“Let them decide,” Alex said. “The fighting might take place in different parts of the forest.”
"That works too," Liam said.
“Speaking of staying in the cabin, Mick and I were thinking that we’d like to stay in this cabin until the Kitchener Clan arrives," Ian said. "It would give us a chance to really understand the lay of the land. If they come with only five men, the fight will last a very short time. We’re hoping they figure out quickly that we won’t let Doug take Cassidy. Ever.”
“That would be amazing. I don’t want to have to worry that if Doug is defeated, he’ll regroup and try again,” she said.
“We’ll make sure the Kitchener Clan is soundly defeated,” Liam said. “With that said, we need to do what Ian suggested. I like the idea of having many surprise fronts. You two women will be on the roof, one or two wolves will be in the cabin, and a few will be hidden deeper in the woods, not to mention the men in the parking lot will be taking up the rear. The Kitcheners won't know what hit them." Liam checked his watch. “How about we head back to our place and figure out the fine details? We’ll order in dinner and make a list of what we need.”
Cassidy was happy with that. Once Charley gathered her bows that her men insisted they carry, everyone headed out.
The hike back didn’t seem to take as long as getting there, probably because Cassidy kept going over everything in her mind.
Then during the ride into town, she had to remind herself more than once that she’d been in a lot of stressful situations and could do this. As a firefighter, there was always the possibility of a building collapsing and people wanting to jump. She should have no problem taking out a wolf or two. Somehow though, this scenario seemed different.
Did she have faith in her ability to shoot an arrow? Absolutely, but even Charley’s crossbow arrow took time to travel from the roof top to the wolf. In that split second, if one of the Grangers or their friends moved, her arrow might hit them. Even if it only caused them to slow down, the enemy could take him out more readily.
“You okay?” Zach asked. She must have shivered.
“I’m good. Shooting a rabbit is hard enough let alone trying to hit a moving wolf.”
“Rabbits move too. You’ll do great.”
She hoped so.
When they arrived at Liam and Alex’s place, Cassidy left her backpack in the truck. For tonight, the newcomers would stay with Liam and Alex. If those two owned their rental, they might consider building another smaller house for guests. It seemed as if they were getting quite a lot of visitors.
Once inside, Alex ordered pizza. How they stayed so fit feasting on that she didn’t know.
Tawny came out to greet them. “How did it go?”
That question led to a long discussion. Only because Zach didn’t seemed too worried that he might be fighting a large number of wolves did Cassidy keep quiet. Her biggest issue was that she’d fallen in love with both men, and she feared that one or both might lose their lives in order to protect her. Being away from them for those few days had been torture, but it proved just how deep her love was for them.
Cassidy inhaled, determined to end this mess once and for all.
Charley asked for some paper and a pencil since she wanted to sketch out the shape of the blind that she’d like to have built on top of the cabin. Before she finished the drawing, however, the food arrived.
They ate and talked at the same time, while Ian jotted down notes. “Cassidy, how can we be sure that Doug will be coming to Wildwood—and not someone in his place again—like when he sent that Sherman fellow?”
That would be bad. “When Mindy’s mom talks with Doug—he works at the local bank, by the way—she’ll say that I contacted Mindy and told her to tell him that I wanted to meet Doug and only Doug. If he wants to know why I don’t return to Thomas Ridge to see him, she will say I was afraid to go back for fear one of Chris Wentworth’s men would harm me.”
"Why would Doug believe Chris might want to hurt you?" Mick asked.
"If I was out of the picture, Doug has a much smaller chance of finding someone to mate with on such short notice. It would all but assure that Chris becomes the leader."
“Do we need to worry about the Beta of the clan now?” Mike asked.
“No. Chris always seemed fairly level-headed. He wouldn’t hurt me. If he does become the Alpha, there is hope that our clan and his can finally work together. If Doug is in charge, there is no telling how he would conduct clan business.”
Ian turned to Zach. “How many days will it take to build the blind?”
He pulled out his phone. “I’ll call my cousin now. I have no idea what his schedule is.” Zach left the living room for more privacy.
Ian turned to Liam and Alex. “How much more time do you need to train the Grangers?”
“It depends on how many Kitcheners we are expecting. If we only need us, Trevor and Seth, as well as Benson Granger and his roommate, Preston, we should be good to go. If more Kitcheners show up, we’ll need help from the ladies more than ever. Regardless of how many come, everyone would benefit from some strategy lessons,” Alex said.
"Those lessons can be done in a few hours," Ian said.