Page 15 of No Bones About It

The dark isn’t scary. Everything needs rest, Kimi. Everything needs time to breathe.

They spent many nights exploring the woods. She walked through the trees as soundlessly as her Algonquian grandma had taught her.

About fifteen minutes later, everything changed between one tree and the next. Her feet halted as she stopped to figure out the change. The wind hadn’t picked up. There were no odd sounds. Andthat’swhere the change was. There were no sounds at all. No animals or birds moving in the night. The woods were rarely truly silent, but here they were.

Which meant she was nearing her target.

Kimi eased forward and kept her senses alert. Once she rounded a stand of spruce trees, she spotted the light shining ahead. Bright artificial light. Was he not giving the dogs a normal resting environment?

Blood simmering, she forced her pace to remain slow and steady. Recon only.

Moving deeper into the forest, Kimi followed the light, turningoften to give herself landmarks to remember on her return. If she had to run, she needed to have a map already in her head.

The light changed, and she realized a rotating spotlight moved around the camp. The first sign that these people took their security seriously. Where would the cameras be? Would there be sensors deep in the woods?

She couldn’t get caught out here, so she slowed her pace further. Once she was close enough, she could make out yard lights spaced at even intervals, showing the operation was much larger than she’d feared.

Her heart pounded, and she leaned against a large oak to draw in its strength.

Sharp barking had her eyes flying open. Had they spotted her?

A chain snapped, and more barks sounded. A man growled and swore at the dogs, telling them to be quiet. The scent of cigarette smoke drifted her way. She was too close for her comfort but not close enough to gather evidence or intelligence.

She needed another path, one with a better view.

Now that people were awake and aware in the encampment, she was better off leaving quietly. She’d come again, better prepared and braver.

Her retreat was slow, and when she reached the truck, her body shook from the stress. No time to waste, though. She turned on the truck and felt like a target herself as the headlights brightened the surrounding area.

She pulled onto the road and turned back toward Vermont. The desire to tromp on the pedal was difficult to squash, but she managed. No need to draw attention to herself.

No lights appeared behind her until she changed roads and encountered a few other vehicles. Eventually, she pulled into her own driveway and straight into the garage. If someone had spotted her truck, she didn’t want them to see it from the road.

Her next upgrade would be to a quiet electric vehicle, but right now, all her money was being spent on the animals. And she now had more mouths to feed. Which reminded her to put in the food order with the soy meal later in the day.

To calm her nerves, Kimi walked to the back of the yard to check onthe pigs. They huddled together at the edge of the paddock near the rheas who were roosting in trees along the edge.

“How are you doing, Jenny? Are you and the piglets doing okay? You let me know if you need something else.”

The clouds had cleared up, and she thought she spotted the black and white stray patrolling the yard next door. Sexy cowboy’s land.

Kimi toured the other paddocks and chatted with the animals. A few of the cats wound through her feet as she walked. The peafowl had settled in with the Angora goats for the night. The cows would go home tomorrow, but they were snoozing as were the sheep. Onigis napped closer to the shed with the three goats sleeping in the doorway.

Snoops brayed his annoyance at his sleep being disturbed, even though she barely made a sound.

Chuckling, Kimi decided she’d settled enough to be inside. Once the doors were locked behind her, she checked on Owen’s little puppy, who was crated in the kitchen. He didn’t even raise his head as she moved to her bedroom.

She changed into her sleep shorts and tank top and settled on the bed. It had been a full day with not a lot of sleep during the previous two nights. Her alarm would ring in a few hours, so she closed her eyes and pushed away the thoughts of those dogs being trained to fight by John Mead. Shoved away the jerks like Wade Hendry who would inject anything into a horse to win.

Instead, she let her brain focus on her new neighbor. Stetson. Strong hands ready to comfort the animals. Concern for their welfare etched on his face. His gruffthank youwhen she put down the rifle.

She drifted to sleep with a smile on her face.

CHAPTER 6

Hold Your Horses

The following morning, Garrett groaned and rolled out of his sleeping bag. “Sorry, Kitty, but I need a night in an actual bed tonight. You and the new guys are going to have to handle it on your own.”

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