by Jane Jamison
The struggle on Dorrie’s face was painful to watch. “It’s not that she doesn’t like you as a person. It’s just that she’s always had a crush on the Parker brothers. I can’t think of a time when she didn’t want them to take her as their mate.”
“Their mate?”
Dorrie fumbled with her words. “Um, I mean. As their wife.”
“She wants to be the wife of all three of them?”
“Yes. It’s not uncommon around these parts for folks to have multiple partners.”
“O-kay. I want to know more about that later on, but I need to take care of this situation first. Dina having a thing for the Parker men doesn’t excuse her from what she did.”
“Please, Livi, you don’t know if she did this. I realize it looks bad, but you don’t know.”
Dorrie’s face was so hang-dog that it tore at Livi’s heart. While Dina might be a pain in the ass and a vandal, her mother was nothing but sweet and kind. “Okay, fine. I’ll reserve judgment for now. Still, it had to be someone who doesn’t like me or someone who doesn’t want me to get photos of the white wolf. Can you think of anyone who wouldn’t want me to get those pictures?”
“No, of course not. Everyone in Lost Hills is very friendly. As for the white wolf…” She shrugged, obviously not wanting to finish her sentence.
Livi knew when she was beating her head against a wall. “Obviously Lost Hills isn’t as friendly as you think.”
Dorrie started picking up the books and other items that belonged to her. Livi let her, concentrating on her laptop and other photography items. Her heart hurt thinking about all the work, time, and effort she’d put into getting the shots.
She straightened up as a text came through on her phone. Glancing at it and seeing that it was from Bradley, she didn’t bother answering it. Besides, one thought ripped through her, giving her a little spark of joy in the midst of all the chaos.
I still have the photo I took with my phone.
The quality was terrible, unusable for the magazine, but at least it was a photo. It was also incentive for her to keep going. She’d replace her camera, somehow, some way. Even if she had to get Bradley to overnight another camera and let her pay him back. Some day. She wouldn’t make any money now that she had to replace her equipment and laptop, but she didn’t care. She was more determined than ever to complete the assignment.
“I still need to report this to the authorities. If only for insurance purposes.”
Dorrie clutched a stack of books to her chest. “Do you have to?”
The poor woman was worried for her daughter. “Yes, I do. So who is that anyway?”
“We don’t have an actual police force, but Wyatt Bristol takes care of problems. He’s kind of an unofficial sheriff.”
An unofficial sheriff? That figured. “As long as he can write a report, then that’s all I’ll need for my insurance. That and some photographic evidence.” She pulled out her phone, started taking pictures, and wished she’d thought of it before they’d cleaned up. Documentation was everything to insurance agents.
“Oh. All right. If you really think you have to. Unless…”
“Unless what?”
“Unless you’d let me replace everything.”
“And keep quiet about this? Is that what you mean?”
Dorrie didn’t answer. She didn’t have to.
Livi liked Dorrie, but as much as the woman didn’t want her to take any photos or report what had happened, she felt she had to. “I’m sorry that upsets you.”
The moisture in Dorrie’s eyes was the deal breaker. She’d always been a sucker for criers. “Aw, Dorrie, please don’t.”
She wiped a tear away. “But couldn’t you keep the insurance company out of it if I bought you a new camera?” Her gaze drifted to the broken laptop. “And computer?”
“But why would you replace my things if you don’t think Dina damaged them?” They both knew it was Dina, but it seemed Dorrie was the person who would end up paying the consequences.
“It happened in my place, so I feel responsible.” She averted her gaze from Livi’s as she placed the books onto the bookcase. “Please understand. People around here don’t like outsiders poking around our town. The insurance company will want to send a person to investigate. I don’t want to make my neighbors angry.”
“Why would they get angry? Besides, there’s a chance that the insurance company might not even need to come up here. Not if I have pictures to support my claim.” Dorrie was trying way too hard to keep the problem under wraps. She didn’t see how the people of Lost Hills could be so difficult to live with.
