Beta's Mate (Siberian Volkov Pack Romance Series Book 8) by Caryn Moya Block

one thing could be inside, skis. Sure enough, a brand new pair of Heidiskis and Leki poles were inside.
    Brenda ran her fingers over the shiny surface of the white ash, admiring the wolves running over the blades. She should probably send them back. She knew how much they cost, but it would be so much fun to use them. She sniffed at the paper, and there it was, Granger’s woodsy scent. Why did he have to be so nice, buying her a gift she really liked? There wasn’t even a note with the package that she could tear up. Returning the skis would be hard. She’d always dreamed of being able to afford nice equipment like this. Brenda bit her bottom lip and placed the skis next to the door. She’d decide what to do after she finished washing the dishes.
    The resort officially opened in three days. With the new powder from last night, she might be able to get some skiing in today after checking out the runs for Remi. What would it be like to fly down the mountain on her new skis?
    A short time later, another knock on the door heralded the arrival of Remi and her ride to the resort. She glanced at the skis sitting next to the door as she hurried to answer the summons. Brenda had decided she couldn’t keep them. Granger must think he could buy her love to send such a gift. She would tell him exactly what she thought about his attempt when she saw him. In fact she looked forward to it.
    She swung open the door to see Luc’s smiling face. A handsome young man, he had dark hair like his father. It was Luc’s eyes that called attention, with their emerald green color, and long black eyelashes any woman would covet. Remi waved from the Jeep sitting in the drive.
    “Hey, Brenda. Did you like the new skis? Isn’t it great the Ski Patrol is getting new equipment this year? Dad was saying how they needed to update their supplies. Where are they? I’ll get them strapped to the Jeep.” Luc smiled and stood waiting.
    Brenda pointed to the skis and poles sitting next to the door. New equipment for the Ski Patrol… not a personal gift from Granger. Her skin flushed and she shook her head. She had almost made a fool of herself, again. Of course the skis were for the job, and not because she was Granger’s mate. Why did she automatically think the worst? She needed to get her head on straight. Grabbing her parka and lunch, Brenda rushed after Luc.
    The ride to the Ski Patrol office didn’t take long. Brenda followed Remi to the door as Luc hurried to his job in the restaurant. He used his key and reached over to flip on the light switch. “Uh oh, looks like the power is out. I’ll get the generator going out back. Can you call the hotel and see what the problem is?” Remi asked.
    “Sure.” Brenda dashed to the phone and pressed the number for the switchboard operator. In a few minutes she had the information written down for Remi’s return. He walked in the door, knocking the snow from his boots.
    “What’d you find out?” Remi asked.
    “It looks like the storm dropped some trees over the power lines. They’ve called for a utility crew.”
    “Well, at least it didn’t happen on opening day. You might change your mind about working for the resort after you experience that madness.” Remi winked at her.
    “I think I can handle it, Remi.”
     
    §
     
    “This tree wasn’t knocked down by the storm. It was cut.” Granger pointed out to the utility crew.
    “We’ll have to report this to the Sûreté du Québec . Looks like vandalism,” the crew supervisor said.
    Granger nodded. “Do what you have to do. The resort opens in two days.”
    “We’ll get on it as soon as we can, Monsieur Thibault .”
    Granger trudged through the snow to his truck on the newly plowed road. They’d had a few cases of vandalism before, but this felt wrong. Granger headed for the Alpha’s lodge to make his report. First, the storm, and now with working on the power outage, he wasn’t going to get into Quebec City today.
    He pulled through