SEAL Wolf Surrender

by Terry Spear

  Brock chuckled. “You are my kind of wolf. Somehow I didn’t think a master gardener would be such a wolf.”

  “You don’t know the half of it.”

  “But I’m sure eager to learn.”

  Chapter 11

  That evening, after they’d closed the garden center, Brock moved his car to park in front of Natalie’s house. Then they walked over to her parents’ two-story home, which featured a nice wraparound porch. Inside, Natalie’s mom had cooked a pot roast, potatoes, and carrots in a slow cooker, so the meal was ready when they closed up the garden center. The aroma of the roast made Brock’s stomach growl in anticipation as he and his cousin, Natalie, and her parents were about to sit down to eat at the long oak table.

  With a twinkle in his eye, Shawn made a move to sit beside Natalie, but Brock stopped him quickly enough. Smiling. Knowing his cousin was trying to prove Brock was being mighty territorial for a wolf who wasn’t interested in courting another.

  Of course, everyone noticed the maneuver. Wolves watched one another for actions and reactions. It was part of their wolf heritage and made them more aware of cues they were giving off. Not to mention they also smelled the change in the wolves’ scents—from congenial to slightly aggressive.

  Natalie let out a big sigh and sat down beside Brock. He didn’t know if she was resigned to considering courting him or annoyed he’d been posturing so his cousin couldn’t get near her for the meal. Brock couldn’t help it. He was a wolf.

  Her dad dished up roast beef that was falling apart, it was so well cooked. Brock thought he should invest in a slow cooker: great, easy way to cook a meal while he was off doing surveillance and such for a job in Denver and going home to Greystoke for the evening.

  “What do you think about our garden center?” her dad asked, looking straight at Brock for an answer.

  Before Brock could speak, Shawn did. “You get a lot of exercise, that’s for sure. I like working out in the fresh air and sunshine. Right now, I work at the leather goods factory the pack owns. This is a really nice change of pace.”

  Brock thought her dad was more interested in his viewpoint on working at the nursery, maybe because Natalie’s parents thought he could be a prospective mate for Natalie. There was no hiding the chemistry between them, even if he’d wanted to.

  “And you, Brock?” her dad asked.

  “Good, honest labor. I’d like it better than working at the factory.” Brock did enjoy working at the garden center. He enjoyed being outdoors as much as the next wolf.

  “But not better than your PI job?” her dad pointedly asked.

  Brock smiled. Natalie’s cheeks were suffused with color. “I do like being a PI. Sometimes, I can even use the military skills I learned as a SEAL. As a gardener, I wouldn’t be able to. Unless you had someone looking to rob you. And then? I’d be first on the line to deal with it. But I love solving the mystery of the cases I’m on.”

  Connolly sighed. “I understand. I loved solving murder investigations. Too bad you’re not into the garden business. We’ll just have to hire Shawn.”

  “He’s got a pack back in Colorado,” Natalie reminded her dad. But it was more than that. She was scowling at her father as if she didn’t like him trying to set her up with Shawn.

  At least that was what Brock figured her dad had in mind. Or maybe he was trying to force the issue of Brock seeing Natalie.

  “But Shawn would have an opportunity for a mate here, maybe. Someday.” Her dad looked meaningfully at her, as if to remind her she wasn’t getting any younger and there were no marriageable prospects in the area.

  “It could work,” Shawn said, giving Brock a cocky smile. He poured some gravy on his meat and potatoes. “Except for one thing. The SEAL has already surrendered to the lady.”

  Everyone looked in Brock’s direction to see what he had to say about the matter.

  He just smiled and shook his head. He would get his cousin back, but for now, it was time to change the subject. “The dinner is great.”

  “Thanks,” her mom said. “It’s a great way to have a dinner all ready to go after a long day at the nursery.”

  Everyone else agreed that the food was delicious.

  “What would it require for someone to join a pack like yours?” her dad asked Brock, surprising him, especially because of what Natalie had said about the problems they’d faced with other packs. He also didn’t think they’d want to uproot and move to Colorado. Not when they had such a beautiful garden center here.

