“How would we be able to tell?” Laurie asked into both their heads.
“No idea.” Melinda inched closer. “I guess if they are breaking any laws, we’ll find out tomorrow when Jackson inspects.”
“I don’t have a good feeling about that plan,” Logan said, a tingle racing up his spine at the thought of sending an innocent man in to face the wolves.
“More importantly,” Laurie lifted her head and glanced around, her ears rising, “why is the land so calm now, and where are the spirits that made themselves so present before?”
Something caused Logan to turn around and look behind them. And there it was, the eerie, almost ghostlike figure in all its glory. It looked as though it had been hanging around there for a while, fully formed and shimmering calmly behind them. “Laurie. Melinda…” Logan didn’t take his gaze off the spirit as the two women turned around.
Both women advanced toward the spirit immediately, making Logan think he needed to grow some bigger balls if he was going to hang with shaman. But honestly, who did that?
Instead of hovering, the spirit seemed to turn around. In a weird, unusual show, it glided away from them in the direction of their land. Slowly. Deliberately.
Logan’s legs shook, seeming as if they would give out. “What the hell,” he questioned as the spirit floated slowly away.
Melinda lifted her head higher and pranced in the direction of the spirit. “I don’t know, but I feel like we’re barking up the wrong tree or something. As if it wants us to know the danger isn’t related to the site. Perhaps the danger is closer to home.”
Laurie groaned into their heads. “I don’t like it.”
Nevertheless, they followed the aura as it glided down the side of the mountain.
When they reached the bottom, the spirit turned around, hovered for a few more seconds, and then drew in on itself and disappeared.
As they were about to finish their trek home, Laurie froze and stared at nothing straight ahead.
Logan nudged Melinda with his paw and nodded toward Laurie, and the two of them waited several moments while Laurie undoubtedly spoke with one of her mates.
Finally, she broke the telepathic connection and met Logan’s gaze. “That was Corbin. He says Pete Sandhouse somehow found out you mated, and he’s nosing around.”
“Shit. That’s the guy Trace and Corbin have been trying to nail to the wall, right?” Logan asked.
“Yes. They’ve just been waiting for him to step out of line again. Hopefully in a bigger fashion. Trying to get him arrested for possibly throwing a brick through our window last year isn’t enough. Corbin watches him closely, hoping for something bigger.”
Logan shook his head. “I hope that something bigger doesn’t come at a price.”
“Corbin knows that. He’ll be keeping an eye out. Let’s get back. I’m sure Amanda’s had enough of watching Miriam for a good long while.”
»»•««
Perhaps Amanda had been wrong to agree to babysit again today. She must have gotten lucky Friday night. Babies were a lot of work. This sweet cuddly bundle had started crying almost the second everyone but Mimi left and hadn’t stopped to catch her breath often since.
“Perhaps I’m not cut out for this,” Amanda mumbled while she changed Miriam’s diaper for the third time, though the child hadn’t done anything to fill the absorbent material.
Mimi smiled. She hadn’t offered much in the way of assistance, but Amanda got the feeling that was simply because she didn’t want to offend Amanda by implying she didn’t have things under control.
She sat in the rocking chair and reached out her hands. “Want me to try to rock her for a while?”
“Sure.” Amanda lifted her tiny wiggling frame off the floor and carried her to her grandmother.
Instantly she stopped crying and fell asleep.
Amanda groaned. “Figures.”
“Not your fault, dear. I’m sure she wore herself out fighting the need to take a nap. It happens.”
Exhausted, Amanda dropped into a chair across from Mimi. She was glad for the chance to have something to do for the last few hours, actually. It kept her mind off the steady stream of thoughts running through it to torture her. She was worried about Sawyer out there fighting a wildfire. And not a whole lot less worried about Logan snooping around a logging site where someone must have seen him and then threatened him.
She couldn’t keep her legs from bouncing up and down in nervous agitation. On top of everything else, she was horny. And that was insane. Who thought about sex while so many life-threatening events were going on around them?