would believe her if she described what she’d encountered.
And yet . . . now that she was in sight of a safe haven and was beginning to accept that what she’d seen was real, the ramifications became clear. A werewolf was as much of a mythical creature as Bigfoot. Therefore, if a werewolf had just appeared in front of her eyes, the other was no longer in doubt.
And Roarke was out there looking. If that was the scent he’d picked up, he might have already found the mated pair that Grandpa Earl had seen. But why would he want to find them? Did the Gentrys know they’d hired a werewolf or was she the only person in Portland with that information?
Come to think of it, she might be one of the few adults in Portland who could accept the fact that a man had transformed himself into a wolf. Someone else might offer a rational explanation having to do with shadows and poor eyesight. But she’d believed in fantastical creatures as a child, and judging from her instant recognition of a werewolf, she still believed in them.
Still, she had no idea what she’d stumbled onto. Maybe she should find out before involving Grandpa Earl. For one thing, he’d never allow her to confront a werewolf alone, and yet she didn’t want to expose him to potential danger, either.
She clutched his camera, protected under her jacket. The camera was old, but not so old that it used film. Her grandfather had loved the idea of digital cameras and had bought one soon after they’d come out. When her grandfather went to bed, she’d be able to download the pictures and print them on his aging printer.
Then she could arrange to meet Roarke in broad daylight in a public place. Lunch at Flannigan’s would be perfect. She’d take it slow and rely on her instincts as to whether he would harm her if she revealed what she knew.
He didn’t strike her as a violent kind of person, but he wasn’t a person, exactly. She wasn’t sure how he’d react when he found out she wanted him to take her on the hunt for the Bigfoot pair. She’d use her pictures as leverage. It was the one sure way to prove her grandfather was right, so he’d move to Arizona.
The plan wasn’t without risk, which was why she had to do it without telling Grandpa Earl. But she hadn’t been this excited about anything in years. Essentially, she hoped to blackmail a werewolf into giving her the evidence she needed to vindicate her grandfather. Cool.
Chapter 5
Roarke had hoped finding the Sasquatch pair would be easier, but they must have been spooked by the recent large number of hikers in the area searching for them. If they would simply leave the area permanently, that would solve the Gentrys’ problem. But Roarke wasn’t convinced they’d cooperate.
Assuming the female was pregnant, she might be returning to her place of birth to have her baby. That theory had been advanced many times, although the evidence was scanty. Roarke couldn’t ignore the possibility that the pair could move in the other direction for a while and then turn around and come back.
They hadn’t done so yet, however. Roarke had followed several faint trails that led nowhere and had finally given up for the night, shifted back to human form, and dressed in the clothes he’d left stashed in his backpack.
Shifting out in the woods wasn’t his idea of fun, but he’d been in a hurry to leave the Gentry mansion and hadn’t wanted to linger even long enough to shift. Cameron Gentry was fast becoming a pain in the ass. He’d discovered late in the day that Roarke had canceled his last two talks, and Cameron had taken that as a slap in the face.
The Gentry alpha’s ego knew no bounds. Roarke had tried to explain, without revealing anything Abby had confided in him, that the talks were having the opposite effect Cameron had hoped. After being attacked, Earl Dooley wasn’t cowed at all. He was more determined to stand his ground and prove his case.
Cameron didn’t get it. He’d launched a
And yet . . . now that she was in sight of a safe haven and was beginning to accept that what she’d seen was real, the ramifications became clear. A werewolf was as much of a mythical creature as Bigfoot. Therefore, if a werewolf had just appeared in front of her eyes, the other was no longer in doubt.
And Roarke was out there looking. If that was the scent he’d picked up, he might have already found the mated pair that Grandpa Earl had seen. But why would he want to find them? Did the Gentrys know they’d hired a werewolf or was she the only person in Portland with that information?
Come to think of it, she might be one of the few adults in Portland who could accept the fact that a man had transformed himself into a wolf. Someone else might offer a rational explanation having to do with shadows and poor eyesight. But she’d believed in fantastical creatures as a child, and judging from her instant recognition of a werewolf, she still believed in them.
Still, she had no idea what she’d stumbled onto. Maybe she should find out before involving Grandpa Earl. For one thing, he’d never allow her to confront a werewolf alone, and yet she didn’t want to expose him to potential danger, either.
She clutched his camera, protected under her jacket. The camera was old, but not so old that it used film. Her grandfather had loved the idea of digital cameras and had bought one soon after they’d come out. When her grandfather went to bed, she’d be able to download the pictures and print them on his aging printer.
Then she could arrange to meet Roarke in broad daylight in a public place. Lunch at Flannigan’s would be perfect. She’d take it slow and rely on her instincts as to whether he would harm her if she revealed what she knew.
He didn’t strike her as a violent kind of person, but he wasn’t a person, exactly. She wasn’t sure how he’d react when he found out she wanted him to take her on the hunt for the Bigfoot pair. She’d use her pictures as leverage. It was the one sure way to prove her grandfather was right, so he’d move to Arizona.
The plan wasn’t without risk, which was why she had to do it without telling Grandpa Earl. But she hadn’t been this excited about anything in years. Essentially, she hoped to blackmail a werewolf into giving her the evidence she needed to vindicate her grandfather. Cool.
Chapter 5
Roarke had hoped finding the Sasquatch pair would be easier, but they must have been spooked by the recent large number of hikers in the area searching for them. If they would simply leave the area permanently, that would solve the Gentrys’ problem. But Roarke wasn’t convinced they’d cooperate.
Assuming the female was pregnant, she might be returning to her place of birth to have her baby. That theory had been advanced many times, although the evidence was scanty. Roarke couldn’t ignore the possibility that the pair could move in the other direction for a while and then turn around and come back.
They hadn’t done so yet, however. Roarke had followed several faint trails that led nowhere and had finally given up for the night, shifted back to human form, and dressed in the clothes he’d left stashed in his backpack.
Shifting out in the woods wasn’t his idea of fun, but he’d been in a hurry to leave the Gentry mansion and hadn’t wanted to linger even long enough to shift. Cameron Gentry was fast becoming a pain in the ass. He’d discovered late in the day that Roarke had canceled his last two talks, and Cameron had taken that as a slap in the face.
The Gentry alpha’s ego knew no bounds. Roarke had tried to explain, without revealing anything Abby had confided in him, that the talks were having the opposite effect Cameron had hoped. After being attacked, Earl Dooley wasn’t cowed at all. He was more determined to stand his ground and prove his case.
Cameron didn’t get it. He’d launched a
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