| |
NICK
Since arriving in Ashbury, I’d gotten into a regular routine of eating one or two meals during the week with my siblings at the lodge. Once the resort was fully operational, Reese planned to hire several cooks and a full staff for the restaurant. Berkley was in charge of developing the menu and enjoyed preparing all the meals. Of course, she had designated Reese and me as her personal taste testers and insisted we make an appearance.
I’d learned to stay out of the way when Berkley was in the kitchen and was waiting in the main room near the lobby for her to let me know it was time to eat. The lodge was located higher up on the hill than the cabins and provided a great view of the mountainside and the rest of the resort. There were several large picture windows on one of the walls, and from here, I could see most of the cabins, at least the ones not enshrouded by tall aspens. I caught intermittent glimpses of Mandy’s truck weaving through the trees on her descent back to the highway leading into town.
I couldn’t get her tantalizing scent or the way she’d felt in my arms when I caught her in the hallway out of my mind. I still wasn’t sure I believed my wolf’s claim that Mandy was our mate. Not that it mattered—I was a loner, broken on so many levels, and she deserved better. An old and familiar panic settled over me. What had I been thinking when I’d told Berkley I’d stay? If I was smart, I’d pack up my few belongings and leave.
“What are you thinking so hard about?” Berkley walked up behind me. She tucked her arm through mine, then leaned her head against my shoulder.
“Nothing much.” I continued to watch Mandy’s truck and realized Berkley was gazing in the same direction. My sister is exceptionally good at reading people, and I was afraid if I glanced in her direction, she’d be able to tell what I was thinking.
“How are things going with Mandy?”
I turned to face my sister. “What... Nothing happened.” The defensive reply was out before I could stop myself.
“I meant with the plumbing.” She raised her brow and grinned, confirmation that my response had given her something to ponder. “Reese told me she’s working in your cabin first.”
“Oh yeah. Fine. She’s doing fine.” I couldn’t believe I was stammering like a teenager who’d been caught making out in the back of his parents’ car.
“So, what’s with the frown? Want to tell me what’s bothering you? You aren’t thinking about leaving, are you?”
“Possibly.” Any topic, including myself, was preferable to my sister’s continued discussion about Mandy. They were close friends, and I wasn’t sure how my sister would feel if she found out Mandy might be my mate. Is our mate, my wolf snarled.
“You’re doing that thing again, aren’t you?” She glared, moving to stand in front of me.
“What thing?” I tried to feign innocence, hoping it would work, yet not surprised when it didn’t. Berkley had the determination of an entire pack of wolves when she wanted something.
She propped her hands on her hips. “The thing where you think because we grew up differently, you don’t have a right to be here, that you don’t deserve to have a home like everybody else.”
“Maybe.” It was uncanny how one knowing look from her could make me—a grown and older male—squirm.
“Well, stop it. You know it doesn’t matter to Reese and me if we had different mothers. You’re still our brother, and we don’t want you to leave.”
“But I’ve been here off and on for almost a month and...” And I was getting comfortable, a completely new experience, and one that scared the hell out of me.
“No buts.” Berkley huffed. “This is your home, and I’m holding you to your promise. You have to stay and give it a try. One month is not trying, it’s barely getting your paws wet.” She snickered at her own humor.
“What about my wolf? What if I...” Lose control. It was something I struggled with regularly and the main reason I avoided humans and never settled down in one place.
“You won’t.” She patted my arm reassuringly. “You spent all day with Mandy. She’s human, and since I spoke with her before she left, I know for a fact that you didn’t hurt her.”
“That’s different. She’s...” My mate. I bit back the words, unsettled by how comfortable I was getting with the idea and not willing to share my suspicions with my sister.
“She’s what?”
“Nothing.” I could feel myself getting in deeper and glanced away from her prying gaze. “You and Reese don’t need me around to run the resort.”
“Nice try.” Berkley playfully punched me in the arm. “You know us better than that. Even without the terms of the will, we want you to stay. You’re family and not allowed to run.”
Our grandfather, a man I’d never met but who knew all about me, had made me a partial owner of the resort. The document clearly outlined stipulations requiring all three of us to remain together. I knew Berkley couldn’t care less about the legal specifications. She was more interested in developing a close relationship with her newly acquired family—mainly me.
“Besides, it would be a waste of time. You know I’ll track you down again and drag you back here, so save us both the trouble and say you’ll stay.
Of course she would, the tenacious little wolf.
She transformed her grin into a pout. “You’re my brother, and it would break my heart if you left.”
I could handle a lot of things, having my sister slap me with guilt wasn’t one of them. “You win, so stop already.” I was a foot taller than her, and it was easy for me to wrap my arm around her neck, pull her close, and ruffle her hair.
“Hey, don’t make me hurt you.” Berkley giggled, then snagged me into a quick hug before pulling away. “Speaking of quality time, why don’t you come with me to the bar tonight?”
“Where did you get quality time from me talking about leaving?” I was confused by her complete change of topic, something she did frequently.
Berkley waved her hand in front of my face as if she couldn’t figure out why I didn’t get it. “Simple. You’re not leaving. You are family, and family spends time doing fun things together.”
Suddenly suspicious, I asked, “How is going to a bar having fun?”
“It’s a good way to relieve stress and meet some of the locals.”
“Nah, I’m pretty sure I have a bunch of things I’d rather be doing here.” I crossed my arms and gave her a stern look.
“Like what, change into your wolf and chase squirrels into trees?”
“Very funny, smart-ass.” I reached for her again, but this time, she jumped back and dodged my grasp.
“I guess Mandy and I will have a good time without you.” She shrugged innocently.
“Mandy’s going?”
“Of course. It’s a girls’ night out, and you know what that means.”
It meant I wasn’t going to like the answer. “No, what?”
“It means dancing with a lot of hot guys.” Berkley shook her ass to mimic a dance move.
I was right, it wasn’t something I wanted to hear. Before I had a chance to offer any objections, Berkley was strutting toward the doorway leading to the restaurant’s dining area. “I need to go check on dinner. Let me know if you change your mind.” She winked at me over her shoulder, then disappeared from the room.
Mandy going out looking for guys with his sister spelled all kinds of trouble. The kind of trouble that would get a male killed if they even thought about going near her.
Mine. The growl was out before I could stop it. The thought of another man, any man, touching Mandy had my wolf prancing and sent me trailing after my sister to let her know I’d changed my mind and was going to show up at the bar.
