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Given the state he was in, Rusty smirked and cocked an eyebrow at his mate. “What do you think?”

“That you’d better get dressed before the next one through that door is Baz or Charlie, whose motivational tactics won’t be nearly as nice as mine.”

“I’m moving,” Rusty groaned, brushing his hair out of his eyes as he sat up and skimmed the bed to see where his t-shirt landed.

Logan was in a similar state and struggling to pull his sleep pants on.

“Thought so,” Roark replied, shaking his head once more as he headed for the door.

The moment it closed behind him, Logan and Rusty collapsed on the pillows, laughing until Roark poked his head back into the room and shot them a fierce look.

“Uh-oh…” Logan muttered, lowering his voice to a conspiratorial whisper. “He’s giving us the adorable glower again.”

“Not adorable,” Roark grumbled, scowling more.

Rusty sat up, looked him dead in the eyes and grinned at Roark’s attempt to appear fierce. “Yeah, you are.”

“He’s right, you know,” Logan said, snickering when Roark glared at him next. “Sorry. But damn. He’s fucking right.”

“Let’s see how right he is when Baz gets here,” Roark shot back. “Since that sounds like his footsteps stomping down the stairs.”

Rusty scrambled out of the tangle of bedding so fast that he almost tumbled off the edge of the bed, while Logan did the same on the other side. The bemused look on Roark’s face as he held the door open for them was almost as comical as the one on Logan’s when he realized Roark had been bluffing. There was no sign of Baz. Just an empty hallway and Roark’s laughter as he followed them upstairs to join the rest of their family.

Chapter Thirty

(Roark)

“Thank you all for being here tonight for the first installment of the Crooked Fang variety show,” Rusty announced now that the last of their visitors had found a spot to watch the show. “Allow me to present the first act of the evening, the comedy misadventures of Grumpy Hedgehog and Mr. Ground Squirrel.”

Roark’s gaze swept the room as applause filled it. Every seat was full and the floor was covered in furry bodies. Gina and Colin had brought Bailey, who’d sprawled on the floor besides Wren, with Garrett and Monroe on either side of them. The tiny pups had all found laps to perch on, clapping along with everyone else while they waited for the puppet show to begin.

Grumpy Hedgehog ambled out, nosing at a pile of paper leaves, while Mr. Ground Squirrel scampered about, collecting the leaves that had blown across the stage. Thanks to the Velcro dots they’d glued to the backs, Mr. Ground Squirrel was able to stick the leaves all over Grumpy Hedgehog.

“Cease that at once!” Grumpy Hedgehog demanded, stomping one of his stumpy feet. “What do you think you’re doing?”

“Collecting leaves, of course.”

“Bring a bag next time!”

“Why, when your prickles are so convenient?”

Grumpy Hedgehog was not amused and shook himself, trying to rid himself of the leaves, but only one fell off. Grumbling beneath his breath, he shook harder this time, so hard he lost his balance and toppled into the leaf pile he’d been sniffing.

“Now look what’s happened!” Grumpy Hedgehog complained, wiggling around in the leaves, trying to regain his footing while Mr. Ground Squirrel snickered and gathered more leaves. “Keep away from me with those you fiend!”

There was happy chattering as Mr. Ground Squirrel took great pleasure in covering Grumpy Hedgehog’s prickles before helping him up, leaves from the pile stuck to him too as he ambled over to the tissue paper pond at the edge of the stage to get a look at himself. There were even tiny, sparkly fish glued to the paper in several places, and a turtle on a tissue paper rock in the center.

“Are you happy now?” Grumpy Hedgehog asked Mr. Ground Squirrel as he gathered the few leaves that weren’t stuck to his friend. “Where do you expect me to go, covered in leaves like this?”

“We’re taking them home with us,” Mr. Ground Squirrel announced. “We can sleep in them while we hibernate.”

“I’m not hibernating with you,” Grumpy Hedgehog declared. “Have you heard how loud you snore?”

“How am I supposed to hear myself snoring if I’m asleep?” Mr. Ground Squirrel asked. “You won’t hear me either because you’ll be sleeping too.”

Logan had given Mr. Ground Squirrel a high, squeaky voice, his lines delivered rapidly, in contrast to Grumpy Hedgehogs’. Rusty made him grumble as he ambled along, every word filled with exasperation.

“Humph. My prickles are a mess.”