Chapter 20
“How come Ike is here?” Maisie asked William as she went with him to the house and found them on the patio out back where Anne and several male wolves were watching out for her.
“He received word from Stuart about his brother and wanted to speak with both of you. My brother told him you and Anne were here and that you had gone out with Gus the night he disappeared,” William said.
Then they saw Ike, who looked so much like Gus that, without seeing them together, Maisie really thought it was Gus. Maisie quickly introduced herself. “I’m so sorry that I didn’t know you weren’t Gus at Heather’s pie shop. I just thought you were him and I couldn’t understand why you didn’t remember me.”
“I’m sorry I didn’t talk to you about it. Though at that point, I didn’t believe his disappearance had anything to do with foul play,” Ike said. “He could be rather inconsiderate at times about leaving me hanging concerning where he was going and why. I didn’t want to make a big deal out of nothing and sound like an alarmist. I have done that before—twice. Gus would take hikes into the wilderness and never tell me or any of our friends, and we wouldn’t have a clue where he’d ended up. Twice, he got himself into trouble doing that, getting lost, then running out of food and water, so he had to turn into his wolf to find his way back. So when it happened this time, I just figured he was doing his usual thing. Except we had an important meeting to buy a piece of property in Glasgow, and he was really excited about the prospect. I knew he wouldn’t ditch the opportunity. I’d tracked him to this area, and because I hadn’t eaten all day, I stopped by Heather’s pie shop and ordered one to go. I was shocked when you approached me and said my brother had lost his driver’s license at your inn.”
“Yeah, I was gardening and found that, Lady’s collar, and a guy named Jude Springer’s cell phone.”
“Lady? Bruce’s Westie?”
“Yeah, he and his wife were out hiking with the dog when she ran off. Do you know if Gus was supposed to be meeting anyone? When he and I were having dinner out, he was watching the clock most of the time. It made me wonder if he was meeting with someone. He seemed really nervous about it. When we checked the security video, we saw Gus return with a woman to his guest room later.”
Ike’s eyes widened.
“But then he left with the woman again. On the security video, we thought we observed him return to the inn. What we witnessed was a man wearing a hoodie, black boots, and a wrist splint. Your brother wasn’t wearing the same clothes; plus, he didn’t have a splint. We believe the man we saw was Jude Springer, but he’s going by Jack Wolfson now.”
“Crap, I knew it.” Ike’s eyes filled with tears, and he sounded defeated that he hadn’t found him before he got himself into trouble.
“Your brother was strangled. Someone—who was wearing a splint on his wrist, because it was either broken or sprained—couldn’t manually strangle a full-grown man, I wouldn’t think.”
“Hell.”
“Do you know if Jack was wearing a splint recently? We know he had a grudge against your brother. Stuart mentioned Jack was angry with Gus because they liked the same she-wolf named Chelsea Bowers.”
“Yeah, they got into a bit of a row at a club over her. I don’t have anything to do with Jack, so I don’t know if he has been wearing a splint or not. Can I see the video of the man wearing the splint?” Ike asked.
“Aye. We have it back at the inn. Why didn’t you talk to Anne about the license and your missing brother when you picked it up at the inn?” Maisie asked.
“As I told your sister, I just didn’t know what to think. I teach art at an elementary school. Gus’s car wasn’t at the inn, so I assumed he’d left. I was also impatient. I was going to have to make the decision to buy the property without him, and I was running out of time. Your sister was busy with guests. I didn’t want to wait or intrude. I left and began searching the area for him. But I couldn’t find any scent of him. Just of Robert, you, and your sister as you headed for Eilean Tioram. And Lady, which confused the whole issue. Anne said you found my brother in the ocean.”
“Right,” Maisie said.
“Can I see the room where Gus stayed?” Ike asked.
“If we don’t have a guest in there any longer, absolutely. Otherwise, you’ll have to wait until after they check out,” Maisie said.
“Where is my brother’s body?” Ike asked.
“He’s in refrigeration at the vet clinic. Robert is the vet there, and he’s delivering wolf-shifter pups right now,” Maisie said.
“I can take you to see your brother,” William said. “Maisie already identified him, but everyone wanted to get ahold of you so you could see him. Robert has done the autopsy, so you can talk to him about releasing your brother’s body so you can take care of his remains, if the doc can spare a moment.”
