Jaguar's Joy

by Zoe Chant

  Drew nodded vigorously. “I promise. My lawbreaking days are in the past.” He cracked a tiny smile. “And I applied to a bunch of colleges already.”

  “Good,” Misty said. She looked over his shoulder at Eva, who was hovering just behind.

  “Don’t worry, Sheriff Dale,” Eva said firmly. “He’s telling you the truth.”

  “I never doubted it,” she told Drew. He blushed.

  “Thanks,” he repeated, and backed away to fade into the crowd.

  Ty, meanwhile, had turned away from his crowd of friends and was looking back at her. “Misty,” he said, “come on. Meet everyone.”

  “I do know everyone already,” she reminded him, coming forward anyway. “Colonel Hanes, good to see you again. Carlos, hello. Nate, Ken.”

  “Good to see you, too, Sheriff,” the Colonel said, shaking her hand firmly. “Call me Wilson, I’m retired anyway.”

  “Well, I’m not retiring anytime soon, but you’re still welcome to call me Misty,” Misty said, which got her a hearty laugh.

  “I’m glad to hear that,” he told her. “Misty. You’re a force for justice in the town. My men and their mates would’ve had a much more difficult time these last few months, if there’d been a sheriff who was less committed to her job, or more partisan about local concerns.”

  “You can be sure that I’ll work hard to avoid that,” she said fervently. “My father, who was sheriff when I was a kid, was very firm about not allowing pack bonds to affect adherence to the law. We are humans, after all, as well as animals.”

  “We are indeed,” the Colonel said approvingly. “He sounds like he was a good man.”

  “The best,” she said quietly.

  The Colonel—she was going to have to start trying to call him Wilson, now that he’d asked her to; he was just so imposing that it was difficult to think of him that way—clapped her on the shoulder. “And you’re following in his footsteps, from what I’ve seen.”

  “She’s sure doing a good job at keeping the peace,” Ken put in next to them. “I’ve never seen anyone whip five crazed wolf shifters into shape, and into handcuffs, as fast as you did that one time.”

  Misty had not anticipated the evening becoming some kind of...paean to her skills as a law enforcement officer. “If I recall correctly, Carlos had fought them to a standstill all by himself already,” she pointed out. “All I had to do was hand out the cuffs and point to where they needed to go.”

  “You did a little more than that,” Carlos objected. “If you hadn’t arrived when you did, things could’ve gone very, very badly.”

  “Because they thought they were facing only one other shifter,” Misty said. “Just the presence of a show of force—”

  “All right, all right!” Ty interrupted, laughing. “Can we just agree that we’re all heroes and leave it at that? Everyone did a fantastic job.” A beat. “Especially Misty.”

  “You weren’t even there,” Misty objected, and then everyone started to laugh, and she couldn’t be heard over it, and had to give up.

  “Are you guys giving Misty a hard time?” Stella asked, coming up behind them, and the laughter erupted again.

  Misty had to assure Stella that no, it was pretty much the opposite, and then they all took seats around the fire pit, where Eva and Drew were roasting marshmallows and ignoring the adults entirely.

  “So tell us more about your vacation,” Pauline said to Stella and Nate, and the conversation picked up where it must have left off.

  Stella and Nate, it turned out, had been traveling all over the place since they’d gotten together, and had just returned from a week in Morocco. They’d both loved it, and were excited to go back someday. They told stories about the food, the culture, the people they’d met and talked to—it sounded exciting.

  But also kind of overwhelming. “Do you like to travel?” Misty asked Ty in an undertone, while Ken was interrogating Nate in detail about a story where he’d embarrassed himself in front of some locals.

  He shrugged. “Haven’t done much of it, other than when I was in the Corps. I’ve always been a homebody. I like to be around my people, know that I’m helping my community.”

  She nodded, feeling oddly satisfied. “I’m the same.”

  “But it’s fun to hear other people’s stories,” he added, and she had to agree. She’d never known anyone who’d gone to Morocco before.

