Hot Blooded (Wolf Springs Chronicles) - By Nancy Holder Page 0,61
that?”
She shook her head. She’d seen her dad do it once when she was a kid on a trip to Lake Tahoe, but that was it.
“I’ll teach you,” he said.
A low rumbling sound reached her ears. Oh no, why am I growling? she thought. It took her a breathless moment to realize that the sound wasn’t coming from her, but from outside.
“What’s that sound?” she asked.
He cocked his head as though listening. She mentally smacked her forehead. Of course, he probably can’t hear it. He isn’t a werewolf.
A moment passed, then another. The rumbling grew louder, sounding mechanical in some way.
Finally he nodded. “Sounds like Trick’s car.” He looked at her intently. “Sharp ears,” he muttered.
Trick was coming. There were silver bullets in the garage, Justin was spying on her, and now Trick.
A minute later, his Mustang pulled up outside the cabin. Katelyn watched from the window as he got out. He was wearing a black sweater and black pants, and he looked sleek, like a panther.
He walked up the steps and she went to answer the door. Despite everything, she felt a tingle of anticipation as she let him in.
“Mornin’,” Trick said. He kicked the snow off his boots on the mat, took them off, and walked inside.
“Coffee?” Mordecai said, appearing from the kitchen with a mug.
“You know I never refuse free coffee,” Trick said, taking the mug and sipping the hot liquid. “Or free food.”
It was such a blatant hint about breakfast that Katelyn cracked a smile. Her grandfather shook his head and disappeared back into the kitchen.
“So, what’s up?” Katelyn asked, sounding brisk and curt. If Trick noticed, he gave no indication.
“You ever been sledding?” he asked.
“They had a snow hill at the L.A. Zoo at Christmas,” she replied. “It was killer.”
He snorted. “That was just stunt snow. This is real snow. First snow, and we’re going farther up the mountain to take advantage of it.”
“No clothes,” she informed him.
“Brought some.”
This is crazy, she thought, but it was just her insane double life come calling again.
He must have seen her make the decision to go, for he grinned at her and said, “I should warn you, I pack a mean snowball.”
“Bring it, Vladimir,” she taunted him, using his hated first name.
“Oh, I will, Katelyn. I’ll go get your stuff.”
She watched him from the porch. He really was gorgeous; she let herself stare and couldn’t help but feel the corners of her mouth tugging into a smile.
The world was snowy and beautiful, tree branches frosted with ice and sprinkled with powdery white. There were chains on Trick’s tires and the trunk was half open, exposing two old-fashioned wooden sleds secured inside with bungee cords.
Her grandfather waved from the porch. “Come back in one piece.”
“I will,” Trick said as he moved to the car.
“Wasn’t talking to you.”
Katelyn couldn’t help but snicker as she got into the Mustang.
A minute later they were on their way. She sat back against the seat and looked out the window at the receding cabin. Silver bullets. In our garage. Were there also werewolf pelts?
She shuddered hard. Trick must have seen her do it.
“Yo?” he said.
“Just thinking.” She looked over, trying to read him.
“You don’t have to be this nervous,” he said. “Packed snow only leaves minor bruising.”
“I’m not nervous.”
He didn’t reply.
“How well do you know my grandfather?” she asked, trying to keep her tone light.
Trick raised a brow. “He’s my godfather. I was born in your cabin. And what with my folks being away on business so much, we’ve spent a whole lot of time together over the years.”
She stared at him, assuming he was joking. She didn’t know anyone who had a godfather. Images of Mafia guys in trench coats rose in her mind. “C’mon.”
He shrugged. “I’m serious. My middle name is Mordecai.”
She gaped at him, thrown, not sure what to do with the new information. Aware of how little she really knew about Trick. And now she realized it, he rarely mentioned his parents. She knew they were rich, very rich — but they were also very busy, flying all over the country for his dad’s design business — and she had been amazed when going to Trick’s place for a party to discover that he had his own building on their property. “How come I didn’t know this?”
“I don’t know. I guess I thought you did know.” He smiled at her. “We’re practically related. But luckily, not technically.” He cocked his head. “Does it bother you for some reason?”