Anne said, “If you want to return to the inn with William and me afterward, we’ll show you the video and see about the room, Ike. I need to check the reservations first though.”
“Yeah, I would like that,” Ike said. “I’m sorry for not talking to either of you ladies further when I first saw you. I just really didn’t believe anything bad had happened to my brother.”
“That’s no problem. I just hope we get this resolved soon,” Maisie said. “If we learn anything more or you do, we’ll need to share the information so we can catch this guy.”
“Certainly.”
William escorted Ike to the clinic, while Anne waited for their return so they could go to the inn. Maisie saw their parents visiting with some wolves, and she hurried over to see them. She gave them each a hug. “I’ve got to return to the delivery room in case I’m needed. It shouldn’t be too much longer.” She hoped. “I feel guilty for not being here for you though.”
“Don’t be. We’re having a great time, and we are so proud of you,” her mother said.
“Robert and the moms are doing all the work, truly.”
“We’re still proud of you,” her dad said. “Believe me, everyone has been truly welcoming, so don’t worry about us.”
Maisie smiled. “Okay, good. I hope to be out in a little while.” She hurried back to the clinic and saw Ike and William leaving. Ike’s eyes were filled with tears. She felt bad for him, knowing how much the loss of his twin had to hurt. Then she entered the delivery room to see where the ladies were at in their stages of delivery. Colleen was panting hard, and she appeared to be having her second pup.
Heather was eating ice chips, then resting.
“You’re almost there, Colleen, keep going,” Robert said while Grant continued to pet her.
Then they saw the second pup’s head breach, and Robert waited for her to finish delivering the pup. Once she cleaned him up, Robert took care of the umbilical cord and cleaned the pup further. He set him with his sibling, and the second little male began to nurse.
Edeen rubbed her own back, and Robert said, “Why don’t you rejoin the others and just enjoy the party? Maisie will help me if I need assistance. You need to rest.”
“Alright.” Then Edeen left the room.
Maisie hoped if she was really needed, she wouldn’t mess up anything. But the next thing she knew, Heather was delivering her second pup.
“Where do we go from here, Doc?” Grant asked.
“Colleen and Heather can stay here for the night and I’ll watch over them, or they can go home with the two of you and you just let me know if their conditions change at all. Make sure they don’t have any fevers, the pups are eating well, staying warm, and moms are feeling fine, then that’s good. The ladies can shift anytime they want, but they should do so when someone’s with them to be able to help them with the second baby,” Robert said. “Colleen and Heather can eat now too.”
Colleen was sleeping right now, and Grant said, “I’ll take her home after Heather is ready to go home. We’ll be going to the castle, all of us, so if you need to check on them, that’s where we’ll be. Besides, we have a ton of wolves in the pack who will be helping to take care of them and the babies. We don’t want Heather and Enrick to be at their home alone right now.”
“That sounds like a winning plan,” Robert said.
They stayed with the new mothers in the delivery room until they were ready to leave with their mates. Welcoming the newest members of their pack was important to the wolves, though the moms and dads would have all the bonding time in the world with them too.
Then Heather finally rose to her feet, her pups sleeping. Colleen’s pups were sleeping also, and she stood up. Everyone knew they were ready to go.
Edeen suddenly returned with Heather’s bag. “In case you wanted to shift and dress.” As soon as the mothers shifted from wolves to humans, their pups would shift into babies too.
Heather shifted and opened her bag. She pulled out a change of clothes and started to get dressed. “Thanks. I’m starving.” They even had clothes and diapers for the babies in their bags, and Maisie and Enrick each started dressing the babies.
“Do you want to shift also, Colleen?” Grant put his hand on the zipper of her bag.
She quickly woofed and nodded, and he opened her bag and began to get her clothes out for her and then the babies’ diapers and onesies.
When the kids were older, they would have control over the shift themselves, but when they were young, the mother would, which was best for both of them. Otherwise, a pup could shift into a baby on a wolf run, or a baby could turn into his wolf while at a store, and what a disaster that would be.
Colleen shifted, and Edeen began dressing one of the babies, and Grant put a diaper on one of his twins. “You’re doing great.” Colleen started to dress, watching him.
“Aye, well, you made me practice enough.”
Everyone laughed.
