His Foxy Lady_A Howls Romance

by Kasey Belle

  “Oh, my god. Stop. You’re ridiculous.” Nikki schooled her expression and tried to act as natural as possible. Well, as natural as one could act when faced with the sexiest man they’d ever seen who also happened to be the man fate determined was her one while her alter ego fangirled like a maniac. She glanced up at Jim, again. Damn, he was tall.

  “Nuh uh. He’s just right. I want to climb him like a tree.” Fox nudged her. “I don’t have opposable thumbs; you’ll need to do it.”

  When Koda introduced her, she automatically stuck out her hand for an obligatory handshake. Nikki realized her mistake the second they touched. She gasped. Her whole body felt like a live wire and sparked with recognition as it readied itself for her mate.

  She watched the silent conversation between the men before Koda turned his attention to her and arched an eyebrow. Nikki treated him to a narrow-eyed warning of her own. He looked as though he were fighting laughter, not the least bit intimidated by her glare.

  Ella invited Jim to join them. Nikki silently begged him to say no. Unfortunately, the universe turned a deaf ear and Jim agreed.

  Fox stuck out her tongue. “Hah! I win.”

  “Behave.”

  “Momma?” Casey grabbed her hand. “Are you okay?”

  She smiled down at her little girl. “I’m fine. Just tired.”

  Ella chuckled. “I bet you are after that long drive. How long did it take to get here?” She asked as Koda helped her up the steps. Nikki and Casey followed.

  “Three and half days give or take a few hours.”

  “We stopped a lot, Ms. Ella. Momma said it wasn’t safe to drive if you were tired. We left really early in the morning then stayed at a hotel after we ate dinner. I was the navigator. It was fun. We saw all kinds of cool stuff,” Casey began naming a few of those things. “We saw a funnel cloud in Kansas. Momma said we were too far away for the tornado to get us, but it was cool. But also, not cool because they’re dangerous and people get hurt. We went to the Botanical Garden in Wichita before we drove to Colorado. There were tons of pretty flowers. Some I had never even seen before. Oh, and in Colorado, I saw where they play football and the Rocky Mountains. They are. In case you didn’t know.” Casey nodded and finally took a breath.

  “They are what?” Ella asked.

  Casey tilted her head and made a face as if the answer were obvious. “Rocky.”

  “Of course. Right.” Ella glanced at Nikki and grinned. Yeah, she heard Casey’s silent ‘duh!’ too.

  Koda held the door open for them to go in first. A beautiful white and grey dog sat a few feet away as if eagerly waiting for his masters to return.

  Casey sucked in a breath then clapped with glee. “You have a dog.” She went to run up to it and Nikki grabbed her arm.

  “You don’t approach strange dogs that way. We’ve been over this, remember?” Nikki scolded.

  Looking properly contrite, Casey nodded. “Sorry, Momma. I couldn’t resist his cuteness.

  The dog jumped to his feet. Koda nor Ella seemed particularly worried about the canine’s reaction to strangers in his domain, but Nikki was. He appeared to be a wolf hybrid. If he was more wolf than dog, his natural chase and hunt instincts could kick in. She kept a sharp eye on him watching for any change in his body language.

  The pup sniffed the newcomers. His attention staying on Casey the longest. When he licked her cheek, Nikki let out the breath she’d been holding.

  Casey scratched behind his ears. “He’s pretty. His leg looks like Sergeant Diehl’s. Doesn’t it, Momma? What’s his name? What kind of dog is he? How old is he? I like his eyes. They’re cool.”

  “His name is Vinny Pawzienza,” Ella responded. She spelled the last name. Both Nikki and Casey giggled. It was a cute name. “He turned a year-old last month. We believe he’s part wolf, part Husky.”

  Nikki studied him. “I can honestly say I’ve never seen a dog with a prosthetic.”

  “Ella calls it his magic leg.” Jim cleared his throat and grinned at them.

  Casey tilted her head back and looked up at him. “I like that, Mr. Jim. A couple of Momma’s friends from the Army have magic arms and legs, too. We should call them that from now on, Momma. Except for Sergeant Diehl since he calls his a bionic leg. I don’t know what that is, but it sounds funny.”

  “That is quite an amazing talent you have there, Ms. Casey,” Jim said.

  “Huh?”