“Please, will you let me buy you all new things?”
It didn’t feel right, but since Dorrie was so insistent, she relented. “All right. But I need them really fast so I can get back to work. Like overnight fast. I’ll write down the specific info you’ll need to order them.”
Dorrie had her in her arms before she’d finished speaking. “Oh, thank you. Thank you! I’ll get them as fast as I can.”
She spun on her heels, leaving Livi with the rest of the mess to take care of. Even so, Livi was happy she’d made the decision to not report it.
Multiple partners. Her fantasies of a sexual relationship with more than one man had come true. Why not let the dream take hold and go even farther? Hadn’t she already thought about that possibility even before meeting the men? She could easily see spending the rest of her life with the three Parker men. If they cared, that is.
* * * *
“Back the fuck off, Calem. After what you did, you’d better keep your trap shut.” Nick was across the room before he’d finished talking. Eric and Tony jumped in front of him or he would’ve come to blows with Calem.
“Stay cool, bro,” muttered Eric.
“Calm down. All of you.” Wyatt snarled, but knew better than to get between them. “We’re here to talk about the photos your girlfriend took.”
“And what about Dina and Calem?” Nick doubted he’d manage to stay in control of the wolf inside him. It wanted nothing more than to tear Calem apart. Too bad Dina hadn’t shown up. By staying away, she was showing just how big a coward she was.
“We’ll handle that later, once I’ve had a chance to talk to Dina.”
Nick didn’t doubt that Wyatt believed their version of the story. But he was a fair man who wouldn’t jump to conclusions without hearing from all the parties involved. Aside from Livi, of course. Asking her about what had happened out by the lake would be tricky and not worth the risk.
“There wouldn’t be a problem if they wouldn’t shift into a white wolf.” Skep Warton, with his wife Sugar Foot by his side, glared at them. “That was the simple thing to do. We’ve warned you boys about that and now see what’s happened.”
Nick thrust off his brothers’ hold on him. “That’s their go-to animal. You know that.”
He glanced around the interior of the cave behind Zack Blackwood’s and Chan Channing’s home in the hills. Skinwalkers had met there for various get-togethers, including celebrations and to discuss problems. The fact that there were other were-creatures, like werewolves and were-bears, attending the meeting was unusual.
He continued, determined to make the non-skinwalkers understand. “Tony and Eric are skinwalkers. Some of you might not know, but skinwalkers have a go-to animal to shift into. Theirs is the white wolf. Should they change into something else? Yeah and they know it. But Tony hasn’t bothered any campers in a long time. As for what happened at the lake? They reacted and Tony changed without thinking.”
“Nick’s speaking the truth. I instinctively changed when I saw how Calem, Dina, and the wolf pack had Liv cornered in the lake.” Tony made a slow turn. People shifted on their feet, uncomfortable under his scrutiny. “I’m betting a lot of you would’ve done the same.”
“Going over the past won’t do any good.”
Nick glared at Calem, ignoring Wyatt. “That’s bullshit. They attacked her and she got photos of all
of us. What the hell was that for?”
Calem searched the interior of the cave as he’d done many times since the meeting had started. No doubt he was hoping to see the conspicuously absent Dina.
“Why did you do that, Calem?” Eric didn’t move toward him, but he didn’t have to. His presence was enough to unnerve Calem.
“I, uh, I…”
“He doesn’t fuckin’ know.” Nick tried to stay calm, but the memory of Livi’s terrified face kept surfacing. “Dina’s the mastermind behind the plan and we all know why she went after our future mate.”
Silence was golden for only a moment, before the rumble of everyone talking to their neighbor echoed around the cave. He hadn’t planned on blurting the truth, but now that it was out, so be it.
“That’s the whole problem.” Calem, a slow-thinking slug, knew enough to latch onto the mistake. “Those three are fucking with the safety of our town. They’ve got the hots for the bitch and thinking with their cocks.”
