Here in Fargo, North Dakota, USA, it is cold. That is the truth. It may not be as cold as where you are at. Maybe you are much colder than we are here. This cold snap covers a good bit of the US, so just about everyone is far below average. If the normal high is 60F, then having your afternoon high be 30 is darned cold. Fargo’s normal high is 17 for this date. This afternoon at 4:00 it was -25. The windchill was -55. Now the temp has dropped a degree, but the wind is lighter, so the windchill is only -50.

Tomorrow isn’t looking very good either. The low is expected to be -37. That is not a record, but it’s getting close. This won’t last too long, though. We’ll be up to 24 by the weekend. I bet I see people wearing shorts on Saturday.

Frostbit can occur within ten minutes in these conditions. I had to stop and get gas today, and I had my hat pulled way down and my scarf pulled way up. I had long johns on under my jeans and two pairs of socks on in my honking big snow boots. Like many people up here, I have two winter coats. One is good for cold weather. It is kind of cute, and actually has a shape. I reserve the other one for COLD weather. It makes me look like a cross between the Michelin man and the Abominable Snow woman, but it is warm. Strangely enough, everyone I saw today looked just like me.

What’s the weather like where you are at? Are you cold? How are you dealing with it?

I am back from the Barony of Nordskogen’s 12th Night event. I had a great time. I joined the SCA about 20 years ago but don’t play like I used to. Fun events like this make me wonder why I am not more active. I got to see some of my favorite people. It’s the people I miss the most. I meant to take a bunch of pics, but of course I forgot. Grr. Here are a few of the ones I took.

I really had a great time. I’m looking forward to being more involved from here on out. I bought a ton of fabric to make myself more garb. Some court garb (think heavy and fancy) and maybe some lighter weight summer type garb. I’m going to try to stick to Renaissance Italy, which is what my persona is supposed to be. We’ll see! Maybe I’ll post some pics of what I will be sewing from time to time.

I didn’t get that much time to write since I was either packing, or away, or unpacking for most of last week, but I do have a snip for you. I hope you enjoy it!

Gina woke in confusion. The sun was already gleaming weakly through the curtain when someone pounded on her door. Patia’s voice called, “Gina? Gina, come quick. Something awful has happened!”

Gina’s  heart leaped into her throat and stayed there the entire time she threw on her clothes and ran out of her room. The hall was dark. Patia grabbed her arm and rushed her down the stairs, through the kitchen where breakfast was being prepared, to the restaurant’s empty dining room, where a dim light cast eerie shadows over a handful of people. Taye was there, face as a hard and grim as stone. His arm was around his wife, and only when he glanced down at her did his face soften slightly. Carla’s cheeks gleamed with tears, but her lips were pressed firmly together. Rose leaned her back against the edge of a table, her arms crossed over her chest and a scowl on her face. Sky looked about as happy as Taye. He turned when she and Patia came in.

She forced her voice to be calm. “What happened? Are we under attack?”

“Not exactly.” Taye reach his free hand to touch her shoulder.  “Cole has been captured.”

Cold swallowed her. “Captured?” she echoed. “By my stepfather?”

“His people,” Taye said gently.

The cold reached her heart. “Is he alive?”

“Yeah. It will be alright.”

She jerked her head from side to side. “No,” she whispered. “It won’t.”

Taye left Carla to fold Gina in a fatherly embrace. “Yes, it will. We’ll get him back.”

For a moment she let herself believe it. But her mother’s husband would never release his prize.  A wolf shifter was too unique to give up. Todd would perform tests on him to find out all he could about his shifting abilities before finally killing him to dissect him. If Cole was lucky, he would be dead before the dissection began. She stepped back from Taye and regarded him numbly.

“My stepfather will never let him go.”

Taye glanced over her at Sky. “Then we’ll take him back.”

Sky nodded and glanced at the window. “It’s time to go.”

“Go where?” Gina asked.

“To the wall,” her father-in-law replied. “They’re bringing Cole out so we have proof he’s alive.”

Her heart sank. That meant her stepfather wanted something.

