“You might be right,” Rift agreed as he came to stand next to Logan. “There is snow in the air.”
“Yes!” Milo jumped in the air and punched his arm high. “I love the snow.”
“You have never seen the snow,” Penny reminded him.
“I have on TV. It always looks awesome and we can build a snowman and have snowball fights,” he said wistfully.
“And get cold hands and wet feet.” Penny’s concern was real.
“We should get you kitted out ready for the snow. You need warm boots and gloves. A thick hat with flaps that come down over your ears.” Rift lifted his eyes toward the top of the house. “Valerie keeps everything. Just in case she had another boy to care for, she kept all our old clothes. We could go have a look, see if there is anything that might fit you.”
“Are you sure that’s okay?” Penny asked. “I don’t want to upset Valerie by rummaging through her things. Mothers often keep special clothes as keepsakes.”
“She won’t mind. Any of the stuff she wanted to keep is in the trunk in her room.” Logan turned toward the house and they all followed. “We can go and take a look now before the guests arrive for dinner.”
“We’ve only just finished lunch,” Milo reminded him.
“Lunch finishes late and dinner starts early,” Logan explained. “As the restaurant got more popular, we had to extend the opening hours to cope with the number of diners.”
“Doesn’t Ivan get any time off?” Penny asked as they went around the side of the building and in through a back door where they all removed their shoes, so they didn’t track mud through the hotel.
“Shh, we don’t mention time off in front of the dragon,” Rift joked.
“He does have a couple of mornings off. But only when he’s prepared the food so the kitchen staff can heat it up. He’s very possessive of his kitchen.”
“Most dragons have a hoard of treasure they watch over and would kill for, Ivan has the kitchen.” Rift led them down a narrow corridor to a back staircase.
“This is the staircase the staff used to use when the hotel was a house. The back rooms through there are where Valerie’s apartment is. It used to be where the servants lived,” Logan explained.
“How old is the hotel?” Penny asked as Rift went upstairs with Milo right behind him.
“Hundreds of years old. The hotel and the library are two of the oldest buildings in town. They’ve always been here.” Logan waited while his mate looked up at the high ceiling with its ornate carvings.
“Are those gargoyles?” She tilted her head to get a better look.
“Yes, most gargoyles are on the outside of a building looking out, but these are inside.”
“Don’t they scare people?” she shuddered as she climbed the stairs after the others.
“Why would they scare people?” he asked. “Gargoyles are supposed to protect us from evil.”
“Good to know.” Although, Penny did not sound convinced as she kept staring up at the wooden carvings who stared right back.
Chapter Thirteen – Penny
“How old is this stuff?” Milo reached the top of the stairs leading into the attic room and turned a full circle.
“Some of it is as old as the house.” Logan wiped the dust off the top of a wooden picture frame. “It’s accumulated over the years. We used to come up here when we were kids and sort through some of it, but mostly it’s just sat up here gathering dust.”
“There’s so much history right here.” Penny had no real past. Her mom had never spoken about her side of the family or their father’s. Often, Penny would lie awake at night and wonder who her father was and what their life would be like if he were still alive. After her mom’s death, Penny realized she would never know the answer to so many questions. Her mom had taken that knowledge to her grave.
Penny and Helena had sorted through their mom’s possessions after she passed, but nothing there gave any answers either. There were a few scattered photos of Penny, Helena, and their mom on vacation here and there. But there were no photos of their mom and dad, none of her mom as a child. It was as if she’d left her life behind. But why? Penny would never get her answers.
“Can we come up here and look through it all?” Milo asked.
“I’d have to ask Valerie,” Logan replied as he shifted a few boxes around and opened the lid of a large box containing boys’ clothes. “But I’m sure she wouldn’t mind.”
“Most of it is probably junk.” Rift pulled out an old wooden car with a piece of string attached to the front. “The bears used to fight over this, do you remember?”
“The bears?” Milo asked eagerly.
“Valerie adopted six boys altogether,” Penny explained. “Two were twins, they are bear shifters.”
“Cool.” Milo wasn’t interested in the hats and gloves that Logan pulled out of the box. Instead, he threaded his small body through the contents of the attic, heading for the stuff way over on the other side of the room.
“We should probably sort through all this and get rid of some of it.” Rift lifted up a stuffed fox. “I hope this isn’t a relative of someone in town.”
Logan chuckled. “Ah, here we are. Boots. Hardly worn. Milo, do you want to come and try these on?”
“In a second,” Milo replied as he ducked under something large and emerged on the other side.
“Milo, come back this way,” Penny told him.
“Just a second.” Milo’s voice took on a dreamlike quality, as if he weren’t paying any attention.
“Milo,” Penny snapped. “We don’t know what’s back there.”
“There’s something...” He disappeared from view and panic bloomed in her chest. “Milo.”
The sound of something rattling was followed by Milo’s voice ringing out, “Coming.”
Penny moved a couple of boxes out of the way and held out her hands to her son. “You come when I call you. That’s the deal, all right?”
“Sorry. I wanted to get this.” He held up a chain with a small round pendant on the end.
