Free Werewolf in Seattle: A Wild About You Novel by Vicki Thompson Page B

to
set the tone
as she’d put it, the staff might have to wear somethingmore formal. “The salmon was great, Sybil,” he said. “Please thank Janet for producing it on short notice.”
    Sybil nodded. “I will.” She glanced over at Regis. “In case you’re wondering, tonight’s meal was a special request of the laird.”
    Regis chuckled. “Knocks me out, these fancy foreign titles.” He turned to Colin. “What does a laird do, anyway?”
    “It’s not that much different from being the pack alpha,” Colin said. “We’re the guardians of a certain area and those who live within its boundaries. In my case, I combine both roles, as my father did before me.”
    Regis drank the last of his wine, an excellent white from the Whittier House cellars. “And the last thing you need is another responsibility on the far side of the world, right?”
    “I thought so, and that’s why I scheduled this appointment with you.”
    “And I’m honored that you did.” Regis was practically licking his chops. The commission on the sale of Le Floret and the castle on it would bring him a year’s worth of income.
    “But Luna has presented me with a most intriguing proposition.” Colin glanced at her and savored the surprise and pleasure in her green eyes. “She’s suggested turning Whittier House into an exclusive Were resort. I’m seriously considering the possibility.”
    Regis looked as if he’d bit into a lemon. “Risky business, the hospitality industry. Fortunes have been lost trying to gauge the tastes of the fickle public.”
    “But this is a specialty area,” Luna said. “Not many places cater specifically to Weres. Whittier House is already set up for that, including the need for open spaces, specially designed exits and entrances, and the most important aspect of all: seclusion.”
    Regis gazed at her with new respect. “You have a point, and Weres do tend to have money to spend on luxury accommodations. I know of one large hotel that caters to Weres. It’s near Denver, in Estes Park.”
    “I’ve heard of that one,” Colin said. “A large Were conference is scheduled there, but I’ve forgotten when.”
    “Sometime in the next six to eight months, I think,” Regis said. “But back to your venture. Do you really want the headache of operating a business from your estate in Glenbarra? Why not just sell and be rid of the responsibility?”
    Luna clutched her napkin and leaned forward. Candlelight danced in her glossy dark hair. “Or postpone that decision until the market for such properties is more lucrative. And in the meantime, create a guaranteed revenue stream.”
    Regis glanced over at her. “And you would run the facility?”
    “I hope to, yes.”
    “And the chef stays?”
    Luna nodded. “She’s a key factor in whether this would work.”
    “I agree.” Regis settled back in his chair and patted his mouth with his napkin. “I hate the idea of losing the business, but if you two follow through with this plan, I’ll book a couple of rooms. My wife and my in-laws would love it here.”
    Colin’s gaze met Luna’s for one brief moment. She glowed with excitement, and his heart lurched. From what she’d told him the night before, she’d struggled for every bit of security in her life. Running this inn would mean the world to her.
    He understood the drawbacks of owning a business so far away from his home base. He’d have to trust her implicitly. Despite sophisticated means of communication,he still couldn’t supervise the operation adequately from Scotland.
    But, the devil take it, he wanted to do this. His reasons were complicated and he wasn’t sure he’d examined all his motives as thoroughly as he should. Some of them might be less than noble.
    He wanted Luna, more so with every passing moment in her presence. She would be grateful to him if he gave her the job of running the inn. But he didn’t believe in that kind of coercion on the part of males over females.
    Besides, she could