“Quite unusual. Not only that, Thursday is our weekly night out at the bar. He didn’t call or show last night. I can feel something isn’t right. My dad thinks I’m crazy, but Zach and I have this kind of twin connection.”
“I’m so sorry to hear that. Benson mentioned that the two of you never miss a week unless something big has occurred. I think that’s really sweet.” She sighed. “I wish Trent and I had that tradition. If we had, we might not have grown apart as much as we did.”
Tawny still couldn’t believe that Ariel’s brother had been accused of a murder that he hadn’t committed. Thankfully, new evidence had come to light that exonerated him. “I thought with you finding the new evidence that helped get him released from prison, the two of you would have grown closer.”
Ariel smiled. “Actually, we have been getting along a lot better. I think Trent finally realizes that he dodged a bullet this time. He swears he won’t gamble ever again.”
“That’s great.” Trent had led a troubled life.
“Back to Zach for a moment. Does your family still have the cabin in the woods?” Ariel asked.
“We do.”
“Maybe he decided he needed a break and is holing up there.”
Why hadn’t she thought of that? “He told me that he recently broke up with his girlfriend. They’d only been dating a few months, so I didn't think it was a big deal. Maybe I was wrong. He might have needed to get away. Tomorrow, I think I’ll hike up there and see if he’s at the cabin.”
“That would not be a good idea.”
“Why not?”
“Ah, can we say there is a snow storm coming?” Ariel said.
“The weatherman has been saying that for about four days now. It’s a three-hour hike at best. I’ll be fine.”
“How about taking Alex and Liam with you?” Ariel winked.
Tawny would feel better if she weren’t hiking alone, but she wasn’t up for asking them. “Don’t they have training classes to teach or something?”
“I don’t know. Call them.” Ariel pulled out her phone. “Give me your cell.”
“Why?”
“Just give it to me.”
Tawny chuckled. “Okay.” She pulled it out of her pocket and handed it to Ariel.
Her friend entered two numbers. “Now you have no excuse not to call the men. Look, I understand why you are hesitant, but I saw the way they looked at you. They like you.”
“I figured as much, but just so you know, if I went home and told my dad that I wanted to be with two men, I think he’d freak.” It was why she’d have to choose between them.
“Are you sure? Would it be okay if your brothers were in a ménage relationship?”
She had to think about that. Mason was a solo kind of guy, but she bet Brandon would like it. Dan wouldn’t engage in something like that because he wouldn’t want his students to find out. As for Zach, Tawny figured he was married to the woods, though he and Mike were close. Would her father object to her being with two men? She wasn't sure. Her mom would say that as long as Tawny was happy, that was all that mattered.
“He might be okay with it, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Right now, all I can focus on is finding Zach.”
“I get it. Since tomorrow is Saturday, I have the day off. If you need me to, I can come here and make sure everything runs smoothly while you’re traipsing around in the woods.”
That was too generous. “My cousin would never forgive me for taking you away from him. What about Trent? You said he needed the money, especially with all the lost wages from when he was incarcerated.”
“That’s a thought. He loves animals. I’ll give him a call, but you have to promise to ask Alex, Liam, or both if they will escort you first. I would never forgive myself if something happened to you in the woods. Besides, there would be no forest ranger to save you if Zach happens to be holed up in the cabin.”
Ariel had a point. “Fine. I’ll call one of the men.”
“Then go.”
Ariel could be rather pushy when she wanted something. If they weren’t such good friends, Tawny might not have agreed. Because she needed to find Zach, she sucked up her courage to call one of the men. Not wanting anyone to hear the conversation, she went into the office and closed the door.