Page 3 of Two Wrong Turns

I kept my voice light and teasing so she’d see I didn’t mean anything rude by it. It was more about curiosity and deflection while I decided how much to tell her.

“My name is Lindsea. I don’t wear a nametag because everyone in town knows who I am.”

“What about tourists and such? How would they know who anyone is?” It seemed a little silly to rule us out when we could bring in revenue to the business too.

Her eyes moved somewhere behind me, then back. It was like she was waiting for permission to speak. What she said next had me understanding why my arrival had drawn so much attention.

“We don’t get tourists. You’re the first outsider we’ve had come through in years.”

My jaw dropped. How was that even possible? How could a place like this sustain itself without income from other people? It made no sense.

And yet it didn’t look like anyone was going without. The town was fine how it was.

Only now they had an outsider in their midst. I wondered what that meant for me and just what my appearance here would change.

Chapter 2

Nolan

I’d been headed homewhen Robbie called me. “Sorry to bother you, Nolan. There’s an issue at the Ridge.”

If it had been anyone else, I’d have asked another deputy to take over. It wasn’t like they didn’t have the capability to take care of things for me. There was nothing special about me in that way.

But when it came to anything involving The Ridge and the families that lived there, I had to intervene. They would only listen to the Alpha of the pack. It was an archaic system, yet there was no telling them otherwise.

Driving through the empty backroads relaxed me enough that I knew I wouldn’t blow up at whatever two fools were going at it today. My temper had been horrendous for the last three months. I couldn’t figure out the cause, and my bear wasrestless. He wouldn’t tell me what bothered him, only that something was wrong.

When I made it to my destination, I found Robbie waiting by his own vehicle. His gaze was set on the two men arguing outside the house.

I approached him, my eyes never straying from the others. If they thought we weren’t paying them any mind, they’d likely shift and turn this into a bloody mess. And sure, their abilities would heal them, but it was the principle. They couldn’t just fucking fight every time something bothered them.

What happened to communication? Why didn’t people just talk it out?

This fucking old school way of dealing things drove me mad. If it weren’t for my body burning through alcohol so quickly, I’d been planning to drink myself into a stupor after this. As it was, I intended to go get enough pie from the diner to give me a stomachache since that wouldn’t fade as quickly.

“Give me the rundown,” I told Robbie.

His scent softened at my question. The caramel apple had turned sour with the tension from the altercation. It was always a sure sign he was stressed.

“These two are arguing about property lines again. Mr. Ridgemoor swears he didn’t cross the line when digging for his new pool. Mr. Ridgecrest argues he did cross and that he should halt work on it immediately.”

I scrubbed a hand over my face. “Why is the man digging for a fucking pool in the fall anyway? He can’t use it for at least eight more months!”

Robbie chuckled. “That’s what I tried to tell them. Neither would listen to me.”

I felt bad for his dejected tone. It was hard dealing with calls as a Beta at times. Especially with the crotchety old men who believed only an Alpha could decide things.

Done with waiting for them to stop, I stepped forward and pushed out my Alpha presence to get their attention. They froze as the wave of dominance crashed over them.

“Gentlemen,” I said. “What seems to be the issue?”

Ridgemoor stepped forward. “This asshat thinks I’m on his property when I guarantee you I’m not, Sheriff. He’s just mad I’m getting a pool when he’s wanted one for years!”

The other man huffed, though he didn’t speak. They both knew how much I hated when they fought and bickered without explaining themselves. We’d done this song and dance enough times for it to be routine.

“I know where my property line is. And he’s over it! I don’t care if he has a pool. I just don’t want it on my side.”

Neither man was lying, which only made this entire thing more frustrating. Their scents indicated complete honesty.

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