“So you thought he might be in danger…and came on your own?”
Ember’s grin held mischief. “What I do.”
This woman was crazy brave. Kelsey liked her already, wanted to learn more about her. She finished off her plate with a double-chocolate cookie, and Ember clasped her hands together.
“Let me know if they’re any good. I’m a cook, not a baker, but I’m trying to expand my skill set.”
“So constructive criticism beats flattery?” Kelsey laughed.
“If you hate them I want to know.”
Kelsey cast her gaze over the broad stretch of yard that gradually fell away toward what she knew was a small creek. Strange that Aaron owned George’s old place. Strange that she and her friends had grown up, becomethe adultsto the generation that included Ember’s nephew and Jeremy and Lucy’s kids. She still felt most days like a ten-year-old who wanted nothing more from life than a brownie in each hand and a race down the railroad tracks with her besties.
“They’re all here,” she said quietly.
Almost everyone had vacated the randomly placed picnic tables after lunch and now stood around under a few shade trees or sat in camping chairs around a big fire pit, though no bonfire had been started.
“Not sure where to start?” Ember said.
“I guess not.”
“Well, I could escort you around. Hostess duty and all.” She bumped Kelsey’s shoulder gently. “Or you can ditch me for now.”
“I might need to do that.”
Some women would’ve been offended, taken at their word on an offer they didn’t mean. Ember smiled and nodded Kelsey forward. “Cookie feedback later.”
“For sure.”
She walked toward one ring of chairs, and every wolf in the circle stood at the same time. To greet her? To repel her? Her heart beat fast. If they didn’t want her anymore, she could blame only herself.
She’d talk to them one at a time. She’d be herself, show each of them she still loved them all. She’d earn her way back into their trust. Few things in the world were more valuable or harder to come by than the trust of a wolf pack.
Closest to her, facing her with a smile less guarded than she’d braced for, was Jeremy. As Kelsey approached, he hoisted onto his arm a boy with one hand bandaged across the back.
“Well, look who’s here,” Jeremy said.
“Here I am.” Kelsey tried to smile. “And look at you, all settled down with a family. I’d have pegged you last to volunteer for that kind of monotony.”
Jeremy laughed, and the boy gave a slight wriggle that in no way unbalanced him on Jeremy’s massive arm. “Hi, I’m Zane, and this is my dad.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Zane. I’m Kelsey.”
“Do you know us?”
“Well, I’ve never met you before, but I knew your dad when he was a pup.”
“Kelsey knew a lot of us back then,” Jeremy said, ruffling Zane’s dark hair. “Me, Ezra, Trevor, Aaron—”
“You know Aaron!” Apparently this impressed the kid far more than Kelsey’s knowing his father. He held up his hand. “See this? It’s almost a scar now, but when I got it, there was lots of blood, and Aaron saved me. He put a big bandage on it until it got smaller, and then he put this smaller bandage on, and soon it’ll be a scar with no bandage.”
“Well, the bandage you have now looks very cool.”
“I know, and the scar will look cool too.” He squirmed again. “Dad, I want to go play kickball with Quinn, okay?”
Jeremy lowered him to the ground. “See you later, buddy.” Zane dashed off, and Jeremy shook his head with a rumbling chuckle. “Ever since he hurt his hand, Aaron’s been his mighty miracle worker.”
“Medic Aaron?” Kelsey said. “I guess that makes sense.”
