by Terry Spear
“Good deal.” When Sarandon ended the call with CJ, he explained to Jenna that Stanton was the guy in charge of the ghost-hunter crew who had the TV show.
“So this Burt Dreyfus is a wolf too.”
“Yeah.”
“Okay, so Lelandi and Sam and Silva didn’t know the two guys who were in the tavern. That means it can’t be the same guy as they saw.”
“The Wernicke brothers aren’t part of our pack. Nor is their cameraman, or whoever else works for them. I’ve only seen Burt twice. At the tavern and with the Wernicke brothers one other time. He wasn’t wearing a beard either time I saw him. I couldn’t say for sure if he was the man in the tavern with the guy who is probably Alex. Lelandi, Sam, and Silva may not have ever run into him before. Let me call CJ back and mention he might want to check with them, just in case he doesn’t think of it.” Sarandon knew his brother was good at his job, but he didn’t want this to slip through the cracks. “Hey, CJ, one other thing. If Stanton can get a picture of the cameraman and send it to you, you could check with Lelandi, Silva, and Sam—”
“Already on it,” CJ said. “Thanks for reminding me. I just thought of it.”
“Okay, I’ll let you do your job then. Talk soon.” Sarandon thought back to the conversation Jenna had with her mother, while watching for any sign of the black SUV. “What did your mom say about your version of why I don’t want to stay with them?” He couldn’t believe what she’d told them and hoped they knew she was just joking.
“Dad mentioned something about getting his shotgun ready. You think I’m bad.”
Sarandon laughed. “I guess that means we ought to get to work on the next part of this relationship.”
“We have a relationship?”
Hell yeah, they did. “Yeah. I’m going to help you find the suspect and save your family a fortune.”
“I allowed you to make your case—”
“After I took you down.” He wasn’t letting her forget that part.
“Well, there is that. And I didn’t take you into custody like I planned. Instead, I was cohabitating with the suspect.”
“Exactly. So is it a deal?”
She raised a brow.
“Courting. You know you want to.” Sarandon smiled. He wasn’t taking no for an answer. Not when they had such great chemistry.
Chapter 11
When they finally arrived at the Colorado Springs Police Department, Sarandon was a little worried he would be arrested on the spot. He was glad Jenna was there to vouch for him. When she took his hand, he looked at her in surprise, thinking she would want to be hands-off.
“I’ll turn all wolf if they pull out handcuffs.”
He loved how she could make a serious situation feel less ominous. He had a stack of witness statements in a large manila envelope—the originals, while the copies were all safely at the sheriff’s office in Silver Town. Before they entered the station, she let go of his hand.
He assumed it was because she wanted to look professional.
When they entered the building, Sarandon identified himself to a police officer and gave him the details of the case of mistaken identity. Likewise, Jenna explained her business there—to verify Sarandon’s claims and to state she still needed to apprehend the real suspect.
A dark-haired, black-eyed Officer Calvin Meissner had smiled at Jenna and greeted her in a way that said he admired her and was interested in her. Sarandon was glad he knew her and was on friendly terms. Though Sarandon’s wolfish need to protect a single she-wolf from a human male came to bear. He fought the urge to growl when the officer drew too close to her or showed more than a professional interest in her.
“Come this way with me to get your fingerprinting done,” the officer said and took them to the Police Operations Center.
After the fingerprinting was done, the officer had them return with him and sit in an interview room. In the interim, he made some calls to verify the witness statements. When that was done, the officer began to really read the witness statements. Looking up from the fifth one, he said to Sarandon, “You seem to be a really popular guy. I’m surprised you could get so many of these together on such short notice. Usually, getting this many people’s statements together would take weeks or more. In a day would be impossible.”
“You should have seen it,” Jenna said, confirming she was there to witness the whole thing. “The townspeople are a tight-knit community. Everyone knows everyone, and they were eager to ensure they gave the sheriff the statements Sarandon needed before he came here to clear his name. They didn’t want Sarandon to take the rap for what someone else did.”
Officer Meissner agreed. “If the fingerprints don’t match, I’m sure he can be cleared.” He studied the witness statements further. There were over thirty more to go through. And he considered the mug shot of the suspect against Sarandon, whose beard was just starting to appear and was red. “I still say he looks awfully similar.”
“Sarandon’s beard is red, and it looks a lot different from this man’s,” Jenna said, pointing to the mug shot. “They do look similar otherwise. Sarandon and his brothers think maybe there’s a half brother out there who has done the crime. They didn’t know one might exist, but after conducting an investigation into the matter, they discovered their father had a son by another woman. Both the father and the woman are dead. We’re trying to locate the son now.”
“We?”
“It’s my family’s business. We have a lot of money riding on this.”
Meissner nodded. “Which is why I know you’re being honest with me about this guy, or you’d just turn him in to get your family off the hook.”
“True,” Jenna said.
“How long will it take to get the fingerprints back?” Sarandon asked, wishing it was done pronto.
