Werewolf in Denver Read Free Page B

my devastating charm aside, how are we going to extricate ourselves from this cock-up you’ve got us into?”
    “What do you mean, the cock-up I got us into? It’s very ungentlemanly of you to imply it was my fault.”
    “If not you, then who? It wasn’t me, I can tell you that much.”
    “It wasn’t me, either! It was…well, my grandmother suggested this, but I can’t blame her for the weather. So I guess it’s Mother Nature’s fault.”
    “And…so? What are we going to do?”
    “I’ve been thinking about that. Right before we spun out, we passed a turnoff to a cabin. I think we should take our phones and go there. If they’re home, they’ll give us shelter. If they’re not, we’ll break in and wait for a towing company to call back.”
    “Break in? I don’t know your local laws, but won’t that get us arrested?”
    “Not in an emergency like this. Besides, I’ve met the owners. They’re Edith and Bob Stewart, and Bob helped me change a tire when I had a flat on this road last summer.”
    “That doesn’t mean he’ll be happy if we break into his house.”
    “Seriously, he’d understand. Mountain people help each other out like that. This is a summer home, so they’re probably not here, but if we can find a number for them, we’ll call and tell them what we’ve done and explain that we’ll repair any damage involved in breaking in.”
    He peered at her in the growing darkness. “Have you ever broken into a residence before?”
    “No, but I’ve seen it done.”
    “You were an accomplice to a break-in?”
    She blew out a breath. “No. I’ve seen it done in the movies. It looked easy.”
    “Kate, it was a movie . Of course it looked easy! Theyused fake glass the actors could easily break or left a door unlocked so the actors could supposedly use a credit card. I’m sure these people have battened down the hatches on their cabin before leaving so no one can break in, at least not without great effort.”
    “Do you have a better idea?”
    “Unfortunately not.” Out of necessity, he started thinking like a burglar. “Do you have a torch?”
    “Of course not! Why would I carry a torch around? This is the twenty-first century. We use flashlights.”
    “Sorry. I meant flashlight. We call them torches in Scotland.”
    “Oh. I vaguely remember that, now that you mention it.”
    He smiled to himself. “From the movies?”
    “Smart-ass.” She opened a compartment between the two front bucket seats. “Yes, I have a flashlight.” She pulled it out and switched it on.
    “Hey, not in the eyes, please.” He put a hand on the flashlight and directed it downward so it wasn’t blinding him.
    “Whoops. My bad.” She stuck the light under her chin. “What does this make you think of?”
    “ Blair Witch Project. Which, by the way, isn’t a comforting thought as we venture into the cold, snowy woods.” But he laughed in spite of himself. He shouldn’t allow himself to be so entertained by her.
    “It’s only a movie , Duncan.” She mimicked his former patronizing tone. “They made all that up on purpose to scare you. It wasn’t real.”
    “Touché.”
    “Thanks.” She marked an imaginary line in the air with one gloved finger. “Score one for Stillman.”
    He let that pass. “So we have a flashlight, which we can use to see what the bloody hell we’re doing. Do you have a tire iron?”
    “Wow, you’re gearing up to break some serious glass, aren’t you?”
    “If we’re going to hike over there, we might as well go prepared to get in.”
    She studied him for a moment. “I’m thinking you might have done this before, Duncan MacDowell.”
    “If you must know, my brother and I locked ourselves out of the castle one night. It was late, and we couldn’t rouse any of the servants, so in order to get in, we—”
    “You locked yourselves out of the castle and couldn’t rouse the servants? You say that so casually, like everyone lives that way.”
    “I don’t think much