  Stella showed them a bunch of pictures of the fantastic things they’d seen while they were there, and then put her phone away and asked Pauline, “So how are the kids? The little kids,” she revised, with a smile at Drew.

  “Oh, they’re doing all right,” Pauline said with a smile. “Troy’s in first grade now, and it’s a bit of an adjustment, after all of the upheaval in his life, but he really likes having other kids to hang out with.”

  “Val’s basically the Energizer Bunny,” Carlos added. “I spend a ton of time just following her around while she runs. I’m thinking about entering her into a marathon, because I’m pretty sure she manages about twenty-six miles a day.”

  Everyone laughed. “What about the center?” Lynn asked. “Still getting going?”

  Misty leaned forward. A few weeks ago, she’d learned about the community center that Carlos—who was apparently fabulously rich—was going to fund, and initially she’d been skeptical.

  After all, Carlos was a random businessman who’d just moved here. Sure, he clearly cared a great deal about Pauline and their own three kids, but how would he know anything about helping out locals, fostering a community?

  But looking around at the crowd of people, she couldn’t think of anything more like a community than this. And they were all different shifter types, hadn’t grown up together. Maybe there was something to this idea for a center after all.

  “Well, we’ve got a space,” Carlos was saying, “and it’s this beautiful building over on Main Street, you know, by the Methodist church? That white one with the crazy turrets?”

  “The old Barbur place,” Misty said involuntarily, and he turned to look at her.

  “You know it?”

  Misty nodded. “There used to be—well, there used to be a whole group of deer shifters in town, a pack. A couple of generations ago. But the predator population kept growing, and they were less and less comfortable sticking around. My father was the last stag holdout, and he kept on telling everyone to stay, he’d keep them safe. But he was really young, then, and they didn’t believe him. So they left. That was the pack home, once upon a time. They sold it to some company who tried to put a—oh, I don’t even remember what kind of store. But it went out of business fast, and the place has been empty ever since.”

  Carlos blinked. “Wow. I had no idea it had that kind of history. I hope you don’t mind that we’re using it.”

  Misty swallowed and shook her head. “No. No, absolutely not. It should be used for something like this.” She smiled suddenly. “Use it, and prove those old deer wrong. This town isn’t too dangerous for prey animals. We can all live together.”

  Carlos grinned back, and she liked the fierceness in his smile. “We sure can.” He looked back to the group. “So, we got it for a song, and we’re ready to start setting up. I’m looking online for furniture and supplies and things—”

  “I bet we can get some people to donate stuff,” Misty put in.

  “I have the money—”

  “It’s not just money,” Ty rumbled next to her, low and thoughtful. “It’s investment. If they donate their things, even if they’re old things, they’ll feel some kind of ownership over the place. More than if everything’s new.”

  Misty nodded, and she saw Lynn and Stella nodding, too.

  “Huh,” Carlos said thoughtfully. “I hadn’t thought of it like that.”

  “We have some stuff up in the attic,” said Lynn. “Some of our grandmother’s things. She’d be pleased to see them put to use like this.”

  “I’ll stop by Oliver’s and talk to my old coworkers,” Paul
ine said. “Some of them have kids who’d really benefit from this place. I know free childcare would sure appeal.”

  “Good,” Carlos said. “Great! This is great.”

  Misty said, “This is a good idea. I’d really like to see kids spending time someplace constructive, learning and having fun, rather than left alone and looking to make trouble. Maybe...maybe we can prevent another pack like Ryan’s from growing up around here, if the kids who would become that pack aren’t roaming around figuring out what sort of illegal stuff they can get up to.”

  Ty took her hand and squeezed. “That’s exactly what I was talking about, earlier,” he said quietly. “Yes. Exactly that.”

  Misty felt warmth flush through her body. She was suddenly aware of how close they were pressed, together in front of the fire. His muscular thigh was right up against hers, their clasped hands resting on his knee. She had to force her eyes away, to keep them from traveling higher, curious.

