The Snow Leopard's Heart (Glacier Leopards 4)

“Huh,” said Cal, giving Joel that same measuring look. “So you listened to me and got it sorted out, then, I take it.”

“Sure did,” said Joel.

“All right, then,” said Cal. “You two have a seat, we’ll get some dinner.”

Nina sat down tentatively, heartened by Joel’s solid form sliding into the booth next to her. They ordered, and then Cal, glancing between the two of them, started talking about summer in the Park and what the mountains did to the climate.

Slowly, Nina relaxed. The topic was about as innocuous as it could be, and she actually had a few things to contribute, since she’d been living out on the mountains for a while now, on and off, even before she came to Glacier.

Cal, it turned out, was just like Joel had described him: gruff and a bit abrupt, and not the sort of man who relaxed and talked about himself. He was polite enough to Nina, but he interspersed his discussion of the weather with sharp comments at Joel about what the rangers needed to watch out for. He was clearly a man who was dedicated to his job.

Nina wondered if he had a mate at home himself, or if all of his attention was reserved for the Park. She suspected the latter.

“Sounds like you know your way around the territory, Nina,” Cal said, after they’d gotten most of the way through their food. “You thinking about sticking around, then?”

Nina nodded cautiously. “If that’s all right. I’ve got a good job here,” she waved a hand, indicating the diner, “and Joel and I...”

“Makes sense,” Cal said. “We’re pretty casual around here. No formal pack meetings or anything like that. There won’t be much interference with your business; I mind my own and I expect everyone else to do the same.”

Nina thought about Zach and Teri, and wondered if other pack members might be taking it into their own hands to change that a little bit. “That’s just fine,” she said truthfully.

Cal set down his fork and nodded, looking between them. “Well,” he said, “glad to see it all working out for you, Joel. Don’t let any of this new mates business interfere with your work.”

“I won’t,” Joel promised.

“Good to hear it.” Cal pulled out his wallet and dropped enough money on the table to cover everyone’s bill, over their protests, and stood up. “Good to meet you, Nina.” He headed for the door.

Wow. That had been surprisingly...easy. Even pleasant.

Beside her, Joel let out a breath. “Well, looks like you’re welcomed into the pack,” he said to Nina. “In Cal’s signature style.”

Nina was watching Cal get into his truck through the window. “He wasn’t what I was expecting.”

“He’s not really what anyone expects out of an alpha, I don’t think. I don’t have any experience with packs, and I was still surprised at how hands-off he is. I think he’d be happy to—well, maybe not.”

Nina looked back at Joel. “What?”

Joel had an abstracted look on his face. “I was going to say, I think he’d be happy to just live alone in the Park, without anyone bothering him, but that’s just what he told me to avoid, not too long ago. So I don’t know.”

“He doesn’t have a mate?”

Joel shook his head. “Or any family, as far as I know. Although he never talks about himself, so he could have a whole pack of relatives hidden away somewhere and I’d have no idea.”

“Huh.” Out in the parking lot, Cal’s truck pulled out and headed for the road. “I wonder

if he’s lonely.”

Joel shrugged. “Teri and the other girls keep inviting him to things, but he never comes. I don’t know if he doesn’t like us, doesn’t think it’s right to hang out with people who work under him, or if he’d really just rather be alone. I mean, I can sympathize; I mostly don’t come, either.”

“Why not?” Nina asked. “You said you had a hard time with Zach and Teri being mates...”

Joel was quiet for a minute. “Yeah, it’s mostly been that,” he said finally. “I don’t like crowds of people, and I wouldn’t want to hang out with all of them every night, but once a week or so would’ve been okay, if it wasn’t for...that.”

“So now that we’re together—”

Joel was looking at her. “Is that something you’d like? Spending time with Zach and Teri, and Grey and Alethia and Jeff and all of them?”

Nina pictured spending a Saturday night having dinner with Alethia and Teri and Zach and everyone else, laughing like she’d seen Alethia laugh with her friends before. She nodded, not trusting her voice.