Silver Mine (2 page)

It might be evil, but it was just. “That’s for shredding my Gramma’s quilt.”

Chase strolled into the sunshine to take one last look around. Through the cabin windows, Delton was visible wandering back and forth as he cleaned. Jones rocked slowly in the breeze, light glinting off the silver tape. The trees and the clouds and everything seemed so damn peaceful.

Nothing was exactly as it appeared, now was it? Chase mused.

He shifted, body changing into his wild side. Always took a moment to fine-tune his thinking—waiting for the animal to fully form. He stretched, the big paws before him indenting the ground with the weight of his cougar. So, it was the cat’s turn to hunt. He wiggled to adjust the sachet against his chest, then padded his way to the trailhead.

He ran.

“No.”

“Yes.”

“No.” Shelley Bradley pulled the stethoscope from her sister’s fingers, tugging to get her to release it. “I’m busy.”

Caroline gave her an evil grin. “I’m busy, busy, dreadfully busy—”

Oh God,
no
. Shelley slapped a hand over Caroline’s mouth. “If you start singing
VeggieTales
, I will be forced to make you watch repeats of
The Muppet Show
.”

Caroline’s nose wrinkled, her lower face still covered by Shelley’s hand.

“Can I let you go? Will you promise to be a good girl and sit quietly while I finish?” Shelley knew her tone of voice would get a reaction if nothing else did. Sure enough, Caroline rolled her eyes back in her head until only the whites showed.

Shelley released her, and they both fell apart with an attack of giggles, Shelley to finish unpacking the box that rested on the shiny metal examining table, her sister to lean against the doorframe that led to the waiting-room area.

“The parts of the clinic you’ve got completed look great.” Caroline gestured around, including Shelley in the sweep. “You look great.
Gack
, you and your damn wolf genes. Put on a few pounds once in a while.”

The only thing her wolf genes seemed to be good for. “It’s not my fault. I don’t even exercise.”

Caroline mock glared. “Yeah, well, don’t brag.”

Shelley smothered her grin. This was the reason she’d come back. Getting her veterinarian training in the south, and the six-month mentorship in Calgary that followed for shifter specialization had been an exciting mental challenge. She’d missed the emotional ties of family though and, as always, the love and acceptance her sister gave was absolute and mind-bogglingly sweet. It felt so good to be back in the same room as her. Same town. But not the same situation as years ago.

Time to head down a new path. Shelley took a deep breath, and crossed all her fingers and toes that returning to Whitehorse would work.

Her sister wandered away a few steps, picking items off the shelf and checking them over. “You heard from Kent lately?”

Another rock-solid family member, although a little harder to track down than Caroline. Their younger brother was constantly on the go. “Other than the weekly email update from last Saturday, no.”

“He’s too busy seducing half of Ottawa to spend much time online.”

Shelley shook her head. “No wonder Mom and Dad followed him out there. They’re attempting to keep an eye on a moving target. That boy got all the party genes that missed me.”

“Don’t sell yourself short,” Caroline scolded. “You’re a ton of fun.”

Her instant and involuntary snort of disbelief was so intense it hurt. Shelley gave her sister
the look
.

“Really,” Caroline insisted. “I mean it. In fact, I want you to come out tonight with me. Please?”

Drat. She’d been dreading this topic coming up, and Caroline had gone there way faster than expected. Why was it so hard for her sister to understand? “Honey, I might have moved back to Whitehorse. That doesn’t mean I’m going to dive into pack activities.”

“It’s not a pack event—it’s the whole city. Music, games…come on. You’re going to miss Canada Day celebrations just to avoid seeing pack?”

Damn right. She’d do more than miss a party to avoid some of the cold-blooded jerks who’d made her life miserable when she was young. “I’m here because Whitehorse needs a new vet who can confidentially deal with shifters. I love the Territory, and I want to be close to you. The pack as an official entity can go stuff itself as far as I’m concerned. So, yes, avoidance is a fine option.”

The concern on Caroline’s face deepened. “You know you can’t hide from them forever.”

“I don’t intend to.” Shelley closed the door on the supply cupboard and took apart the shipping box for recycling. “I’m going to be acting as a kind of doctor to them, for heaven’s sake. How is that avoidance? Plus, I already contacted the Takhini Alpha and—”

“When?” Caroline snapped upright. “I’m his secretary. How the heck did you get to him without me knowing?”

Interesting reaction. Shelley stopped her unpacking to observe her sister more carefully. Caroline’s near-panicked response seemed out of place. “There’s something you’re not telling me.”

Caroline blinked. “No. I’m just surprised. Usually I have his entire agenda memorized. And he didn’t say anything about you calling.”

Because she hadn’t called. She’d gotten a human kid to drop off a note. That alone should have gotten his curiosity up enough to agree to wait. “It’s fine. He knows there’s a new wolf in town, and that I’ll get together with him at some convenient time.”

Like…
never
, but that was beside the point.

Caroline pushed the party invitation again, but Shelley ignored her, methodically placing supplies on the shelves. Her older sister had never seemed to learn the word
no
. While her determined assaults could be frustrating at times, like now when Shelley was on the wrong end of one, her
never give up
spirit was also inspiring. Fully human, Caroline managed to hold her own amidst the wolf pack of Whitehorse in a way that Shelley admired.

Wished that she could imitate, to be frank. And planned to imitate.

The rest of the family had left the north looking for more accepting packs. Shelley had left for the longest time as well, but Whitehorse was where she wanted to live.

This time it was going to be on her terms. That was the bottom line. Pack or no pack, this was going to be home.

Caroline sighed, stopped her rambling and slipped into the main area. “Fine. I’ll change the topic since you’re being all Sphinx-like. You hired someone for the front desk?”

