basking in the sun, there was only one person she knew who could whip up a batch and dispense advice.
Less than half an hour later, with dawn cresting, not that you could tell by the thick darkness, she sat on a stool in Reid’s kitchen while his grandmother, Ursula—everyone called her Ursa, which meant mother bear—mixed together the ingredients for chocolate chip cookies.
Even better, Jan had the company of her new best friend, Tammy, the alpha’s mate , a city girl recently turned shifter who could offer a fresh perspective on her situation.
“Ignore him,” Ursa advised. “But at the same time, run into him every chance you get.”
“But isn’t that exactly what he wants? For me to leave him alone?”
“It is, but he can’t recognize what he wants unless he’s denied it.”
“Kind of like what Ursa did with Reid,” Tammy agreed. “She told him he couldn’t have me, which in turn—”
“Made you more tempting. I get that, but Boris thrives on misery. He’ll think by abstaining and suffering that he’s doing good.”
“So make yourself impossible for him to resist. You have a good figure,” Ursa said as she eyed Jan. “Maybe a little skinny, but nothing a few pounds of cookie dough wouldn’t cure.”
Tammy snorted. “ Trust me to find the one house where cookie dough cures everything.”
“Lucky.”
With a giggle, and a spoonful of batter, Tammy mmm’d her agreement.
Jan leaned her chin in a propped hand. “So dress sexy. Run into the moose. Ignore him. And hope that he what? Congratulates himself on being a blue balled, miserable jerk?”
“Much like a pressure cooker, the emotions and need will build in him until he explodes and carries you off for unmentionable things,” Ursa elaborated with a wave of her wooden spoon.
“In other words, drive him crazy with lust until he drags you into a closet to have his wicked way.”
Sounded fun, but Jan couldn’t help but worry. “And if that doesn’t work?”
Ursa and Tammy shared a look before saying at the same time, “Plan B.”
“Which is?”
“Play dirty. Enflame his jealousy.”
“From what I’ve seen,” Tammy said , “it won’t take much.”
And if those plans failed, Jan could always resort to Plan C. Stripping naked again.
Chapter Fourteen
The doctor patched Boris up without any of the recriminations Jan had lavished on him. She didn’t give him shit even though the wound had already begun to heal. She didn’t harangue him even though it was tougher to remove the bullet because he’d waited so long. Doctor Weller knew better than to browbeat a man.
So why did he miss Jan’s nagging presence?
Probably because he didn’t have the hots for Doctor Weller—even if she was attractive with her curly red hair, bright smile, and curvy figure. In his world, only a certain blonde fox would do.
A fox who had disappeared and not kept him in the loop about her whereabouts. On the one hoof, he enjoyed the break. Keeping himself and his emotions in check when she was around took a lot out of a man. On the other hoof, though, who knew what the vixen was up to now? Mischief, I’ll wager.
Exiting the clinic, he called his alpha for an update on what was happening.
Reid answered. “ Boris, about time you checked in. You all patched up?”
“Good as new.” If one ignored all his old scars.
“Excellent. ”
“Any new developments while I was seeing the doc?”
“Not really. We found the dead guy’s sled hidden in the woods about a mile out of town. No trace of whoever took him out, though.”
“Do you think it was Gene?”
“Could be. Whoever shot him certainly knew how to hide their tracks, but then again, any skilled tracker and hunter could do the same.”
“Where do you want me to head now?”
“Home,” Reid replied. “Get a few hours’ sleep.”
“I should head out now while the tracks are fresh.”
“I’d prefer to have you fresh. I’ve got boys hunting for clues. If we find anything
Less than half an hour later, with dawn cresting, not that you could tell by the thick darkness, she sat on a stool in Reid’s kitchen while his grandmother, Ursula—everyone called her Ursa, which meant mother bear—mixed together the ingredients for chocolate chip cookies.
Even better, Jan had the company of her new best friend, Tammy, the alpha’s mate , a city girl recently turned shifter who could offer a fresh perspective on her situation.
“Ignore him,” Ursa advised. “But at the same time, run into him every chance you get.”
“But isn’t that exactly what he wants? For me to leave him alone?”
“It is, but he can’t recognize what he wants unless he’s denied it.”
“Kind of like what Ursa did with Reid,” Tammy agreed. “She told him he couldn’t have me, which in turn—”
“Made you more tempting. I get that, but Boris thrives on misery. He’ll think by abstaining and suffering that he’s doing good.”
“So make yourself impossible for him to resist. You have a good figure,” Ursa said as she eyed Jan. “Maybe a little skinny, but nothing a few pounds of cookie dough wouldn’t cure.”
Tammy snorted. “ Trust me to find the one house where cookie dough cures everything.”
“Lucky.”
With a giggle, and a spoonful of batter, Tammy mmm’d her agreement.
Jan leaned her chin in a propped hand. “So dress sexy. Run into the moose. Ignore him. And hope that he what? Congratulates himself on being a blue balled, miserable jerk?”
“Much like a pressure cooker, the emotions and need will build in him until he explodes and carries you off for unmentionable things,” Ursa elaborated with a wave of her wooden spoon.
“In other words, drive him crazy with lust until he drags you into a closet to have his wicked way.”
Sounded fun, but Jan couldn’t help but worry. “And if that doesn’t work?”
Ursa and Tammy shared a look before saying at the same time, “Plan B.”
“Which is?”
“Play dirty. Enflame his jealousy.”
“From what I’ve seen,” Tammy said , “it won’t take much.”
And if those plans failed, Jan could always resort to Plan C. Stripping naked again.
Chapter Fourteen
The doctor patched Boris up without any of the recriminations Jan had lavished on him. She didn’t give him shit even though the wound had already begun to heal. She didn’t harangue him even though it was tougher to remove the bullet because he’d waited so long. Doctor Weller knew better than to browbeat a man.
So why did he miss Jan’s nagging presence?
Probably because he didn’t have the hots for Doctor Weller—even if she was attractive with her curly red hair, bright smile, and curvy figure. In his world, only a certain blonde fox would do.
A fox who had disappeared and not kept him in the loop about her whereabouts. On the one hoof, he enjoyed the break. Keeping himself and his emotions in check when she was around took a lot out of a man. On the other hoof, though, who knew what the vixen was up to now? Mischief, I’ll wager.
Exiting the clinic, he called his alpha for an update on what was happening.
Reid answered. “ Boris, about time you checked in. You all patched up?”
“Good as new.” If one ignored all his old scars.
“Excellent. ”
“Any new developments while I was seeing the doc?”
“Not really. We found the dead guy’s sled hidden in the woods about a mile out of town. No trace of whoever took him out, though.”
“Do you think it was Gene?”
“Could be. Whoever shot him certainly knew how to hide their tracks, but then again, any skilled tracker and hunter could do the same.”
“Where do you want me to head now?”
“Home,” Reid replied. “Get a few hours’ sleep.”
“I should head out now while the tracks are fresh.”
“I’d prefer to have you fresh. I’ve got boys hunting for clues. If we find anything
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