As they drove to the sheriff’s station, her cell phone rang. Wedding march ring tone. She grimaced.
“Answer it, Miss Ginger.” When she made a face, he said sternly, “Answer it. I’m the Alpha. Unless you want to be punished later.”
“Of course I want to be punished later,” she grinned, and hit talk.
“How are things progressing with the sheriff?” her mother said. No hello; she cut straight to the chase.
“Just fine, mother. No war is imminent.”
“I’m debating whether you’d look better in white or cream. What do you think? Maybe even pink. You’ve always looked lovely in pink. Also, I’d been thinking about a wedding cake made of cupcakes, but that may be passe’.”
“Mother! I just got here! Quit drinking the crazy juice!”
“Also, do you think the wedding would take place in New York or Florida?”
“Love you, mother. I’m at work, so I can’t talk. Bye.” She hung up quickly. “Crazy. She’s crazy.”
“What, because she thinks you should marry me?” he said with mock hurt.
“Come on! I just got to town, we agreed we’d take it slow…”
“Hmmm,” he grumbled. But he didn’t say anything else as they headed to the station.
As they pulled into the sheriff’s parking space, Loch groaned aloud.
Reporters from all over the state were blocking the entrance to the station. Ginger dodged past them and dashed inside as the sheriff held an impromptu press conference, reassuring them that everything possible was being done to find the missing professor.
When Loch went inside, Lola greeted him apologetically. “You’ve got a few million messages,” she said, handing him a stack of pink “While you were out…” notes. The professor’s disappearance, and the Panther Nation’s refusal to cooperate, was getting massive amounts of attention.
Loch had to place a dozen calls to people inside the Panther Nation before he finally heard back from an assistant to Montgomery. Montgomery agreed to meet with the sheriff that afternoon, at the entrance to the Panther Nation’s property.
Around mid-morning, Ginger asked Loch if he could have his grandmother make them some sandwiches, with a few extra for Cletus.
“We’ll go over there for lunch. It’ll win me some major points with her,” the sheriff said.
His grandmother was waiting on the front porch for them when they pulled up, with a plate piled high with sandwiches. She set the sandwiches on a table on the porch.
“She just gets prettier every time I see her,” Willie said Loch as they sat down to eat, and then she went inside to get them some lemonade.
“I swear she’s measuring my hips with her eyes,” Ginger whispered to Loch. He grinned.
“Your mother and my grandmother. We should get them together for coffee some time.”
“Good lord, no. My mother would show up with a wedding dress, a priest and a shotgun. And your grandmother would probably have a giant butterfly net, a bible, and some flower girls. What is their rush?”
“Well, you’re not getting any younger.” He winked as he said it. She still kicked him in the ankle.
“Careful there, darlin’,” he said. “Respect the Alpha. You haven’t seen how hard I can spank when I’m truly motivated.”
The thought sent delicious shivers rolling through her body. His hand on her bare naked buttocks…
Willie walked out with a pitcher and two glasses.
“That’s very thoughtful of you to feed that Arbuckle boy. Poor thing,” Wille said with a sigh, as they drank their lemonade. “I hear his mother ran off a couple weeks ago. Just up and left the whole family.”
“Oh?” the sheriff raised an eyebrow.
“No!” Ginger said quickly. “You can’t have his brothers and sisters taken away from him! He’s got a job now.”
“He’s not 18 for another six months. Legally, there needs to be an adult in that house.”
“If you take them away, you take away his incentive to work, to straighten out his life. Have a heart,” Ginger pleaded.
“I’ll think about it. But my ultimate duty is to uphold the law.” He didn’t look happy.
Her phone jangled, and she recognized the number as her Alpha’s. She stood up and walked away from the table, clicking the “talk button”. She was ready to accept the lavish praise he’d heap on her for saving the day and improving relations between the Gray and Red wolf packs.
She’d be humble about it, of course. Nobody likes a gloater.
“Are you completely off your rocker?” Reynaldo hissed into the phone.
“What?” she gasped, shocked.
“Don’t you ‘what’ me. I just heard from a Florida council member, Aurora Sinclair. She says you’re just about ready to start a war down there! She says you’re offending absolutely everybody with your boorish behavior, and they want you out of town immediately! I expect you on the next train back to New York, and when you get here, you are in serious trouble. As is your family.”
“She’s lying!” Ginger turned pale.