“Patia and Rose will stay here,” Taye said in a tone that made Gina realize where Cole got his bossy ways. “Carla and Gina are mother and mate. They will come.”

 She went to get her coat and joined the rest of them in their cold walk to the wall around Omaha. They climbed steps to a ledge that ran along the inside of the wall near the top. The dozen men already there squeezed back to let them pass. They could look out over the top of the wall but their bodies remained safely protected.

The mayor was already there. His greeted them pleasantly, but she could see the strain in the lines around his mouth. “They’re out there.”

He nodded to the wall.  Gina stood on tiptoes to look out. In the glare of the early morning sun she saw only an indistinct line of people standing quite a distance from the wall before Taye gently pulled her back.

“Don’t show yourself,” he cautioned.

He and Sky stepped in front of her, solidly blocking her from looking out.

Carla lopped her arm through Gina’s. “Did you see him?” she said.

“No,” she whispered. “I didn’t have enough time to get a good look.”

Her mother-in-law smiled. “No use whispering.” She nodded at her husband and Sky. “They can hear us no matter how quiet we are.”

Mayor McGrath drawled, “Is that a white flag? I believe it is. Should we accept their surrender?” His dark chuckle said he knew Kansas-Missouri wasn’t surrendering. “What the f—” He broke off with a quick glance over his shoulder at Gina and Carla. “I wonder what they want.”

Taye spoke, and Gina thought his words were more for the women behind him than for the mayor. “There are a dozen men standing in a line just out of gunshot range. One of them is Cole. He doesn‘t look injured, but he is being held up by a man on either side of him. Either he is too weak to stand on his own or he is ill.”

Carla’s hand tightened on Gina’s arm, but she said nothing. Gina herself wanted to push her way to the wall and look for herself. She stiffened her spine and kept quiet.

Taye went on. “Two men are coming closer. They have a stick with a white cloth tied to the end.”

“Parley,” said McGrath. He raised his voice. “Let them come closer.”

After a moment, the mayor shouted again, more loudly. “That’s close enough, gentlemen. What can I do for you this fine spring day?”

“We come on behalf of His Excellency, President Gerald Todd of Kansas-Missouri.”

“Oh,” the mayor murmured as if to himself. “I was wondering who was running around out there.”

Gina blinked. Wasn’t he taking this seriously?

He raised his voice again. “And?”

“The president has one of your people in his custody. He offers a trade. Send out his daughter and he will release your man.”

This weekend I am going down to 12th Night in Minneapolis. My friends Dave and Robyn are coming down from Winnipeg and picking me up here in Fargo, and then we’ll drive to our friend’s Ellen’s house to stay. I had hoped to sew a new sideless overdress for my Italian Renaissance gown like this one, but I caught a cold and couldn’t scrounge up the oomph to do that. So I suppose I’ll wear my green and purple Byzantine instead. That’s okay. There is time to make something new later. I hope I’ll remember to take some pics to share with you for next week.

Today’s clip of Gina’s Wolf hasn’t been even re-read, so it probably has a ton of typos. I hope you enjoy it. Next week things get really good!

There were two coming toward him with stealthy care. He thought there might be a third hanging back.

The men stopped three yards away. Cole’s snarl was weak. “Damn it,” said one, a quaver in his voice. “I thought he was supposed to be asleep by now.”

“He’s not a regular wolf,” the second man said coolly. “The tranq must not be strong enough.”

“Give him more!”

“And kill him? The President would be a bit miffed with us. No, give it a little time.”

Even through his blurred vision, Cole saw the first man pale.

“We gotta do something!”

“We wait. He’s about ready to go down now.”

He was. Cole backed up one wavering step at a time, focusing all his willpower on staying on his feet.

The cooler of the men narrowed his eyes at Cole. “Don’t move, Wolfy. Jack, shoot him in the leg.”

From further behind the two men, Cole saw the dull gleam of a rifle barrel. There was a third man. He dodged the bullet but the effort sent him into nose first into the muddy grass. The sound of the shot was oddly muffled. Even so, Omaha was only two miles away. The shot would have been heard on the wall. Human ears might not have heard it, but his kinsmen would have. Someone would come to help. He just had to hold them off that long. He just had to get up and back away. Come on, he told himself. Get one leg under you. Come on. Do it. Do it!

