Beloved Wolf by Kasey Michaels

the door, probably farther than that,” Rand agreed, but didn’t elaborate. “Well,” he said, bracing his hands against the arms of the chair and rising to his feet. “Since she wasn’tat lunch yesterday, and since I have to leave soon, I guess I should go find Mom, say hello.”
    â€œThat would be nice,” Joe said, also rising. “She’s no doubt on the phone planning the party.”
    â€œIt’s going to be a real bash, isn’t it? Are you okay with that?”
    â€œIf it makes your mother happy,” Joe said, following after his son.
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    Twenty feet away, on the other side of some tall bushes, a casement window slowly wound closed and Meredith Colton turned away from the bedroom window, a smile on her face.
    It was going to happen. The party was going to happen. Joe was too old, too tired, to fight her on this, on anything.
    Still, he was a problem, and he wasn’t as easy to manage anymore.
    Meredith was certain Sophie’s mugging had a lot to do with this new hint of spine she saw in Joe, this reawakening realization of how dissatisfied he was with his life. He might even try to send her away again, as he’d done when she’d first told him about Teddy.
    That crack the other night—about her being the mother of children, but not all of them his had been nasty. But when he’d asked her if she was insane, mad? That had been the topper. How dare he question her sanity? If she hadn’t been sure before, she was now. And she would do what she had to do, to protect herself, to protect her boys.
    She made a mental note to consider Donna Karan for her widow’s weeds.
    Â 
    â€œI still don’t see why it has to be you,” Sophie said, sitting as close to the passenger door as possible as River drove the SUV toward Prosperino.
    â€œYes, it was good for me, too,” River replied tightly.
    Sophie turned her head, glared at him. Of all the things he could have said, for his first words to her since she’d left him in the stables, he had picked ones sure to incense her. That man was uncanny, knew just what buttons to push. “That’s not what I meant, damn it.”
    â€œI know, Soph, but we had to talk about it some time. Or am I supposed to develop some sort of convenient amnesia?”
    â€œIt would be nice. Why don’t you work on that?” Sophie muttered, sinking lower on her spine as the scenery flashed by on either side of the highway. “Because it’s not going to happen again.”
    â€œOh, absolutely. I’ve taken a vow of chastity, as a matter of fact. However, if you could stop moving around on that seat and looking so damned sexy, I’d really appreciate it.”
    Sophie sat up once more, smoothed her hands over her nylon sweatpants. “Sexy? Like this? All dressed up and ready for physical therapy? You know, Riv, I’m beginning to think you may have some hormonal imbalance that clouds your judgment. Maybe you ought to consider cold showers.”
    â€œMaybe I ought to consider taking you over myknee, the way I did when you were fifteen, and I caught you snooping around in my room.”
    Sophie rolled her eyes. “And I told you—I was just trying to find out your shirt size, so I could get you a new shirt for your birthday. And it didn’t hurt, by the way.”
    River turned to her, grinned. “Did so. It had to. You had such a skinny butt. Not that you do now.”
    â€œAre you insinuating that I’m fat? Well, let me tell you, River James, there is absolutely nothing the matter with my— Oh, forget it! Just drive the damn car, all right?”
    River chuckled under his breath. They were both silent for the remainder of the drive, until River parked the SUV, then turned to her before she could get out. “How long, Soph?” he asked, holding on to her forearm.
    â€œHow long? How long for what? The therapy? About an hour, I