Wicked Cowboy Wolf

by Kait Ballenger

  She texted: I’m at the ski lodge at the Silver Town Ski Resort. I’ll let you know if anything interesting happens. Love you.

  Mom: You’re okay staying with a human male in the same room?

  Nicole: We tried to get a suite, but they didn’t have any available. And if we’re pretending to be a couple and watching each other’s backs, we need to stay together.

  Mom: All right. But if he gets fresh, you can handle him?

  Nicole smiled and texted: Yes, Mom. You know how growly I can be. Talk later. Got to catch up with the suspects.

  Mom: Be careful.

  Nicole left the room and headed down to the lobby. She was grateful she had this case so she had the chance to track down Rhys and finally have him arrested, once she had proof he was the man she knew he was.

  But she had another concern. She needed to report to the insurance agency that Larry was sick. She always went by the rule book, so no getting paid for work when the work wasn’t being done. The insurance company might want to hire another private investigator to work in Larry’s place. She didn’t want to do that to Larry, but she couldn’t let on that she had a working partner when she didn’t. Still, she’d give him another day before she called it in, just to see if he’d recover on his own like he thought he would.

  She made her way to the lobby and then outside to see if she could find Rhys or his cousin hanging around the outdoor restaurant or in the snow, trekking toward the ski lifts.

  * * *

  Co-owner of the Wolff Timberline Ski Lodge, Blake Wolff had to hurry to get Rosco ready for his canine avalanche training. He entered the lodge and saw his older quadruplet brother, Landon, feeding the dog.

  “Hey,” Landon said, grinning at Blake. “Hell, if I’d known all the trouble you would have with the snowblower, I would have come out and helped you.”

  “You watched.”

  “Of course. You were really entertaining this morning.”

  “I hadn’t dreamed I’d have that much trouble with it.”

  Landon laughed. “You won’t be so eager to volunteer when our hired help calls in sick again. I told you it wasn’t a piece of cake.”

  “Next time, I’ll be a pro.” Luckily, no one else had seemed to notice, except for one pretty skier in pink and white, who’d made him smile when he’d heard her laughing when he fell on his ass.

  He’d had a rough morning of it when the family Saint Bernard, Rosco, had shot off after a rabbit on a walk. Blake had barely been able to stay on his feet on the icy snow while trying to get the dog under control. He swore Rosco had pulled him for half a mile before finally giving up on the chase and doing his business. Rosco was usually well behaved and mild-mannered, until it came to rabbits and squirrels on a walk. The dog had never caught up with one, and Blake wondered what would happen if he ever did.

  “Hey, Rosco, are you ready to train to locate avalanche victims?” Blake asked, petting the dog’s head.

  The Saint Bernard stood and wagged his tail.

  “Okay then. When I return, we can take turns skiing?” Blake asked Landon.

  “Yeah, you can go first.”

  “See you in a bit.” Blake grabbed the equipment he’d need, then took Rosco out to where several volunteers were being buried in ice caves just out of sight so the avalanche rescue dogs could practice searching and finding them once they were given the signal.

  The avalanche “victims” were wrapped in thermal blankets and had hooded, insulated cloaks. Thermal-insulated pads were used to line the snow inside the ice caves, which were dug large enough to give the volunteers plenty of air while the dogs searched for them.

  Rosco had to take training every year, and this was a perfect situation where he could work with lupus garous. The Saint Bernard had saved two men’s lives after an avalanche at the family’s ski resort in Killington, Vermont, so the family was proud of their dog.

  “Hey, Blake,” Jake Silver said, coming over to shake his hand. He was one of the subleaders of the Silver Town wolf pack and glad they had another rescue dog in the pack. “Is Rosco ready?”

  “Hopefully. This will be the first time he’ll be looking for our kind buried alive.”

  “He’ll do great.”

  “Thanks, Jake.”