  “Talking for long periods of time without breathing.” He shot her a cheeky grin. “Are you a mutant?”

  “Hardy har.” Casey pulled a face. “Momma says the same thing. It’s not that impressive. I know lots of kids who can do it. If I was a mutant I’d do something cool like move stuff with my mind.” She shot him a sassy grin before turning her attention back to Ella. “Can Vinny run with his leg?”

  “He sure can. He runs and plays like any normal dog.” Ella held out her hand to Casey. “You want to help me give Vin a treat?” Vinny’s ears perked up and ran into the kitchen.

  Casey giggled and took Ella’s hand. “He knows what that is, huh?”

  Koda motioned them toward the table. “Have a seat. Everyone good with coffee or would you prefer something cold?”

  “Coffee’s good,” Jim responded. He held out a chair for Nikki.

  She nodded a thank you then sat. “Coffee for me as well.”

  “Anything you don’t want Casey to have?”

  “Nothing with caffeine if you can manage it. I’ve let her over-indulge during our trip.”

  “No worries. We have plenty of beverages in there that won’t have her bouncing off the walls. Ella refused to give up her coffee but compromised on everything else.”

  Jim’s cellphone rang. He pulled it from his shirt pocket and frowned at the screen before he answered it. “What? Damn. All right. I’ll load up and meet you over there as soon as I can.”

  “What’s going on?” Koda stood by the counter wearing a frown. “That didn’t sound good.”

  “It isn’t. Greg said there’s a break in the fence on the south side. Sounds like a one-man job, but I’ve got to run him some tools.”

  “A break?” Koda’s once friendly expression now looked like a dark thundercloud. “You mean someone cut into the fence,” he snarled.

  “Only thing that makes sense to me. I’ll look at it and let you know when I come back. I shouldn’t be too long.” Jim pushed his chair back and stood. “My guess. It’s dumbass teenagers with too much time on their hands.”

  “Jesus. I don’t care if it was just kids acting stupid, this is bad. I’ll call the security company and have them come out. I’ve put off adding perimeter cameras long enough.”

  “I wasn’t going to say anything, but yes, you have. Slacker.” Jim smirked. “You know all it takes is one dumbass to ruin it for the rest of us.”

  Koda eyes filled with mirth and he scratched his nose with his middle finger. “Watch out for Adams. Even though he rarely goes near the fence-line, it doesn’t mean he won’t.”

  “I’ll grab the rifle and a few darts just in case.”

  Nikki’s eyes flitted back and forth between Koda and Jim as if she were watching a tennis match. Their dynamic seemed less employer/employee and more friends or equals. It fascinated her, not because she expected a military man like Dakoda to be a tyrant, but she did assume there would be an obvious chain of command. “Who’s Adams?”

  “Ten-year-old Grizzly,” Jim clarified.

  Nikki snorted. “Grizzly Adams? Seriously? That’s very retro of you.”

  “We’re a creative bunch,” Koda boasted with a smug grin.

  “Some of us more than others,” Jim sent a pointed look at Ella. The pretty redhead stuck her tongue out at him. He turned his attention back to Nikki and nodded. “It was nice to meet you, Nicolette. I’m sure I’ll see you later.”

  A shiver ran down her spine at the promise in his deep, sexy voice. She didn’t glance at his tight Wrangler butt as he walked by. Nope. She did not. Okay, may
be a little.

  Chapter 4

  “So?” Koda smirked at her as he set a small carton of cream and a bowl of sugar on the table. He leaned in and murmured, “Jim, huh? Didn’t see that one coming.”

  She knew he recognized her reaction as one a shifter has towards their mate. She just didn’t think he’d bring it up, but there was no use lying about it. As a shifter Koda would pick up on her dishonesty. She sighed. “Yes.”

  Koda regarded her with what Nikki was sure he thought was a contemplative expression, but she saw the mischief in his eyes. “Ella and I must have started a butterfly effect. You’re welcome.”

  “I wasn’t aware I thanked you for anything,” she responded with sass.

  “Jim’s a good man. One of the best I know.” He informed her as he went back to the kitchen for their coffee. He placed a mug in front of her then and Nikki added cream and sugar. Ella joined them at the table and did the same with hers. “Jim and Hal oversee the livestock. Hal’s a retired ranch foreman, I’ll introduce you to him later. He mostly orders the young guys around and makes sure they do their job.”

