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Cassidy didn’t know what to say. Chopping wood, hauling the water from the stream every day, and hunting for her food had been hard. Dare she move to a town, though? What if Doug learned where she was staying and came after her?
“How big is Wildwood? I know I should have Googled it before I left, but I was kind of in a hurry.”
“Five thousand residents, give or take a few hundred,” Mike said.
That was actually big enough to get lost in. “Your offer is very generous. Having hot water that I don’t have to haul up from the stream and heat at night would be a luxury, but I don’t have much money. What little I have, I’ll need for food. I don’t think I mentioned it, but I don’t have a car either.”
“How did you get to the park?” Mike asked.
“I hailed a cab.”
“How did you get from Wyoming to Montana?” he asked.
She blew out a breath. “I took a lot of buses. And by a lot, I mean about ten. In order to fool Doug, I headed south to Colorado, changing buses a few times. Then when I thought no one could find me, I headed north again. It was scary when we had to go near Thomas Ridge again, but I made sure we passed through at night.”
“I’m impressed,” Zach said. “I’m not sure I’d be that careful.”
“When your life, as well as those you care about, is on the line, you do what you need to do.”
“You are something else, Cassidy. When you landed on the outskirts of Wildwood, what did you do?”
“Like I said, I hired a cab to come here. I know Mindy said to find Mike, but I wanted to chill for a few days.”
“Did you find me on your first day?” Zach asked.
“I did. When I realized you were a werewolf, I thought maybe Doug had me followed, but then reason intruded. If you were with Doug’s clan, who would have harmed you?”
“Thank you for thinking that through.”
“How did you know where the cave was?” Mike asked.
“I didn’t at first. Once I learned that Zach was alive, my firefighting skills kicked in. I dragged him as far as I could. The thick, soft snow made it easy. That's when I noticed the cave's entrance. Since the blood on his back was starting to ice over, I knew that if I didn’t get him inside, he might die.”
"Our friend spotted some blood on a tree."
"Yes, I leaned him against it while I checked out the inside. I wanted his exposure to the ground to be as little as possible."
Zach looked over at Mike. “I told you a firefighter had saved me.”
“How did you come to that conclusion?” she asked.
“I was certain a woman had saved me since I saw her—or rather you. Because you didn’t call for help, you probably believed that as a werewolf, I would heal on my own. Secondly, while werewolf females are stronger than the average woman, it would take someone extraordinary to lift me. That’s when I figured you might have been a firefighter.”
She dipped her chin. “Now, I’m the one who is impressed.”
Zach grinned, and her insides swirled. Lust in this quantity was not something she’d experienced before. Until the whole issue with Doug was finished though, she needed to steel her heart. But damn, that was going to be hard.
“Cassidy, it’s about four o’clock now,” Mike said. “If you’re going to take me up on our offer, we should leave now. It’s either that or we’re all going to spend the night here.”
Conflicting emotions shot through her. Being with two men who could have her back would be smart, but it was hard for her to rely on anyone too much. She had been brought up to be independent. Then the image of a hot shower formed in her mind’s eye, as did a nice meal.
“I can’t pay you much rent until I get a job.”
Mike waved a hand. “No rent needed. I’m not paying Zach anything to bunk with him.”
Zach’s eyes widened, but the small lift of his lips implied he didn’t mind. “We’ll see about that.”
If she said no, would the men leave? If they did, she’d be in this uninsulated cold cabin for the next few months. She inhaled. Her father always told her to trust her instincts. “Okay, but I will pay you, I promise.”