But he couldn’t. His head was too heavy to hold up. With an inner scream of protest, he rolled onto his side and put his head down. Just for a second, he told himself. Just one second of rest and them he would get up.

He didn’t get up. As if the noise were coming from a long, long tunnel, he heard the men approach.

“Got him!” said one.

“Jack, bring up the cage,” said another. “Let’s get him loaded up and get the hell out of here.”

And then Cole heard nothing.

***

“Ladies.”

The Limit’s housekeeper clapped her hands to get their attention. Gina stood between Rose and Carla in the private dining room adjacent to the kitchen with half a dozen other women who worked at the Limit.

“We must make an exact list of every food item we have in the house, right down to the last teaspoon of salt. As a restaurant, the city Council is allowing us higher rations than private households, but we must be careful to use only what we are allowed. We don’t know how long the siege will last so we have to make our rations stretch as far as they will go. Does everyone have their notebook and pen? Very good, then, let’s get to work making lists of everything we have.”

Gina went into the pantry armed with her notebook and pen and began measuring the dry goods. Last night Cole had assured her the mayor had made plans for gathering food so that Omaha would be well supplied when President Todd came. She became more and more nervous as she measured and weighed the flour, sugar, and other dry goods. Would there be enough to last through a siege? She hadn’t gone hungry even once her life. Unless something changed, it looked like she would be hungry soon. So would everyone else in Omaha. If food supplies got low, who would be given priority? The soldiers would have to eat to be strong enough to fight. What about the patients in the hospital? Sick people needed healthy food to get better. A long time ago, she had heard that her stepfather had cut supplies off to hospitals. He thought sick people were a liability, and food was given to those whose work was critical to his empire. Feeling sick, she toiled on in the pantry until supper time.

Patia returned to the Limit just as the restaurant opened its doors to supper guests. There were few. The waitresses took orders and served food. Since only a couple of the tables were occupied, Carla, Patia, Rose, and Gina took one of the little tables. Two of the men from the pack sat at a table close by. At a more distant table three men were obviously and loudly disgusted by the size of their supper portions.

“There was a time when a man could actually leave here full,” grumbled one.

“But it tastes good.” That voice seemed to make an effort to be positive. “And everyone is going to eating a little bit less for a while. We should enjoy this while we can.”

The first man pushed his plate away with a curse. “I want to talk to the manager.”

The two men who’d escorted Patia home stood up. Their dark eyes fixed on the whiner. “You got something you want to complain about?”

He looked up at them and something in his face shifted. His forehead glowed with sudden sweat. “No. I guess I was just blowing off steam.” He nodded enthusiastically. “I guess we just better plan to eat small for a while.”

“That’s right.” His companion nodded. “We are all in this together.”

As Gina helped with dishes later, she thought about what Omaha could expect in the next few days or weeks. Hungry people were desperate, and desperate people do stupid things. She hoped this whole thing would be wrapped up soon.

She got ready for bed alone. Last night Cole had been with her. She loved making love with him. She loved the way he held her afterwards just as much. Maybe he would’ve held anyone his wolf chose with the same tenderness, but she wanted that tenderness to be just for her. If she wasn’t his mate, would he still treat her the same way? She hoped so. The bed seemed cold and empty without him. Wasn’t that stupid? They’d only spent two nights together, but already not having him there seemed wrong. She wanted she wanted all of this to be over slushy could go home to his place and start a new life there with him. In spite of her worry, she fell asleep thinking of that new life.

She woke late. The sun was already gleaming weakly through the curtain when someone pounded on her door. Patia’s voice called, “Gina? Gina, come quick. Something awful has happened!”

