A SEAL Wolf Christmas

Chapter 7

While Tessa helped Anna pick out clothes at one of the department stores, Hunter went with Bjornolf while he found what he needed.

Grabbing up briefs, three pair of jeans, some shirts, and sweaters, Bjornolf listened to Hunter telling him some of the details he needed to know about the cottage and other important information. But what Bjornolf really wanted to hear was why Anna was so against Christmas. As soon as he had started talking to Anna on the plane about it, Hunter had given him the universal kill order, slicing his hand across his throat.

“About Anna and Christmas…” Bjornolf needed to know because it could be important to the mission. Not only that, but he wanted to help her get through it in the worst way. If he knew what her basis was for not liking the holiday, he’d be better able to cope with her feelings.

Hunter shook his head.

“You know, though.”

“I know. I learned about her during the thorough investigation I do on anyone I want to recruit to work with us.”

Bjornolf seized several pair of socks. “Does Tessa know?”

“No,” Hunter said a little more vehemently than Bjornolf thought necessary. The message was clear: leave Tessa out of this.

“The rest of the team?”

Hunter folded his arms and said nothing.

“What if it impacts the mission? I should know the details.”

“It happened long ago. It’s never affected anything she’s done with the team.”

“With others, then? Has she ever worked an operation like this? During Christmas?”

“Drop it, Bjornolf. If she wants to tell you about it, she will. Otherwise, it’s a closed topic.”

It wasn’t closed for him.

Hunter paid for Bjornolf’s purchases, then they went to locate the ladies. He saw Tessa looking red-faced, as if she were on the verge of shifting so she could take care of a customer she was fighting with over a sweater.

“Does Tessa have issues with Christmas, too?” Bjornolf asked, smiling.

Anna wished she’d brought her own clothes with her. Anything to avoid the worst shopping experience ever.

The only thing that made it better was that poor Tessa, who had to be horribly uncomfortable with twins due soon, was such an angel in helping Anna to choose the right clothes. Anna couldn’t remember a time when she had ever shopped with another woman. She had certainly never been with one who was excited about helping her look her best.

Bjornolf had been carrying his own purchases, but he stepped in to carry several of Anna’s bags. Hunter ended up having to carry a few of Anna’s also. It was Tessa’s fault, really.

Anna wouldn’t have bought more than a couple of things, and she didn’t mind washing them out for the next day. But Hunter didn’t seem to mind the expense. In fact, he almost seemed in high spirits over the whole business.

Which made her suspicious.

When they arrived in the pack’s territory, they picked up a rental Land Rover. Anna insisted on getting a second vehicle, though she fully intended to pay for it herself, but Hunter shook his head and used his credit card on the second car, too.

“Nathan’s working at the farm until closing tonight,” Hunter said.

“Okay, we’ll leave our stuff at our new home. After we get settled in, we’ll drop by the farm and pick out a Christmas tree,” Bjornolf said.

“We don’t have to get a tree.” Anna grabbed the keys for her rental car and headed to the vehicle. No wonder Hunter had been so secretive about what she was to do on this mission.

“If you two need anything at all, just call me or Tessa,” Hunter said, smiling just a little.

“Will do.” Bjornolf followed after her. “We can use the Christmas tree for our cover. We’re not going to be the only couple without a tree for the open-house tour of homes scheduled in a couple of days.”

“Open house? When did this happen?”

“While you and Tessa were shopping, and I was picking out a few things, Hunter filled me in on some of the details.”

“Fine,” Anna said, but her tone of voice said other-wise. “You pick out a tree, and I’ll search the farm for the odor of dead bodies and any other clues.” She glanced back at Bjornolf as she reached her car. “What do you know about it, anyway?”

“The men hadn’t been dead for long. Only a wolf could have smelled how long it had been.”

“What about the owners of the tree farm? Are they wolf?”

“Human—husband, wife, teenaged daughter.”

Anna rested her hand on the car door handle. “Teen… girl? Human? And Nathan is working there because?”

“He needed a job to occupy his thoughts after his parents died, to keep him from running away. He loves the forest, so the tree farm is the next best thing for now. He cuts the trees for customers, loads them up, and delivers them when they need him to. We’ll pick one out. He’ll bring it home tonight. It’s part of our cover.”

