Page 114 of Fire Dancer
I wrapped her in my arms. “That too. Somehow. Even if it won’t happen overnight.”
“Well, it had better happen soon,” she muttered, more to herself than to me. Then her eyes narrowed on a plume of dust rising from the road. “Looks like we’ve got company.”
Alarmed, we headed back down at a sharp pace, aiming for the dusty pickup parked by the main house.
Claire was on the porch, showing her horses to a girl of about the same age, and inside…
I pulled up short, staring at the guests.
“Hi, Pippa. Hi, Ingo.” Abby nodded. “Meet Lana and Tina from Twin Moon Ranch.”
I extended a hand slowly. “We’ve met.”
They seemed friendly enough, but I couldn’t help wondering if I had pissed off the most powerful wolf pack in the Southwest.
Abby motioned us to join them at the dining room table, which was covered in paperwork.
“Tina does the taxes for Twin Moon and Seymour Ranch, and Lana knows a hell of a lot about…well, a lot,” Abby said.
Lana grinned. “Jack-of-all-trades when it comes to land and resource management, I guess you can say. A little law, a little real estate, a little mediating between interest groups…”
“Nice to meet you,” Pippa said, though her eyes held a question mark.
“Kyle put us in touch,” Tina explained.
“Lana was just saying…” Abby nodded for Lana to pick up where she’d left off.
“This property assessment is full of holes.” Lana waved the document that had caused Pippa and her sisters so much heartache. “I’m confident you can contest it and get a more favorable assessment.”
Pippa’s eyes went wide, and Abby nodded to her gleefully.
Tina picked up from there. “In fact, you have grounds to file for a refund on what you’ve overpaid over the past few years.” She tapped the tax forms lying before her. “You could be declaring a lot more deductions than you currently have. The storm damage, for example…”
Abby and Pippa exchanged loaded looks. Thestormwas their encounter with Harlon Greene. I’d arrived late on the scene with a squad from the agency, and while the details were hazy, it was clear an epic fight had taken place. The sisters had won with a little help from Nash and a big boost from the vortex they remained tight-lipped about.
I’d never asked, and I intended to keep it that way. The less I knew, the more I avoided a conflict of interest with my job. And, heck. Edwards had said it himself.It’s not possible to investigate all supernatural activity in an area. Just the ones causing concern or harm.
“Then there are the animals you rescue,” Lana chimed in.
That was mostly Abby, but all three sisters shared the costs.
Lana went into details on favorable tax scenarios, but I slowly tuned out when it became clear Pippa and her sisters could stop worrying about the ranch.
“I can’t wait to tell Erin!” Abby grinned from ear to ear.
“Speak of the devil…” Pippa turned as another car came down the drive. Erin and Nash were just returning from their super-early morning shift. Pippa waved them over to the main house, made introductions, and shared the good news.
“I can’t believe it. That’s great!” Erin said, hugging Nash, her sisters, Nash, me, and — you guessed it — Nash. Again.
Lana and Tina kindly offered to help with the paperwork, and Erin set a date to sit down and do just that. Apparently, the ranch accounts were her department. A good thing too, because Pippa… Well, each of the sisters had her own particular talents, and paperwork was not Pippa’s.
The guests departed, and I had the distinct impression of a great friendship being born — not just between Claire and Lana’s daughter, but between the women too.
“Oh, I nearly forgot. I picked up the mail.” Erin pulled several letters from her bag. “Business, business, junk mail…” She tossed each in a separate pile. “One for me, more junk, one for you…”
She handed a letter to Pippa, who studied it, then hissed.
“Jananovich?”