Anger flashed inside Nick. He shifted, bringing out his claws and fangs. If Calem said anything else, he’d hurled his body at the oversized brute.
“Word has it that she’s got them pussy-whipped already.”
The world spun as anger grew to fury. He growled, sending a warning.
“Tell us, boys. I know she’s a human and all, but is she a good fuck?”
Nick barely heard the gasps and mutters of the surrounding crowd. He hunkered down, ready to leap. But just as he was about to hurl his body at Calem, he caught the whir of a white object flying past him.
Tony had shifted in mid-air, changing into his white wolf.
“Urgh!”
Nick tried to block Eric as he threw his body at Tony, but missed. Eric’s blow sent Tony spiraling off to the side, hurtling past Calem. A howl pierced the air as Tony hit the ground.
Chapter Seven
Livi didn’t bother with her car. The Witches’ Brew was close enough to walk, not to mention that the exercise might help calm her down.
She could understand Dorrie wanting to keep her daughter’s behavior secret, but the whole white wolf thing was getting out of hand. It was a damn wolf. Why did everyone have such a problem with getting a photo? Granted, more people might want to visit Lost Hills to see the white wolf, but that would bring more revenue to the town. From the looks of the place, Lost Hills could use some visitors throwing their cash around. Besides, couldn’t they understand that she was only trying to make a living?
She pulled out her phone, her head down, and noted that she didn’t have any bars. As the men had said, cell phone service was horrible in and around Lost Hills, going off and on, but it seemed to be more off than on.
When she hit something hard, she let out a curse and tried to step back. Strong hands held on to her and kept her close.
“Aw, shit. I’m sorry, missy. Pardon my French.”
She brought her head up from looking at his worn boots over the equally worn jeans, over the leather vest and up to the face that looked like he’d just stepped out of the Old West. His black handlebar mustache was slickened with oil while his bushy, black eyebrows were allowed to go wild. Sharp gray eyes settled on her even as he smiled to reveal crooked teeth.
She recognized the man who had waved at her the day she’d arrived. Right before she’d almost run over Dorrie.
“It’s good to meet you, Miss Brackin.”
She moved back, not because she feared him, but because she had to get another look at all of him. He was the classic cowboy straight off a Charles M. Russell sculpture. She couldn’t help but smile back. “Do I know you?”
“Name’s Wyatt Bristol.”
“Oh, so you’re the great Wyatt Bristol.”
He chuckled. Judging from the lines around his eyes, he chuckled a lot. “Whatever you’ve heard is a lie.”
“Even the good things?”
The twinkle in his eyes brightened. “’Course not. Though I reckon you’re just being kind.”
“Mr. Bristol, can I ask you a question?”
“Sure can.” He gave as good as he got. “Can’t promise I’ll answer.”
“Fair enough.” She liked him. He was one of those people she knew she could trust from the first moment they’d met. “Do you know where the Parker brothers are?”
She was positive from his quick flash of recognition that he did. But that he didn’t want to tell her.
“Right this second? No, miss. I saw them a little earlier, though.” He was guarded and appeared to be weighing his words with care.
“Can I ask where and when that was?” She didn’t want him to feel like she was interrogating him like an investigative reporter, but she had to get some answers.
“About a half hour ago.” He twisted the end of his mustache. “I take it that you’re looking for them?”
Well, duh. She refrained from being smart-mouthed. “I am. Do you know where they are now?” What did she have to do to get a straight answer? Challenge him to a duel at noon?
“Considering Tony had quite a knot on his head, I’m thinking they probably headed home.”
“A knot?” Just the thought of one of the men hurt made her stomach twist into a knot of its own. “Is he okay?”
“Oh, sure. I doubt Eric hit him as hard as he could. Besides, those boys have hard heads.”
She had to agree with that. “How’d he get hurt? Were they fighting?”
