Page 47 of My Boyfriend Marks Trees

“The flight got delayed, and the storm hit before we could take off at our new time. They cancelled it and had us rebooked for this morning, but then that got pooched as well.”

“Why didn’t you call me?” he exclaimed.

“Because then you would have worried, duh.”

“I am worried. The roads are shit. Stay in a hotel until they get them cleared.”

“You’re funny.” She chuckled. “We’re already home. Four-by-four all the way, baby. A little bit of snow wasn’t going to stop me.”

“You’re at the house.” Derek heard Ares and offered a sharp look.

“Yeah. Where else? Although I am wondering where you are.”

“Grams and Gramps’. We got invited to spend Christmas since they have a generator.”

“We really should get one of our own for the house. Can’t believe your goats and the chickens get to keep warm while we make do with the woodstove in the living room.”

Since he didn’t know how to delicately broach it, he blurted out, “Did you see any signs of someone poking around?”

“No. Who would be crazy enough to be out in this weather?”

“Charly’s ex. He popped by looking for her and Greta yesterday. I sent him off, but I’m not sure he believed me when I said I didn’t know them. I was just going to head over because I was worried he might have returned and trashed our place like he did Charly’s.”

“Are Charly and Greta okay?”

“Yeah, they’re fine. He didn’t see them, but I don’t think he’ll give up that easily.”

“I can see why you went to see Grams. She’ll just shoot him if he shows up. But you can relax. Place looks fine. I didn’t see any tracks or anything, but we’ve only been home about twenty minutes. I was just calling to let you know we were here and not on a ship before I checked on the animals.”

“Be careful.”

“Unlike you, I always am.”

Derek signaled him and mouthed, “Invite them over.”

“Hey, you and Mom want to head here?”

“Aren’t you the one who just told me the roads were shit?”

“You just said your vehicle could handle it.”

“It did, but it was dicey,” she admitted.

“We were just about to head over on some sleds. They’re two-seaters, so we could bring you back.”

“Ha, can you imagine Mom riding a snowmobile?” Selene giggled.

Mom must have been listening because she shouted, “I’ll have you know I used to ride a lot as a teen.”

“Back when the sleds were drawn by horses,” Selene huffed.

“Brat!”

Ares smiled at the banter. “We should be there within the hour.”

“I’ll check the animals and get our gear together while we wait. I assume there’s a rack for us to strap an overnight bag.”

“Yes, so long as you don’t overpack.”