North’s face lost all its color. “Hell, you mean they used me to get to you?”

“Yeah, to ask for the deed and to meet with me to give me the evidence in person. And they would have grabbed both of us, the evidence, and the deed.”

North let out his breath hard. “Yeah, I can see it all clearly now. I’m so sorry, Elizabeth. I would never have called you if I had known.”

Tom gave him a killing look. As Darien and Jake joined them in the house, Tom said, “About time you guys got here. We’ve got to find Minx and Cody.”

“We came across Minx already,” Darien said. “Sam and Silva took her to my house and will alert her parents to pick her up. We ran into Cody a short while after that and sent him in the same direction. We didn’t know what the situation was here. What happened?”

Eric said, “I guess when I took the man down, he hit his head too hard and… anyway, he’s dead.”

Darien nodded. “One fewer issue to deal with.”

“Elizabeth’s half brother’s dead also,” Tom said.

“What about Sarandon?” Darien asked.

Tom shook his head. “No sign of him.”

“All right. We’ll take care of things here. Meet me at the house,” Darien said.

“You sure you don’t want me to help with this?” Eric offered. When Darien hesitated to say anything, Eric added, “I’d really like to help out.”

“Okay, we’ll turn Quinton’s and Sefton’s bodies over to Hrothgar since they were with his pack. What about North?”

“I don’t want the deed to your property,” North told Elizabeth. “I just… wanted to see you again. And though I wanted to give you the evidence about your uncle’s and half brother’s part in your parents’ deaths, I’d hoped you might consider seeing me.” He glanced at Tom, then said to Elizabeth, “But I didn’t want your property unless you lived there with me.”

“Thanks for trying to help me learn the truth about my uncle and Sefton,” Elizabeth said. “I appreciate it.”

North appeared as though he wanted to hug her or kiss her or both, but Tom gave him a look meant to discourage the notion. The man had not protected Elizabeth when she could have used his help.

North bowed his head a little, acknowledging he wouldn’t be able to get any closer to her, then turned on his heel and left.

Darien listened to Mr. Winston’s reasons for having given Eric and his brothers refuge when they needed it. Mr. Winston had still believed in the men and had tried to talk them into telling Darien what they were up to. But Eric had always been as stubborn as Darien.

Anthony said, “Hey, we almost forgot. Where are the groceries we had on the sled?”

Tom told them where they had dumped them in the snow, and Eric and Anthony went to get them for Mr. Winston.

After they left the groceries with Mr. Winston, when Anthony, Elizabeth, and Tom headed for town, leaving the others to take care of things, Anthony led the way, pulling the sled. Tom grabbed Cody’s hat from the tree branch. Elizabeth smiled as Tom jingled with every footstep he took, wishing he had his own hat back. “We could trade hats, you know,” he finally said to her.

She raised her brows. “You’d wear a soft fuzzy pink hat over a jester’s?” She shook her head. “I like it on you. Lets me know where you are at all times.”

When they finally reached home, they gave the news to Lelandi and everyone else there—Sam, Silva, the kids, and some of the other teams that had arrived.

After the news broke that Sefton and Quinton would no longer be any trouble, Silva beamed. “Remember the tearoom’s opening on Saturday.”

Sam stood there, his arms wrapped around her like a big bear holding a gray wolf. “Tavern will open a little late that day. We’ll serve drinks after her tearoom closes at three, and we’ll continue the party at the tavern. All drinks will be on me.” He grinned. He was one happy wolf.

“On us,” Silva said. She pulled away from Sam and gave Elizabeth a big hug. “As soon as you learn what you’re having, let me know and I’ll work on those baby booties.”

Tom loved the way Elizabeth blushed.

“What about you?” Elizabeth asked, finally finding her tongue.

“No, not me. Sam and I have our businesses to run.”

Sam waggled his brows at Tom, indicating he had other plans.

Lelandi called Carol to fill her in, and she put her on speaker so Silva could hear. “I’m coming to the tearoom opening and want to get together for a girl’s night out with you all.”

Tom shook his head.

“That’s okay,” Sam said. “We’ll have beer and pizza and game night after the ladies leave to have their girly party.”

CJ was sitting on one of the couches, his walking cast propped up on a pillow on the coffee table nearby—compliments of Lelandi. Brett sat beside him. Tom watched as they gave each other surreptitious smiles. They were happy to be home with the pack and the family.

Tom was glad his cousins had returned to the pack. Darien called to say they were on their way back to the house and had located Sarandon, who was all too happy to be coming home. He had been out searching the plane wreckage before a search team arrived in the area, and he’d found Elizabeth’s deed and ID inside one of the kidnappers’ pockets.

Tom sighed. His cousins were proving they were valued members of the pack once again.

But before Darien and Sarandon arrived, the kids’ parents came to take them home.

Anthony and Cody’s father said, “I ought to ground you for two months and make you muck out Doc Mitchell’s stables for all that time. But because you were trying to help out Mr. Winston…” His voice faded as they left the house.

Minx’s father was so choked up that he couldn’t say anything. He just hugged her and kissed her and finally left the house with her apologizing, saying she wouldn’t ever go with the boys unless she had her father’s permission.

Only time would tell if she’d stick to that.

As soon as Darien returned home, Tom took him aside. “We’re leaving first thing in the morning to take care of Elizabeth’s home and so she can say her good-byes at work. I guess we’ll also need to take care of her property near Hrothgar’s pack. We’ll be back to find a place here. We’ll return before Silva’s grand tearoom opening, no matter what.”