After getting directions to the beach home, Anna drove the fifteen miles up the road, then pulled into the driveway. Bjornolf parked beside her. Like the other cottages Hunter and Tessa owned, this one was nestled among pine trees, a long way from the next cottage, and sat overlooking a rocky beach below. The setting was perfect for a wolf. Plenty of woods to run in, the Pacific Ocean to swim in, and a private beach.

A wraparound porch furnished with a porch swing and four rocking chairs made the place appear homey. The house was a pretty pale blue with the shutters and trim all painted white, making it appear like a recreational retreat for a family reunion.

Right now, the cottage was dark, just like she liked it. No Christmas lights. No warm fire glowing in the fireplace. Perfect for someone undercover and not wanting to pretend to be newly married or to celebrate the holidays in any fashion. A single someone not raising a teen boy.

The wind whipped through the evergreen-needled tree branches with a whooshing noise, and the waves crashed along the rocky beach below the cliffs as sea birds squawked out at sea, the fragrance of salt, fish, and pine filling the air.

Even though the assignment wasn’t what she wanted, she couldn’t help but take another deep breath of the chilly air that was all woods, water, and wilderness—a wolf’s ideal home.

She grabbed some of her bags while Bjornolf hauled his and the rest of hers up the stone path to the front door. She spied mistletoe hanging atop the door frame—probably Nathan’s idea of a cute joke.

Bjornolf opened the door and walked in, turning to see what she was looking at. He glanced up at the mistletoe. “Since Nathan works at the Christmas tree farm, he probably got a sprig of it and placed it there in case a girl came over to the house to see him.”

“No way am I dealing with teen hormones gone amok,” Anna said, pushing the door shut with her hip.

Bjornolf was studying her, but she couldn’t read what he was thinking. He shrugged. “It’s tradition.” He didn’t say anything further but motioned for her to take her bags down the hallway. “Two bedrooms. Bunk beds in one. A king-sized bed in the master bedroom.”

“How do you know that?”

“Last mission when I was here, Meara put me up in this cottage. While you were trying on some clothes, Hunter told me your guns are in the right-hand dresser drawer. Mine are in the left. Nathan will stay here, and you and I will share the big bed.”

“You thought wrong.” She attempted to smile sweetly at him, but it was more of a wolf-got-the-prize kind of look.

His expression was a lot more wolfish—like he had every intention of changing her mind.

She glanced at the large terra-cotta and stone fireplace filling one wall, its warm golden-oak mantel begging for some kind of decoration. An ivory sofa, pale-blue-and-green plaid chairs, and an oak coffee table the same color as the mantel took center stage in front of a large-screen TV. Now why would anyone want to watch television when they had so much outdoor beauty to enjoy?

Floor-to-ceiling windows showcased the pine trees framing the ocean. She stared at it for a moment, lost in its beauty. Then she realized that Bjornolf was probably observing her, and she had a job to do. She wasn’t here for fun or relaxation.

She hurried down the hallway and entered the master bedroom. The huge, king-sized bed was covered with a pale blue quilted coverlet. A white armoire and dresser, a hand-hooked blue-and-white floral rug, and paintings of blue and white flowers on the walls finished the decor. She looked at the bed again and figured she’d get lost in it, then left her bags next to the closet. She turned. He was looming in the doorway, watching her.

“You and the other male wolf can share a room and bathroom,” she said matter-of-factly, as if she was in charge, ensuring he understood she was serious about this. She felt that Hunter and Bjornolf had decided all of this for her. So it was time for the she-wolf to show she had some say in the whole setup.

Looking down at her with a superior expression, he handed her the remainder of her bags and folded his arms. “How will anyone believe we are mated wolves if we sleep apart?”

Bags in hand, she motioned to the hallway. “Your side.” She waved at the bedroom. “My side. Now, if you don’t mind, I’m going to change before we go to the farm.” She paused, thinking she didn’t need to explain a prior situation to him, but just in case he’d gotten the wrong impression concerning the mission when she served as Paul’s wife, she wanted to set Bjornolf straight about the living arrangements. “For your information, when I pretended to be Paul’s wife, we slept on separate beds.”

