Tolya thanked the men and asked them to wait outside the room while he and the town council discussed their proposals.

Jesse wondered how much discussion there would be and how much had already been discussed by the Sanguinati using the terra indigene form of communication.

As soon as the door closed, Tolya turned to her. “You feel people. What do you think about them?”

Jesse considered what she’d felt during the meeting—and realized Tolya had been watching for her tell. But her left wrist hadn’t tingled or ached in warning. “Zeke and Fagen were among the first Intuit men who came to Bennett to help out. I think they have a frontier sense of adventure, much like the Intuits who settled Prairie Gold.” She smiled. “Much like the Intuits who still live in Prairie Gold. The people who came here from the Lakeside job fair all have skills we wanted for the community—not just the doctors and lawyers but the electricians and plumbers and carpenters too. And those people, who are skilled in their trades, have promised to hire youngsters as apprentices to learn those trades. People coming in now have to clear their own houses of the personal effects of those who lived there before them. It’s time to stop requiring sorting of goods to be part of every person’s workday. Let Zeke and Fagen start their own businesses to do what is needed.”

Tolya nodded, an indication that he had listened to what she’d said. Then he looked at the Wolves. “Virgil?”

“One of those stores is close to the new boundaries,” Virgil said. “I think the Elders would agree to expanding the town boundaries that much.”

“That store also has other stores nearby, like the one that has many different kinds of things,” Kane added.

“A department store?” Jana asked.

Kane shrugged. “It is a store with many things.”

“The other food store is too far beyond the new boundaries,” Virgil said. “It is in the wild country now. It would not be safe for humans to go there with new food.”

“But there would still be a lot of foodstuffs on the shelves or in the stock room,” Jesse said. “Most of the fresh food will have rotted by now, but the food in cans and jars should be good.”

“The terra indigene who have claimed some of the houses in that part of the town will use the food,” Virgil said. “They will need it since they will spend part of their time watching for enemies. Also, being in human form to do human tasks means there are many days when we can’t hunt properly to bring down meat. We will need to eat meat killed by humans or go hungry.”

Jesse doubted any terra indigene would go hungry. Since humans weren’t allowed to carry guns within the town limits, they would be easy prey, despite the understanding that Bennett’s human residents were considered not edible—at least by the terra indigene residents. Whether the Elders thought the humans were like chickens in a pen wasn’t something she wanted to know.

“Two humans arrived on yesterday’s train, looking for work,” Tolya said. “They offered to open the land agent’s office and take responsibility for recording who lives where and which businesses are now open. They talked about mapping which houses and businesses are already taken so that newcomers can be shown the houses that are still available and not have to wander.”

Everyone thought that was a good idea. Tolya nodded. “Then I will tell Craig and Dawn Werner that they have jobs and may select their own house.”

After informing Zeke and Fagen that their businesses were approved and setting up a time for them to meet with him and take care of the paperwork, Tolya adjourned the meeting.

Virgil stood, still holding the puppy.

Jesse eyed the pup. “She needs to go outside and do her business.”

The Wolf stared at the box. “She’s going to live in that?”

The growl in his voice made her shiver, but she answered briskly. “The box was small enough to bring in for this meeting. She has a puppy playpen that I’ll set up in my own store. She has a bed for when she’s a bit older. She has a crate to stay in when she needs quiet time.” When Virgil said nothing, she added, “Better get her outside before she pees on you.”

Virgil headed for the door, leaving Jesse to grab the box and her daypack. Then he stopped. “What’s her name?”

“She doesn’t have one yet.”

The stare he gave her wasn’t friendly. “Why not?”

“Because I want Rachel Wolfgard to help me choose a name. Since the pup will be spending as much time with Rachel as she spends with me, I would like my friend’s input on a name.”

She wouldn’t say he softened toward her, but she had a feeling that she’d given Virgil a reason not to think ill of all humans.

* * *

* * *

Jana washed her hands, then splashed cold water on her face. Virgil hadn’t said anything about the Wolfgard taking over the house at the corner of her street. She wouldn’t have known if she hadn’t run into John Wolfgard outside the bookstore and learned about the move. John was pleased to be able to observe humans going about their usual tasks. There had been a human pack in Lakeside and interacting with them had been educational.

She wasn’t sure she wanted to be the equivalent of the educational channel on TV, but she could guess why some of the strongest predators in Bennett were moving into houses on that street.

The blood prophet.

She didn’t know enough about the cassandra sangue, and she needed to learn—fast—because she was the law as well as a neighbor. She should know what to watch for that might indicate signs of trouble.