  The dogs and their handlers were kept away from the victims’ positions so they wouldn’t see where the men were being buried. In only thirty minutes, a rescue dog could search two and a half acres of avalanche terrain, unlike humans who would take four hours to cover the same area. Of course, as lupus garous, the wolves also had the advantage of being able to smell the scent of humans up to fourteen feet underground.

  Then the alert whistle called for the dogs’ searches to begin.

  And the hunt was on. Ten dogs ranging from German shepherds to Labradors and golden retrievers, plus one Saint Bernard, raced off to search for the buried victims. All their handlers ran after them with shovels, probes, and first aid kits.

  * * *

  Nicole was watching her suspects coming off the slope when they turned in the direction of the avalanche dog training. Her suspects and several other skiers had started to watch the trials so Nicole did too. Observing the rescue dogs in motion was fascinating. They ran one way, then another, noses to the ground, and were as excited to find their victims as she was watching them. Then she saw Rosco and his handler, and she smiled. Now she had a handler/dog team she really wanted to cheer on. Not that she didn’t want the other dogs to find victims. That was the whole point, and everyone wanted them to work as quickly as they could. But she already had a soft spot for the wolf and his dog. After the business with him trying to get the dog under control on his walk, she really hoped they’d come out on top.

  One of the German shepherds had already found a victim and was digging at the snow like crazy, his handler and rescuers ready with shovels to help dig out the volunteer. Rosco was still turning one way and then another, stopping, smelling, wagging his tail like crazy. And then Rosco barked and began digging at another location, snow flying.

  Adrenaline was flowing through Nicole’s blood, and she hoped Rosco had found his victim. Considering how many people were gathered around him as he started to dig, she figured he had succeeded.

  The handler was encouraging Rosco, and then the dog was deep in the hole with only his backside hanging out, his tail wagging. The handler pulled the volunteer out of the ice cave, and the victim gave Rosco a treat as part of the game. It was a way of reinforcing the behavior of finding people or objects.

  The wolf made sure the victim didn’t have any ill effects from being in the ice cave, then slapped the victim on the back and turned his attention to the other handlers’ dogs that also had found victims. The one that had found the first victim was already done. It had taken fifteen minutes for Rosco to find and dig out the victim.

  He had done a good job. New dogs could be confused by the scents of all the different people who had passed through the area. When all the victims were rescued and checked over, the handlers and dogs took off for their vehicles, all except Rosco and his handler. He gave Rosco a treat and praised him generously. The dog adored him. Suddenly, as if the wolf knew somebody was observing him, he glanced in her direction and looked surprised to see her watching him. He smiled a cocky little smile and winked.

  Nicole felt her whole body flush with heat, which never happened. Of course, she didn’t often ogle guys, especially ones who were wolves, and get caught at it.

  He led the dog on a leash to the lodge, and Nicole switched her focus to her suspects.

  Then she saw Rhys and his cousin headed in her direction, returning to the ski lodge. They were smiling, talking to each other. Before they noticed her, she walked in ahead of them, thinking that this would be a really good time to have her partner to hug. She began looking for a male who appeared to have no female companion at the moment and
that she could turn into her boyfriend for just a few minutes as her cover. Of course, it could all backfire if the man made a scene and the cousins witnessed it.

  Then she saw the cute guy who had been trying to get the Saint Bernard and the snowblower under control. If anyone deserved a hug, it was him. As long as the wolf didn’t have a mate or girlfriend and ruin her Good Samaritan deed. Besides, it was his fault he’d winked at her after the dog avalanche training.

  * * *

  “How’d Rosco do?” Landon asked Blake. “I wanted to come out and watch, but I got stuck on guest issues.”

  “Nothing bad, I hope.” Blake unhooked Rosco’s leash.

  “No, typical stuff. Somebody had their TV playing loudly all night. I wish their neighbors had told us last night and we could have dealt with it. One person said he couldn’t figure out the coffeemaker.”

  “We provide the easiest ones to operate to alleviate trouble,” Blake said.