“What is it?” Penny held out her hand and Milo dropped it into her palm.
“I don’t know. I just knew it was there.” Milo shrugged and then sat down on the dusty floor and tugged off his shoes.
“Try these on.” Logan had one eye on Penny as he helped Milo pull on the boots and tie the laces. “There’s a lot of junk up here, I expect it’s just an old trinket.”
“I expect so.” Penny stared at it, her fingers tracing the crescent moon that was embedded within the circle. Unfamiliar symbols and runes decorated the outer rim of the pendant. “It looks familiar.”
“Probably mass-produced,” Rift said as he dusted off a top hat and put it on. “What do you think?”
“You look like the Mad Hatter from Alice in Wonderland,” Milo remarked. “I like it. Maybe there’s a pocket watch up here somewhere.” He wriggled around while Logan tied the laces.
“Stand up, let’s see if you can walk in them.” Logan held out his hand and Milo slipped his small hand into his.
“They fit.” Milo jumped up and down as if to prove they were okay.
“Walk a few steps in them,” Penny had lost count of the times Milo would say something fit just because he wanted to get out of the store, only to get home and complain the item was too big or too small.
“They fit.” He walked around the small space that wasn’t cluttered with boxes and stored items.
“Try on these.” Logan held out a warm hat with flaps that covered Milo’s ears and some gloves. “They were mine when I was about your age.”
“A bit big, but they will keep me warm.” Milo held up his hands and wriggled his fingers.
“We could look for something smaller.” Logan was on his knees rummaging through the box once more.
“No, I like them. I like that they were yours.” Milo smiled up at the big shifter with his most disarming smile and Logan smiled back.
“Then you can have them.” He
patted Milo lightly on the head. “They’ll keep you warm when the snow comes.”
“What shall I do with this?” Penny held up the pendant. Now that she had it in her hand, she didn’t want to let it go. She certainly didn’t want to put it back where it came from so it could be forgotten again.
“We can take it downstairs and ask Valerie about it when she gets home. I’m sure she wouldn’t mind you keeping it.” Logan held out his hand and she hesitated before she gave it to him. “She might be able to tell you why it seems so familiar.”
“I expect Rift is right, it’s some mass-produced trinket that you can find in a gift store.” She held out her hand to Milo. If that were true, why did her son say it called to him? She shivered as she glanced over to the place where Milo had found the pendant.
“Ivan will be able to tell you if it’s made of a precious metal or whether it’s junk.” Rift had taken off the top hat and put it back where he’d found it.
“Are you sure Valerie won’t mind us removing it from the attic?” Penny had no wish to annoy the woman who was a mother to these men. If she was going to have a good life with Logan, she wanted them all to like her.
“No, she won’t mind at all,” Logan assured her.
“She often let us keep things we found up here,” Rift explained.
“But you are her family, I am a stranger.”
Rift snorted. “You are the daughter she has always wanted. If you had any idea how many times she told us to get out there and find a mate so that she didn’t have to put up with six men on her own...”
“She loves us really,” Logan said gruffly.
“Six boys,” Penny muttered again. “Valerie must be a saint.”
“She is anything but,” Rift laughed as they descended the stairs.
Logan closed the attic door and locked it, placing the key on a small ledge to the left of the door before following them down the next flight of stairs. “Valerie takes no nonsense from anyone.”
“But she will adore you and Milo,” Rift added quickly. “She loves children.”
“I can’t wait to meet her.” Penny glanced down at her son. “She might be able to give me some tips on taming young boys.”
“Oh, she’s good at taming the wild ones.” Rift aimed his comment at Logan. “She had to housetrain some of my brothers.”
Logan gave a low growl as they reached the bottom of the stairs. “Are you trying to start something?”
“Are you going to fight?” Milo asked excitedly. “I’d love to see a snow leopard and a white wolf fight.”
“We’re not allowed to fight each other here in the hotel or on the grounds,” Rift told Milo. “Valerie made us promise and you should always keep a promise to your mom.”
“Ah, pity,” Milo grinned and put his hand on his stomach. “I’m hungry.”
“You’ve only just had lunch,” Penny reminded him.
“I’m a growing boy and I worked up an appetite playing with Rift.” He cocked his head to one side and aimed a disarming smile at his mom. “Maybe just a small, sweet treat?”
“Let’s see what’s in the kitchen.” Logan led them back to the kitchen which was clean and completely deserted.
Pity, Penny would like to have asked Ivan about the pendant. Logan still had it in his hand, and she itched to ask for it back. There was something about it, as if there was a connection between her and the talisman.
Talisman. Where had that come from? But the more she thought about it, the more she was convinced that’s what it was.
“Ice cream, Penny?” Logan’s voice cut through her thoughts.
“Yes. Please.” She brought her focus back to the room and the ice-cold sweet dessert Logan made with ice cream and leftover brownies, plus a good squirt of chocolate sauce. But no matter how hard she tried to focus, she kept thinking of the talisman.
“Yummy.” They stood in the kitchen and ate ice cream out of bowls, and slowly the hold the talisman had over her lessened. Was it some kind of magical trinket that was hidden in the attic for a reason?
