The next morning, while Brett was sitting at his desk in the newspaper office, he looked through all the vintage car photos he’d taken at the car show last summer and found three cars that looked somewhat similar to the one that had hit his vehicle on the road. Then again, the snow had been blowing so hard that he could be mistaken. None of them appeared to match the dark steel-gray color. One was pale silver, another was glossy black, and the last one was light blue. Though like CJ had said, between now and last year, the owner could have repainted the car.
Brett called CJ and told him the names of the three car owners. They were all members of the pack, so he really didn’t think that any of them would have been so careless or callous. Unless the driver had been inebriated.
“I’ll check them out, but like you, I doubt any of our people would have done that. I’ll let you know what I learn.”
“Thanks, CJ.”
He had shared Ellie’s ghost story anonymously in the newspaper as she had requested and had been fielding calls on that all day. “Excellent story!” “Was it true?” “Which wolf had the experience?” A number of wolves had shared their own stories, maybe to be included in the paper next Halloween.
Anxious to exorcise the ghosts at the inn, Brett began searching the Internet to see how he could do that himself instead of involving the sisters’ cousins.
He found an article on performing a cleansing for ghosts. Simple. Just bundle some sage together and burn it, scenting the air throughout the inn with it. But he couldn’t do that surreptitiously.
He found sage-and-citrus candles, for adding fragrance to a room, and figured that would work. It was supposed to be relaxing. He thought of giving them to the sisters to use, but what if they accepted the candles and then didn’t burn them?
Then Brett had another thought and looked up sage in recipes. There was a recipe for a spice ball of sage, rosemary, thyme, tarragon, and marjoram, which would be added to soup, sauce, or stew. Or he could make sage sausage, or coat chicken with orange-sage marinade and bake it. Or he could make sage dip. The soup or stew would bubble away and add the scent of sage, along with the other herbs, to the air. Soup or stew? He liked chunks of beef, potatoes, and celery. So that’s what he’d make. He hoped it turned out great.
Glad to have come up with a plan that cost under a hundred dollars instead of paying Stanton’s exorbitant fee of five thousand, Brett was eager to help his great-aunt and the sisters find peace.
* * *
When Ellie went to the grocery store, she saw little kids dressed up as everything from fairy princesses to Batman and other comic heroes. She planned to drop by the craft store to pick up materials to make her first macramé project from the book Brett had picked out. A plant holder? A bracelet? A wall hanging? There were lots of good choices.
“Hey,” Sarandon said, joining her at the checkout counter, his dark-brown eyes even darker now. He didn’t look like he planned to purchase anything, but just wanted to speak to her—and from the scowl on his face, he didn’t look happy. “I saw your letter in the Lonely Hearts column in the paper.” He pulled the torn-out column from his pocket. “‘Woman interested in dating guys who love wolves, love to run, believe in ghosts, and love to howl at the moon’?”
Her jaw dropped. She’d almost forgotten about the ad because of all the excitement over Halloween. Mindy, the clerk, smiled at her. “You go, girl. Tell me if it works.”
Ellie smiled back at her. She didn’t say anything to Sarandon as she finished her transaction, but before she could carry her groceries out to the car, he grabbed the bags. He didn’t look the least bit like a wolf who had seen her letter and was interested in dating her. He looked annoyed with her. Not that she was interested in dating him either. It was one thing to date other wolves, but not one of Brett’s brothers.
“What?” she asked, unlocking the hatchback.
“What does Brett think about you dating other guys?”
“He’s the one who suggested it!” She waited for Sarandon to deposit her bags in the car, but he was staring at her like he couldn’t believe it. “Ask him!”
Sarandon didn’t budge. She began to take one of the sacks out of his hand, which seemed to bring him back to the here and now, and he placed them in the trunk. “Don’t date anyone until I have a talk with Brett about this. He thinks the world of you, Ellie.”
“Go talk to him then, but I’m not changing my mind. This was all Brett’s idea, not mine.” She didn’t feel she owed Sarandon an explanation of why Brett had come up with the idea either.
His stern gaze still on her, Sarandon immediately whipped out his phone and called Brett while she closed her hatchback. She was certain Brett wouldn’t like to hear that she had posted the item in the Silver Town Gazette. She was surprised he hadn’t called about it before now. He must not have read it.
“Hey, Brett. Sarandon, here. Did you tell Ellie to date other wolves?”
Sarandon was eyeing Ellie as she slid into her driver’s seat. If she was going to date other people, she’d choose who.
“Ah hell, Brother. Well, you might want to check out the Lonely Hearts column this morning.”
Ellie smiled, closed her door, and waved good-bye to Sarandon before she took off.
Sarandon pocketed his phone, and hers instantly rang. Darien. She sighed and answered his call. He was the pack leader and Brett’s cousin, after all. Maybe it wasn’t about the letter, but she suspected it was.
“Hey, Darien.”
Beeping on the car panel alerted her that she had another incoming call to pick up. She smiled when she saw it was one of the two brothers who worked ski patrol.
“I’m calling as your friend and Brett’s cousin to ask you not to date other wolves in the pack,” Darien said. “Lelandi’s in a session with a patient, but when she’s through, she wants to talk with you too.”
Ellie wasn’t talking to Lelandi about this. She didn’t need counseling. “I’ve got another call coming in.” She hung up on Darien, knowing he wouldn’t be happy about it, but tough. Yeah, he and Lelandi were in charge of the pack, but courting a wolf was her business, not pack business. She guessed her sisters hadn’t read the paper yet, or she would be fielding calls from them too.
She answered the next call, this one from her first gentleman suitor. Everyone called Cantrell and his brother, Robert, Viking gods. They were both blond haired, both handsome, and both had a great sense of humor.
