With the grin still on his face, Randy turned back to the deck. The wolf was gone. Nothing but the round spot of wet wood in the middle of the snow dusting remained.
That felt like more of a shame than it should have, and as the snow began to fill in the empty spot, trading the wolf’s heat for cold, so too did the temperature inside the house feel like it slipped a few degrees. Randy turned to peer at the thermostat and then decided against nudging it any higher. Oil was expensive and he was more than sure that his shivers had more to do with the booze than the cold.
He flicked off the light and peered into the yard. “Good night, furry dude.”
* * * *
Randy stared at the bottle of Crown Royal on the counter, still not entirely convinced he was going to bring it over. It was a good one,
