“Good. Now you need to learn from that.” Janie carefully took hold of Walt’s scarf, enjoying the way the boy cringed away from her, and gently wrapped it around his throat to hide the blood and claw marks. “There.” She patted his chest. “Now get on outside. The Reed boys are waiting for you out front. And you know how they get when you keep ’em waitin’ for too long.”

Walt nodded and headed toward the door.

“Tell your momma I said hi,” she called after him, enjoying the way his entire body jumped at the sound of her voice.

“Yes’m.”

The door closed and Janie turned toward her mate. “Bubba Ray Smith! You are not eating another one of those.”

Bubba reached for a bright red candy apple. “Don’t bark at me, woman.”

“But we’re going to have dinner in a little while!”

“I’ll eat.” He took a bite and chewed. “Why are we having this dinner anyway?”

She walked around the counter to stand next to Bubba. “To celebrate your boy finding his mate. It’s a happy time.”

“Foolish girl if you ask me.”

“Well, no one did.”

He held up the candy apple for her and she stared at it. “Go on. You know you want to.”

She leaned forward and took a bite.

“I wonder where they find these apples,” he grumbled, staring at her mouth. “They’re huge. As big as my head.”

“No,” she said after swallowing. “Nothing quite that big.”

“Keep it up and we won’t make that dinner.”

Janie licked her lips. “Is that right?”

“Uh-huh.” He took another bite, chewed, and said, “You know they’ll have wolfdogs.”

“So? They’ll be our grandbabies.”

“Our crazy wolfdog grandbabies.”

“Not always crazy. Look at little Kristan,” Janie argued.

“Yeah, but you know it’s only a matter of time before that little girl snaps. She’ll go off like a rocket and take everyone in a twenty-five-mile radius with her.”

“Bubba Smith! You stop that kind of talk right now.”

“I didn’t say I didn’t like her. I’m just warning the general populace.” He finished off that giant apple in seconds and dropped the stick and core on the counter. “Now... come here.”

He reached for her and Janie grabbed his wrists. “Your hands are sticky.”

“They’re gonna be stickier in a second.”

She laughed while she tried to hold him back. “You always get like this after I have to deal with family business.”

“I love seeing you get mean.”

“Is that the only reason you came in here? To watch me scare that little boy?”

He finally had his arms around her, pulling her close against his body. “Damn right. Wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

“That’s what I thought,” she said on a giggle as he teased her neck.

“Now, darlin’,” he murmured in her ear, “give your sugar some sugar.”

Chapter 32

Smitty handed his truck keys to one of only two valets at Shaw’s hotel that he trusted and took Jessie’s hand. Together, they headed toward the automatic front doors of the Kingston Arms. He had to do some damage control and do it fast. He’d promised Jessie he’d fix this. He didn’t break promises, and he sure as hell wouldn’t let Walt Wilson make him break a promise.

The doors slid open, but Jessie stopped cold, bringing Smitty up short.

“What?” he asked, when he found her staring at the corner. “What’s wrong?”

She raised her hand and pointed. His gaze followed and they watched as Ronnie Lee’s daddy dragged Walt Wilson to a waiting SUV. Ronnie’s two uncles behind them.

“Lord, they’ve brought in the original Reed boys.”

“The original Reed boys?”

“Yeah, the Reed boys before the Reed boys. They invented the junkyard dog.” Smitty shook his head. “This isn’t good.”

As he said the words, Clifton Reed slammed Wilson headfirst into the SUV door frame.

Jessie jerked in surprise. “Oh, my God.”

“Yeah.”

“Smitty, what’s going on?”

“I don’t know. Come on.” He moved toward the door, pulling Jessie behind him. As they walked into the lobby, Kristan charged up to them, throwing her arms around Jessie first and then Smitty.

“I’m so happy for you guys!”

Johnny walked up behind her, his eyes mid-roll.

Examining the pair, Jessie asked, “Why are you guys dressed up?”

The boy had on the makings of a suit, although he looked downright miserable. And Kristan had on a little cocktail dress.

“We can’t tell,” Kristan said with way too much enthusiasm before grabbing the boy’s hand and dragging him off.

“This can’t be good,” Jessie said.

“I know, darlin’.”

“Something’s going on.”

“I know.”

“I say we make a run for it.”

He nodded. “Yup.”

They headed right back to the front door, but sturdy hands used to raising five sons and one out-of-control daughter grabbed the back of their necks and held tight.

“And where are y’all runnin’ off to?” Janie Mae Lewis demanded while pulling him and Jessie back around. “You gonna leave without saying hello to your own momma?”