  “Right. He still couldn’t figure it out. Too simple, I guess. He had an aha moment when I showed him how it was done. Then a woman was having trouble with her alarm going off so she finally unplugged it—but she wanted to use it. I had to show her how to reset the times. We probably should have gotten a simpler model.”

  Blake smiled. “Kayla insisted we have the ones with the automatic change for daylight saving time so we wouldn’t have to change all the clocks in the rooms twice a year. I’m glad you were here to take care of the issues. As to Rosco, he did great. He found an avalanche victim in record time.”

  “I’m glad to hear it. Saint Bernards suit the lodge, and I’m glad he’s knuckled down to do his duty during avalanche rescues.”

  “I agree. He sure seemed like he’d be an avalanche rescue dog dropout when he was a puppy. Have you heard from either of our sisters about the closing?”

  Roxie and Kayla planned to join them in Silver Town after closing the deal on the sale of the family’s ski lodge in Vermont, but they still had to correct some issues with the lodge before the sale went through.

  “I got a call from Kayla. She said she and Roxie accomplished everything needed to satisfy the buyers, so the closing took place and our sisters are on their way here. I should have told you earlier, but you were so busy, and I forgot.”

  “That’s great.” Knowing the Vermont lodge had sold was a real relief. Blake was glad his sisters had been able to manage that while he and Landon opened the ski lodge here. “Did they need one of us to pick them up at the airport?”

  “No. Kayla said Lelandi was eager to pick them up and welcome them to the pack.”

  Blake was glad she would do that for them. “Since Lelandi’s the coleader and psychologist for the pack, I wonder if she intends to warn them about all the bachelor males who are looking for mates and anxious to meet with them.” That was all he and Landon had heard when they first arrived. Where were their sisters?

  “Could be. And she wants to make sure they feel welcome. Which is one of the reasons we all wanted to be part of a pack.” Landon glanced around at the hubbub in the lobby: skiers and other visitors were entering or coming out of the restaurant, others leaving the lodge to ski or coming in from skiing, some sitting around the double-sided fireplace. A couple of kids were sitting on the floor petting their sleepy Saint Bernard. “I’m glad our sisters are arriving soon. Kayla needs to help us with our marketing, and Roxie does wonders with the staff. We’ll be a lot better organized when they’re here. I bet they can’t wait to try out the new slopes here too. Powder snow in Colorado instead of ice skiing in Vermont—they’ll love it.”

  “Yeah, they’re excited about it.” There wasn’t anything the family loved more than being part of the ski community. They were also looking forward to having visitors interested in hiking and other sports in the region. They loved being here with a wolf pack, which was why the family had solicited Darien and Lelandi Silver to allow them to open a ski lodge here, once they learned Silver Town was actually run by wolves. Not everyone in the pack had been happy about them opening the business at first. “I think most of the wolves in the pack accept us now,” Blake said.

  “Yeah. We knew we’d have to work at it a bit. I suspect when our sisters show up, some of the bachelor males will be even more agreeable to us being here.”

  Blake shook his head. “Roxie and Kayla won’t be prepared for the onslaught of dating offers, I bet.”

  “They might not admit it, but I think they’re looking forward to it. Little did we know there were so many males looking for she-wolf mates.”

  The brothers had worked super hard at trying not to take business from the bed-and-breakfast and the Silver Town Inn in town, doing everything they could to help advertise the other wolves’ businesses too. It was good wolf-pack public relations. Most of the wolves were warming up to them being here. They’d finally opened the Howling Wolff Bar and Grill at the lodge, and that had also concerned some of the business owners in town.

  The Silver Town Tavern, which boasted the best drinks and lunches and dinners around, was open exclusively to wolves, courtesy of a high-dollar membership that the wolves didn’t really pay, so human visitors needed someplace else to go for dinner. Even so, the tavern’s owner, Sam, and his mate, Silva, had worried the Wolff restaurant might take more of the wolf population’s business. Silva ran the Victorian Tea Shop, which was open for lunches, but not everyone wanted to leave the slopes to eat lunch in town.