Bjornolf grinned at her. “Good to know. That way when I see him again, I don’t have to kill him.”

Bjornolf thought that the more he saw of Anna, the less he’d be hooked on her. That he’d get tired of her, rub her the wrong way, and she would do the same to him. But it wasn’t happening. The more he saw of her, the more he wanted to see of her.

He was determined to help Nathan deal with his parents’ deaths over the holiday and look into the murders. Even though he knew that he and Anna would have plenty of trouble to deal with, he was damned glad she was here and hadn’t insisted on working alone or refused to do the mission.

He headed outside to the back patio, then climbed down the wooden steps to the beach below and called Nathan on his cell. “We’re here and it’s a go.”

“Hot damn!” Nathan said.

That’s how Bjornolf felt about Anna being here. “We’ll be by the tree farm shortly. She’s just changing clothes, but expect a reluctant aunt.”

Nathan said, “I’ll make her glad she agreed to the mission.”

Bjornolf had no idea what Nathan had in mind, but he was pleased the boy seemed in such high spirits. “We might need to work at it. Got to get back to her. See you in a bit.”

Before he left the beach to join Anna, he called a friend. “I need you to check into something for me. An Anna Johnson. I need you to dig deep and see what you can learn about any traumatic experience she might have had around Christmastime.”

“She’s a wolf?” Reid asked.

“Yeah.”

“How far back?”

“No clue.”

“You always give me the hard cases.”

“That’s because I know you’ll always come through for me.”

“Okay, I’ll look into it and see what I can find.”

“Thanks, I owe you several.” Bjornolf headed up the steps to the cottage, hoping his friend wouldn’t find something concerning Anna that would be better left buried.

Once Bjornolf and Anna were settled in the Land Rover and on their way to the tree farm, he cast another glance her way, loving the charcoal-gray pants she wore, along with sexy, heeled, dark gray boots, a white fleece jacket, and a pale gray turtleneck. She looked so soft and cuddly in the fleece that he wanted to wrap her in his arms. He reminded himself she was also packing a weapon somewhere beneath that jacket.

To get his mind off how huggable she looked, he asked, “Have you ever been to a Christmas tree farm?”

“No.” She folded her arms across her chest.

“Never?” He was unable to hide the surprise in his voice. What was it with her and Christmas?

“No.”

“Then you bought them in a parking lot?”

“No.” This time she sounded annoyed.

He sighed. “Artificial tree, then.” He was surprised. Most wolves he knew bought a real tree. It was the one time during the year when they could bring the outdoors inside.

“No. You?” she finally asked, as if she was tired of the conversation and didn’t want to speak of it any further.

He couldn’t believe she’d never had a tree. “Trees in the woods to begin with. Much later… tree farms. One year we bought one from a parking lot, but it wasn’t half as fun seeing the trees lying there, dying. That was the year before my parents… died.”

“I’m sorry about your parents,” she murmured.

“I’m sorry that yours are gone, too. That’s probably why neither of us has bothered with the holidays for some time. No family to share them with.”

She glanced at him. He gave her a small smile. He was attempting to dig for information. She gave him just as small a smile back. She wasn’t taking the bait.

“Hunter told Nathan he wanted him off the job. Immediately. Nathan insisted that he stay because it was the only way he’d consider staying with the pack. He wants to feel useful. I suspect the owner’s daughter has something to do with his wanting to work there as well,” Bjornolf said.

Anna shook her head. “She’s human. I can just imagine the mess he could get into with a human girl if he thought he was falling in love.”

“Right. Hunter didn’t mention it to you, but Nathan wanted you and me to protect him while we learned about the tree-farm deaths.”

“Why would Nathan want me to help? I understand him wanting you—but with me, he doesn’t even know me.”

“He’s heard of your exploits on the last mission here.”

“What exploits?”

Bjornolf shrugged. “I have no idea what rumors were spread in the pack about your mission when you were protecting Meara.”

“Nathan better not have heard about you tying me up in the hotel room and think he’ll get to see a repeat performance firsthand.” She closed her eyes and groaned. “That’s probably exactly what he’d heard about.”

Bjornolf chuckled. “Hell, if I have to have a mate, I want someone like you who can take anyone down.”

