Jax shoves a couple things aside to make room for his bow before carefully noting, “It seems like she might be a good addition, maybe something that could become permanent?”
“We’ll see.” I grimace, trying not to get my hopes up that this could work. A few days over the holidays is hardly a good trial run with a dog. “Oh, by the way, our trip is only going to be two nights.”
“Why?”
“Long story. Charlie will probably fill you in, but needless to say, he’s not in a good mood.” I lean against the truck. “You’ll see soon, but he needs our support right now.”
As if on cue, Charlie barrels out of the house, his hands full. “Thanks for the help, guys.”
“See?” I whisper to Jax. “Char, you said you were going to get extra batteries. I didn’t realize that was code for everything you could possibly carry from the tool shed.”
“You can never be too prepared for a hunting trip. Right, Jax?”
“Right.” Jax quickly moves to help Charlie load his items into the truck.
The second Charlie’s arms are empty, he brushes his hands clean and announces, “The deer aren’t going to hunt themselves. Let’s go.”
“This should be fun,” Jax mutters.
I giggle as I help Bella into the back seat and then slide into the truck before Jax.
Once everyone is buckled, I turn to Charlie. “What are we going to do when we get there?”
“Unpack, obviously.” Charlie pulls out of the driveway onto Roots Road. “Then I guess we can walk around the property a bitto look at tracks and see if we can get a sense of what their habits are. It’s a bit late in the season. We’re already past the second rut, but that means the whitetails are usually building more predictable routines. We don’t have as much time as I’d like, but we can try to take advantage of getting there early to see what we find. We’ll head out with our bows before dusk.”
I blink a few times. “What’s a rut?”
“It’s the deer’s breeding season and the best time to hunt for bucks because they’re more active and less cautious. They’re more focused on finding a lady than paying attention to their surroundings.”
I nod my head in understanding. “So are human males always in a rut?”
Charlie glares at me, and I have to bite my lip to keep from laughing. “What am I going to do while you two hunt?”
“You’re coming with us,” Jax says, matter of fact. “That’s why you’re here.”
“But I don’t know anything. Won’t I get in the way?”
“We’ll teach you.”
“I’m going to get killed with a bow and arrow this week, aren’t I?” I straighten. “That’s probably been your plan all along! Drag me out into the middle of the woods, where no one will find me, and make it look like I got in the way.”
“That wasn’t the plan before, but that’s kind of brilliant. Way better than our original plan, right?” Jax glances at Charlie.
“You can’t tell her that. Now she won’t want to go out with us. We’re going to need to come up with another way to eliminate her.”
Even though I don’t appreciate the fact that the two of them are talking about murdering me, the sight of Charlie’s smile brings a wave of relief over me.
“Shit. You’re right.” Jax crosses his arms. “Back to Plan A, I guess.”
“Or that’s still your plan and you’re trying to throw me off the scent!” I say, figuring I might as well play along.
That brings genuine laughter from the boys. “I promise we won’t let anything happen to you, Lo.” Charlie nudges me. “It’ll be cool to show you the ropes. You’re not bad with a bow and arrow. You could be a great hunter.”
“I’m good with leaving that for you to handle. Besides, someone needs to look after Bella, and I have books to read.”
“What’s the point of coming out to the deer stand with us if you’re just going to read?”
“You wouldn’t get it. There’s something about being in proximity to someone you care about while reading.”