  The ski lodge featured a large deck, offering dining for skiers who wanted to grab an appetizer, a drink, or a meal before they hit the slopes, and they had indoor dining too. A lot of folks came there on dates, not just to ski.

  The Wolff brothers had downplayed their competitive nature, so this past Christmas, they hadn’t participated in any of the competitions—snowmen or snow sculptures, gingerbread houses, even Christmas lighting. They’d decorated the whole lodge in lights, of course, but they hadn’t entered their place in the competitions. Except for getting their business off the ground and making it a profitable venture, they hadn’t had time for a whole lot of anything else.

  “Looks like I’ve got some business to take care of.” Landon frowned, his gaze focused on someone behind Blake who he could hear was fast approaching. From the sound of the ski boots on the tile floor, he thought the person was female. “You go ski, and when you’re done, I’ll take a few runs down the slope.”

  Blake glanced back and saw the pretty blond he’d noticed observing him and Rosco during the avalanche training. She was headed straight for them, her expression intense, brows furrowed, her gaze shifting from Landon to Blake. He smelled a whiff of her scent—fresh air and she-wolf. No wonder his brother was eager to assist her. At the same time, Blake was a little embarrassed that the woman approaching had witnessed him struggling with the snowblower. Good thing she hadn’t seen him with an out-of-control Saint Bernard even earlier.

  Blake smiled. “I can hang around for a moment and take care of whatever issues she’s having.”

  “No, that’s okay, Blake. The sooner you ski, the sooner I get to.”

  Blake knew that wasn’t the only reason his brother wanted to take care of the woman’s concerns. Landon had recognized she was a wolf too.

  When she drew closer to them, she targeted Blake, and he was eager to be the one to handle whatever was upsetting her. Happily. Conflict didn’t bother him or his brother. It was a chance to prove they could resolve any issues that arose at the lodge with the least amount of fuss. When he caught another whiff of her wolfish scent, that made him even more eager to help her. Though he reminded himself she could have a mate or a potential one.

  She smiled brightly at Blake, her cheeks and the tip of her nose rosy from the cold. She was wearing a white parka, the furry hood down, a light-pink and white ski hat, dickey, and gloves, and formfitting light-pink ski pants and white ski boots, looking as if she’d just came off the slopes. She re
minded him of cotton candy and snow bunnies, innocent and sweet.

  When she reached him, she threw her arms around Blake in a hug, startling him. He smiled down at her, amused at where this was going. Since he was single, he didn’t have to worry about a mate throwing a fit. If he had, all she’d have to do was smell this woman all over him, and he would have been in the doghouse. As long as the woman hugging him didn’t have a mate either. Then again, wolves mated for life, so she probably wouldn’t act this way if she were mated or courting another wolf. She could smell that he didn’t have a she-wolf’s scent on him either. Not until now.

  He was surprised at her action. Did she think he was someone else? But she would recognize his scent, which quashed that theory. The only other thought that flashed through his mind was that she was trying to pretend she had a relationship with him because some guy was hassling her. Whatever the reason, he was all too willing to play along and take care of whoever was giving her trouble.

  She kissed him, startling him even more, and his brother laughed. “It appears your day is looking up, and I think you have a handle on this.” Still chuckling, Landon walked off.

  Blake was enraptured with the woman. Her lips were soft and malleable as she pressed them gently against his, but she began building up the steam, licking his mouth and then nipping and melding hers with his.

  Relishing the scent of the she-wolf and the crisp, cold out-of-doors that she carried with her, Blake wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her tighter against his body, enjoying her soft curves and warmth, building a slow fire deep inside him. They were kissing like they needed a room, he realized, not family fare in the lobby of their lodge. He very reluctantly pulled his mouth from hers and smiled. “Do I know you?”

  “Took you long enough to ask.” She smiled up at him, and he wondered what he was getting himself into.