White Tiger

Addie patted the horse, calming her. Charlie’s glance took her in, noting at once that she wore the shirt Kendrick had left the house in. The man was no fool.

“Do you still ride her?” Addie asked to cover her awkwardness.

Charlie laughed, going along with it. He wouldn’t embarrass her. “Me? No. But you’re welcome to, and the boys might want to.”

“Nah,” Robbie said at once. “She won’t let me. Wolves eat horses.”

“I wouldn’t eat her,” Brett said. “What do tigers eat?”

“Well, now, let’s see,” Charlie said. “Tigers mostly live in India, so they’d eat elephants, wouldn’t they?”

Brett and Zane went round-eyed. “A whole elephant?” Zane bleated. “I don’t think I could eat a whole elephant. What else do they eat?”

Charlie shrugged. “Well, sometimes, people.”

“Ewwww,” the cubs said at the same time. Brett finished, “I’d never eat people. People are nice, like Addie. She gives us pie. Can we have some pie, Addie?”

Addie shook her head in wonder. “You just had breakfast.”

“I know, but we’re hungry again,” Brett said, and Zane agreed.

“They’re always hungry.” Robbie shared a look with Addie, one that adults might as they contemplated the antics of the kids.

“’Course they are,” Charlie said. “They’re growing. Like you, Robbie. Tell you what, I’ll have Addie come and look at what all I have, and see what we can do. I might have to go to town for supplies,” Charlie said to Addie. “Wasn’t expecting company.”

“The ranch has been closed ten years, you said?” Addie asked him.

Charlie shrugged. “I didn’t close it down, not really. Edna wouldn’t have wanted that. But guests just stopped coming.”

“We’re guests,” Brett announced at the top of his voice. “We’ll be the best guests, ever.”

The horse danced back nervously at his loudness, and Robbie rolled his eyes. He didn’t admonish the little ones though.

“All right, then, let’s go make a shopping list,” Addie said.

Charlie was as eager as the cubs. “Come on, then—” He stopped and cocked his head, frowning suddenly. “Do I hear a cell phone?”

Addie looked down. Something was ringing under a hunk of straw in the corner, the sound incongruous with the peaceful barn.

Robbie and the cubs ran forward, Robbie reaching the source of the noise first. He pulled out an old-style flip phone from the layers of straw. The little window in front showed a number and a name in tiny letters.

“Seamus,” Robbie read.

Brett and Zane shouted with excitement and started jumping up and down. They grabbed hands and kept jumping. “It’s Seamus. It’s Seamus. It’s Seamus. Answer it, Robbie!”

Addie had heard Kendrick and Ben mention Seamus. “Who is he exactly?” Addie asked them.

“One of Dad’s trackers,” Robbie answered, more subdued. He opened the phone and said cautiously, “Hello?”

CHAPTER TWELVE

“Dad’s not here,” Robbie said into the phone, his brow puckering. “I mean, he’s here, but not right here. What do you want me to do?”

Addie didn’t like this. While Kendrick had spoken about contacting Seamus, she wasn’t certain this was a Shifter who could be trusted. Plus, just because the caller ID read “Seamus,” anyone could have stolen the phone and called in an attempt to locate Kendrick.

She took the phone from Robbie so quickly he didn’t have time to fight for it.