“Nothing to figure out,” I admitted.
“Clearly there’s something to figure out there if you’re hiding away for two days, and missing your own…” He shut up fast.
“My own what?”
“You’re gonna have to take that one up with Denver,” he muttered.
I pinched the bridge of my nose.
Shit was just not going my way the last few days.
“If it makes you feel better, I wasn’t in my home wallowing in self-pity,” I admitted. “I’m dealing with a bunch of bullshit with this poaching case. We’ve had three adult male moose killed in the last three days alone. And one caught in a trap that we had to euthanize.”
His gaze sharpened.
It would.
He was the local vet who serviced three counties. And when he wasn’t doing that, he moonlighted as the spare park ranger.
“Why haven’t I heard about this?” he asked.
“That I can’t tell you,” I said. “But I’m currently up to my eyeballs in these cases, and I’m trying to get it all figured out but it’s seriously a pain in the ass, and all the other game wardens are busy as fuck, too. Meaning, we’re spread thin.”
“Which I’m sure Denver knows.” He winced. “Sorry, man. I had to euthanize a family pet today that bit a little girl, and let’s just say I’m pissy.”
I jerked up my chin. “It’s fine.”
It wasn’t.
I should’ve been there last night. And the night before since they’d rescheduled to accommodate me.
“Fuck.” I looked at the door once again.
“What’s got you hung up about the girl?” he asked.
A whole lot of things.
None of them good.
“Probably nothing I should be pursuing,” I admitted.
He studied me for a long moment while I studied Birdee’s house, and then surprised me when he asked, “Want to come to the clubhouse with me? Then we can go grab dinner at Hopps?”
Hopps was owned by the club, and one of the only places in town that was local.
“Sure,” I grumbled as I gave the door one last glance.
Shit.
I had something wrong with my head.
I walked to my old truck and hopped inside. Boone followed suit in his own truck, then we both drove to the clubhouse.
It took nearly a half hour to get to the gated ranch that was quite a bit outside of town.
As we parked and got out, my eyes gazed longingly at the horses.
I liked to come out here quite a bit and ride.
