Page 106 of Peaks and Promises

“I bet she joined a pack of wolves.”

Chuckles went around the table.

“That would fit. Maybe a wolf would put that little terror in her place.”

I leaned toward Luke. “I think they’re talking about a dog.”

“Yeah. Definitely a dog.”

The conversation continued, and it sounded like one of their members had a small dog with a tendency to nip. She’d gone missing, and they’d told him they’d keep an eye out for any signs of her while they were on the road.

Nothing to do with Summer.

Still, Luke and I lingered at the bar. I sipped my beer slowly, even as the chill left it. I didn’t drink much anymore, and despite my size, my tolerance was low. I didn’t want to down more than one beer in the middle of the day.

Finally, the bikers got up to leave. Luke and I waited until their engines started to fade, then rushed out to my SUV. We got in and caught up with them not far from the Timberbeast.

Yeah, they’d been talking about a dog, but once again, I wasn’t taking any chances. If they were staying in town, I wanted to know where. And if they weren’t, I wanted to be able to assure Summer I’d seen them leave.

I followed at a distance, keeping them in view without drawing attention. They drove straight through town, and soon they were on the highway, heading north.

Just passing through.

“Thanks for seeing that through to the end.” I took a left across the highway onto a wide spot in the shoulder and turned around.

“Seemed like the obvious thing to do. You never know when shit’s going to get weird.”

“True story.”

“Let me know if Summer has any issues with her car, by the way. I can always take a look for her.”

“Thanks. I appreciate that.”

“She’s my sister-in-law, so…”

I shot him another glare.

He chuckled. “Come on. I see the way you look at her.”

“How do I look at her?”

“Like she’s yours.”

I kept my eyes forward and tightened my grip on the steering wheel.

“And you almost made Mark piss his pants. I’m kinda surprised he didn’t just give her the car.”

That made me laugh. “You would have done the same.”

“No doubt. I’m just saying it was fun to watch.”

“Summer’s gonna be fine,” I said, shifting the subject.

Luke didn’t reply. Just nodded slowly. I had a feeling that wasn’t the last I was going to hear about it.

And apparently I needed to be more careful about how I looked at Summer.

Because she wasn’t mine, and she couldn’t ever be.