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“Of course.” She waved the report card.Shit. Performance report.“This is amazing. You are amazing.”
“Like my real mom? She was amazing too, right?”
Every now and then Dylan asked questions about Diane, but for the most part, he treated Brandy as his mom. End of story.
“Your real mom was the best sister a gal could hope for.”
“You miss her?” Dylan’s hands found their way into the fluffier fur around Alator’s neck.
The wolf didn’t move as the boy sought comfort from the creature. Brandy wanted to do the same, and she could have sworn Alator’s green-gold eyes were telling her to take whatever she wanted from him.
But that was silly.
“I miss Diane. All the time,” Brandy said. “But…” She held up a finger and pointed it at Dylan. “She left a piece of her behind that I get to enjoy every single day.”
Dylan slid his arms around her waist. “Thank you for being my mom now.”
“Oh, honey.” Brandy locked her arms around Dylan’s shoulders and kissed the top of his blond head. “It’s my pleasure.” They hugged for a few more moments then she backed up a step to look at Dylan’s face. “Where did that come from?”
He shrugged in that way ten-year old boys had mastered. “I don’t know. I’ve just been thinking about it lately.”
“Okay.” She studied him a bit longer and realized he really was growing up fast. “Well, maybe I should thank you forlettingme be your mom.”
A tiny grin turned up his mouth. “Don’t mention it. And if I become President some day, I’ll give you a big room in the White House with space for all these wolves.”
“I’ll hold you to that promise, kiddo. Here, go show Gram your report card.” She folded it back up and slid it into the envelope.
“Performance report.” Dylan giggled as he took it and picked up his backpack.
“Whatever.” She watched him head for the library where Meredith would be hanging out at this time of day. “Hey, Dylan?”
He turned back toward her.
“You want to go for breakfast tomorrow morning? You know, to celebrate your geniusness and kickoff the summer?”
“Can I get the chocolate pancakes?” He arched a brow.
“Sure. Don’t tell Gram though. You know how she likes us to order the healthy ones.”
Dylan scrunched up his nose. “Those taste like Frisbees.”
“And how do you know what Frisbees taste like?”
“Alator told me.” He looked at the big wolf who had remained by Brandy’s side. “Right, boy?”
Alator let out a ruff that Brandy took to mean his agreement.
“What else has he told you?”
Because this wolf had secrets. In the time he’d been at Silver Moon, Brandy hadn’t been able to find out where he’d come from or how he’d ended up in the woods beyond her borders. She checked all her usual avenues, and no one had any information about a missing wolf.
Possibly he was a true wild wolf that had stumbled upon her sanctuary, but that was highly unlikely as wolves had been considered extinct from Vermont since the 1800s. Brandy always held out hope wolves would return to the state and had worked on campaigns to plan for the eventual return of the great canines.
Still, it was a long shot with more and more timberland getting cleared. At least her land was a safe place for wolves, and as long as she had air in her lungs and a heart beating in her chest, it would remain that way. Someday, if he wanted to, Dylan could continue the work they did at Silver Moon.
If he didn’t decide to be President of course.
****
