Longing for Wolves (Shifter Country Wolves Book 5) Read Free

been?”
    Everywhere that wasn’t here , Calder thought.
    “I came from Big Sur this morning,” he told her. “I spent a couple weeks there, and before that I was in Santa Barbara. Before that, I rented this airstream trailer in the desert for a month, outside this town called Twentynine Palms.”
    “You told me you were in the desert last time you called,” she said.
    “That was New Mexico,” he said. “Two months ago.”
    “You should call more.”
    “Yeah.”
    She released him and stood there, staring up at him. He had a good eight inches on her, but he knew they looked more alike than different: deep blue eyes, wild dark hair. Jawlines that just looked stubborn.
    “You need a haircut,” she said.
    “I was just thinking that,” Calder said, sliding his hands into the pockets of his black leather jacket. “Though I think it kinda makes me look rakish.”
    Greta snorted, but before she could say anything, the door behind the bar opened again and the girl with the braids was standing there.
    Annika , thought Calder. That guy called her Annika .
    She put two more plates down behind the bar, already talking.
    “Okay,” she said. “That one’s brownies, obviously. Then, from left to right, we’ve got peanut butter thumbprints, mini jam tarts, maple crunch cookies, and shortbread surprises.”
    “What’s the surprise?” asked Calder.
    Finally, she looked up from the cookies.
    “It wouldn’t be a surprise if I told you,” she said, putting her hands on her hips, a slow smile spreading across her face. She looked from Calder to Greta and back.
    “You should have just said you were her brother,” Annika said. “You could’ve had the brownie.”
    “I had two,” Calder admitted.
    Annika laughed.
    “This is Calder,” Greta said dryly, already reaching for a brownie. “The current biggest pain in my ass. Calder, this is Annika. She’s doing the desserts for the wedding.”
    “I guessed,” he said, and leaned across the bar, taking her hand in his and shaking it.
    He felt that spark again, the tiniest bolt of electricity zipping through his body.
    “Hi,” she said. “Don’t let her lie to you, she’s over the moon that you’re here. I’ve heard lots about you.”
    “Good things?” he said, finally letting her hand go and taking a peanut butter thumbprint.
    “Things,” she said.
    Behind him, Greta laughed.
    “Thanks for bringing over the samples,” she said. “We’ll conduct a double-blind study and get back to you in a bit.”
    “I like these,” Calder said, mouth still full of peanut butter thumbprint. “Though I also liked the brownies.”
    “I gotta get back to the bakery,” Annika said. “Nice meeting you, Calder.”
    Then she waved and disappeared through the door again. Calder watched it until the latch clicked, and she was really gone.
    What was that , he thought to himself. The fist around his heart was still there, though it wasn’t squeezing quite so tight anymore. Now there was something else, too, something new, like a seed just sprouting for the first time.
    Don’t mix your metaphors , he thought.  
    “Okay,” said Greta. She went behind the bar and put all the plates in a line. The guys drinking at the end paid more attention. “Annika’s making a cake, of course, but we’re also having a selection of cookies put at each table so that the guests don’t have to wait to get cake to start dessert, since that can take forever.”
    Calder nodded.
    “Annika says she can do three, if we give her enough warning. I’m pretty set on the brownies, but I also want to eat cookies, and I’m not allowed to eat brownies at my wedding, so we need two other things.”
    “Why can’t you eat brownies?” Calder asked, frowning.
    “Because I paid a lot of money for a white dress, and I don’t want to get chocolate on it,” Greta said.
    Makes sense , Calder thought. Greta had been pragmatic her whole life, so it wasn’t surprising now.
    “Is there some kind of rating