  Natalie’s jaw dropped, but her mother didn’t look surprised to hear Connolly ask the question. Brock suspected her parents had discussed the topic with each other, and Natalie hadn’t been in on the conversation.

  “Bella and Devlyn would have to agree to allow a wolf or wolves to join the pack, but if you’re talking about you and your family, you already are a shoo-in with Angie mating one of our cousins and becoming a member of the pack. Aaron will vouch for you too. I would. I’m sure Shawn would, so I imagine our pack leaders wouldn’t hesitate to accept you,” Brock said.

  “We’ve had difficulties with being in other packs,” her dad warned, cutting into his roast beef.

  “Natalie discussed them with me. You haven’t been with our pack. Would you want to relocate to Colorado, leaving all this behind? Your place is beautiful, and it looks like you’re doing well with your business.” Brock couldn’t imagine wanting to start from scratch all over again. What a job that would be! Though, in all fairness, the Silvertons would have lots of wolf help if they did want to move to Greystoke.

  “Angie is like a daughter to us. She’ll have kids one of these days, and we don’t want to miss out on the joy of being ‘grandparents.’ We already missed her wedding because we were tied down here. A pack could help us with running the business if we needed to enjoy a break for a bit.”

  “Are you seriously considering moving close to their pack because of Angie?” Natalie asked, her eyes wide.

  Brock could usually read people. This time, he was having a hard time knowing if Natalie was happy or apprehensive about the prospect of a move.

  “Yeah. You girls will miss each other too much. Your mom and I can’t have you leaving to see her all the time. And you know when she has children, you’re going to want to be part of that too. If we had a place there, we could hire more reliable wolf help. We’ve already hired Shawn, and he’d still be close to his pack.”

  Brock glanced at Shawn. He thought that was all a joke.

  Shawn smiled at him. “Hey, sounds good to me. I’d love to work full time at the nursery.”

  “Mom, you agreed to this?” Natalie asked, sounding surprised.

  “We’ve been discussing it ever since Angie brought Aaron home to meet us and we knew she was moving to his ranch in Colorado. So yes. We figure if the pack doesn’t suit us, we can always establish another garden center somewhere else. Closer to Greystoke, but not in their territory. But we’re thinking of you too. We’ve been selfish, not considering your situation and Angie’s. There are no decent male wolf prospects around.” Her mother forked up some of her potatoes. “Last year when we had the attempted robbery, if we’d had a pack to help out, we would have been much better off. We could have been seriously injured or worse. And we worried about it for months afterward. All of us did.” She paused. “How do you feel about moving, Natalie?”

  “Like I’ve been left out of the loop. Why didn’t you tell me what you were thinking?”

  Her mom sighed. “We wanted you to meet the pack first. If you were completely against the move, we’d stay here. We were going to discuss it with you once you came home, to see if you liked the pack. You arrived here with two of the pack members instead, so”—her mom shrugged—“we discuss it now.”

  “You’ll have to go meet the pack,” Natalie said. “You can’t join them until you’re sure you will be fine with them.
” She sounded like she didn’t trust that her parents would find them acceptable.

  “That was just our thought. If Brock, Shawn, and you can hold down the fort, we thought we could enjoy a mini vacation and visit with Bella and Devlyn. Then we can decide. But we want your approval on this venture first.”

  Natalie lifted a shoulder. “You know me. I’m always ready to try something new and different. But it’s going to be a lot of work to set up anything this grand in a new location. We’ll have to learn about plants that thrive in Colorado. It’s a big move.”

  “You’ll have a whole pack to help you,” Brock said before Shawn could. Brock couldn’t help feeling elated, as though he were floating in the clouds. He’d been trying not to think about the situation with Natalie living so far away, as much as he’d been feeling more and more territorial with her. He thought she really had gotten along well with the rest of the ladies in the pack, so joining wouldn’t be a problem for her. She’d been more reserved around the men, but he was sure that had to do with her not wanting any of the bachelors to think she was interested in them. Her parents might be more of an issue, given the bad experiences they’d had with other packs.