Before she could say anything, someone else was trying to call her. Brett. She ignored his call because she was busy with Cantrell. She would talk to Brett afterward.
“Hey, Ellie, I hear you’re looking for some action. I’d take you out in a heartbeat, but I wanted to make sure you’re really available. I don’t want all the Silver wolves to take action against me if I pursue you,” Cantrell said.
“Hey,” Robert said in the background. “I’m asking first though, as long as it’s okay with the pack.”
Hmm, maybe it wasn’t going to be easy to date a wolf in the pack, as closely knit as they were.
“Brett wanted me to start dating others as a social experiment,” she said, being perfectly honest.
“Count me in,” Cantrell said. “When would you like to go out to dinner?”
“But me first,” Robert said.
She laughed. Now they would be perfect to go on dates with because if she was dating both of them, they couldn’t take her too seriously.
“One of you can take me out to lunch tomorrow, and the other for dinner. You decide.”
* * *
Hell and damnation! Brett couldn’t get ahold of Ellie, and all of his brothers had already called to find out what the hell had happened between them. Then Darien called with a warning that Lelandi wanted to discuss this matter with him personally. That meant she intended to use her psychology training on him.
Damn it to hell. No way had he said he wanted Ellie to go dating wolves. Talk about a feeding frenzy!
Each of his brothers had told him to tell her he had made the dumbest mistake in the world—even though he had explained he hadn’t meant her to seriously consider it—and let him know in no uncertain terms if he even thought of dating anyone else himself, they were disowning him. His Silver cousins read him the same riot act.
All Brett had thought was that it was a way to prove to her that she would dream only of him—and no one else—no matter who she went out with. Most of his Silver kin said that was the most harebrained notion they’d ever heard.
Lelandi called next while he was driving to Ellie’s house. He was trying to catch up to Ellie as she headed home from the grocery store since she wouldn’t answer his calls. Brett thought Darien had said Lelandi was in a session with a patient. She must have thought this was a real emergency. It was just a typical bachelor male’s wolf crisis—worry about losing his girl to a bunch of hungry wolves.
“Okay, I know what you were trying to do with Ellie, and I understand. I don’t think this is the way to go about it. I truly believe the two of you are perfect for each other, both from your actions and conversations I’ve overheard at gatherings. Would you like me to have a counseling session with the two of you?”
“No. We’re fine. Really.”
“Okay, but I’ll warn you right now that this could lead to real trouble between the two of you.”
“We’ll be fine,” Brett said, hoping the hell they would be. They ended the call, and he arrived at the sisters’ house to see Ellie’s car parked out back. He had all kinds of plans for tonight, which included exorcising a ghost and being with Ellie. What if Ellie canceled their plans so she could date someone else? He knew she’d get a blitz of calls. That may have even been why she couldn’t answer his call.
He parked beside her car and stalked toward the house, not sure if she’d be there or at the inn. He couldn’t wait until tonight to talk to her. And what was he going to say? He couldn’t tell her she couldn’t see any other wolves in the pack. Not without coming off as an overbearing lout.
As soon as he approached the house, he heard Laurel scolding Ellie and paused at the door.
“You are going to cause so much trouble, Ellie!” Laurel said.
“This was what Brett suggested, so I’m doing it. I’m not going to say it again.”
This was not what he wanted.
He knocked on the door.
Everyone got quiet inside.
Then someone headed for the door. He was practically holding his breath when Meghan opened it, shook her head at him, and held the door open.
“Aren’t you early for dinner?” Ellie asked.
“Can we talk?”
“Tonight. I’ve got stuff to do.” Ellie’s phone rang, and she answered it. “Hi, Radcliff? I’ll have to look at my calendar. I think I’m free for dinner the day after tomorrow.”
Brett opened his mouth to speak, but Laurel grabbed his arm, stepped out, and shut the door behind her so they were alone on the front porch. She released him, scowling up at him. “Fix this! CJ’s mad at Ellie, and he’s mad at me, as if I had anything to do with it!”
“I’m trying, but you see the way she is. She won’t even speak to me.”
“Be the big, bad wolf and make her listen to you. Or else.” Laurel opened the door, walked inside, and slammed it shut.
Hell.
* * *
Ellie pocketed her phone and looked at her sisters: Laurel, who was scowling, and Meghan, who was smiling at her. She was about to say something, but then her phone rang again, and the front doorbell rang simultaneously. With phone in hand, Ellie answered the door and the phone at the same time.
Radcliff’s brother, Kemp, wanted to take her out. Both of them were also on ski patrol. And the delivery man had a Red Hot Rush package for her. She couldn’t remember ordering anything and hoped one of her brand-new suitors wasn’t giving her a gift already. She’d told everyone this was just for fun, nothing serious. She suspected everyone was hoping they had a chance with the single she-wolf since they had a shortage of females in the pack and Meghan was seeing Peter.
She wondered if they all truly believed in ghosts or were just willing to say so to get a date with her.
When she opened the bubble-paper mailer, she found pictures of Brett in the raw. Artistic painted versions. He was beautiful. She turned around to see if either of her sisters was watching her, but Meghan was coming down the stairs, two gowns in hand, and Laurel was in the kitchen.
“Hey, was that something for me?” Meghan asked.
“No.” Ellie quickly stuffed the pictures in the envelope and fought hiding them behind her back.
Meghan held up the two gowns. “Which should I wear tonight?”
“You have a mask that matches that one,” Ellie said, pointing. “Why don’t you wear it?”
“Okay.” Meghan headed back up the stairs.
Ellie followed her, then slipped into her bedroom and tucked the envelope underneath her pillow so she could really look at all the pictures later without either of her sisters catching her at it!