He twisted his mustache again. Did he need to do that to think?
“I reckon I’ll let him tell you once they meet up with you again.”
If they met up with her again. “I’d rather go to them. Could you tell me where to find them? Or how to get to their ranch?”
He gave her questions another twist of his mustache before he finally gave in. “The Lonesome Trail Ranch isn’t easy to find by people who aren’t familiar with these parts. Still, I reckon if you put your smarts to it, you can get there all right. Head on out this road and when you come to a wolf’s skull hanging on the post of a fence, turn right and keep going. The trick is to keep your wits about you and fork to the right whenever the road splits. That’s how most folks go wrong. Do that and you can’t miss it.”
“A wolf’s skull? Got it. Thanks.”
In the next second, his demeanor changed. “Miss Brackin, would you take unkindly to a little advice?”
“As long as I’m not required to take it. And, please, call me Livi.”
“I’ll do that. And it’s up to you whether you think my advice is worth the taking. But I’d like to think you’d give it some thought before you chuck it out.”
“I can do that. No promises to do anything more than that, though.”
“Fair enough.”
She had an idea that she knew what he might say, but she’d hear him out anyway.
“Livi, I’ve heard that you’re here to get a photo of the white wolf.”
“Does that mean you’re confirming that the white wolf exists?” Having someone else admit it couldn’t hurt.
He recognized her attempt to get him to admit its existence and slid right past it. “I hear you had a problem out by the lake.”
Crap. Which one, if not all, of the Parker brothers told him? And just how much had they said? And how many people have they told?
She refused to be embarrassed, no matter how many details were on the town’s gossip train. “You could say so. I saw the white wolf and even got pictures of it.”
His narrowed gaze made her nervous. Instead of showing that he was getting to her, she thrust out her chin, determined to fake steely nerves even if her nerves were more like rubber.
“Would you mind showing me those pictures?”
He knows the white wolf exists, so why does he care to see the photos?
“I can’t.”
“You can’t?”
She heard the unspoken “or you won’t?” that he kept to himself. “Can’t. They, um, didn’t come out. I’m going to have to try and get more.”
&nbs
p; His barrel chest rose and fell with his disappointment. “About that advice. Are you still up to listening to it?”
“Sure. Why not?”
“What I’m going to suggest is that you go on back to L.A. Some people aren’t too fond of strangers running around, especially out in the forest.”
“Why not? I’m not doing any harm.” He knew more than he was telling her, which made her more determined to get answers.
“Folks around here are kind of particular that way. They get set in their ways. When someone they don’t know starts nosin’”—he blinked at his choice of words—“uh, looking around, it kinds of sits wrong with them.”
“Enough to cause trouble for me?” She’d told Dorrie she wouldn’t say anything about the vandalism of her room, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t put out feelers about it.
The weathered face hardened. “Naw. Most folks are just plain too good to do bad. If they did, that wouldn’t sit well with me or others. I can tell you that much. Are you just asking or are you talking about something in particular?”
She wouldn’t say anything more. “Nope. Just asking.”
The look he gave her said he didn’t believe her. She guessed he was a good judge of character and had plenty of experience telling a lie from the truth.
“Still, I hope you understand what I’m getting at.”
“I do.”
He looked relieved, until she kept talking. “But I’m hoping everyone will understand that I have a job to do and I pride myself on getting the job done.”
His mouth twitched back and forth, making his mustache dance. “I’m getting a gut feeling you’re not going to take my advice.”
“Then you’ve got a good gut.”
He nodded, sagely. “Well, I kind of expected as much. Still, if you change your mind…”
“I won’t.” She was trying hard not to get irritated. Was the entire town against her?
“Don’t think too bad of me.” A softness came over him. “I’m out to make sure you stay safe.”
It was difficult to think badly of a man who had her best interest at heart. “Thanks, Mr. Bristol. I appreciate that.”