  But what if she thought one of the other bachelors suited her better?

  He’d have to make sure they didn’t.

  “Hell, I guess I’d better let Devlyn know I’ll be quitting work at the leather goods factory,” Shawn said in a salute with his glass of wine.

  “Maybe you should wait until after my parents see the pack leaders,” Natalie said.

  “We’d kind of like to meet with them quickly, before you need to leave, Brock,” Natalie’s mom said.

  Brock was thinking he could hang around here until the family was ready to move, maybe even advertise to do some PI jobs, once he resolved the issue with the counterfeit money ring.

  “But we don’t want to leave you in the lurch over this counterfeit-money situation,” her dad said.

  “It could be some time before we could eliminate the menace.” Shawn stabbed a carrot with his fork. “I say we go for it. You could leave tomorrow and see the pack, spend a few days, and we’ll handle everything here. We can keep checking into the counterfeiting guys, and when you come back, maybe we’ll have that resolved.”

  “Will you be able to manage both if you have trouble with the wolves?” her dad asked. “I’d be more than willing to stay and help.”

  “Maybe when you arrive home,” Brock said. “I agree with Shawn. We can do it. Did you want to leave tomorrow?” He hoped they could manage the place like her parents wanted. Everyone had their own way of doing things, and the Silvertons might not be happy when they came back. Then again, if they planned to sell the place and move, they probably wouldn’t care as long as everything was maintained properly—meaning the fish and plants didn’t die.

  Her mom and dad exchanged glances, smiled, and nodded. “If it won’t be too much of an inconvenience,” her dad said. “Natalie knows how to operate the place by herself, but she’ll need your help.”

  “She’s got it,” Brock said. “And I was thinking I could pick up some other PI work here while you’re trying to sell the place, or whatever you need to do until you’re ready to leave.”

  Now Natalie was looking at him, her lips parted in surprise. He wanted to lean over and kiss them.

  Her mom and dad were smiling.

  “Yeah, you have a good time with the pack. Don’t worry about us. You can check on us as much as you like while you’re gone to make sure we’re doing everything right,” Shawn said.

  “Boy, will I have you working hard for your money,” Natalie said to Brock and Shawn and laughed evilly.

  Brock and Shawn chuckled. Brock was ready.

  “If you cook as well as your mom, I’m ready,” Shawn said.

  * * *

  “I can’t believe my parents were discussing all this behind my back,” Natalie groused to Brock on the way back to her carriage house after dinner. “That’s why they were so insistent I hang around with your pack a while longer after Angie and Aaron went off on their honeymoon. They were hoping I’d enjoy being around your pack members and maybe even find someone I might like to date.”

  “Well, it worked, didn’t it?”

  She took hold of his hand. “I thought they were joking about hiring Shawn. Were you serious about doing some PI jobs here until we can move?”

  “I am. I’ve been giving it a lot of thought. I had assumed your parents were joking about hiring Shawn too. I was afraid they were disappointed in me for wanting to continue working as a PI. They floored me when they asked about joining the pack. But I can see their reasoning. Their two lovely daughters—”

  Natalie lowered her chin and raised her brows at him.

  “Well, one ‘daughter’ departed the area, and with the prospect of her having babies, they didn’t want to miss out. But they’re just as concerned you might hook up with a wolf like me and leave them behind too. Just think if you ended up with a wolf of another pack somewhere far away. Then they’d be split between the two of you. And with running their own business, that makes it hard to get away to visit either of you. I can tell they’re pack-inclined, but they just haven’t found the right pack to settle down with.”

  “What do you think about us joining the pack?” she asked, opening the door to her house.

