Read Online Lone Wolf by Tracy Krauss - Free Book Online

roomies,” Ryder said.
    â€œI thought we agreed you were living in the dorms for the first year,” Thomas said.
    â€œWell, yeah…but after that.”
    Con smiled and shook his head. “I’d say these two have it all figured. You’re fighting a losing battle, my friend.” He clapped Thomas on the shoulder.
    â€œSo it would seem.”
    â€œSo what are your plans after the center opens?” Con turned to Thomas.
    Thomas took a sip of his punch before answering. “Well, now that Ryder’s done with school, we’ll be moving on somewhere. Can’t stay in Marshdale without a job.”
    â€œAny prospects?” Con asked.
    â€œUm, not really.” Thomas patted Whisper on top of the head.
    Ryder laughed and turned to Con. “He got an offer in BC, but I think he’s afraid to go too far away. He wants to keep tabs on me.”
    Nicole’s eyebrows rose and she turned her gaze to Thomas. “BC?”
    Thomas shook his head. “Nothing official. Just an offer.” He tried to smile but he could see that Nicole was distressed. He gestured toward Whisper with his head and lowered his voice. “We haven’t exactly talked it through as a family, so…” The two little girls were giggling about something and hadn’t paid any attention to what the grownups were saying.
    â€œMum’s the word,” Con said.
    â€œThanks. So…how are the crops looking?” Thomas changed the subject.
    â€œExcellent. Looks like a bumper year ahead.”
    As Thomas listened to Con’s description of his agricultural prospects, he could also see Nicole trying to make small talk with Rachel. He could tell by the tightness around her lips that she was angry with him, though. They would obviously need to have a talk later.
    He wasn’t sure why he hadn’t mentioned the job offer to her before, and it had certainly not been his intention to have it slip out unexpectedly without telling her first. Not that he was taking it. At least he didn’t think so…
    ****
    Angry silence reigned in the confines of the vehicle as they drove to the banquet hall. Nicole sat in the passenger seat, her arms crossed over her chest. Ryder and Renee had gone ahead earlier, so it was just Tanzi and the two little girls in the back seat.
    â€œWhy don’t you drop us off at the door?” Tanzi suggested. “I can take the girls in and you two can go park the car.”
    Thomas nodded his agreement and pulled up in front of the banquet hall. His niece was quick to see that they needed some time alone, and he appreciated her offer minus any fuss. She bustled the little girls out of the SUV and up the walkway into the building.
    â€œI was going to tell you,” he offered as soon as he started driving again. “It just never seemed like the right time.”
    â€œWhen would be a right time?” Her voice had a sarcastic edge and she raised one brow in question.
    He maneuvered the vehicle into a parking space along a side street one block away and cut the engine. “I didn’t want to alarm you. It just came up.”
    â€œOh? How recently?”
    He shrugged. “Last week…maybe the week before…”
    â€œAnd how many times have we talked since then?”
    Thomas let out a frustrated sigh. “I probably won’t take it anyway.”
    â€œBut you might.”
    He shrugged.
    â€œOr maybe you want to?” It sounded like a question.
    Thomas turned as much as possible in the seat in order to look directly at Nicole. “Look, my job takes me all over the place. You knew I’d be moving somewhere this summer.”
    â€œYes, but not out of the province!”
    â€œIt’s not so bad. I’d still have to come home a few times a year to keep an eye on Ryder.”
    â€œIn other words, you do want to take the job.”
    â€œI didn’t say that. You’re making something out of