“Up to forty-eight hours. We’ll need you to make a statement under oath in the meantime. We won’t be booking you. There’s enough verifiable evidence here—the word of the local sheriff and deputies that you were in town for most of the time that the real suspect was here, wearing his GPS ankle monitor, and the statements from the people who were on your tour—to help to prove you’re the victim of identity theft.”
“Thanks. I appreciate it.”
“In the meantime, I need to know where you’ll be staying.”
Which sounded a hell of a lot like Sarandon was still in the hot seat.
“He’s staying with me while we wait to hear about the fingerprint results,” Jenna said.
Meissner’s eyes widened a smidgeon.
She shrugged. “It’s the least I can do after hunting him down and threatening to tase him.”
Meissner laughed. “Yeah, I wouldn’t ever want to get on your bad side. Okay, folks. You’re free to go, Mr. Silver. Just check in with us in a couple of days.” He got both their cell phone numbers. “If we hear sooner, I’ll give you a call.”
“Thanks,” Sarandon said. They all stood, and he shook the officer’s hand.
“If I didn’t love it here so much, your town sounds like a good place to raise a family,” the officer said.
“Silver Town is special,” Sarandon said. “Born and raised there. No complaints.”
“Sounds like it.” The officer said goodbye, and with a sigh of relief, Sarandon and Jenna returned to her car.
“I was afraid they would have to book you. I’m so relieved.” Jenna took hold of Sarandon’s hand and smiled up at him.
“Now that I’m almost not a wanted criminal, are you ready to date me?”
She chuckled. “I think going to my parents’ for dinner means we’re definitely headed that way. I have never brought a suspect home for dinner.”
“Or a male wolf recently?”
“That either. Are you ready?”
“Yeah, let’s do this. I’ve got to make a good impression on your parents. Can we
stop at a florist shop on the way there? Maybe a liquor store?”
Jenna laughed. “What about for my sisters?”
“They’re going to be there too?” He already had enough to deal with.
“Yep. You thought the police officer questioning you was all you were going to have to go through tonight?”
Sarandon wrapped his arm around her shoulders. “I’m ready for this.” In truth, he wasn’t. He’d never had to make a best impression on a family while vying for a she-wolf’s affections. Everyone knew him in Silver Town, so they knew his faults and his strengths. He didn’t have to prove anything to anyone there.
He’d never imagined he’d be going far outside his hometown to find a mate either. Not that Jenna and he were quite there yet.
“What would appeal to your sisters?” He hadn’t expected he’d have to bribe her sisters too.
“I hate to tell you this, but you’re on your own. It will mean a lot more to them if you pick out something of your own for them.”
“Hell, that’s not fair. I don’t know them at all. Their likes, dislikes, hobbies, anything. I could get myself into real trouble here.”
“Believe me, if I told you what they like, they’d know it was ‘from me’ and not from you. Be creative.”
He checked his GPS to locate an army surplus store. When he directed her into the parking lot, she frowned. “What are you going to get for them here?”
“I have no idea. When I see what I think will work, I’ll get it.” When they entered the store, he looked at the personal defense weapons—batons, pepper spray, daggers, knives, and tactical pens. He was thinking more in the line of something they could use that might protect them that they didn’t have already. He smiled when he saw a pair of pink handcuffs.
“Don’t even think of it,” Jenna said next to him as she looked down at the glass case.
“I was more amused than anything. I don’t think those are for apprehending anyone. I imagine they’re more for sexual bondage. Besides, I didn’t think you were going to help me.”
She slid his arm around her waist. So she was going to help him only because she didn’t want to lose out on dating him?
When he began studying body cameras, she shook her head. “Way too expensive.”
“Do you have one?”
“No.”
“Well, you should, for your own protection.” He waved to the clerk. “I’ll take three of these.”
“Okay, well, what if this doesn’t ever lead to a mating? You’ll be out of all that money,” she said for his hearing only.
“It’s a sure bet.” He smiled.
“You are so sure of yourself.” She snuggled closer to him, smiling, and he knew he’d made big points with her.
They went to the florist shop after that, and he picked out a bouquet of lilies and roses for her mom, boxes of chocolates for each of the women at a candy specialty shop, and then her dad’s favorite scotch.
“I don’t know what the rest of the family will think, but I’m wondering what you’re giving everyone for Christmas.”
“Hot damn! That’s a good sign.”
“What if you don’t care for my family?”
“I would be a fool not too.” He did hope that they would all get along. Wolves were family-oriented by nature, though some of the wolves in a pack would disperse to start their own packs when the pups grew older. So if they were perfect for each other and the family didn’t exactly suit, he hoped she would be agreeable to just leave and make their own way in the world.
When they reached her family’s home in Woodland Park, he wondered what homes like this cost, immediately loving the wooded acreage backed up on the mountainside. She parked her car next to two other vehicles sitting in front of the home. Her parents’ house was a two-story, brick-and-vinyl-sided home with tall sloping rooflines on the various segments of the house and a long circular drive out front. There was no sign of any nearby homes, so they had complete privacy.
“I love the woods.”