As she debated whether to approach Tolya Sanguinati or Jesse Walker to find out what information they might have—and assess their willingness to be forthcoming with her—Jana walked into the front part of the office and noticed the way Virgil and Kane were staring at Rusty, who should have been in her crate and wasn’t.

Virgil smiled—actually smiled—at her before focusing on Rusty again. “She eviscerated the bunny. Good girl!”

Rusty wagged her tail, looking thrilled to receive her pack leader’s praise.

Jana stared at what was left of the toy she’d given the dog that morning. “No, not good girl. Bad girl!”

Rusty stopped wagging her tail, dropped the bunny’s head, and whined.

Virgil swung around to face Jana and growled, “Why bad girl?”

Dominant Wolf or not, she could not allow him to intimidate her, especially when they were in conflict about something that was none of his business. She took a step forward so they were almost toe-to-toe and looked up at him. “She’s not supposed to rip up her toys.”

“Then why did you give her a toy that looks like prey?” he demanded.

“I didn’t think she’d know what a bunny looked like!”

Stupid human. He didn’t say it. He didn’t have to.

“If she swallows some of that stuffing, it could make her sick,” Jana said.

He bared his teeth and looked a lot less human.

“Some toys are meant to be chewed, but not the stuffie toys.” She tried to sound reasonable. She really did. But even she heard the growl in her voice and wondered how close she was to challenging his dominance and being bitten.

He made a sound somewhere between a grunt and a growl and walked out of the office, followed by Kane.

Rusty crawled to Jana and rolled over, exposing her belly.

Sighing, Jana crouched and rubbed the dog’s belly. “It wasn’t your fault. You’re still a puppy and everything is new. I just hope every part of your training isn’t going to include a confrontation with them.”

She put Rusty in the crate and swept up the remains of the bunny. She dumped the bits into the wastebasket, then considered the puppy and dumped the wastebasket into the garbage can out back. Afterward, she tried to settle down and get some work done so that she could have her roping lesson with Tobias.

The phone rang, making her jump. “Sheriff’s Office, Deputy Paniccia speaking.”

“You sound so official,” Barb said.

“I am on duty.”

“What are you doing after work?”

Jana suppressed a sigh. “That depends. I made plans but I could break them.”

“Would those plans include a certain rancher?”

“He offered to teach me to use a lasso.”

“Is that what we’re calling it here?”

“Barb!” She could hear the sparkle in her friend’s voice.

“Okay, I’ll stop teasing. But he is good-looking, and he is giving you riding lessons—which is not another way of saying you know what—and … Hey, he’s single, isn’t he?”

“As far as I know.” And in this town, she doubted anyone could keep their marital status a secret.

“Well then, enjoy a little lassoing and smooching.” A beat of silence. “And if you write any letters to anyone in Lakeside, do not say I said that or Michael will start wondering what I’m up to—which is nothing that I couldn’t tell my mom about—and find a way to be on the next train out here.”

Jana laughed. “I won’t mention it.” She hung up and went back to work.

Unsure of Virgil’s and Kane’s moods when they returned an hour later, Jana moved to the center of the room so that she wouldn’t be trapped behind the desk—just in case Virgil decided to do more than growl at her.

Kane remained in the doorway. Virgil stepped within arm’s reach, held out a toy, and growled, “Acceptable?”

Jana smiled as childhood memories flooded her. “It’s Cowboy Bob.”

As a child, she had loved the Cowboy Bob TV show, where Bob, a cloth doll, could change into a real cowboy who helped the children living in a frontier town. But he became real only when the adults weren’t around to see him.

This Cowboy Bob, complete with his hat, boots, and six-gun, must have been printed on the material—front and back—then sewn together and stuffed. She hadn’t known such a thing existed and wondered if a TV station in this part of Thaisia still aired the old shows.

When she reached for the doll, Virgil pulled his hand back. “Acceptable? It doesn’t look like prey.” He paused before adding, “At least to her.”

Now, that was just being mean. “Yes, it’s acceptable.”

Before she had time to thank him, before she had time to react, Virgil grabbed the back of her neck and vigorously rubbed the doll over her chest, then her face, and finally her hair before he let her go.

“By all the gods!” Her heart pounding, Jana stumbled away from him and watched as he held up the doll and sniffed it.

“We already rolled on it. So did John. That left you.”

There were plenty of things she wanted to say. Plleeeennnnty. She just couldn’t form the words.

Would she have to arrest herself if she whacked him over the head with a stapler? That assumed she could get close enough before Kane intervened.