She fought smiling at him, but she wasn’t successful.

“You really never had a tree?” he asked, not liking that she’d missed out.

She shrugged and looked out the window. “First time for everything, I guess.” Then she considered him again. “Don’t expect me to do anything with it.”

“You mean decorate it? Nathan and I’ll set it in water and all.” He hadn’t thought a whole lot about what went on the tree. He hadn’t helped decorate one in years.

Anna didn’t say anything.

“We’ll figure out something. We don’t have any stored ornaments from last year like we would if this had been for real. We’ll have to go shopping for some.”

“Actually, you should take Tessa. If you have a fight over an ornament with another customer, Tessa will win the confrontation with a growl.”

“She nearly gave Hunter heart failure. He thought she was ready to strip and shift. I’d rather go with you. You’re a known commodity.”

She cocked a brow at that.

“As far as the shifting part goes. The rest of you I’m still trying to figure out.”

“Shopping is not my thing.”

“Now there’s a woman after my own heart.”

When they arrived at the tree farm, Bjornolf drove into the parking lot next to a building all lit up with white twinkling lights and a green and red sign that said “Everton’s Christmas Tree Farm and Gift Shop.” Five other vehicles were parked out front, making it look like business was fairly good.

Nathan shoved the gift-shop door open and hurried out to greet them. Bjornolf swore the teen had grown another inch or two since the last time he’d seen him, his hair blond and naturally curly. He wore a heavy navy wool sweater, blue jeans, and hiking boots. Bjornolf got out of the car while Anna hesitated.

Nathan was watching Anna, looking hopeful. She pushed open her car door and Nathan rushed forward. She’d barely stood before the tall, lanky kid enveloped her in a heart-warming bear hug and said, “Aunt Anna, I’m so glad you’re here.”

Bjornolf closed his gaping mouth and waited for the explosion. Instead, Anna gave Nathan a hug back and whispered, “Are we being watched?”

Nathan grinned, and that wasn’t faked at all. Neither was his exuberant hug, Bjornolf noted, and he wondered if the kid had a crush on Anna.

“Uncle Bjornolf.” Nathan shook his hand, then took hold of Anna’s hand as if he was afraid she was ready to flee. From the expression on her face, she looked like that’s what she had in mind. “Let’s go inside and we can have a cup of hot chocolate first. All the customers are treated to that. I made you both some ham sandwiches so you could eat out in the woods when you go to pick out our tree.”

Bjornolf thought Nathan was going to hand Anna over to him, but instead he walked between them, keeping a firm grip on Anna’s hand. Her cheeks actually turned a little rosy.

He smiled at Nathan, following along with the game for now. He decided the kid was sure good at playing people.

“Did you want me to cut the tree down for you? Or do you want to do it?” Nathan asked.

Anna was looking over her shoulder at the tree farm, taking a deep breath. Bjornolf was also trying to smell any odor of decay.

“Maybe you can show us where the best trees are,” she suggested.

“Oh absolutely! I hope you want a big tree. They’re the coolest.”

Anna cleared her throat.

Bjornolf figured she wanted one that was as little as possible. Something small enough that it wouldn’t take long to decorate, take up too much room, or be noticeable. “As tall as we can fit into the cottage, Nathan,” he said. “We have to make sure we can put a star on top.”

“Angel,” Anna said, contradicting him.

Bjornolf stared at her, then smiled a little. “Yeah, an angel.”

“Angel. I like that.” Nathan led them inside the shop where the smell of coffee and hot chocolate, cinnamon and spices scented the air and a fire burned in a cheery fireplace. Christmas wreaths were hung up all over the gift shop.

“You can see red deer, elk, red-tailed hawks, squirrels, and tons of birds in the trees out there,” Nathan said, pouring Anna a mug of hot chocolate.

Anna sipped the chocolate slowly, and Bjornolf indicated that he wanted a mug, too.

“If you’ll show us where the best trees are,” Bjornolf said, drinking the chocolate, then putting the empty mug down on the table, “we’ll be good to go.”

Nathan took Anna’s hand again, and she glanced at Bjornolf. He raised his brows, not sure what to do.