“Okay, buddy,” she said to Milo when he’d finished his dessert. “We should go up to our room and sort through our stuff.” She switched her attention to Logan. “Is it all right if we keep the room, or do you want us to move?”
“Stay put for now,” Logan said. “We don’t need the room at present, but if things change, I’ll help you move into Valerie’s apartment.” He put his hand up to stop her protests. “She won’t mind, honestly.”
“There’s always Dario’s place,” Rift suggested. “I’m sure he won’t mind if Penny and Milo use his house.”
“Oh, no. I don’t want to move into someone else’s house unless they give the okay. We can stay in the room for tonight and tomorrow I can start making some inquiries as to finding something more permanent.”
Logan took the bowls and went to the sink. “I’ll ask around. See what we can come up with.”
“I can do it on my own,” she insisted.
“Or you could let Logan work on his people skills and find you a nice place to stay.” Rift patted his brother on the back. “His people skills really do need some work.”
“So, I’m a little rough around the edges.” Logan washed up the dishes and left them to dry on the drainer.
“I like rough around the edges.” Penny’s words made her mate blush, she liked that he was rough around the edges and, she suspected, soft on the inside. He’d had a hard start in life, she couldn’t imagine what it must be like to be torn away from your family and the people you love. Or animals you love.
“You two are made for each other,” Rift sighed before he opened the door leading outside. “I will see you all later. I need to go for a run. Unless you want to join me, Logan?”
Logan stared out of the door, a look of longing on his face. “I can’t. I have to check in with Sophie and then make sure everything is ready for the new guests arriving. They aren’t due until seven this evening.”
“There’s no rest for the wicked.” With that, Rift slipped out of the door and closed it behind him.
“We should go and let you get on with your work. Unless there is anything else you need me to do?”
“No, go get some rest.”
“What time do you want me to start my shift?” Penny asked.
“Your shift?” Logan looked confused.
“Yes. I need to start sometime, so I figured why not this evening?”
“Okay.” He didn’t look too sure.
“And then tomorrow, I’ll start asking around town for some other work. And I have to figure out about school for Milo.” Milo made a face at the mention of school. “You do have schools here?”
“Yes, a normal high school, although there are extracurricular activities, depending on what you are.”
“What you are?” Her eyes widened. “Oh.”
“I don’t need to go to school,” Milo told his mom. “I can learn to run the hotel with Logan.”
“If we’re going to stay in Wishing Moon Bay, you need to go to school and I need to find a job to earn enough money for us to rent a place and eat. Okay?” She looked at them both sternly and they both nodded in agreement, even though neither of them was happy with the idea. “Good, I’m glad we have that settled. Now, let’s leave Logan to his work and we’ll go sort through our things.”
With that, she took Milo upstairs, only to groan at the sight of all their belongings strewn across the room. Maybe she needed a nap first. But she didn’t want to wake up to this mess and so she started work.
Chapter Fourteen – Logan
Logan didn’t like the idea of his mate getting a job in town. He wanted to care for her and provide for her.
She needs to feel in control of her future, his wolf told him. Which means she needs to be independent. At least until you prove to her you’re not just going to disappear into the mountains.
Why would she think I’d do that in the first place? Logan asked as he went to the drainer and picked
up the dry bowls. He quickly put them away and wiped down the surfaces so that Ivan wouldn’t know they’d been in his kitchen. The guy is very territorial when it comes to his workspace.
He’s very territorial period, his wolf replied.
After double-checking that everything was in its place, Logan went out into the reception area where Sophie was working on the computer. “How is it all going?”
“Smoothly,” she replied, her smile bright as she came around the reception desk and stood next to him with a clipboard in her hand. “These are the guests due in the next couple of days. And these are new bookings I’ve made for next month.”
Logan ran his hand through his hair and took a small step to the right. Sophie had a habit of getting really close, which he often found disturbing, not in a good way.
She likes you, his wolf told him bluntly.
But we have a mate, Logan replied, taking another small step away. Sophie closed the space, her arm brushing against his.
What the heart wants, the heart wants, his wolf replied unhelpfully.
“That’s a great job,” Logan complimented Sophie on her work and then walked around her, heading for the stairs. “I’ll just go check that everything is ready for the guests checking in tonight.”
“Do you need a hand?” Sophie dashed back around the reception desk and then joined him at the bottom of the stairs. “I could do with stretching my legs. No one will miss me for ten minutes if you need help.”
“No, I have everything absolutely under control,” he assured her. “I’ll just go.” He pointed up the stairs. “And you stay.” He pointed at the desk.
“I don’t mind pitching in with anything that needs doing. I know you are trying to run the hotel with Valerie gone, but it’s tough when you don’t know the business as well as she does,” Sophie purred.
“I lived here for years,” he told her. “I might be rusty, but I know how to run the business.”
“It’s such a busy time of year. With the hotel full and the restaurant booked up, you must be shorthanded.”
“Which is why Penny is going to help out. She’s taking a shift tonight.”
The White Wolf of Wishing Moon Bay Page 10