  “When he’s not spoiling the animals,” Ella interjected with amusement.

  “True.” Koda returned her smile with one of his own, then continued, “Like I said earlier, Jim has worked for us for a few years now. He grew up on a ranch about twenty miles from here.”

  Nikki found that odd. Weren’t ranches passed down from one generation to the next? “He didn’t want to work his family’s ranch?”

  “His older brother took over after his father retired. Jim’s always had his own dreams, so he didn’t want any part of it, but that’s his story to tell not mine.”

  Nikki could respect that. She had her own story and secrets. Her instincts told her Dakoda Stone was a stand-up guy, that she could trust him. It was nice to know she was right.

  “Jim handles all the physical aspects of the job Hal can’t. He also works with the pups and helps me re-home the rescues as well as oversees maintenance, in case the phone call didn’t give it away.”

  Ella placed a hand over hers. “Koda told me in there―” She nodded toward the kitchen. “―he suspected Jim was your mate based on your reactions. I hope you don’t mind. He didn’t say it where Casey could hear.” She looked at Casey who was using a thick rope toy to play tug-of-war with Vinny on the rug in front of the fireplace.

  Nikki shook her head. “I don’t mind.” She expected Koda to share the news with his mate. A shifter finding their one was viewed as something to celebrate not keep secret.

  Ella’s eyes softened in sympathy. “You don’t have to decide anything now, Nikki. I know the whole mate thing is supposed to be easy… in theory―” She shot a bit of side shade at Koda. “―but in reality? Not so much. Trust me, I lived it.”

  Koda shook his head. “You’re never gonna let that go, are you?” He tried to look exasperated but failed miserably. Humor and adoration lit Koda’s eyes as he gazed at his mate.

  Ella emitted an inelegant snort. “I recall warning you I would use your past behavior for my own gain.”

  Koda wrapped an arm around his mate and tucked her to his side. “You’re right, love. You did. How silly of me to think you wouldn’t do it in front of company.”

  “Nikki’s not company. She lives here, now. That makes her family.”

  Ella’s matter-of-fact statement brought tears to Nikki’s eyes. She didn’t expect them to hate her or anything, but immediate acceptance into the inner circle? No. “Thank you, Ella. I know it sounds trite, but that means a lot to me.”

  Ella waved away her gratitude. “Just speaking the truth. You’ll find I don’t say things I don’t mean, and I don’t like to pussy-foot around.”

  Koda snorted then muttered, “Fuck if that ain’t the truth.”

  Ella elbowed him in the ribs. “Behave or I’ll catch Nikki up on your asinine behavior pre-mating. Do you really want her to learn of the tarnish under your shiny armor before she has a chance to truly get to know you?”

  Nikki couldn’t resist the urge to tease Koda. She covered her mouth with her hand and widened her eyes in feigned fright. “Ohhh. Someone’s in trouble.”

  Ella bit her lip to keep from laughing. Koda narrowed his eyes and pointed his finger at her. “Watch it, fox. You know what they say about the big bad wolf.”

  “That depends. Am I Little Red Riding Hood or one of the Three Little Pigs in this scenario?”

  Ella could no longer contain herself and laughed so hard she nearly rolled out of her chair. “Good thing I peed earlier,” she said once she finally calmed down. “That was awesome.”

  Nikki shared a fist bump with her. “Seriously though. Don’t I get a vote? What if I don’t want to wait to hear about all Koda’s dumbass moments? I think I have a right to know if my new boss is a total guy.” She scrunched up her face in disgust.

  “Hmm. Good point.” Ella’s pursed her lips and tipped her head slightly to the right. She tapped her index finger against her lips as if actually contemplating revealing Koda’s dark side.

  “Hey.” Koda’s face fell into an adorable pout. It reminded Nikki of a puppy dog. Fitting considering, he was a wolf.

  Nikki laughed. The way those two interacted with each other was amusing as hell. She could see them all becoming great friends.

  “Momma?” Casey walked up over with Vinny by her side. “Vinny and I are bored. Can we go outside?”

  “Vinny’s bored, too? Huh?” Nikki glanced at her watch and was shocked to see she’d been visiting with Ella and Koda for over an hour.