“We go cross-country skiing out here, mountain biking, hiking—”
“And running as wolves?”
“Especially. We can go for a run after dinner, if you’d like.”
He’d love that. “What if everyone else wants to go running too?”
“They might.”
He’d much rather just run alone with Jenna. From a wolf’s perspective, that would be the perfect way to start the wolf courtship.
She took his hand and led him to the front door, while he carried the packages, hoping they didn’t think he was overeager to court her. Even if he was.
She motioned to the other two vehicles. “My sisters are here already.”
“Do you have family get-togethers often?”
“We do.”
He sure hoped he liked her family. He wanted a mate, but he really wanted to stay in Silver Town near his family. He hadn’t ever considered living anywhere else. How would she feel about leaving her family and joining his?
She opened the door and called out, “We’re here. Dad must be out back grilling shish kebabs already. Why don’t you join him?”
“Thanks. Just point me in the right direction.”
She took the packages from him and pointed to a dining room that had expansive windows all across the back of the house. “Door is that way.”
“Okay, see you in a bit.” He hoped her dad was a likeable guy. He’d never given much thought to mating a she-wolf and then having to deal with the family. They all had their own quirks. Just like his did.
“I’ll go look for Mom and my sisters,” she said.
“Okay.”
She was still watching him, and he smiled. “I’ll be all right. I promise I won’t get myself into too much trouble.”
“Okay. It’s not you I’m worried about.”
Maybe he should have asked her more about her father.
Sarandon found the door to the outside and stepped onto the deck. Her dad looked to be about sixty and had graying temples. The rest of his hair was dark. “I’m Sarandon Silver. And you must be—”
“Jenna’s dad, Logan St. John. Sorry about the mix-up on what you’ve done. We’ll do everything in our power to make this right.”
“That wasn’t your fault. The police shouldn’t have believed the suspect’s lies. Not when he was already an identity thief.”
“I agree. Jenna said you want to stay with her for however long this takes to clear your name.” The dad was eyeing him as if trying to get a feel for him.
“Yes, sir.” Sarandon wasn’t surprised. All wolves did that—judged another wolf, took in their scent, attempted to determine what kind of a wolf they were. He knew if he had a daughter of his own who began courting, he’d be just as interested in learning everything he could about the prospective wolf mate.
Logan turned the shish kebabs over to grill the other side. “Did she tell you she lives next door?”
“Uh, no.” The vixen.
Her dad smiled. “All the girls do. We have four homes here right together.”
Well, that sort of answered his question about Jenna moving back home with him. He might be getting ahead of himself here, but he figured if she had children, she’d want to be near her mother and sisters so they could help out. Not that his own pack wouldn’t all love on their babies, but he assumed it wouldn’t be the same for Jenna.
He and Logan heard squeals of excitement coming from somewhere deep in the bowels of the home, and Logan looked at Sarandon. “It appears the girls are excited about something.”
The cameras he’d bought for them? Sarandon hadn’t expected that much of a reaction.
Then two women who looked similar to Jenna rushed onto the deck and gave Sarandon hugs and kisses. He really hadn’t expected that. He glanced back at the door and saw Jenna and another woma
n, most likely her mother, smiling at them.
“If Jenna doesn’t want you, you can court me. I’m Crystal,” the one woman said. She was the fairest haired of the women, her eyes a little more greenish-blue than Jenna’s.
“Nah, me first. I’m Suzanne.” She gave him a warm smile.
Logan moved the shish kebabs onto a platter, then served up the rice. “Looks like someone sure made an impression.”
“Yeah, Dad. You should see what he got us. Body cameras!” Suzanne flipped her ash-blond hair over her shoulders and showed hers to him.
Logan took it and looked it over, then turned his attention to Sarandon. “Me too?”
Jenna laughed. “He picked up your favorite bottle of scotch for you. We can get you a camera for your birthday.”
“The flowers and candy are lovely. Thanks, Sarandon,” Jenna’s mother said.
“I had to do something to thank my hosts.”
“Mom and Dad will have to have you over a lot,” Suzanne said.
“Come on, girls. One of you can get the silverware and some water for everyone, and someone can pull the cake out of the oven,” their mother said, and the women all disappeared inside the house.
“You probably don’t have a lot of time for home-cooked meals,” Logan said.
“I actually like to cook,” Sarandon said.
“Good. Jenna says you live in a great town. That it’s wolf-run. And your cousin is the pack leader. That you have three brothers and all kinds of other relatives there. I suspect you’re probably not interested in moving from there,” Logan said, glancing at Sarandon.
“It’s been home forever for me. And yes, my whole family is there.”
Logan let out his breath. “We want our daughters to stay in this area.”
Sarandon suspected Jenna might feel that way, but he hadn’t expected her father to bring this up now.
“You know, when the pups come, the girls’ mother and I want to be there for them.”
“I understand.” Sarandon wasn’t sure how he felt about that.
“Of course, it’s completely up to my daughters what they decide to do—find a mate and move to his pack, or bring him here to increase our own pack size. We’d strongly prefer she stay here with her mate.”