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As soon as they had it all figured out, Maisie ordered a couple of birdbaths, two birdhouses, and six bird feeders. “I’m putting half of them at the inn and half here at home. I like the way Edeen’s and Colleen’s gardens have stone paths, like the inn too, and stone flower beds.”

“We have a lot of stones on the acreage that we can use as retaining walls anywhere you want them.”

She smiled. “I can’t wait to fill the planters with flowers.”

***

Late that afternoon, Anne and their parents dropped by Robert and Maisie’s house a couple of hours before the celebration dinner with the rest of the extended family so they could meet Robert and see the house and not have to wait until the open house. They would come back for the open house tomorrow, of course.

Robert gave the sisters’ mother a hug and then the father. Mittens greeted everyone. Anne ended up cuddling her.

“Does anyone want cocktails or a glass of wine before we go to the pie shop?” Maisie asked.

“A glass of wine, sure,” Frederick said.

Their mother also wanted one.

Robert poured everyone a glass of wine and then took them on a tour of the house. Her mother was impressed with the main bedroom’s closet. “Now I want one just like that,” Janet said to her mate. “And the tub with the jets? I really could use one of those.”

Her husband laughed. “Maybe in the new place we get, we can have renovations to include them.”

“I was telling Maisie that you could build a home on our acreage. We have fifty acres.” Robert walked them outside to show them the patio and the area where they planned to put the garden.

“Oh, if we can’t find a place to buy, we might take you up on it,” Janet said.

“Right. But for now, we’ve found some good possibilities,” Frederick said.

Anne was still carrying Mittens, rubbing her cheek against the cat’s.

“Your house is really lovely. Can we see the clinic also?” Janet asked.

“Aye, sure.” Robert led them over to the clinic, holding Maisie’s hand like they were newlyweds.

“Are you going to stay for a while and look for a place to buy?” Maisie asked.

“Yeah. We’re planning on staying at the inn for about a week and while we’re there, we’ll look for a place to live,” Frederick said.

“I’m so glad.” Maisie gave her mom and dad a hug.

“We were only just waiting to hear how you and Anne were doing financially with your business and if you were happy to be here. We really didn’t expect you to meet a wolf and mate him anytime soon.” Janet smiled.

“I was just photographing marine life when it happened,” Maisie said. “I certainly wasn’t looking for a wolf for a long-term commitment at the time. But you know how it happens when it’s supposed to—if you’re lucky, that is.”

“Aye, your mom and I met like that. We didn’t have any notion of finding each other either.” He turned to address Robert. “Janet and I were both stranded on an uninhabited island after the fishing boat we were on sank, but we hadn’t met each other before that. There were maybe thirty-five people on the boat, but she was the only other wolf. We had to wait several hours for a rescue boat. We were able to rescue some of the fishing equipment that was washed near the shore. I thought I was a damn good fisherman, but here comes this pretty she-wolf, and I swear she was catching fish left and right while I was still trying to catch my first one.”

“I’m sure it had all to do with the currents, dear,” Janet said.

Frederick chuckled. “She caught so many pollock and coalfish, she shared them with me and several other people who couldn’t catch any. We cleaned and cooked the fish to sustain us until help arrived. She and I got to talking. Theconnection was instantaneous. As soon as we were off the island, we made plans to see each other again. Two weeks later, we were mated,” Frederick said.

“Yeah, you know when it’s right and you can’t live without the wolf you’ve met,” Janet said. “That’s why we knew you had found the right wolf for you this time, Maisie.”

“Did you meet the other wolves Maisie dated?” Robert asked.

“Oh, we sure did. We knew right away they weren’t the ones for Maisie. But she had to do her own thing until she realized for sure they weren’t right for her,” Janet said.

“I so appreciate you for it,” Maisie said. “By knowing who truly wasn’t for me, I found who truly was. I’m so glad I met Robert.”

Then they took a tour of the clinic and all its rooms, and her parents loved it.