Madly Yours (Nora Reed) novel Chapter 228

That was why he had no choice but to seek out Hudson Lancaster and ask for his help.

...

Back at the hunting preserve.

Grant and Sebastian had hit the jackpot.

Three rabbits, a deer, and a fox.

The fox's coat was a striking reddish-brown, shimmering like silk in the sunlight. Sebastian held it by the tail, swinging it casually.

"Look at this. Just look at this."

Grant tossed the rabbits onto the ground and dusted off his hands, grinning like a madman. "Three rabbits, one deer, and a fox. With a haul like this, we're definitely the top dogs on the mountain today."

For once, Sebastian didn't insult him. He actually nodded in agreement. "Not bad at all. Especially that deer. One shot, clean kill."

"Damn straight!"

Grant slung his rifle over his shoulder, his eyes crinkling as he grinned from ear to ear. "I'm telling you, that deer had to be at least two hundred pounds. I dropped it in one shot. It was glorious. Shame you missed it."

As he spoke, he glanced down the mountain trail.

Hudson and Nora weren't back yet.

Grant squinted up at the mountain, but aside from layers of dense canopy and the occasional bird taking flight, there was nothing to see.

"Why aren't they back yet?"

He pulled out his phone to check the time. "It's getting late. They should have been down by now."

Sebastian was busy wiping down his barrel and didn't look up. "Maybe they bagged something big."

"Something big?" Grant scoffed. "Give me a break. Hudson brought his wife. What 'big' thing are they going to shoot? Nora is tiny; she can barely hold the gun. If she managed to hit a rabbit, it's a miracle."

The more he thought about it, the more convinced he became. He sat down on a large boulder, crossed his legs, and pulled a cigarette from his pocket, sticking it between his lips.

Grant and Sebastian looked up simultaneously.

A dark green pickup truck was barreling down the mountain trail. The chassis was splattered with mud, and leaves were tangled in the tires—it had definitely just come out of the deep woods.

"Huh?" Grant frowned. "Why is there a truck coming down?"

The pickup drew closer and parked right in front of them.

The door swung open, and Hudson jumped out of the passenger side. He walked around to the back and offered his hand to help Nora down.

Grant and Sebastian exchanged a look, both sharing the same confusion.

Did these two really just go on a hiking date?

Or...

Were they too exhausted from 'fooling around' that they had to call a ride back?