Woo-hoo! It’s 2019. That’s a good thing. As long, that is, as it doesn’t turn into 2018 all over again. :O

I’ve been writing again ,so that is a good sign for the coming year. I have the next two chapters plotted and ready to write. The third chapter is still a little muddy, but I’ll figure it out. My time is as always tight. But now that my writing group is doing sprints I am pretty much guaranteed 30 minutes of writing a week. Hopefully a lot more than that, but when I work 40 hours and have various functions 4 evenings a week writing time is hard to find. But as I said, I’m writing again. Gina’s Wolf is approaching the climatic third act. Things should get pretty exciting soon.

This is very rough, so please excuse any typos or boo boos.

The lieutenant in charge at Headquarters looked up from the papers he was reading when Cole came in. “Morning. You’re just in time to join the foot patrol. Bob? Here’s your partner for the morning, Cole Wolfe. Wolfe, this is Sergeant Anderson.”

“Morning, Wolfe.” Sergeant Bob Anderson held out a leathery hand to shake. “Let’s get going.”

Anderson was a lanky forty-year-old who knew the city streets well. Cole, being a stranger to the city, let him lead. The Omaha native was friendly and unflappable. Cole was no coward, but when they found two women involved in a hair pulling girl fight in front of the building that held the food stores, he hung back. Two men fighting? That he could handle. Bash their heads together. Grab one by the neck and toss him into the street and give the other a kick in the pants. But ladies? He let Anderson handle it.

“Mrs. Morton, you get up off the street. Shame on you. Both of you,” Anderson said firmly. “Mrs. Brockmeier, what is all this about?”

Each of the women accused the other of taking more than her fair share of flour. Bob settled that decisively and calmly, and soon both women left, shooting dirty looks at each other but not speaking. Cole watched with awe.

“How did you do that?” he asked as they began walking their patrol again.

“Shoot. I’ve been a Guardsman for twenty years. Everybody knows me well enough to know I won’t let them get away with anything.”

It seemed to be true. There weren’t many people on the streets, but everyone they saw greeted the Sergeant with respect. His own respect for the older man grew as their patrol went on.

“So,” Anderson said when they turned to head back to headquarters, “I hear tell your daddy sent for reinforcements. When do you figure they’ll be here?”

Cole calculated. “Maybe tomorrow.” The wolves would come first. Then the men from Kearney would come, but they wouldn’t be able to move as fast as the wolf warriors. “Some tomorrow. More in a few days.”

Anderson nodded, a little grim. “We could use the help, and the sooner the better.”

After their four-hour street patrol, they returned to headquarters for lunch and rest. Captain Erickson took the concise report Anderson made and dismissed them to the day room. Half a dozen men were already there, nursing tin cups of coffee and playing cards. The men nodded at Anderson. “Sandwich fixings in the fridge,” one said.

Cole followed Bob to the fridge. The coffee smelled awful, but not as bad as the sour stench of unwashed men. Being here with these stinky men instead of with his mate made his wolf unhappy.

“Hey, Sarge,” called another of the men, whose teeth were both crooked and green. “Who’s your new friend?”

  Anderson didn’t look up from spreading mustard over his bread. “Cole Wolfe from Kearney. Why don’t you boys introduce yourselves?”

None of the men did. Crooked and Green leered. “Aw, it’s the bride groom. He got to go home last night and play kissy-face with the little woman.”

Cole’s wolf came to sharp alert. When the man made loud kissing noises, the wolf lunged at the cage that held him in Cole’s mind, trying to break free. Cole’s nostrils flared.

“Was it fun, lover boy? Did your bride spread her pretty–”

Cole’s vision shimmered with gold and red as his wolf tried furiously to get free.

“Colby.”

His father’s voice, heavy with Alpha authority, stopped the wolf. The red and gold shimmer died as the wolf slunk back to the cage, lips peeled back in a snarl. Cole took one breath through clenched teeth and forced himself to relax.

“You will not kill this man.”

It was a struggle, but Cole made himself tilt his head to the side in submission.

Taye Wolfe sauntered to Crooked and Green, his face set in a cold expression he never directed at anyone in his Pack. His voice dropped to a low, lethal growl. “Do not ever speak of my daughter again.”

The man couldn’t seem to hold the Alpha’s gaze, he swallowed and looked down at the table. “Didn’t mean nothing. Just a little friendly joshing.”

