The young woman nods, flicking her eyes to Mark and me before glancing back at Hunter. She seems curious about us, and I wonder how often they get tourists at this time of year.
"Do you happen to know Skylar Miller?" Hunter asks, flashing her his mega-watt movie star smile.
Nora narrows her eyes at us. She suddenly seems less pleasant and more suspicious. "Not sure that I have. What would you need from Sky—uh, this Ms. Miller?"
Mark chuckles beside me, and I reassess Nora with fresh eyes. Seems she’ll protect Skylar if necessary, which pleases me.
I step forward, wanting to manage the situation without causing any embarrassment for Skylar should this conversation get back to her. "We’re Skylar's bosses. She let us know she had a family emergency, so we’ve come to help."
Nora gives me a tight smile and blinks twice before responding. "You came to Foxy Falls during the holidays to help your employee with a family emergency?"
I’m unsure how to respond as she calls me out like I'm a dumbass.
Hunter chuckles and elbows me out of the way. "She's important to us."
Nora's gaze bounces between us, and her eyes narrow. "Still doesn't answer my question. What do you need from this woman?"
"We just want to talk to her," Mark says from behind us.
I roll my eyes. That's exactly what someone who wanted to hurt her would say.
Nora gives him another forced smile. "Look here, fellas. We’re a hunting town, which means we always have weapons at hand and we look out for one another. If anyone in Foxy Falls finds out you're here for the wrong reasons, I'll ask you to drive right back out of town so you don't get yourselves hurt, or worse."
Mark chuckles. Hunter pulls back in surprise, clearly not expecting Nora to have such fire. As for me, that was the most professional death threat I've ever heard.
Hunter leans forward, his grin back in place. "Nora, we’re all in love with Skylar and would like to make her our wife."
I smack Hunter’s chest, furious that he's revealed personal information to a stranger.
Nora assesses all three of us for a moment. I’m pretty sure she’s about to tell us all where to go, but her next words surprise me.
"Well, in that case, check across the street atThe Wet Whistle."
My heart pounds in my chest.
She's still here.
"Does she stop by there often?" Hunter asks.
"No, she's running it. It's a long story, which I'm sure she'll share with you. If she so chooses," Nora says with more of the fire from earlier. It’s clear she still doesn’t fully trust us, but at least she’s willing to give us a lead.
Hunter beams. "Thank you."
"We'll see," Nora snips, then turns and disappears into the office behind her.
"She's giving Skylar a heads up," Mark whispers.
We all look at each other. Then we race out onto the street.
Ready or not, Skylar, here we come.
Chapter four
Hunter
Idon't think the three of us have ever run this fast outside of a gym. Not as adults, anyway.
We practically fly across the street, but I stop Mark and Paul when we hit the sidewalk and turn to face them with my hands outstretched.
