“Brad didn’t count. He was using me to get to the rest of the Grangers. Too bad he turned out to be a killer—or an attempted killer. He was a good private investigator.”
“I’m glad I only do contract work,” Mike said. “I can come and go as I please.” There were times when he’d go for weeks without any work though. Now that Cassidy would be in their lives, he might have to augment his salary a bit.
“Suppose Cassidy is with her grandmother. Do you think she’ll be happy to see us?” Zach asked.
“Define happy,” Mike said.
“Will she smile when she sees us?”
“Yes, but then she’ll tell us we should go back to Wildwood without her,” Mike said.
“Ouch. What can we do to convince her that we have her best interest in mind?” Zach asked.
“Do we, really though? I want Cassidy to be with us in large part because I crave being with her. I swear it’s like part of me is missing when she’s not around,” Mike said. "The rest is to protect her, of course."
“Remind me never to get a mate,” Mason said.
“There are perks,” Mike told him. “This might be too much information, but when she touches me, it’s like I light up inside and out.”
“Definitely too much information.”
Zach chuckled and then glanced in the rear view mirror at Mike. “Seriously, dude? Focus on what’s important. What if she refuses to come back with us? She might be too afraid of what Doug and his clan could do to us.”
“I have a suggestion,” Mason said.
“What’s that?” Mike asked.
“Why not let her stay in Idaho Falls until she figures things out?” Mason suggested. “Hopefully, that won't take more than a few days. Being around you two might remind her why she can’t live without you. If what my brother says is true, she wants both of you as much as you want her.”
“What do you think?”Zach telepathed to Mike.
“I heard that, you know,” Mason said.
They all laughed. It was hard sometimes to only telepath to one person when they were in a group setting, especially when siblings were involved.
“Let’s see how Cassidy reacts and then decide.”
“What if she’s right?” Zach asked. “What if our being back in Wildwood draws the Kitchener Clan to us? Not only would we be in danger, but anyone who is with us will be in danger too.”
Zach had a point. “Can you stay away from work that long? And what about Christmas? It’s almost upon us,” Mike said.
“I do need to be at work,” Zach said. “It was bad enough losing all that money when you worked for me. And yes, I am very aware of the fast approaching holiday. If both Mason and I are missing from the festivities, we’ll never hear the end of it from Mom.”
“My folks will be super bummed too. I’m an only child. You’d think they wouldn’t care about Christmas now that I’m grown, but they look forward to me spending time with them.” Mike was embarrassed to admit that they only lived twenty-minutes from downtown Wildwood, yet he didn’t visit as often as they’d like. He needed to stop by more often. They wouldn’t be around forever.
The trip from Thomas Ridge to Idaho Falls took about eight hours, even though they only stopped once for gas. When they arrived, snow was covering the distant mountains.
“Like I said, if we are going to be staying here for a few days, I’d love to get in some skiing,” Mike said.
“I wonder if Cassidy skis?” Zach asked. “We could go together.”
“If she doesn’t, we can always go to Grand Teton National Park or even Yellowstone. I’m sure we can spend a few days vacationing. It might make her want to be with us even more.”
“Ah, did you forget me?” Mason asked. “If you plan on having sex with her at night, please warn me. I’ll go to the lobby and work.”
They both chuckled. “Since you haven’t mentioned you have this insatiable need to be with her, I doubt she is your mate too,” Mike said.
“Definitely not. In the future, I’ll make sure I stay away from all potential mates. I can see what it has done to you two,” Mason shot back.