The Alpha of the Pack stared down at the man. “The only reason you’re alive is because Omaha needs every fighter it can muster.”

The man wilted when Taye turned his attention back to Cole. “Have something to eat and then get some sleep.  You go outside the gate again tonight to patrol.”

***

It was wet tonight, thought Cole, trotting along the river bank on his patrol. It wasn’t quite rain, but it was more than fog, and his fur was heavy with moisture. It was almost cold enough to snow.  It was a heavy, wet cold that he didn’t like. He loved to romp in the snow, but this wet cold was no good. It muffled his sense of smell and deadened his hearing.

Romping in the snow with his mate would be fun. They probably wouldn’t get any more snow this year, but next year… He had plans for next year. Maybe by then she would be heavy with his child. That thought warmed him in spite of the cold. He remembered the warmth of his mate lying beside him in bed. In his mind he lovingly savored the press of the curve of her breast against his. Would his father allow him to go back to the Limit again tonight? He hoped so. He wanted to—

Pain stabbed through his neck, rocking him sideways. His wolf yelped. What was it? It was too fiery and deep to be a thorn. It was… Out of the corner of his eye he saw the end of an arrow. A strange arrow, too little to fly far. The sound of footsteps, muffled by the cold, came to him. He tried to run away, but his legs didn’t work right. Something too close to panic seared his belly. This was like… Like on the train. He remembered the train. Something about the train… He couldn’t remember.

Wobbling, like a stupid townsman who’d drank to much, he turned to face the enemy.

My favorite days of the year are here! I’m sneaking in a little writing time while my visiting brother sleeps. Later this morning we are going to stroll downtown Fargo and have lunch in a little bistro type restaurant. After Christmas mass, the rest of the family will come to my place for a buffet style supper, and then opening presents.

Speaking of presents, I wanted to do something to show my appreciation for YOU, my readers. Below are links for a couple of my books which you can download for free from now until December 31.

Sleeping With the Wolf is free just about everywhere, like here on Amazon

Wolf’s Glory

Ellie’s Wolf .

I hope you have a lovely holiday with a lots of new books to love and fun family time.

Happy Reading and Merry Christmas!

Christmas is only ONE WEEK away!!!  I have so much to do to get ready, and I’m working extra at the day job. I am horribly afraid I will have to wrap presents that I am quilting and knitting, and then immediately take them back to I can finish them. And since I am hosting the Christmas Eve dinner and present opening, I really ought to at least run the vacuum in the living room and hall, and  dust the furniture. Oh, and maybe clean the toilet?  Oy! Anyone else getting down to the wire with holiday preparations? Even so, I love Christmas. I’ve tried to squeeze in a couple of Christmas movies and novellas. I watched Dear Santa. It was corny and sweet, and made me happy. And I’m reading The Christmas Bus right now. 

Do you enjoy Christmas books and movies? Any suggestions for me?

Word Weavers is continuing with the writing sprints format for our meetings. Last night I presented them with some questions I had about the ending for Gina’s Wolf. I knew what I wanted to happen, but I wasn’t sure how to make it believable. We batted around some ideas for about 15 minutes, and now I know how to proceed. I don’t know what I’d do without those gals! Tonight’s snip isn’t very long again, and it may or may not actually show up in the book, but i’m posting it anyway. Since Tuesday is Christmas I probably won’t post a snip that day. We’ll see how things go, but I am going to  concentrate on getting that quilt and shawl done so I can actually GIVE them on Christmas and not just lend them long enough to be opened 😉 

I’m actually not sure if this is Part 30 or Part 31. Whichever, here it is. Enjoy!

Gina passed through the opening the other women made for her. Ms. Mary handed her the towel with a wink. Gina’s cheeks were brightly pink, but she was smiling. From the very first moment he’d seen her pouring hot chocolate in that coffee shop downtown, Cole had thought she was the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen. Her face didn’t have the perfect lines of Mrs. Madison’s, and her body wasn’t the classic voluptuous hourglass like Aunt Amanda’s, but the color in her cheeks was enchanting, and the hint of a naughty smile on her lips as she came to him made him smile back. She was the loveliest and most precious of women.