“How do you both feel?” Maisie was amused that Colleen had made Grant practice changing a baby’s diaper. There were no other babies in the pack right now that she knew of, so she figured he had to have practiced on a baby doll and not a wriggling baby.
“Tired. I want to sleep for weeks,” Colleen said. “But I’m starving too.”
Heather agreed with her and held her firstborn in her arms for the first time, while Enrick was holding their other baby; both of the babies were happily sleeping. “Now my brothers can work at the pie shop to their hearts’ content without annoying me about leaving to deliver the babies.”
“I’m just so glad to have these babies.” Colleen was fully dressed now, cuddling with one of her newborns wrapped in a green baby blanket decorated in wolf pups playing. Grant was holding the other, looking like he was getting used to it, his tiny tot wrapped in a blue baby blanket featuring wolf pups sleeping.
“Are you ready? I would suggest you use wheelchairs until you feel more steady on your feet,” Robert said.
“Yeah,” Enrick said, “let’s use them.”
Maisie was glad Robert had thought ahead and purchased two of them.
The ladies didn’t object, and Maisie and Robert brought them out and then helped the women sit. They pushed Heather and Colleen through the clinic and outside along the walkway to the house. As soon as they went inside Robert’s house, everyone came around to greet them, but they were wolf quiet, no one wanting to disturb the babies.
Everyone was thrilled. Maisie’s parents were just as excited as the rest of the pack to see the new babies.
Lachlan gave Edeen a hug. “Our turn next.”
She smiled. “Yeah. It was wild to see two of our she-wolves give birth at the same time.”
“That’s for sure,” Lachlan said, giving her a kiss.
Robert wrapped his arm around Maisie’s shoulders and leaned down and kissed her too. “Well done,” he said to Maisie.
She laughed. “I was going to say that about you.”
“Yeah, but I’m used to delivering pups and babies. This is new for you.”
“I’m getting more used to it,” Maisie said. “I loved seeing the wolf pups come. When the ladies are settled, I’ll photograph them all. I’m going to take pictures of the open house for now.”
She took pictures of everyone at the party, groups of wolves eating and drinking, some of them posing for the camera. Colleen and Heather ate their fill before Colleen’s and Heather’s babies woke. Grant and Enrick enjoyed the food too. They were smiling from ear to ear, looking like proud fathers. The mothers looked tired but happy.
Robert brought a plate of food over to Maisie because she hadn’t taken the time to grab a bite to eat. Then the two of them enjoyed talking to everyone as a newly mated couple. The open house had turned into theirs and not just Robert’s. Maisie was amazed at how things had turned out between them.
When Colleen told Grant she was ready to go home, Heather agreed with her and was ready to take it easy, and Grant and Enrick took the new mothers and their babies home to the castle.
“Are you going now too?” Robert asked Maisie.
“Yeah, to photograph everyone. But I’ll be back.”
He smiled. “Yeah, of course. We’re mated now.”
“I’m so glad.” Then they kissed. He loaded her camera equipment in the car. “I’ll see you in a little bit,” she said.
“I’ll keep your parents company,” Robert said. “Since I was so busy with delivering the wolf pups, I feel like I neglected them.”
“It couldn’t be helped, and they know it. They’ll be as proud of you as I am.” She kissed him again, and then she drove off to the castle.
***
Robert went back to the house and saw Janet and Frederick visiting with Lachlan and Edeen and several other wolves. They were having a great time, and he overheard them saying they were moving to the area as soon as they found a place to buy and sold their home. He was glad they were letting everyone know they wanted to be part of the wolf community, and he knew the sisters would love seeing them more frequently. Their parents would be invited to all the pack functions.
Frederick and Janet saw Robert, and they hurried to speak with him. “We are proud to call you our son,” Janet said.
“Exactly, and when Maisie needs a doctor for any occasion, we know you’ll be there for her,” Frederick said.
“Anne too, when she finds a mate,” Janet said.
“I sure will be.” Robert smiled. He was glad her parents seemed to really like him as well as Anne and Maisie did. And he couldn’t wait for Maisie to come home to him. Once everyone left, he would be ready to take her to bed. Unless she wanted to run as a wolf first. He enjoyed everyone’s company, but he was ready to be alone with his mate.
