Page 41 of Into the Lion's Den (Secrets of the Northland Shifters)

“You know, Reese. I want you kids to make this place work, but maybe…in a weird way…this freak accident with the ropes course is for the best.”

I gave him a scathing look. How could any of this be for the best?

“Hear me out. I’m only saying…maybe this is a sign you kids should get on with your own lives. You’re so caught up in this place, and now there are too many bad memories attached to it. Maybe you should all go out on your own. Settle down. Get married and have families.”

I frowned. “Dad did that. Look how that worked out for him.”

Joe rubbed his hand along the arm of the couch. “Your mother was…”

“A backstabber?” I offered, my head going to the image of my father, pacing the floor in the days after her abandonment.

“I was going to say a troubled woman.”

She was troubled all right. Troubled by the knowledge that her husband and children were part animal. Of course, Joe knew nothing of this.

But she was the reason we’d committed our lives to the resort. Humans were good clients, good acquaintances, but never anything in which to put our trust.

None of us would ever commit ourlivesto one of them. Dad had pounded that lesson into us well enough.

There was a soft knock and my door cracked open an inch to reveal Sarah. My heart leaped at the sight of her.

“Oh, sorry,” she said, tucking a lock of her long brown hair behind her ear. “I didn’t realize you had company.”

“It’s okay,” I said, sounding more eager than the situation called for. “Come on in.”

Sarah pushed the door open further and stepped into the room. The mountain lion purred inside my skin, wanting her to come closer.

“Joe,” I said, with a small shake of my head, “this isSarah McAvoy, our new events coordinator. Sarah, Joe Turnbull.”

“Nice to meet you,” Joe said.

“You too,” Sarah said.

“Is this about the weekend reservations?” I asked.

“No.” She glanced briefly at Joe, then back to me. “I…um… I heard Sam talking to Angel.”

“Yeah?” I asked.

She squirmed as if she had a secret she wasn’t supposed to tell, then retreated toward the door. “You’re right. This can wait until tomorrow. Sorry to interrupt.”

“No,” I said, the cat’s curiosity too big to contain. “Wait.”

Sarah stopped in the doorway.

“It’s okay,” I said. “Joe was my father’s best friend. We don’t keep secrets from him.”

I felt Joe’s eyes slide from Sarah to me, then back to Sarah.

“Oh.” She glanced at Joe. “Well, Sam was telling Angel you might have to sell the horses to pay some kind of bill.”

“Yes?”

“Angel sounded pretty upset.”

I nodded. “The horses have been his special project for a long time.”

“I just wanted you to know…before you make any decisions…that I published the website.”

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