Page 5 of Wolfish
In the middle of all the chaos, Deputy Sheriff Daniel Hoffman walked in. “I heard you were making a lot of noise over here.”
“Is that against the city ordinances?” She really thought the neighboring stores had complained about the noise Frank was making, and already she was in trouble.
“I dropped by to check and see if you need my help with anything.”
Her whole expression brightened. “Are you off for the rest of the day?” Selena asked, surprised.
“I’ve been given the job to make sure you have everything you need.”
“Good. You can help me set up these shelves,” Frank said.
Daniel smiled at Selena and removed his shirt, showing off some hot muscles. “I don’t want to get my uniform dirty.”
Right. She asked about clothes carousels, in case Frank could make them, which he said he would.
“I can have them done tomorrow.”
“Oh, that would be great.”
A mirror arrived to be placed behind the counter, but he would have to add the frame. The shelves were installed, and he began staining them.
By the time the men finished staining the shelves, Frank had stains all over his painter’s bib overalls, while Daniel had stains on his arms and chest, as if he had gotten a filtered suntan.
“See what I mean? I don’t have any stains on my uniform.”
Now she understood what he was getting at, and he hadn’t removed his shirt to just show off his beautiful abs.
“Turpentine’s in that box,” Frank said. “I’ll be back tomorrow to frame and install the mirror, set up the clothes racks, and build the changing rooms.” Then he left.
Poor Daniel was muddling through it while trying to wipe off all the stains.
She said, “Here, let me do it.” At this rate, she would never get out of the shop tonight if she didn’t assist him.
“Thanks.”
“If you miss a spot, it’ll get on your uniform,” she explained, then felt foolish for having mentioned it.
“Of course, I appreciate it.”
Once he washed up in the restroom, she thanked him for helping out. “I would call that going above and beyond the call of duty.”
“I’m glad to assist. How about dinner? At the Silver Town Tavern?” He came out of the restroom, drying himself.
He was so hot. “And drinks?” She could use a drink.
“Yep. I’ll go home and change, and then I’ll pick you up at the Silver Town Hotel in an hour.”
“Okay, sounds good. And then we could maybe go to one of the cemeteries afterward.”
Just the smile he gave her made her believe he hadn’t thought they would end the date with a visit to a cemetery. She hoped he didn’t mind.
2
Daniel never thought his boss would be into matchmaking. But as soon as Sheriff Peter Jorgenson learned Selena was applying to have a shop in town and that she was a single gray wolf who needed a background check, Peter made sure Daniel had the first chance to meet her.
That meant giving him a few days off once Daniel said the wolf was intriguing so he could help her set up her store. The rest of her idea—him taking her to cemeteries at night, not something he would typically think of for a date night, but at least she was receptive to dinner. He had every intention of taking her to lunch tomorrow also, if she was agreeable.
When a new she-wolf was in town, many bachelor males would be interested, and he had to show he was totally intrigued by her right off the bat. A pretty brunette with amber eyes? A forensic anthropologist who worked with law enforcement piqued his interest. He could imagine all the tales she could tell.
