“I could try.” If Loch was speaking to her.
At the sound of a truck pulling up outside, they both glanced out the window. It was Montgomery’s pickup truck, and he had two young women in the front seat with him.
“I better go,” Ginger said. Tommy nodded, looking worried. “Not a word,” he said to her anxiously.
“Of course.”
As she walked out, Montgomery saw her and waved at her from the truck window.
She paused, waiting as he climbed out and walked over to speak to her.
“How are you doing, Ginger? Come to buy some souvenirs?” he asked cheerfully. It was as if he had no idea there was a potential war brewing and he was the cause of it.#p#分页标题#e#
“I’m fine, thank you. How are things with you?”
“Can’t complain. So what brings you to our territory?”
She took a deep breath and thought fast. “I was looking for you, actually.”
“Really?” he looked delighted at the prospect. “Would you care to join me in a drink? We could go to the Panther Lodge, if you like.”
“On Panther territory?” she asked, startled.
“Certainly. I know you’ll be respectful of our property and our people. And I’d love to introduce you around.” He glanced at her with a gleam in his eye and a curve to his lip, his gaze roving over her body.
Good heavens, he certainly acted differently when Loch wasn’t around, she thought. Should she go? Maybe it was a way to encourage friendlier relations with the Panther nation.
Then again, he was acting downright flirtatious. Exactly how friendly did the panther leader want to get with her?
Ginger never had a chance to find out, because at that very moment, the sheriff pulled into the parking lot, and he did not look happy.
He glanced over at Montgomery, and nodded at him.
“You’re needed back at the office,” he told Ginger. “It’s urgent.”
She smiled apologetically at Montgomery. “Perhaps some other time,” she said.
“Any time at all. You know where to find me.”
She climbed into the sheriff’s car, baffled by the odd change in Montgomery’s demeanor.
As they pulled out of the parking lot, the sheriff snapped “What the hell was that? He was flirting with you!”
Ginger nodded, bewildered. “He was, wasn’t he? That was a really strange encounter.”
“Why were you even talking to him?”
She related what had just happened that morning, and the sheriff shook his head angrily. “That was a terrible idea, Ginger. By the way, Tommy Deerkiller is the one that we suspect of being the professor’s inside man.”
“What?” Ginger gasped. “I had no idea!”
“I can’t tell you everything that’s happening with the investigation. You shouldn’t have gone out there without consulting with me first.”
“You’re right. I’m sorry. I was worried that Brenda would go onto the panther’s territory and they’d kill her or kidnap her, like they did the professor.”
“I don’t think they would. The professor was deliberately antagonizing them, and he clearly went on their property to steal artifacts. That wouldn’t be the case with Brenda.” The sheriff sighed. “Not that it would be a good idea to have her go on their property when tensions are running so high.”
Ginger suddenly realized that they were driving down an unfamiliar road, headed for the driveway of a blue clapboard bungalow-style house.
“Where are we?” she asked.
The sheriff blinked in surprise. “Oh. I took you to my house. I wasn’t even thinking.”
He parked the car in front of his house and turned to her, exasperation on his face. He grabbed her hand, and at the touch of his skin she felt the familiar sizzle of attraction burning through her. “I just can’t think straight when I’m around you,” he said, his voice hoarse. “I barely slept last night.”#p#分页标题#e#
She swallowed hard. “I’m sorry. I really am. I’m just trying to protect my family, and keep the peace with my Alpha.”
“I’ll talk to him again,” Loch said, his hand closing around hers. “I can’t let you go. You’re what I’ve been looking for all of my life. You’re like the puzzle piece that I didn’t realize was missing.” His thumb moved across the back of her hand. Ginger’s breathing quickened, and heat flared between her thighs.
She glanced at the house.
“So,” she said. “Here we are. At your house. Just you and me.”