“Let’s see who’s there first before we decide.”
“I hope it’s not some vigilante with a gun who plans to aim it at my chest.”
“We won’t know until we go up and check,” Mike said.
CHAPTERTWO
Cassidy Evans sensed the werewolf signatures before she heard them.Shit, shit, shit.No one had come near the cabin in the last two weeks. And here she'd let herself be lulled into thinking she could stay there all winter.Stupid.
When footsteps pounded on the porch, she looked around for a place to hide. With the fireplace ablaze, they’d know someone was staying there. If they were merely two hikers needing some warmth, she’d have a nice chat with them, and then they would leave. Or was she fooling herself into believing this would be some innocent encounter?
Had she not sensed them to be werewolves, she would have grabbed a knife. Humans were scared of sharp objects. They didn’t need to know that Cassidy didn’t have it in her to kill anyone. Hunting for a meal was a different story, however.
A knock sounded.Damn it. If she hid in the bathroom, they might think she was out hiking or hunting for food. Spending a night in silence in a small space wouldn’t be pleasant, but she’d do it to survive. On the other hand, if they really needed help, could she turn them away? The best case would be if they waited on the porch, hoping the occupant would return.
What was she thinking? If she could detect they were werewolves, they could sense she was one too, assuming they were paying attention. Before she could decide on a sound plan, a key slipped into the lock.Oh, no. Was this the owner? Would he kick her out, or worse, have her arrested for trespassing?
Think!She eyed the stairs that led to the small loft that held two mattresses. She didn’t sleep up there because it was too cold at night, but they might not think to check there. As the key twisted, she raced up the steps, hoping their loud chatter covered any noise she made.
Cassidy rushed to the back of the loft and dropped down onto one of the mattresses. If nothing else, she might get lucky and learn why they were there. Two werewolves entered.
“A fire! I like it. Did you tell someone we were coming?” the first man asked.
Cassidy didn’t dare look at them for fear they’d spot her.
“I didn’t tell anyone,” the second man said. “I doubt it is a welcome home party for me. Look around to see if we can tell when he’s coming back.”
He?That was a good sign that maybe they weren’t looking for her. Cassidy tried to think what she’d left downstairs.Oh, crap. Her backpack was next to the kitchen sink.
“Found something,” the first man said. “It’s his backpack.”
Good thing Cassidy borrowed a friend’s backpack when she left instead of taking her pink one.
“I hate to snoop, but he is trespassing. See if there is license or something to identify him.”
“Even if we learn he’s a John Walters from Bozeman, how does that help us?” the first man said.
“I don’t know. Forget it. Look around. Maybe the person was injured and came here to heal.”
What an odd thought, though it was a possibility. If she’d been injured though, Cassidy might not have been able to chop wood and hunt for her own food.
“I found two plates in the sink,” the first man said.
Her mom had warned Cassidy that her carelessness would be the death of her.
“I’ll see if maybe he stashed something in the loft to give us a clue as to why he’s here.”
Her heart beat hard, but she prided herself on being a quick thinker. Cassidy stretched out on the bed with her back to the stairs pretending to be asleep. If he planned to harm her, there wasn’t much she could do about it. A werewolf could easily tear her to pieces.
The footsteps on the stairs ratcheted up her fear. When he reached the top, he stopped, and she waited for him to say something.
“Excuse me. Hello?” he said.
Okay, that wasn’t what she expected—an angry shout was more like it. Cassidy would have liked to have pretended to be asleep, but eventually she’d have to face him. What she’d say, she had no idea.
Cassidy rolled over and sat up. She didn’t have to fake being startled. The man was incredibly gorgeous. None of the wolves in any of the local clans in Wyoming looked like him. He wore his hair longer than she was used to, and it looked as if he hadn’t shaved in a few days, but those two traits emphasized his rugged outdoorsy look. It was his broad shoulders and kissable lips, however, that had taken her by surprise.
“Who are you?” she asked as if he was the trespasser.