Chapter 17

“Hey there,” Randy murmured through the glass, and raised both eyebrows when the ears of the wolf flickered as if, impossibly, it had heard Randy’s words. His eyes widened as the wolf rested a paw on the stairs that led up to the deck. He gasped when, with a single leap, the wolf landed on it.

They stared at each other, Randy in his warm kitchen, eyes as big as they could get, and the wolf gathering a slow but steady layer of snow on its fur. It tilted its head first one way, and then the next, and moved forward again—only two steps across the deck, but its legs were long and its interest obvious. Even with limited movement, the two strides of the wolf closed the space between it and Randy to half its previous distance. Then it sat, squatting on the deck and wrapping its thick tail around its paws.

Randy couldn’t think of anything to say but, “You’re gorgeous.” Its eyes were mesmerizing: dark amber, brilliant gold, intelligent and alert.