  The conversation carried on, and Misty was surprised at how much of an effort everyone made to include her. They wanted to know why she’d moved back after living in Missoula for so many years, and when she slowly tried to explain how she felt tied to this land, this place, how her father’s legacy was something she’d never be able to abandon, she saw heads nodding around the circle.

  “I always felt the same,” said Lynn. “Our grandmother was born here, in this house—literally in the house; no time for a hospital, she always said.” She smiled at the memory. “I’ve never wanted to be anywhere else.”

  Stella laughed a little. “I always wanted to be somewhere else,” she confessed, “but eventually I realized that as much as I love to see new places, I really do want to have a home to come back to, and this is it.”

  “I never knew that I wanted a home,” Carlos said softly, looking at Pauline. “I thought I was fine in New York, living in an apartment I’d had professionally decorated, spending most of my time at my job. I was wrong.”

  “I felt the same,” said Colonel Hanes—Wilson. “I was living in Washington, DC, married to my work. I knew something was missing, but I didn’t know what that something was until I met Mavis.” He and his mate exchanged a loving glance.

  Misty felt a strange feeling rising in her. A kind of—painful fondness. Hearing all of them talk about her home like this...it was filling some kind of gap she’d never knew she had. And she realized that she’d been missing something, when she talked to Ty about how grim things could be around here.

  “Thank you all,” she heard herself say.

  Everyone turned to look at her. “For what?” Stella asked.

  “For coming here,” Misty tried to explain. “I’ve been sheriff for just over a year, and when I started, I would’ve said that there wasn’t a good sense of community here. That the packs all kept to themselves, no one asked questions, and everyone had to watch out to keep from offending everyone else. And once they did—well, that’s when I had to show up. And the wolves were running rampant. They were looking to take over, to make this place just a base for all of their illegal hobbies.”

  She shook her head. How could she have missed what had been happening, until she heard it laid out like this, around this fire? “And then you all started moving here...and somehow, everything’s improved. Mavis, I know you’ve been helping all the small businesses around here. The economy’s perking up. Lynn, your wilderness guide business is getting all sorts of attention on the Internet, and it’s bringing in more tourists. Nate, you came in when the wolves were causing trouble, and stood up to them when no one else would. And now this community center...I don’t even know how to express the improvements you’ve all made around here.” She smiled a little. “I guess—thanks for making my job easier, is what I’m trying to say.”

  “Our pleasure,” said Nate immediately.

  “And really,” Ken added, “we should be thanking you. What with the long arm of justice and all.”

  Misty had to roll her eyes, but everyone was chuckling and nodding, so she laughed too.

  Ty squeezed her hand, and she looked over at him. “This was a good idea. Thank you.”

  “Good,” he said quietly. “I’m glad.”

  She leaned in closer to him and took a deep breath of air tinged with laughter, companionship, and firelit warmth.

  ***

  Ty

  Ty was struggling to contain a whole host of feelings that he hadn’t anticipated.

  For one, it had been strange, listening to all the others describe how they’d known in their hearts that Glacier Park was their home. That the people they’d met there were their mates, meant to be with them forever.

  Because while they’d been talking, he’d understood. Deep in his chest, his jaguar had purred with recognition, with the knowledge of what they were talking about.

  But—he wasn’t like them. He hadn’t come here aimlessly, looking for a new job or a new purpose in life or a new home. He had a job, he had a life, and he was going back to Los Angeles once this vacation was over. He hadn’t even come here voluntarily.

  It was just suddenly really hard to imagine leaving all of this behind, going back to the hot, dusty streets of LA. The cynical coworkers, the traffic, the beach he never managed to get to, the mountains he mostly saw as a haze on the horizon. Iris’ empty house, no kids left in it.

  And then there was Misty.

  Ken was telling some dumb story about a prank he’d pulled back when they were all in the Corps—Ty had heard it a hundred times, and also he’d been there when it happened, so he was only listening with half an ear.