  “Truthfully? I couldn’t be gladder. You’ll find lots of help for your garden center, all of us would be customers, and we’ll provide security so you won’t have any more theft or attempted theft problems. Not with a whole pack to back you. Angie and Aaron will be thrilled too. We have a pack doctor for when Angie and Aaron have babies. We don’t have anyone in the pack who runs a garden center. It’s always nice to expand our businesses to include wolf customers and humans. You won’t believe how much marketing the pack would do on social media to help boost your sales.”

  “Wow, I hadn’t even thought of that.” Now she was really smiling as she shut the door.

  “Shawn will talk their ears off about all of it. The rest of us will be eager to help out.”

  “Will Bella and Devlyn consider the trouble my parents have had fitting in with other packs as a bad sign?” Natalie thought it sounded bad to an outsider, though she knew her parents had good reason to pull up stakes and move each time.

  “Given the issues they had with other packs, no.” Brock pulled Natalie into his arms. “You have to know I’ll be the happiest of all that you’re joining the pack.”

  She slid her hands around his back and hugged him tight to her body. “We haven’t made it to that point exactly. But if we did, and my family moved there, what if I found one of your other bachelor males…intriguing?”

  “You won’t.”

  She chuckled. “You’re certainly sure of yourself. But you’re right. I wouldn’t. Not after hearing your sexy voice over the phone when you were giving me directions to the restaurant. And you weren’t laughing at me for being so excited to find my way there. That said a lot in my book.”

  “I was only glad Angie asked me to help out.”

  “You must have been close by when she asked you for your assistance.”

  He laughed. “I wasn’t. She was waving frantically for me, and I rushed across the room to join her, thinking there was a real emergency, the way she was frowning. Of course, Aaron was smiling, and I should have known better.”

  Natalie chuckled. Then she pulled him down for a kiss, only this time, it was more. Much more. Erotically deep and emotionally charged. She’d never felt this way with a wolf or human before. After last night, she was certain they had the kind of wolf connection that meant this was worth exploring a whole lot more. She suspected her mother already knew it. Her dad too. Both were instinctual enough to know something was going on between the two of them.

  Brock’s hands caressed her shoulders and her arms, h
is mouth expertly on hers, kissing her, exciting her. His tongue licked her lips, his mouth nuzzling hers. The heat ratcheted up between them, and their pheromones were ablaze. She cupped his buttocks and pressed his heavy arousal against her.

  She ached for him, wanting him inside her, but they couldn’t go that far yet. She had to know for certain that her parents really did want to move and join the pack. She just couldn’t leave them behind like Angie had done. Angie had been adopted by the family, but Natalie was their own flesh and blood. They would be devastated if she abandoned them for the Greystoke pack if they didn’t want to join them.

  “God, you’re hot,” she whispered against Brock’s mouth. “Combustible.”

  “So are you. And beautiful.” He kissed her back, their hearts beating frantically.

  She wanted to haul him to her bedroom and explore every inch of his tantalizingly naked body again, but she gave him a soft kiss, signaling an end to this madness. She drew away…reluctantly. “I…guess we should get our laptops and do a little research before we go to bed.” She wanted to continue this, but she thought it was prudent for her parents to like Brock’s pack first.

  “Uh, yeah, we’ve got some bad guys to terminate.” He smiled at her and grabbed his laptop sitting next to his bag. He seemed to understand how she was feeling and didn’t view it as a rejection.

  She was glad for that.

  She brought her laptop in from the dining room and sat down to do some research in the living room. She had planned to leave some room between them on the brown velour couch, but she really didn’t want to and sat so her leg was touching his. He smiled at her closeness and opened up his laptop.

  Yeah, she was going to keep her distance from him until her parents decided the pack was good for them. Right. She would enjoy the time they got to spend together, no matter what her parents decided.

  She began looking for information on the ranch property out near Canyon. She found a ranch near Marek’s friend’s ranch house that was for sale. “Okay,” Natalie said. “I told you those properties were high-dollar value. That ranch where Marek went? The one near it costs $1.8 million. That doesn’t mean theirs is that fancy, but then again, maybe it’s even more expensive.”