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Page 33 of King of Sloth (Kings of Sin)

That was what she was afraid of. “That I should be aiming higher in life? But like you said, I don’t have a choice—assuming it’s true what they say about mates.”

“Are you doubting your reaction to them? In the case of a werewolf, the attraction is so strong that nothing can change his mind—if I can believe Benson.”

“I will keep an open mind. My first concern is helping them get their cows back.”

Seth dipped his chin. “How do you plan to do that?”

“Gather information that might be useful to them. We come from a ranching family with ranching connections. Surely, someone must know something.”

A cow wandered over and stood there, as if she was upset they were sitting on her food.

Seth shoed away the sweet thing. “You’re right. Talk to Uncle Adam. I bet he can call Sheriff Hanson and find out a few things.”

Malia grinned. “That is an excellent idea.”

“Now that we’ve solved that problem, we should go. Trevor is probably wondering where I am.”

“Sorry. I didn’t mean to take you away from your chores. I can find my way back if you want to find him.”

They both stood. “Thanks. Look, if your men ever need backup, I’ll be happy to help. We ranchers need to stick together.”

She hugged her brother. “You are the best.”

“Back at you.”

They both mounted their horses and took off in different directions. Getting out in the fresh, but cold air, had revitalized her. While Malia would have loved nothing more than to go for a long ride today, she needed to touch base with Uncle Adam. As sheriff of Wildwood, he would be aware of any thefts on the nearby ranches.

Malia returned Buttercup to the barn, removed her saddle, and brushed her down. “I’ll be back when I can, okay?”

Buttercup snorted. More relaxed than Malia had been since the incident with the men, she took off for town, hoping her uncle was in his office. If he was on assignment, his deputy, Noah Clayton, should be able to help her. Her backup would be Mason. He was not only her cousin, he was the sheriff’s son. Being a private investigator, he could find out a lot of things that others couldn’t.

The trip didn’t take long. Once she parked, a blast of cold air suddenly swept down from the sky, and she rushed inside.

“Hey, Elana.” The receptionist was yet another cousin.

“Malia, this is a nice surprise.”

“Yeah. I have the day off and wanted to ask Uncle Adam something. Is he in?”

“I’m afraid he’s not, but Noah is here.”

“He’ll do.”

Once Elana let the deputy know she wanted to speak with him, Malia went back to his office. Noah stood when she came in. “Malia, this is a nice surprise.”

Why did everyone act as if she never saw them? Maybe because she was always working. “Can I pass something by you?”

“By all means, have a seat.”

She told him about the cattle rustlers and how they’d shot and then beat Luke and Ryan Lattimore. “I don’t know how many cows they took, but I have the sense the loss might put the men out of business.”

Noah shook his head. “Do you know if the thieves were werewolves?”

Thankfully, Noah was one, so discussing the situation with him wasn’t an issue. “They were.”

“I trust the Lattimore’s are too if they told you?”

“They are.” She told him that David had them taken to her uncle’s house to be treated.