detour to a bar. She shook her head. He’d already had too much to drink. He didn’t need to make any more of an ass of himself than he already had.
When she reached her gate, the attendants were already calling for boarding. She was in group two, and with relief, she boarded the plane. If by chance the wolf was on her flight, maybe he’d miss it. She smiled. That would serve him right.
Natalie took her seat, and it wasn’t long before she saw the wolf coming down the aisle. As soon as he reached his row, across the aisle from hers where she had an individual seat, he began to complain about being seated next to a mom and her toddler. Passengers were backed up behind him as he balked about sitting in his assigned seat.
The hostess hurried to see what the difficulty was, and the wolf said, “The kid’s diaper needs to be changed. It probably hasn’t been changed since yesterday. I can’t sit and smell that piss the whole flight.”
“She was changed right before the flight!” the irate mom said, her voice elevated.
Refusing to sit down, the wolf stood in the aisle, glowering at the hostess. “I demand a new seat. Anywhere. The kid smells like pee.”
“The flight is full. Please have a seat,” the hostess said, her cheeks coloring though she was trying to pacify him in a cool, collected manner.
Natalie was about to offer her seat to him, just so they could get on their way. He was already delaying them, and if they didn’t leave now, they would miss their place in line on the runway. Not that she wanted to sit by the mom and her toddler if the girl had a soiled diaper, because like him, Natalie had an enhanced sense of smell. But as annoying as he was, she didn’t want to accommodate him. That would only encourage such bad behavior.
“I won’t sit next to the damn woman and her filthy kid.”
Natalie saw one of the crew members coming, and from the set of his jaw, she didn’t think he’d allow any guff from the wolf. At least she hoped he wouldn’t. “You’re going to have to leave the plane,” the man told the wolf.
The next thing she knew, Mr. Drunk Wolf was being escorted off the plane. He was cursing up a storm, but at least he wasn’t fighting. Their kind could be trouble if they ended up in jail, especially if they couldn’t control the urge to shift during the full moon.
Conversations filled the air while the flight was delayed about fifteen minutes. Natalie hoped no one would miss a connection because of him.
She texted her friend: Crew had to escort a drunken wolf off the plane. Arriving about fifteen to twenty minutes late.
You’re kidding. A wolf? In Amarillo? No problem. We’ll save you a seat. Love ya, Angie
Now Natalie was ready for a drink!
* * *
Brock Greystoke was having a beer with his twin brother, Vaughn, at the rehearsal lunch for their cousin Aaron when Angie announced, “My best friend, Natalie, is delayed, so I want everyone to give her a special warm welcome when she finally arrives.” Angie was a vivacious gray wolf and had fallen in love with Aaron and the Greystoke pack right away. Brock was glad for both his cousin and the pack.
Brock knew Angie was really hoping that one of the bachelor males of Devlyn and Bella Greystoke’s pack would mate Natalie, and she would move there so Angie could continue to be close to her best friend.
“You especially intend to give her a warm welcome, right, Brock?” Vaughn asked.
“Don’t even mention it. After the mess I went through with Lettie, I’m staying clear of she-wolves for the time being.”
“Hell, it’s been two years.”
“Yeah, which isn’t long enough. And I’m certainly not going to lay claim to a she-wolf who will only be here for a couple of days. Besides, she’s not with a pack, and her parents have a nursery where she serves as their master gardener. She won’t want to move here and join a pack.” Not that Brock hadn’t liked Natalie’s appearance. Dark-haired and blue-eyed, Natalie was striking. Angie had made sure all the bachelor males had seen a picture of her friend, saying she wanted everyone to recognize her when she arrived. So why had she sent only the bachelors Natalie’s picture?
“Been thinking about this a lot, I see.” Vaughn smiled, as though he knew Brock better.
Brock couldn’t get over Lettie because of the crazy situation she’d gotten him into. As a PI, Brock had tried to locate and eliminate a lupus garou bank robber who had killed a woman and her child at a local bank. Learning Lettie was the robber’s sister—who had only gotten to know Brock because he was after her brother—had really irked Brock. Hurt too. He couldn’t believe she’d only had plans to convince him to let her brother disappear. Well, her brother did disappear, but he needed Brock’s assistance in disappearing permanently. They couldn’t allow a wolf to get away with murder and chance him getting caught and going to prison.
Brock sat back in his chair, not the least bit interested in Angie’s friend. From what Angie had said about her, she sounded like fun, but she wasn’t local. “Natalie’s not looking to relocate or find a
mate among our bachelors. She’s staying at a hotel far away from all of us. She doesn’t want anyone to pick her up at the airport. Her actions prove she doesn’t want to get involved with the pack. She’s only here to attend her best friend’s wedding,” he said.
“Right, and that’s what Angie wants to change. She wants her friend to meet someone and ultimately join us. Hey, if I hadn’t met and mated Jillian, I might have been interested.” Vaughn waved at his mate, who was headed back from the restroom.
“You weren’t looking to settle down either. I still can’t believe Jillian shot you for going after her brother, and you mated her.”
“Our two situations were eerily similar, with you going after Lettie’s brother, though quite a bit different.” Vaughn slapped Brock on the back. “Life is really good, Brock. You just have to find the right woman. You know Jillian wasn’t with a pack either. She was off working on her own.”
“The two of you work all over. It’s not like she’s dealing with wolf politics all the time,” Brock pointed out. “Besides, you work together, and her parents moved here so you’d all be close. I wouldn’t expect Natalie’s parents to pull up roots to join our pack. And I’m not talking about me, but about any of the bachelors who are eager to meet her. If Devlyn hadn’t read them the riot act and told them they had to let her do this her way, half of them would have been there vying for the chance to pick her up at the airport.”
“Maybe she would have been amused. What do we know?” Vaughn chuckled.
Jillian joined them and gave Brock a hug. “You really should join the United Shifter Force. After that wild trip to Belize with the jaguars, we wondered if you wouldn’t like to partner up with us. We could use your help. And I’m sure you’d love it.”
“No, it’s not for me. I love being a PI. But see? The two of you are perfect for each other,” Brock said.
“Has your brother been trying to convince you to make a play for Natalie?” Jillian took a seat and sipped from her glass of wine.
“He has, and I won’t be trying to win her over.”
“That’s what I told him too. She’s only going to be here today, for the wedding tomorrow, and then she’s leaving the day after. There’s no time to get to know her.” Jillian smiled at Brock. “Besides, she’s probably not your type.”
