Page 19 of Meant for Her
“Jesus. They didn’t ask you in for a drink after all you did for them?”
That hadn’t occurred to her. “No, but I think Ryan was worried about Luke. He was really upset. Remember, they might have lost their ranch to those rustlers.”
“Fine, I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt. I would try to learn something about Les and Don Bradley—from afar, of course. If they prove interesting, tell Luke and Ryan about them. That should get you in the door.”
She liked that plan. “I’ll try that.” Malia stood. “And remember. For the time being, mum’s the word.”
Will held up two fingers in a Boy Scout salute even though he’d never been a Boy Scout in any sense, but Malia loved him nonetheless.
She left the bar and headed out the Harm’s Way entrance. From there she crossed the street and rushed over to Mason’s Private Investigation office. She probably should have called in case he was out, but the exercise would be good for her.
When she stepped into his office, Mason was on the phone, pacing. He looked up, smiled, and then held up a finger. Malia hadn’t been in his office in quite some time, but the last time it was a total mess. Now, it looked almost presentable. She bet Tawny had a hand in guilting him to clean it up.
Mason disconnected and faced her. “Dad just called and gave me a quick rundown of the cattle theft. Come into my office so we can chat.”
Wow. That was fast. Noah must have called Uncle Adam the moment she crossed the street to speak with Will. “Does he know anything about it?”
“No. In fact, he said he doesn’t recall any cattle being stolen this year. However, he or Noah will call Sheriff Hanson since it’s his jurisdiction.”
“That’s good. I just hope the sheriff doesn’t visit the men right away.”
Mason huffed. “Yeah, especially if he spots them on the range, looking physically fit. I doubt most humans would recover without a few weeks’ rest.”
“I’ll be sure to mention that to them. Luke’s injuries weren’t that severe even for a human, but the bullet to Ryan’s side would put a human out of commission for a while.”
“Is there anything I can do to help?” he asked.
She explained that she spoke with Seth and then Will, hoping one of them would know something. “Turns out Will just told me that he heard about Don and Les Bradley selling some rebranded cattle at auction last week. He doesn’t know any more about it than that. I thought you might be able to check them out. Will doesn’t know if they are even werewolves. If they aren’t, that eliminates them.”
“I can look into it. But you said these men were robbed yesterday, right?”
“Yes, but the cattle the men sold last week could have been from another heist.”
“I’ll see what I can find out.”
“Thank you.” She debated asking him to find out what happened to Luke and Ryan’s mother, but if Malia told everyone in the family that these men were her mates, it would definitely leak to her parents. She’d tell them when the time was right.
Malia left her cousin’s office. She crossed Harm’s Way Road and then cut through the alley to reach Wintergreen Road where she’d parked. While the information on the Bradley brothers was weak, she should tell the men that someone in the Wildwood sheriff’s department was going to contact Sheriff Hanson. She wasn’t sure what would happen if Sheriff Hanson showed up at the hospital tomorrow looking for the men, however. While there would be a record of them being admitted, there was nothing to indicted they’d been discharged.Damn. This was turning into a big mess.
Speaking of a mess, she had to head home and at least change her mud-caked shoes if she was going to warn the men that they should lie low for a few days. They didn’t need the sheriff wondering about their miraculous recovery.
All during the drive home, she thought about what Will said. Seducing Ryan was too premature, but she would like to know if he felt the same draw toward her. Wearing something seductive was asking for trouble. Whether she was his mate or not, she had the sense that Ryan would try to convince her to have a roll in the sheets, and that was not how she wanted to start their relationship.
No, the best thing to do was to explain what she’d learned. That was all. Plus, she wanted to find out a little more about the men. She wouldn’t dress seductively. A pair of jeans and a pretty sweater would suffice.
Once she pulled in front of her apartment, she rushed inside and immediately took off her boots. They needed to dry before she cleaned them.
After a quick shower to make sure she didn’t smell of horse, she put on a nice pair of jeans and a blue sweater—one that brought out the blue in her eyes. On her day off, she liked to wear nice underwear since it made her feel more feminine.
Malia supposed it wouldn’t hurt to put on a bit of makeup—mostly to cover up the dark circles under her eyes. Once she dabbed on some blush and lipstick, and then brushed her hair, she grabbed a Power Bar. On her way out the door, she scarfed it down, ready to head toward Midvale to the Circle L Ranch.
As she neared their house, her nerves began to flare. Part of her wanted to double check that Luke and Ryan were meant for her, but the other part was truly to warn the men.
She was so focused on what she was going to say that she almost missed the turn off to their ranch. When she entered their property, the long road to the house was as bad as she remembered. She didn’t know what vehicle the men drove, but she imagined it would be in the shop quite often since they’d need new shocks every few months. That would cost them a lot unless one of them was handy with repairs.
Luke possessed a sharpness that made her think he might be adept at fixing all of the farm equipment himself. If he could, it sure would help with the expenses.
No vehicle was anywhere in sight. It would be bad if they weren’t home since being out and about would be dangerous.