AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Sounds good.”
Tawny said a silent prayer that her brother would be waiting for her at the bar, and that he’d merely had a problem with his cell phone.
The trip to town took less than ten minutes. Being a weekday, there were plenty of parking places in front of the bar. As Tawny slipped out of the car, she looked up at the dark clouds scudding across the sky. If the weatherman was right—which wasn’t always the case—a snow storm was coming. Some of her rescue animals hated the cold and definitely didn’t like the wet snow. There were others, however, who seemed to live for romping around in it.
When Tawny stepped inside to wait for Julie who’d been held up at a traffic light, Will spotted her, waved, and came out from behind the bar. “Here for your weekly date with Zach?”
“That was the plan, but he’s helping rescue some hikers, so I asked my new hire, Julia, to join me.”
“Is she pretty?” Will wiggled his eyebrows.
“I guess you could say that.” The door behind her opened and Julia rushed in.
“Brr. Looks like we’re in for a bad one,” she said.
“So I’ve heard. Julia, this is my cousin Will.”
She smiled and held out her hand. “Julia Smith. Nice to meet you.”
“You new around here? I haven’t seen you in here before.”
Tawny refrained from groaning at that come-on line.
“I’ve been here two months, but I don’t like to go to bars by myself. I live with my brother, but he’s not into this scene either. Computers are more to Brad’s liking, so we mostly stay home.”
Tawny had no idea that Julia even had a brother. That would be something she’d like to learn more about. “Let’s grab a booth.”
“Sure.”
“Nice meeting you, Julia,” Will said with a big grin. Tawny quickly led her away from her cousin.
Once they were seated, Julia looked over at the bar and motioned toward Will with her head. “Your cousin seems nice.”
“He is.” She was about to say he was too busy to date, but she’d let those two figure things out. “So, tell me about yourself.”
Julia shrugged. “Our story is not all that interesting. Brad and I moved here from Idaho, but you know that from my application. What’s not in there is why we moved. My mother died recently, and Brad was having a hard time dealing with her death.”
Tawny could sympathize. “I imagine it would be hard to remain in a town where memories are around every corner.”
Melancholy mixed with joy often overwhelmed Tawny when she’d spot an antique in a store window that her Nana had loved or a book by one of her grandmother’s favorite authors. “How about your dad? Is he still there?”
“Yes, but he’s the stoic type. He was never one to show a lot of emotion.”
Tawny couldn’t imagine being in a family that didn’t hug and treat family as if they were special. That being said, her father didn’t show his emotion as much as her mom. As sheriff, he had to put on a stern face.
“Why Wildwood?” Tawny asked.
“Long ago, our family took a ski vacation here, and Brad loved it,” Julia explained.
“I get that. I can’t imagine living anywhere else. The summers are glorious, and the winters are so pretty.” But it was the same in Idaho, so why move five hours away?
“Do you ski?” Julia asked.
“When I have the time. In the summer, I try to go mountain climbing as much as I can. Being outside is in my blood.”
The server came over and took their drink orders. Being part werewolf, Tawny could handle her alcohol better than most. Regardless, she ordered a light beer, and Julia said she’d have the same.
“Have you heard from your brother?” Julia asked.
