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The seven-month-olds were watching the others, poking noses into snow holes, pawing as if trying to make their own snow caves, and bumping into each other as if they didn’t quite have control over their cub legs.

All the ladies watched to make sure that no one wandered off, and after about forty-five minutes of rigorous outdoor play, the older boys didn’t seem to be wearing down much. But the seven-month-olds were lying down on the snow, snuggling together, observing the wild older boys, tackling, biting each other, snarling, and growling. The toddlers were sitting or lying on the snow next to the younger ones, looking worn out.

Then Robyn grunted, and the women all ushered the little ones inside. Monica feared they’d have to carry the youngestones inside; they were moving so slowly. But they were too heavy to lift as polar bears at this age.

Once inside, all the ladies, Garrett, and Bryan shifted and dressed. Then it was time for fresh diapers for the little ones and dressing them. The ladies and older boys hugged Monica before they took the half-asleep babies and toddlers out to their respective vans, and then they drove home.

Now it was time for Monica to take a nap. She would make a nice dinner for Andy and make love to him if he wasn’t too worn out. First, a call to him, though. She looked at her phone and saw he had called her several times while they had been out in the snow.

She quickly called him and headed for the bedroom. “Hey, you, is everything all right?”

He laughed. “My brothers and cousins told me you have a ladies' and kids’ day out. Are you all right?”

“Yeah. I’m as tired as the kids, and I’m going to nap. What would you like me to fix for dinner?”

“Beef stroganoff? It’s great warmed up if I get in rather late. I’ve got a recipe in the book and all the ingredients.”

“You’ve got it. And if you’re not too tired after that…”

He laughed. “I’m never too tired for that. When I can, I’ll give you a call later.”

“Look forward to it. All of it!”

Monica was barelyawake after a lovely nap when she thought she heard the Ring camera’s fairy tune at the front door. She stretched and yawned, then got out of bed. Once she reached the door, she peeked out and saw a white Maine Coon kitten sitting in a basket filled with pink fluffy blankets and a card attached.

She knew to be wary of gifts like that, but the kitten was mewing, and it was too cold for her to be outside. Monica hurried to open the door. Pierre walked into view, his curly sandy hair a ragged mop on his head, but the telltale bruising and cut on his forehead made her realize he hadn’t lied about Denny hitting him.

“Hey, Monica, don’t be mad at me for not telling you what I couldn’t before, but I’m a DEA informant, and my handler swore me to secrecy. I hope you’re not allergic to cats. Snowflake is my peace offering to you. Can I come in and talk?”

“How did you know I was staying here?” She lifted the basket as gently as possible, so as not to startle the kitten.

“I overheard a couple of men at the White Bear Tavern saying that you had moved in with Andy and were going to mate him. I thought it was an odd way of putting it.”

“You have a lot of explaining to do.” She frowned at him. “How could you become an informant?”

“A friend of mine’s kid overdosed in Anchorage, the reason I relocated here. I wanted to help take down the bastards responsible. Believe me, I’m coming clean about all of it with you. I’ll be right back. I need to get her litter box and litter, play toys, climbing tree, and bed.”

She hoped Pierre was on the up and up and wasn’t trying to con her. But he risked coming to see her and being arrested, so she thought he might be telling the truth. She hadn’t smelled deception or fear on him. He just seemed relieved.

Thankfully, she wasn’t allergic to cats since she was a bear shifter. She hoped Andy wouldn’t be upset about having a cat as their first baby. Or annoyed that Pierre was the one who gave the kitten to her.

Pierre returned with armloads of gifts. “Where do you want me to put all this?”

She hadn’t expected him to purchase a pink princess bed for Snowflake surrounded by soft velour sides for a little cave-like appearance, a climbing tree meant for a much bigger cat, an enclosed cat litter box to keep mess down to a minimum, and a pink water and food dish covered in white snowflakes.

“These are just adorable. You can put the climbing tree over in the corner, and we can have her bed there for now.” She knew she needed to get to the business of what he had been up to, but taking care of the kitten was just too all-encompassing. “The litter box can go in the mudroom. She can easily access a quiet place off to the side.”

“Got it. A friend had kittens ready to go home to a new family, so I bought the prettiest little female just for you.”

“She’s adorable.” Then she sighed. “You know I’ve got to record all you have to say.” Monica tried to be as professional as possible as she sat on one of the recliners and cuddled the purring kitten on her lap.

Right away, Snowflake was kneading her lap and falling asleep. This was so nice. A great companion when Andy was away. Monica began recording the interview with Pierre, identifying him and the time, and said, “All right, go.”

“Yeah,” Pierre said, sitting on the sofa opposite her. “Okay, you know I really liked you when I met you at the café.”

“Yes, and we had a great time.” But it couldn't have lasted because he wasn’t a polar bear.

“At the time, I couldn’t tell you I was working on a DEA case as an informant. I wanted to. You were an FBI agent. I thought I could, but my handler said no way. That he didn’t want you to be involved and hurt in the process.”