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“Of course we can,” he said simply.
We.
“How?” she asked.
“Talk to people,” he said patiently. “Investigate.”
“How do we get them to talk to us?” she asked. “We have no authority.”
“I’m an Invicta warrior,” he said, shrugging.
“You’re also the prime suspect,” she said.
“They don’t know that yet,” he replied, winking at her.
Unbelievable.
Her heart felt like it was going to beat out of her chest, and he was winking and talking about playing detective.
But really, what choice did they have?
“Okay,” she said. “I’m game. What do we do?”
“First, we’ve got to get to the house and make sure we’re good to go there,” he said. “We don’t worry about anything else until we know Gus has all he needs in his new home. We can start our search tomorrow.”
“How far is it from here?” she asked him.
“Not far now,” he told her.
There weren’t many more houses up ahead. But the last one on the right caught her eye.
It was smaller than most of the others, but it was a pretty lilac color with its crisp black shutters. The arch of flowered lichen over the stone path leading up to the covered porch made it look like a cottage out of an old fairy tale.
A split rail fence encircled the house, stretching out onto the tundra almost as far as she could see, making it the largest enclosed property she had seen yet.
She held her breath as they drew closer, certain that this couldn’t really be her new home. But the sleigh’s blades slid in a perfect curve to the right, bringing them directly to the house.
“Really?” she asked, feeling breathless.
“You like it?” he asked. “The house is small, but the property is enormous. Perfect for lichen-deer.”
“It’s the prettiest house in Rothbart,” she declared.
“Atta girl,” Rafe said, a smile tugging at his lips.
He tied the deer to a post in front of the house.
“Just for now,” he told her. “Once you’re inside and have the lay of the land, I’ll come back out and see to him.”
Rafe opened the front gate, and they walked down the little path together, under the arbor, and up to the front steps. Rafe took them all in one big stride and placed his palm on the sensor. The door swung open, and he gestured to her with a fancy flourish, like a butler in a castle.
She smiled in spite of herself and stepped inside.
The sight was so unexpected that she nearly backed out again. Surely, this couldn’t be her house.
Soft carpets adorned the wood plank floors. A stone fireplace in the corner was stocked with fresh wood, ready to warm the massive open living room and kitchen.
A table large enough for five people made a sort of visual border between the two spaces, and a floating lantern above it looked large enough to light the whole space.