  Casey nodded vehemently. “Yes, ma’am. Look at him.” She gestured to the one-year-old pup sitting at her feet wearing a big doggie smile as his eyes flitted between her and Casey. It was as if he knew they were talking about him. Nikki could honestly say the last thing Vinny looked was bored.

  Nikki looked at Koda and Ella. Both hid their smirks behind their coffee cups.

  “I’m not sure walking around outside without an adult is a good idea.”

  Casey’s face fell, and her shoulders slumped. Being the bad guy was the one thing Nikki hated when it came to parenting. Disappointing her little girl sucked even if it was for Casey’s own good.

  Nikki looked at Koda not sure if she wanted him to back her up or contradict her. He pulled out his phone. His thumbs moving a mile a minute as he typed a message. “I sent out a text to see where my men are.”

  His phone immediately pinged several times. “Jim’s pulling up to the gate now. He and Max will be near the barn. Everyone else is out. She’ll be safe if she stays around the cabin.” His thumbs moved across the screen then another ping sounded. “I let Jim know she wanted to play outside. He said he’ll keep an eye on her.”

  “Oh, Momma, can I go bother Mr. Jim and say hello? He’s funny.” Hope shined in her big blue eyes.

  Nikki grinned at Casey’s choice of words. Somewhere along the way she’d picked up her mother’s habit of Betsy-isms. In Betsy Hendrix’s world, bothering someone was never a bad thing. It was just being friendly. “I guess. As long as you don’t get in the way.”

  “Thank you, Momma,” Casey sighed dramatically then threw her arms around Nikki. “You’re the best.”

  Ella and Koda watched her daughter’s antics with undisguised humor.

  “Remember that.” Nikki tapped her nose. “Go straight there. Don’t go near the animals without an adult. Not even if it’s a baby. Because?”

  “Where there’s a baby there’s a mommy. Mommies don’t like you touching their kids without permission.” Casey kissed her cheek before running to the door with Vinny scurrying after her.

  “You’re a good mom,” Ella said. “She adores you, but also respects you.”

  “Thanks. It’s nice to hear from people who don’t know us well that I’m not screwing up completely. I’ve had custody of her for a few years, but some days it feels like it only happened yesterday.”

  Ella cocked her head. “She’s adopted?�
�� Nikki nodded. “Casey doesn’t look like you, but I didn’t want to assume anything.”

  “Her mother was my best friend. Betsy was killed in Afghanistan. Her will named me as guardian if anything happened to her. I officially adopted Casey shortly after Betsy died. Casey is my daughter in every way that counts.”

  Ella turned to her husband and cocked an eyebrow. “Did you know this?”

  “I knew Casey couldn’t be Nikki’s by birth. She’s not a shifter.”

  “You and I need to talk about your sharing of pertinent information.” Ella poked Koda in the chest.

  “They just arrived.” He grabbed her hand then kissed the tip of her finger. “I haven’t had a chance.”

  “You had time to mention Jim,” Ella countered.

  Koda snorted in response.

  “Eloquent rebuttal.” Ella rolled her eyes. “Does Casey know what you are?”

  “Yes. She also knows about Dakoda.” Nikki sent Koda a sheepish grin. “Sorry. I probably should have asked how you felt about that first.” She rushed to reassure him. “She understands how important it is to keep our secret. I promise she won’t say anything to anyone.”

  “It seems as though she took it to heart. She hasn’t even hinted around the fact that I’m a wolf. Which is saying a lot because that kid can talk.”

  Nikki laughed. “I know right?”

  Chapter 5

  Jim pulled his truck up to the side of the barn and parked. He took his phone from his shirt pocket and sent the photos of the fence to Koda. It had definitely been cut. There were footprints on the outside of the fence but none on the inside. So, it appeared whoever it was didn’t enter the property. Thank goodness.

  The Sanctuary may be privately funded, but they still had to follow state and federal regulations and fell under their purview. The authorities would not be pleased if Adams mauled some poor trespasser. Jim wasn’t a blame the victim kind of guy. However, there were signs posted on the fence every fifty feet warning the public of the dangers awaiting them inside if they were dumb enough to try to climb it. Thanks to half the population’s refusal to take responsibility for their own actions and the government’s need to enable them, the blame would fall on Koda regardless, not the dumbass who was where he shouldn’t be. Because obviously it would be their fault a stupid and possibly illiterate fucker got himself killed.