Nathan seemed to miss the interaction—either that or he was ignoring the looks they’d given each other—and started giving his sales pitch as they walked outside. “We’ve got noble fir, Nordmann’s fir, grand fir, Fraser fir, Scotch pine, white pine, and blue spruce trees either left wild or moderately trimmed.”

“What do you think, honey?” Bjornolf asked, drawing close to her free side and wrapping his arm around her shoulders.

Nathan grinned at Bjornolf but did not release Anna’s hand.

“It’s up to the two of you,” Anna said. “How many acres of trees do they have here?”

“Five hundred,” Nathan said.

“How did you find… what you found?” Anna asked, being careful since customers were shopping for trees somewhere in the vicinity.

“I was looking over the tree farm with Jessica—she’s the owners’ daughter. We were working way out there, and we smelled a hint of something dead.”

“Hunter told me she’s human,” Anna said.

“Yeah, but anyone can smell dead stuff when the odor is so strong. It’s just that only we can tell what died if there’s no sign of a body.”

Anna and Bjornolf kept smelling the air, but all he could get were strong whiffs of the pine and fir trees.

“So you smelled a human…” Anna said.

“Wolf,” Nathan corrected.

“And?” Anna prompted.

“I called Tessa and told her what I’d smelled—I pretended she’s my aunt.”

“So are any of the men who work for the owner wolves?”

Nathan shook his head.

“Any other scents in the area where you smelled the dead wolf?” she asked.

“No. You know how strongly the smell of dead things lingers. If anyone had moved the body, and someone had to have, their smells were washed away.”

“How far out had you gone?” Anna asked. “I feel as though we’ve already walked a mile or two.”

“Don’t listen to her,” Bjornolf said, squeezing her shoulder. “She just navigated miles of dense jungle, fought kidnappers, you name it, so this is a walk in the park for her.”

Nathan grinned at her.

“Yeah, but it’s a lot colder out here. Why were you so far away from the gift shop, Nathan?” she asked.

Nathan flushed a little and squared his shoulders. “I was just taking Jessica for a walk.”

To make out, Bjornolf suspected. The smell of a dead body had to have put a real damper on things.

“She’s human,” Anna said, as if she was playing the role of Nathan’s mother.

He nodded and Bjornolf thought he looked a little sad.

“Aren’t there any girls in the pack you’re interested in?” Bjornolf asked.

He shook his head. “Too young or too old.”

“You can’t turn her,” Anna said. Bjornolf glanced at her and saw her fierce expression.

Nathan frowned. “Hunter turned Rourke and… and Tessa even.”

“Rourke by accident,” Anna said. “Not on purpose. With Tessa, it was a different story. Neither had family, so it wasn’t an astronomical problem. But this girl has parents. You can’t do it.”

“Tessa had a brother and…”

Anna said, “No. Hunter’s the pack leader. He had to take care of the consequences.”

Hell, Bjornolf hadn’t even realized the boy was thinking along those lines. More than ever, Bjornolf knew Anna was perfect for this job.

For a long time, they walked in silence. Bjornolf knew Anna was right. He knew too that Nathan understood, even if he didn’t want to accept it. The knowledge that Hunter had changed three humans would muddy the water a bit as to what was acceptable lupus garou behavior. Some turned humans ended up being a real liability to a pack. Hunter was more than fortunate everything had worked out all right—for the most part.

“If you are calling Hunter your uncle, why didn’t you stay with him and Tessa?” Anna asked.

“Are you kidding?” Nathan said, his voice full of disbelief. “They’re newlyweds!”

Not exactly, though they still acted like it. But they were about to be new parents.

Anna shot back, “Bjornolf and I are, too! And lots newer, like as of today, I might add!”

Nathan and Bjornolf stared at her for a moment, then Nathan grinned and Bjornolf couldn’t help but smile, really wanting to get into this role.

“Yeah, well, I’ll try to give you two as much privacy as I can,” Nathan said, still smirking.

Anna rolled her eyes.

“Besides, I couldn’t stay with our pack leaders. They’d watch every move I made.”

“We’ll watch every move you make,” Anna promised, as if that was payback for his helping to set up this arrangement in the first place.

She suddenly stopped and sniffed the air. “Was this where you’d smelled one of the dead wolves?”