Page 65 of Wolf's Chance

Squinting at him, I couldn’t read his expression, but he looked…slighted? “Are youinsultedthat I’m questioning it?”

He huffed and broke eye contact. “Are you going first or second?”

It took me a moment to understand what he was asking, and then he decided for me by simply stooping and picking me up bridal style. “Caleb! Put me down!”

He ignored my hissed whisper and went down the stairs quickly, barely jostling me. At the foot of the stairs, he put me back on my feet and immediately stepped back. “You good?”

“Ah, there you are!”

Peering past Caleb, I saw an older woman wearing dark gray slacks and a deep-pink lightweight cardigan over a light gray T-shirt. Her trimmed, tidy, shoulder-length hair was clean, with not a strand out of place. She had a round open face, and she looked like a nice lady.

“Shelby.” Caleb half-turned. “Meet my wife, Willow.”

I was still trying to digest thewifeword when Shelby stepped around Caleb, holding out her hand. “So nice to finally meet you properly,” she told me warmly. “You’ve had this one here so worried about you.”

Caleb cleared his throat, giving me a pointed look, and I realized that Shelby was still holding her hand out to me. Quickly grabbing it, I shook it. “Hi, nice to meet you.”

“Now, I was almost finished serving,” Shelby told us as she walked away, and myhusbandsnagged my elbow so we’d follow. “But when Caleb said you might be up to coming downstairs today for a bite to eat, I agreed to serve past my usual nine-thirty.” Looking over her shoulder at us, she gave us an apologetic look. “Of course, it’s not what I usually prepare. Some things had already run out, so it is a poor representation of my usual breakfast, Willow.”

“It’ll be enough,” Caleb reassured her, and I gawked at the pleasant, mild-mannered male in front of me. He saw my look and not so subtly squeezed my elbow. “Willow never has a big appetite at the best of times,” he added.

Shelby led us into a bright sunroom, and I tried to hide my wince at the sunlight.

“Well, today, let’s see you eat more than toast, dear,” she told me with a beatific smile. “I’ll be back with yourtea.” Gently patting Caleb’s shoulder, she gave it a slight squeeze. “And more coffee for you, I know.”

She left us alone and I leaned across the table to glare at Caleb. “What is this? I feel like I’ve woken up in the twilight zone!”

He huffed, buttering a slice of toast that was already on the table. Caleb took a hearty bite, even while he frowned at me. “I’m being nice so my sick wife can enjoy a cooked breakfast. You need to eat, and eat lots.”

“Why aren’t we where your friend is?”

“I changed my mind.”

When it was quite clear he wasn’t going to elaborate, I tried a different tactic. “So why aren’t we home?”

“Because you became ill, and I took a detour.” He finished his toast and buttered another slice. Placing it on my plate, he gestured to it with his knife. “Eat.”

I recognized that look, so I didn’t even try to argue. Picking up the slice, I took a bite and chewed as I tried to remember what I last remembered. “Oh my God, thewolf!”

“What about it?” Caleb looked over his shoulder as he spoke. “Your food shouldn’t be too long.”

Reaching over, I grabbed his hand, bringing his attention back to me. “Thewolf, Caleb! Why aren’t we talking about the big freaking wolf?”

Sitting back in his chair, he watched me. “What do you want me to say?”

“I want to know what kind of crazy person stares down a wolf,” I hissed at him.

“I told you, it’s not crazy, I read about it.”

We were interrupted by Shelby, and Caleb was on his feet,taking the tray off of her. “Oh thank you!” She beamed at him. “Such a catch you have there,” she told me.

Yeah, the stoic, grumpy, laugh-in-the-face-of-danger guy wassucha catch. “Mm-hmm.”

Picking a plate off the tray, she laid down an overflowing plate of food. “Now I hope I got it all right. He was quite adamant on how you liked your eggs.” Shelby looked at me worriedly. “Are these okay?”

Two over-easy eggs wobbled on the plate. I almost protested when I saw Caleb’s face. “Yeah, really good.” Between the bacon, sausage, two pancakes, and slice of French toast, I wasn’t sure where to start. “I’ll never eat all of this,” I told her with dismay.

Shelby was placing a basket of breakfast pastries between us. “Manage what you can. You need your strength.”

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