Isaac nods at Courtney before jogging away, more eager than most teenagers would be to put in a hard day’s work.
“All right.” Courtney pats the roof of my truck. “I’ve got to go distract some ladies with food while I steal their unborn babies.”
Oddest way I’ve ever heard someone describe collecting eggs, but that’s Courtney.
“That’s dark.”
“That’s poetic,” she corrects. “See you around, oh mighty pack leader.”
Courtney waves before scooping her baskets back up and taking a different path than my brother did. As she walks away, her long braid swishes in a morning breeze, carrying a strong wave of her scent to my nose.
The most prominent is wolf. But under that hovers a warm, hearty smell. Like buttered bread.
It’s pleasant. Not lemons and book pages?—
I shake my head, cutting off whatever unwanted erotic images would have risen next.
Instead, the beginning of an idea has me pulling the key from the ignition, pushing my door open, and trailing after Courtney. I pause outside the chicken coop, mulling the idea over.
Courtney is one of the names on my list of single female wolves. Admittedly, it felt odd, putting her there. I’ve known her since we were both kids. Back when the two of us and my other brother Warner created constant havoc as only preteens could. She’s always felt like a sister to me.
But I would be dense not to notice that she’s gorgeous. High cheekbones, framed by sheets of midnight-black hair, which pairs well with her slightly tan skin. Her grandfather was a human from the Navajo Nation, who saved an injured wolf that was caught in a flash flood. Turned out, that animal was Courtney’s grandmother—a white woman and a werewolf, who convinced him to come back to Pine Falls with her, where they started a family and this farm.
Courtney is the only Benally remaining in town, her grandparents having passed and her parents choosing to join a pack in Canada because, apparently, they wanted more wilderness than Colorado had to offer. Courtney stayed here, loyal to her hometown and her pack.
Her humor might be that of a fifteen-year-old boy’s, but she’s responsible and beautiful, both as a woman and wolf.
So, she’s pleasant to look at, a member of the pack, and completely devoted to staying on her farm here in Pine Falls. She ticks all the boxes I’ve set for myself.
Still, my wolf is basically asleep in my chest. Completely uninterested in the perfect mate standing right in front of me.
Then I guess it’s on my human half to start the courting.
“You’re still here?” Courtney asks, exiting her chicken coop with a basket full of eggs. “You want something to eat, you’ll have to make it yourself.” She waves me toward the house.
So, maybe she won’t be the most domestic partner. But that’s not a requirement. I can cook my own food. Do my own laundry. Clean my own house. I’m not looking for a maid. I’m looking for a mate.
“Do you ever think about mating?” I ask.
Courtney props the basket on her hip and raises an eyebrow at my question.
“Do you mean fucking? Or do you meanmating?” She gives me an evil grin. “Because if you mean fucking, then yes. I’veconsidered fucking many people. More than considered. I often follow through with delicious results.”
Maybe not the most serious partner either, but we could work on that.
“I meant finding a mate.”
Courtney loses some of her humor, the smile on her face suddenly strained. “Once.” Turning away from me, she walks toward the smaller chicken coop in her yard. “But that was a special person.” After clearing her throat, she adds, “Obviously, they didn’t feel the same.”
I tamp down on my instinct to pry, not liking the shadows in my pack member’s eyes. Courtney rarely reveals any type of vulnerability, which is likely why this ex is news to me.
“But you do want to mate?” I press.
She glances over her shoulder. “What is with this sudden interest in my romantic life, Ricky?”
The urge to fidget tugs at my muscles. But I’ve always been good at maintaining a still, steady presence. Putting that skill into practice now, I keep a neutral tone.
“As the pack leader, I believe it is a duty and responsibility of mine to find a suitable mate.”