Shelley joined her, admiring the tall glass windows that let in the July sunshine. “Not yet. I’m still waiting for a few permits to finish clearing. I’m not going to be able to officially open until mid-August, so there’s no rush. There’s a bit more work to be done in here, like the flooring, and I haven’t completed the surgery area in the back. I also want more shelving, and to finish the boarding and exercise yard. That kind of thing.”

“I can get someone—”

“No.” Seemed as if she was saying that word a lot, but it was necessary. “Caro, I’m doing great. I know you want to help, but I don’t need a big sister fixing things for me and making things easier. There’s tons of time to get the shop ready, and I want to do the work myself. What I want for us is to spend time together. To enjoy life.”

The glint in Caroline’s eyes warned Shelley she’d made a mistake. “Awesome. Then you’re going to come over for supper before the celebration? We can enjoy each other’s company a little before dealing with the crowds. There’s no fireworks, not with how light it is in the evening, but the music they have planned should be great.”

Shoot. Walked into that one. “Oh, Caroline…”

Her sister batted her lashes. “I’ll make your favourites.”

The dinner invite was tempting, and there were positive points to meeting the pack in a public setting, but tonight was too soon. Caroline would be surrounded by wolves, and Shelley wasn’t ready for that yet. “No supper, but…” she raised a hand to stop Caroline’s protests, “…fine, I will come to the Canada Day party. If you’re willing to sit off to the side and avoid pack.”

Caroline’s instant smile lit her eyes. “We can totally do that. They’re all hanging at the Rotary Peace Park. We can sit beside the SS Klondike paddlewheeler and listen to the band from there. The reflections off the Yukon River will be pretty. Deal?”

It was a start. A start to finding her place in the north, which in itself was huge, since she’d never fit in before. “Deal.”

A soft brush against her ankles was followed by a loud insistent purr as Enigma demanded to be picked up. She hoisted the tiny black creature and settled him in her arms for a cuddle.

Caroline gasped, the sound breaking apart into laughter. “Oh my God, Shelley, you have a cat?”

She nodded as Enigma opened his mouth and meowed. “He’s a rescue. Loves to be scratched right—”

“You’ve
got
to be kidding. A cat. Shell—owning a pet is strange enough, but a cat?”

“You got some weird biases for a human who grew up in a shifter home.” Shelley buried her face in Enigma’s soft fur and breathed deeply. “He’s been nothing but giving to me. Far more than your typical feline. We get along fine.”

Caroline rearranged her face into a semiserious mode with some effort. “Love me, love my cat? Fine, Shelley, he is rather gorgeous.”

She brushed a hand down Enigma’s back, and the feline rewarded her with a rumbling purr.

Shelley smiled as she passed the small ball of fur over to her sister.

It was a start.

Chapter Two

Chase leapt from the high cab of the trucker’s rig and waved his thanks as the man geared up and headed away along the Alaskan highway. The trip into Whitehorse had never taken such a short time before.

He hoisted his backpack and started down the long, steep road that led into town. The fresh air made his nose twitch after being confined for the past four hours, the trucker’s heavy foot on the gas moving them southbound on the Klondike Highway at more than legal speeds.

Still, Chase couldn’t complain too hard. He’d grabbed all the needed information and paperwork from the men double-quick this time around. Arriving in Whitehorse on July first meant he could possibly be out of town by the fourth, if all went well. He adjusted his pack to stop the strap’s weight from hitting the raw parts of the claw wound on his shoulder.

One of the downsides of being a Good Samaritan. The loners he cared for were prone to be wilder than your average shifter. The puma he’d accidentally cornered had slashed first, asked questions later. After the fact, the man had been very apologetic, but that hadn’t removed the four long gouges Chase carried over his scapula. Worse, the damn wound didn’t seem to get any better, no matter how many times he shifted.

The scent of coffee drew him forward like a siren’s call. He stopped in the doorway of a small café, checking the occupants with his nose and eyes before fully committing to entering.

There was a reason he didn’t live in town on a regular basis.

Two wolves looked up at him from where they sat in the corner. They narrowed their eyes but stayed put, staring intently as if judging him. Chase nodded politely, and that seemed enough to put them at ease.

He took the chance and strode forward.

The blinding smile he received from the pretty girl behind the counter was as enjoyable as the lingering deep roast of the coffee beans in the air.

“What can I get you?” She was checking him out.
Hot damn.
Chase pushed down the urges that had no right to be rising in a public place, even if it had been a long time since he’d been with a lady.

Another good reason to come to town. Maybe he should try for more than once a year.

“Coffee.” He dug in his pocket as he checked the baked goods on the counter, secretly checking out the goods behind the counter at the same time. Oh yeah, there was one bonus to being in the big city that he fully intended to take advantage of. “Couple brownies, three of them gingersnaps and a piece of the apple pie.”

She laughed softly. “You’ve got a sweet tooth.”

Chase leaned his hip against the counter and admired the soft swell of her breasts peeking from the low scoop of her top. “Some things are sweeter than others.”

Another giggle escaped, and he grinned as she turned to get his order together. Maybe the extra days in town wouldn’t be a hardship after all.

There was a tap on his shoulder, and Chase stiffened, cursing inside that he’d lost focus and ignored that he was in unsafe territory.

Women were distracting creatures.

He twisted slowly to see one of the wolves standing nearby. The man slouched lazily, his body language screaming friend, not enemy.

“Hey. Come and join us once you’ve got your things.” The dark-haired man leaned past him and whistled softly at the server. “Carly, put his order on my tab.”

She slipped apple pie onto a plate and nodded. “Sure, Shaun. You and Evan want anything else?”

“Well, if you’re offering…” He winked, and she shook her head at him, a smirk on her face.

“Your fiancée is going to tear your ears off if she hears about you flirting.”