Free Seal Wolf Hunting (9781402293832) by Terry Spear Page A

yanking them off a little harder than necessary.
    â€œThe clasp came undone?”
    â€œNo.” She acted irritated that he’d asked her so many questions about it, but since she wasn’t forthcoming, he suspected something bad had happened.
    He wondered just how far the jewelry might be buried underneath the sediment. They hadn’t come home since March, and she hadn’t said anything to him about it then. Then again, she had conveniently been gone when he came home the last time. But it had to have happened more recently, when the water was warm enough to swim in. “When did you lose it?”
    At first, she hesitated to say. Then she finally let out her breath and said, “Last week.”
    Good. He was glad it hadn’t been long ago. He would have a better chance of finding it. If she’d been roughhousing in the water with Rose, that was one thing. Basing his assumption on the strength of their scents, last week would be about when the Cooper brothers were at the cabin. And then swimming in the lake with the women? Had one of them yanked off her necklace? Had she been struggling to get away from him?
    Paul ground his teeth and quit picking berries again, eyeing her. He really shouldn’t ask, but it bothered him that she was so reluctant to tell him the details. He couldn’t see how she could have just…lost it. He suspected that whoever Lori had been with hadn’t liked that she put the brakes on with him.
    Lori stopped picking berries and gave him the evil eye. “ Quit analyzing everything I’m saying. I just need my necklace back, if you can find it. That’s all.”
    He scowled right back at her. “If I learn that Dusty or Howard yanked your necklace off in a fit of rage—”
    â€œWhat? You’re going to kick his ass?”
    â€œHell, yeah.” He meant it too. He wasn’t about to let any man think he could treat Lori or Rose in an aggressive manner and get away with it. What might he do when Paul and Allan left again?
    She took a deep breath, shook her head, and swung her attention back to the bush.
    â€œSo what happened?”
    â€œNothing that I couldn’t handle. Don’t keep asking because I’m not saying. It’s over and done with.”
    â€œExcept that your necklace is at the bottom of the lake.” That pissed Paul off. Even if the necklace hadn’t meant much to her, it would matter. How it got there was what bothered him most. But the necklace was important to her.
    She again turned away from Paul and continued to look for huckleberries on a new bush farther away.
    He let his breath out in exasperation. “It was Dusty, wasn’t it?”
    She glanced over her shoulder at Paul. He was ready to wring the guy’s thick neck. Or take a good bite out of him.
    â€œHe immediately regretted what he did. All right? The way he limped out of here, I’m sure he was on some heavy-duty painkiller for a couple of days. We came to an understanding. He’s not about to hassle me any further.”
    Damn it! Paul knew it. But he had forgotten about her martial-arts training. Even so, he didn’t want the guy to think he could get away with what he had done. Or that Lori didn’t have someone who’d take him to task for it.
    Trying to get a handle on his feelings—wolves protected one of their own—he went back to picking berries.
    â€œThanks for being so concerned though,” Lori finally said.
    â€œYou didn’t tell Emma, did you?” He couldn’t let go of the anger. Damn it.
    â€œNo. But she knew something was wrong right away. For one thing, she noticed my necklace was gone. She didn’t ask me a million questions like you did. I’m sure she realized I took care of the situation to my satisfaction, and that was that.”
    â€œNot quite the end of it, since you don’t have your necklace. Have you been up here since then?” He didn’t