Mine, said the wolf fiercely.

“Mine,” agreed the man happily.

Gina’s smile broadened as she handed him the towel. She poked her finger into the center of his breastbone. “Mine,” she said.

He wrapped the towel around his waist. “Yours,” he agreed, already planning what he would do to her upstairs. His mother’s Lupa voice made him reluctantly shelve those plans for the moment.

“Colby, what is happening out there?”

All the women hovering in the doorway between the kitchen and mudroom looked anxious. Aunt Rose shook her head. “Let’s go sit down in the dining room. It’s too cold out here.”

Cole sent Gina a quick glance. He wasn’t cold, but she might be. He followed the women into the dining room. He didn’t have much to report, so this wouldn’t take long. Then he would take his mate upstairs and keep her warm all night. Just a couple of minutes and then they would be alone.

It didn’t take long to tell his mom and the other women that the Kansas-Missourians had withdrawn into their camp across the river and not done anything more than send out occasional patrols. So far no sign of their army had been seen on this side of the river. His dad was directing the Clan and Pack in working with Mayor McGrath and Captain Erickson to keep constant watch on the streets and walls of Omaha. They were making hourly patrols in wolf form outside the wall to be sure the city wouldn’t be surprised by an attack.

“Do you think parading in and out is a good idea?” his mother asked. “Todd and his gang have to be watching. What if they come charging in while the gate is open?”

“There are four small gates hidden. We use those to go out on patrols.”

His mother’s shoulders relaxed slightly. “Oh, right. I’m sure your father has those little gates guarded.”

“Every second,” he assured her. “And we only go in and out when it’s dark so the enemy won’t see us. So far, we’ve seen nothing.”

“I wonder what he’s waiting for?” Gina said, wrapping her arms around herself as if she were cold.

Cole tightened his arm around her waist. “I don’t know. But it will be okay. We won’t let him win.”

Gina didn’t quite look convinced. “Yeah, I know you won’t let him win.”

In spite of her words, she didn’t quite sound convinced either. Cole would fix that. He gave her a gentle tug to the stairs that led to their room. “Goodnight, Mom.”

He heard his mother sigh, and Ms. Mary titter. “Newlyweds,” the old lady said happily. “So sweet!”

Thirty minutes later, his mate sprawled, sated, by his side. Her finger drew light circles over his pectoral just below where her cheek lay against him. He was a happy man, relaxed in the dark with the scent of his mate and their loving all around him. “Cole?”

He opened his eyes with a sleepy smile. He didn’t like his name, but it was fine coming from her. “Hmm?”

“I’m learning how to kill a man with a knife.”

He brushed his lips over her forehead. “That’s wonderful, darling.”

She snorted a laugh. “I can’t think of another man who would say that.”

“Every man in the Clan and Pack would say that.”

She chortled again and then sobered. Her hand stopped doodling and pressed flat against him. “How long can we hold out if he never attacks? I mean, how are we for food and water?”

Cole turned her face up and kissed her lips. “We’re fine. McGrath thought of that months ago when Todd sent his first message to Omaha. He’s been saving food and water ever since.”

“That’s good.”

There was relief in her voice, so he didn’t tell her that Todd’s threats hadn’t come until February, when a lot of the winter stores had already been used up. No longer relaxed, he held his sleeping mate and stared up into the dark and tried to figure out just how long Omaha’s food and water would hold out.

Hello! It’s snowing out there tonight and I’m drinking tea from Paris called Noel a Pekin. It’s a black tea from China  with jasmine green tea, mango, passion fruit and pineapple. I’m not sure how that comes to be considered a Christmas in Peking tea, but there you go. It’s a good night to drink it and knit.

