was calling the pack leaders to find a home for Lucas.
Brooke just smiled at Lucas when he set his phone on the table and looked up at her, appearing a little guilty that he hadn’t discussed this with the rest of them. “He was pissed off at me,” Lucas said.
“Judge, this is about Lucas, fostered by the Thorntons. He’s one of us, a gray wolf, and we need to get adoption papers pushed through for one of our wolf families to adopt him, pronto,” Josh said. “Yep.” He handed his phone to Lucas.
The teen might pretend to be all macho, but his hand was shaking when he took the phone. “Yes, sir?” He smiled. “Yes, sir. Yes, sir. Yes…uh, yes, I will. Okay. Yes, sir. Thanks.” He handed the phone back to Josh. “He wants to talk to you again.”
“Adam’s talking to our pack leaders as we’re speaking. He’ll let you know as soon as we learn which family he’ll be staying with. Trial period? I’ll tell him. Thanks, sir.” Josh laughed. “You’ve got that right. Thanks. Bye.”
Adam said, “Thanks, Cassie. I’ll let him know. Josh has talked to the judge, and he wants there to be a trial period, right, Josh?”
“Yeah.”
“Thanks.” Adam got off the phone and said, “All right. You have four families to visit with. This is as much a choice for them as it is for you. We’ll need to drop off the truck at your foster parents’ house, since it’s in your foster dad’s name and he doesn’t want you to have it. We’ll pick up whatever you need from your home and drive down to the ranch, meet with the pack leaders, and visit with the families. You can stay with the pack leaders or with one of the families on a trial basis. You can move around, decide where you really want to stay for good, and go from there.”
“Four families?” Lucas sounded astonished, but Brooke was glad that so many wanted to take him in. He’d surely find a family he wanted to live with. “I can’t believe the judge is a wolf too. I never was close enough to smell him. When do I have to start working for you?” Lucas asked Josh.
“As soon as you’re settled in with your new family. There isn’t any rush.”
“If you can work on the website for me from your new home, I’d be grateful, and you can start earning some money from that.” Brooke was afraid she was already going to lose her new hire if he lived too far away, and she needed the assistance. Plus she wanted to help him to feel like he was a needed member of their wolf society so he wouldn’t continue to get himself into trouble.
“I can do that. I have a computer. I paid for it, so I get to keep it. But…it’s time for me to live free as a wolf too.”
“Good. This isn’t about avoiding human contact but embracing your wolf side. Are you two going to be all right while I’m gone?” Adam asked Josh and Brooke.
“We’ll be fine,” Josh said. “Brooke?”
“Yes.”
“If Lucas is ready, we’re on our way,” Adam said.
While Adam took Lucas home, Brooke was on her phone, taking a picture of the authentication paperwork on the Chinese vases and then texting someone. “I want to do this one thing before we go to bed. I’ve wanted to do it ever since I learned I had the papers showing the vases are authentic.” Then she turned to Josh. “I know Lucas needs to be with our kind, but do you think it’s a good idea to take him away from the family who has raised him for several years without giving him more time to think about it? Kids can be so impulsive, and I believe he should have taken a couple of days to think on it first. I worry he’ll change his mind about staying with a wolf pack and miss his human friends and his foster parents, but the Thorntons won’t want to take him back at that point.”
She sent another text message.
“If he’s good with staying with them, yes. Mainly because he’s getting into trouble, something our kind can ill afford. It seems to me he needs to be with our kind to keep him on the right path,” Josh said, thinking of the trouble Lucas could cause. He guessed he was thinking with his detective badge. He also believed Lucas needed to have friends his age