"My grandparents are my only family. They raised me since I was in grade school. They're swamped with Christmas orders and can't make it out here this year for Christmas, which is actually a good thing, so I don't have to explain … " she glanced around her to make sure no one was listening and then finished, her voice lowered, "this whole mating thing."
Then she broke out in a grin. "Oh, look, things are going to get even more fun for your mother."
Nelda had managed to chase off most of the women by giving them jobs to do, which left her wide open. Teddy saw her standing alone, ran straight to Nelda and was pulling on her coat. "Is that real fur?" Teddy demanded. "What kind of fur is it from? Is it wolf fur?"
"Good heavens, you smell," Nelda said in horror.
"That's because I didn't take a bath this week." Teddy sounded as if she were annoyed that Nelda was so dense.
Nelda pulled a packet of handy wipes from her purse. "Arthur! Come over here and wipe this child's face! No, wait, it'll have germs." Arthur walked over and started wiping Teddy's face anyway, while Teddy peppered Nelda with questions and Nelda tried to ignore her.
"Where are you from? This is a human town. Why did you come here? Your scarf is pretty. Can I have your scarf? Why not? Can I have your earrings? Why are you putting that wreath there? Will you read me a book? What's your favorite book?"
Nelda gave the child a severe look. "You are a lazy, shiftless child, standing around watching the adults work and doing nothing. No wonder your family is poor, with that kind of work ethic."
"We're poor because my mother's not right in the head," Teddy said, apparently not at all offended.
"What a surprise." Nelda handed Teddy a wreath. "Go put that wreath on that hook over there. And when you're done, you will start stringing up lights." She waved at Arthur. "You, put up some hooks there, on that door, over there, and there … You, human woman – no, I don't want to know your name – you're putting the wreaths too close together. Take them all down."
"Well, at least she's getting her aggression out in a productive fashion," Valerie mused. "Maybe by the time she's done she'll be too tired to bitch at me."
Morgan gave her a look.
"Right. She'll never be too tired."
Twenty minutes later, Teddy's mother, Liane, and her Aunt Rosa showed up at the pavilion. Liane went to get a hot toddy, and Rosa made her way over to Valerie and Morgan.
"I heard Teddy came over here?" Rosa said in a tired, harassed voice. She had circles under her eyes. "She was supposed to stay with my kids while I was at work, but she keeps wandering off," she muttered. "We won't have this problem much longer. As soon as the mineral waters start working, Liane will be able to start watching Teddy again. That child is constantly running off. Just like her mother."
She looked over at Liane, who was wandering off by herself.
"Liane, get back here!" she called out sharply.
Liane looked around in confusion, and one of the volunteers steered her back toward Rosa.
"The springs aren't working yet?" Valerie asked, looking mildly alarmed. "I mean, you've seen some improvement, haven't you?"
"Well, it's only been a week." Rosa rubbed her face with her hands and yawned. "I expect it takes different amounts of time to work on different people."
"Teddy's been no problem. You can always call me if you need help with her, and I'll find someone to watch her," Valerie said. The Benevolent Society ladies tried to help, she knew, but there were only a dozen of them, and they had their own families too.
Rosa nodded. "Well, gotta get home to my kids," she said. She hurried over to Nelda and said, "Sorry, I hope she wasn't bothering you."
"Well, of course she was," Nelda said crossly. "I'm trying to get some work done here. You should keep her locked up."
As Rosa led Teddy off, Nelda walked over to Morgan and Valerie. Arthur came to join them, brushing his gloved hands together to knock off the pine needles.
"Got all the garlands hung. What's next?" he said.
"What's next is we're leaving. I've had quite enough of this dreadful place. And that child couldn't hang a wreath for beans. I kept having to fix them," she said irritably. "Wasn't she dreadful, Arthur?"
"I expect so, ma'am," he said complacently.
"We're about to head back too," Morgan said, standing up and helping Valerie to her feet.
Nelda looked around at the shanty town residents who were packing up the empty wreath boxes and heading back to their homes. "You know, there would be an excellent opportunity for a good tailor here," she said.
"How's that?" Valerie asked.
Nelda shook her head in puzzlement. "All these people with holes in their clothing. They clearly need a tailor. It's a wonder that it hasn't occurred to them."
"You've never actually hung out with poor people before, have you?" Valerie asked, staring at her.
"Of course not, why would I?"
Chapter Seven
"It's nothing personal," the silver-haired man said, looking down his nose at Valerie.
"That's funny. It sure feels personal," Morgan said with irritation.
Valerie didn't know a lot about shifter packs, but she did know that they all followed their own set of rules, mostly formed back in the 1930s when shifters had first been created. The rules of Morgan's pack were enforced by the Pack Elder. His name was Boothe Suggit. He was a tall, lean man with salt-and-pepper hair and deep lines like parentheses running from his nose to the corners of his downturned mouth.
Someone had summoned him from the pack's home in California, although he refused to say who and nobody was ‘fessing up. Now he stood there, holding a copy of the contract in his hand and looking at them all with an imperious, disapproving gaze.
Morgan's entire family was already at the main house, where they'd gathered for an uncomfortable and awkward breakfast.
They all stood there looking innocent and staring at various points on the ceiling.
"It wasn't me," Arthur said to his boss. He'd moved into the house to help Morgan out while his family was there.
"Well, obviously. You'd never do something that would stir up a fight," Morgan said, scowling at his family.
"True," Arthur agreed.
"I know it was you," Elmira said to Nelda.
Nelda looked at her haughtily. "You're the one who actually thinks either of her sons would have a chance at Alpha."
"Well, that's just ridiculous. Of course my Hud would be Alpha," CoraBelle said indignantly, stroking Hud's arm.
"Would not!" Camden said loudly, glowering and bunching his hands into fists. "I could whip him with one paw tied behind my back."
"So could I," Festus added quickly, but he didn't sound as sure of himself.
Elmira patted his arm. "Of course you could, dear," she said.
"Neither one of them is fit to be Beta, much less lead the pack!" CoraBelle snarled at her.
All the women went furry-faced and started snapping at each other.
"Knock it off!" Morgan barked at them.
They kept snarling.
"This is your Alpha speaking," he growled, and they retracted their fangs and smoothed their fur back under their skin, but kept glaring at each other.
"That contract is at least eighty years old. It's got to be horribly outdated," Honoria said.
"Still legally binding," Boothe said coolly.
"Aren't you a distant cousin of Hud's? That means you're related to someone who's got a vested interest in who becomes Alpha," Honoria continued. "That's a conflict of interest."
Boothe gave her a superior look. "Shifter law is entirely different from human law. And my blood relations don't change what was written in the contract eighty-five years ago."
He turned to Morgan. "When did you announce that you'd selected a mate?"
"He told us one week ago," Nelda said. "Why?"
"Exactly one week?"
Nelda nodded. "Yes. To the day."
"Has he taken his mate out for their wilderness retreat yet?" Boothe asked.
"What's that?" Valerie asked.
Nelda nodded eagerly. "Ah, yes, the wilderness retreat."
"Within one week of the Alpha announcing his selection of a mate, he's required to take her out into the wilderness, naked. They remain there for three days and hunt their own food. This symbolizes their strength and their ability to lead the pack." He looked down his nose at Morgan. "That's one reason why the Alpha usually announces the mating in the summertime. But your call, not mine."