  But Misty was laughing so hard she’d doubled over. Her hair was slipping out of its severe bun, little wisps coming out to frame her face, and when she looked over at him to share the joke, the firelight lit the beautiful planes of her face and put flames of light in her dark eyes.

  Ty couldn’t imagine never seeing her again.

  He literally couldn’t imagine it. Taking her out on a few more dates, and then waving goodbye and getting on a plane back to Los Angeles forever...

  He couldn’t do it. He’d freeze on the tarmac, unable to take that last step. He knew it in his bones.

  Was this a temporary thing? Was the sight of Misty laughing in the firelight, the fellowship of his oldest friends, all conspiring to make him dizzy with desire, fantasize about being with all of them here forever?

  His jaguar growled in disgust, and Ty found himself agreeing. He was pretty sure this wasn’t temporary at all.

  ***

  Misty

  Misty hadn’t been drinking, other than the one beer at Oliver’s, but she felt strangely as though she had been.

  Almost. She wasn’t dizzy or having a hard time with words; she was sure she could walk a straight line no problem.

  She just kept laughing, which was something that never happened unless she’d overindulged in alcohol a bit. She wasn’t giggly, never had been.

  But everyone was just so happy. And Ken and Stella were both very funny people, it turned out, and even Lynn had a dry humor that Misty had never seen in her before.

  There had even been a moment when Ken had bet Nate, with comical sincerity, that he could infiltrate the ranger HQ at Glacier National Park and play a prank on their friend Cal, the head ranger there—who was apparently home with a sick baby tonight, and had sent his apologies.

  Ken had been speculating on how to avoid the extensive pack of snow leopards who were all rangers up at the Park, and how he might enlist their friends to help him, and claimed he could totally carry this off tonight, and Misty had said, “I’ll be sure to get to the station early tomorrow to meet you all coming in,” and the entire group had exploded with laughter.

  And she’d been struck speechless by the deep flood of joy within her at the sound. Everyone had been smiling at her, happy with her joke, including her in the experience of fun and conversation, and it had been so overwhelming that she’d felt tears pricking at her eyes.

  It was to
o much. It was all too much—but not too much in a way she’d ever felt before. She knew what it was to have too much exhaustion, too much pain, too much sadness, too much work, too much care.

  She’d never had too much joy before.

  “Excuse me,” she said, standing abruptly. “I—I’m going to get a glass of water, if you don’t mind.”

  “Not at all,” Stella said immediately. “I can get it for you—”

  “I’ll show you where everything is,” Ty cut in, standing with her. “I mean, I don’t know where everything is, but I won’t hesitate to rummage around in the cabinets until I find the glasses. And I could use some water, too. Anyone else want anything?”

  Everyone declined, and Ty and Misty made their way back to the house, Misty taking calming breaths of the crisp night air away from the fire.

  “All right?” Ty asked her in a low voice as they went inside.

  She nodded, looking around the dim kitchen. Ty went and found her a glass, filling it with water from the tap.

  “Thanks,” she said as he handed it to her. “It was just—”

  “A bit much?” he asked.

  “Sort of. I mean, they’re not what’s too much, they’re all lovely. It’s me. I didn’t realize—” She bit her lip. “How lonely I really was.”

  Ty touched her shoulder, and she set down the glass of water—which she hadn’t really wanted, anyway, it had just been an excuse to step away for a minute—and turned into his embrace.

  This was another thing she hadn’t even realized she’d wanted. Being held—when was the last time she’d been held, before today? Even her father hadn’t been very affectionate; she’d known he loved her because of his words, not because of a lot of hugs or kisses.

  She’d dated men before, certainly—in college, and when she’d been working in Missoula, mainly. But her experience of physical affection with them had mostly been frustrating. They’d been too gruff or too saccharine, touched too hard or too soft, always had a hand or on her or hardly touched her at all except in bed.