I do have a new snip for you tonight. It is shorter than I’d wanted it to be, but at least I have new words. Here is my Confession Is Good For The Soul statement. It’s true I’ve been very busy. Working full time and a little overtime at the day job 7am-4:00pm. And after work looks like this: Monday=Word Weavers, Tuesday=visit Mom, Wednesday=church, Thursday=SCA meetings, Friday=clean, laundry, etc., Saturday=sleeping late, visit mom, PLAY!!!, Sunday=church and knitting and reading. So actually I DO have some time available to write. Not a lot, but if I was more disciplined I could find an hour a day.  I will try harder to get myself back into the habit of writing. Thank you for being so patient with me.

My local critique group (we call ourselves the Word Weavers) has started a new format for our meetings. We will do critiques for only the first 30-40 minutes. Then we will do a timed writing sprint for 30 minutes. we’ll finish up with 15-20  minutes of talking about what we did during the sprint. I am loving it. Although last night my laptop battery died only 5 minutes in. I got my notebook and pen out and wrote long hand for about 2 minutes when my pen died. I couldn’t believe it!! I sat fuming with my knitting for the remaining 20 minutes. Gosh, it makes me laugh now but last night I was mad. 

So here is the little bit I managed to write the past week. I’m not sure it will make it to the book. But it can be re-written or moved around, or even just deleted if it doesn’t work. The important thing is I’m writing. You gotta start somewhere. Stephen King said that you can’t edit a blank page. So, here you go!

Cole cast one last look around the moonlit river bank before turning and trotting back toward Omaha. He’d seen no men hiding, heard not a hint of trucks or other traffic, and hadn’t caught any unfamiliar scent carried on the night air. His patrol was over. With his paws heavy with mud, and his legs coated with drying goop, all he wanted was to be clean so he could bask in his mate’s warmth.

He wished Todd would just turn his army around and go home. That wasn’t likely. The next best thing would be for him to just attack so this stupid little war could be ended. The initial attack this morning was only a feint, probably to test Omaha’s readiness. Well, they were ready. Ready to send Todd packing with his tail between his legs. Cole wanted to bring his sweet mate home to the den so they could start their life together and he couldn’t do that until Todd was dealt with.

Cole approached the wall of Omaha, careful of where he placed his paws so as to not leave paw prints leading to the small back gate in Omaha’s wall. He quietly woofed to let his cousin xxxxx (haven’t decided who yet) know he was ready to come back in, and the door opened just wide enough to let his furred body slip in.

Paint was there with XXXXX. “Anything?”he asked. When Cole shook his wolf’s head, Pain nodded. “Go report to your dad and get home.”

XXXXX shot him a sly grin. “You stink. Better wash before you wrap yourself around your mate.”

Cole wrinkled his nose in a snarl and ran down the street to the house designated as the eastern headquarters. He shifted to human at the steps of the building. It was one of those buildings from the Times Before that housed two families. One side was set up as the headquarters; the other was crammed with beds for the City Guard to sleep in when they weren’t on duty. Cole felt a tiny moment of regret for them. They would be away from the families for days at a time but he got to return to the Limit where his mate awaited him.

Naked,he went into the HQ side and followed his ears to the room which must have been a dining room at one time. His dad was there with Captain Dean Erickson,leaning over a map spread out on the table. Two pimply teenagers were there too, both using so many words to give their report that Cole could barely make out what they were trying to say. The boys stopped, mouths hanging open, when they saw Cole come in. They appeared to be either horrified or fascinated by his nakedness.

“Wolf,” one mouthed to the other.

Cole resisted the urge to show them his teeth. He gave his report to Captain Erickson, describing where he had gone and what he’d seen in brief, concise statements. His dad nodded approvingly.

“You have eight hours down,” he told Cole. “Then get back here.” He cracked a shadow of a smile. “And try to spend some of those hours in sleep.”

Cole bounded up the back steps of The Limit and paused just outside the mudroom to shake his fur out before shifting back to man. He was cold and muddy, so the shower he’d dreamed of would be welcome, but as he padded inside, he caught the faintest hint of his mate’s scent woven through faint aroma of soap. She had been here a few hours ago, maybe mopping the floor he was dirtying with his muddy feet.