He wanted to get ready for Maisie’s return before she got there and make it really special, but he felt many of the wolves didn’t want to leave him alone until she came home. He didn’t want to be rude, but he was ready to spend the rest of the night alone with his mate.
As if Anne finally realized how he was feeling, she gave him a hug. “We’ll see you later. It was a really lovely open house, and congratulations on the beautiful deliveries.”
“Yes, thanks for everything,” Janet said, giving Robert a hug too. “We’re going to be spending the rest of the week looking for a home. We’ll get together with you both whenever we all can.”
Frederick likewise gave him a hug and a slap on the back. “Great job on everything. We’re really looking forward to being here permanently and dropping by to enjoy time with you and Maisie and Anne.”
“Me too,” Robert said.
Thankfully, once Anne and her parents left, others began to leave—all except Veronica, Iverson, Lachlan, Edeen, and a few others who helped clean up after the party. Chef was packing up his kitchen tools and grills, and some were helping him with that.
Once everyone but Lachlan and Edeen had left, Edeen said, “I know you so well, Robert, and because of that, I’m sure you want to get ready for Maisie to come home and need the time alone with her. The open house was fantastic. Everyone had such a great time. I’m glad you got to visit with everyone and enjoy the feast too.” Edeen laughed. “The pup deliveries delighted everyone, and for both Colleen and Heather to deliver practically at the same time, that was unbelievable and wonderful. It couldn’t have been more perfect.”
“I know, right? If they hadn’t, I know it wouldn’t have been long for the other one to deliver,” Robert said.
“Not with the full moon here,” Lachlan said.
“Yeah, I hadn’t taken that into account.” Robert laughed.
“None of us had,” Edeen said.
Lachlan said, “Well, this will go down in the history of the pack.”
“You couldn’t have kept me away for anything. Not when you and Edeen are expecting too,” Robert said.
“I looked on the calendar, and my due date isn’t near the full moon,” Edeen said.
Robert laughed. “That’s a good thing.”
“Do you want us to stay or let you relax before Maisie gets home?” Edeen asked.
“Why don’t you go home and take it easy? I know you need to rest. I have some plans for the roses you decorated the house with,” Robert said.
“You are a romantic at heart,” Edeen said. “I never would have guessed it. I’m so glad I set the roses up for you for the open house.”
“I’m going to have to learn a trick or two of yours,” Lachlan said.
Edeen laughed. “You are also so romantic.”
Robert smiled. Then he hugged Edeen and Lachlan, and they returned to the manor house.
He took the red roses from one of the vases of flowers his sister had brought for the open house, then began pulling off the rose petals and scattering them on the bed. After that, he took more rose petals and scattered them from the garage door through the house to the bedroom.
He was going to make Maisie a Whisky Mac made of Scotch whisky and ginger wine, her favorite, according to her sister, as soon as he heard her car drive up. Hmm, or he could draw a warm bath and toss some rose petals on top of it, with a chilled bottle of champagne sitting next to the tub. She hadn’t had time to drink anything but water before she went to take photos. He hadn’t had any alcohol himself yet because he wanted to have a drink with her.
He put the chilled bottle of champagne on the tile surrounding the tub and started the bathwater, hoping it would still be hot by the time Maisie came home, though he would start it over if he had to.
He snapped his fingers. “Candles.” He got some of the cinnamon-scented candles that Edeen had placed throughout the home and set them around the tub as he heard Maisie’s car pull into the garage.
He quickly lit the candles and then scattered rose petals on top of the water. Then he ran to get a couple of the remaining vases of flowers and set them around the tub also.
“Hello!” Maisie called out. “Did I mate a romantic wolf or what?”
He came out of the bedroom to meet up with her in the hallway and hugged and kissed her, smiling. He was so thrilled to see her and so glad they were finally alone. “You deserve the best.”
“I am so lucky.”
“So am I. I have the bathwater going, but if you want to take a wolf run first instead, or…” He was totally up for doing anything she wanted to do—whatever her heart desired to make this open house finale the best.
“The bath sounds superb as long as you’re in it with me, sharing the hot water, the jets, the bubbles from the jets.” She grabbed his hand and headed for the bathroom.
“That’s exactly what I hoped you would say.” In the bathroom, they began stripping their clothes off in a hurry.
“Good. I suspect that’s exactly what you had planned. Wow, scented candles and chilled champagne, just…wow.”
“Naturally.”