Footsteps sounded from the kitchen and a hand flicked the mudroom light on. The young woman screamed when she saw him and fled back to the kitchen. He glanced down at himself. Why would she scream? He wasn’t that dirty. Oh. Maybe it wasn’t the drying mud caking his legs that scared her. Where were the jeans he’d left here before he followed his father out?

More footsteps came, and he looked up to see his mother, sister and Aunt Rose come in. The elderly woman who ran the house was with them. Her silver eyebrows rose as she stared at him.

“Oh, my goodness,” she said mildly, and disappeared.

“Colby,” his mom said anxiously. “Is everything okay?”

He was about to reply with when Ms. Mary came back, holding a towel.

“It’s a shame, really,” she said in her quavering old voice, “but I suppose you should cover up. I don’t know how I’ll ever fall asleep now, with my heart pounding like a teenager’s.” She turned her head to speak to someone behind her. “Such a handsome young man you have, dear Georgina.”

Gina passed through the opening the other women made for her. Ms. Mary handed her the towel with a wink. Gina’s cheeks were brightly pink, but she was smiling.From the very first moment he’d seen her pouring hot chocolate in that coffee shop downtown, Cole had thought she was the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen. Her face didn’t have the perfect lines of Mrs. Madison’s, and her body wasn’t the classic voluptuous hourglass like Aunt Amanda’s, but the color in her cheeks was enchanting, and the hint of a naughty smile on her lips as she came to him made him smile back.

Mine, said the wolf fiercely.

“Mine,” agreed the man happily.

It’s been quite a while since I posted. I’m sorry about that. I’m still getting settled in my new apartment. I’m pleased to say it’s been a great place for me. The only noise I hear is people in the hall or going up and down the stairs. No loud music or rowdy kids. Color me happy!

My little office is about done. I will post pictures next time so you can see how cozy it is. The sewing room is back to being a disaster right now, and one of my brothers asked me to sew/quilt him a table runner. His house in Minneapolis was built in 1929 (I think) and he wants to keep the original Arts and Crafts feel to it. So I’ve ordered some 1930s feedsack reproduction fabric and I need to get the sewing room squared away so I can get to the sewing machine.

My local critique group, the Word Weavers of Fargo Moorhead, is starting something new. We’ll meet every Monday evening and spend an hour doing critiques, and then 30 minutes of writing sprints. No talking. Only typing. That means I hope next Tuesday I’ll have an actual teaser for you. I really have to get back to writing. We’re on overtime again at work, and I’m trying to get everything over here from Mom’s, and I’m spending time with mom, and church, and knitting, and SCA… Something has to give!!

I am planning to do my Annual Christmas Stocking giveaway in a couple of weeks. The stocking will be stuffed with books, gift cards, swag, and candy. I’ll be sending out a newsletter for people to enter to win in about ten days. If you are interested but don’t get the newsletter, there is a sign up at the right.

Pictures next time, and hopefully a little teaser.  🙂

Well, I’ve been in my new place for a little over 2 weeks and I am about 75% unpacked. I really like the place. It’s been amazingly quiet. It’s close to work, and close to the interstate so I can drive to mom’s. I have had very little time to sit and relax. Or do anything, really. Between work, going to mom’s, going to various evening meetings, church, knitting, writer’s group, etc. I haven’t gotten any writing done. This is it, the grand total of what I’ve written in the past three weeks:

Cole cast one last look around the river bank before turning and trotting back toward Omaha. He’d seen no men hiding, heard not a hint of trucks or other traffic, and hadn’t caught any unfamiliar scent carried on the night air. His patrol was over. With his paws heavy with mud, and his legs coated with drying goop, all he wanted was to be clean so he could bask in his mate’s warmth.

I was hoping to have at least a few hundred words for you tonight, but I am out of time. And energy. I volunteered to bring the dessert for the dinner at church tomorrow, and for some brilliant reason I thought I would bake something. (Somebody shoot me.) I managed to get the bakeware unpacked and washed, so I’m off now to mix up some cookies. Peanut butter blossoms since I have the ingredients for those.

I WILL get unpacked and be able to settle down to write soon. I just need to remember to breathe.  🙂