I couldn’t talk to Trevor about Shifters, even knowing that he was one, because I’d given Reno my word and wanted to earn back his trust. Trevor must have sensed Reno and his family were Shifters too, and that’s why he’d never liked them. I started to recall things he had brought up in conversation that hadn’t made sense then but did now.
Austin carried me downstairs and out the front door, setting me down at the foot of the porch steps. I followed behind him on my crutches, frowning at the mud that began to stain the rubber bottoms. Now I knew why they always piled their shoes by the door.
Jericho was sitting on the hood of Denver’s faded yellow truck on the left side of the yard. Denver and Lexi were milling around, preparing to throw. Austin snuck up behind Lexi, turned her around, and zipped her jacket all the way up to her neck.
It was a crisp sixty-two degrees, but with the breeze and no sun, it felt a lot cooler. Lexi had been lending me her clothes, so I wore a beige knit shirt with quarter-length sleeves. It didn’t really go with my grey sweats and sneakers, but I didn’t want to impose by getting picky about fashion.
Lexi threw the horseshoe and spun around, letting out a holler.
“Doesn’t count,” Denver said.
“The hell it doesn’t!” she protested.
He threw out his left arm and pointed at the pin. “That was a woody. It doesn’t count.”
“What’s a woody?” I asked Jericho.
He arched his brows suggestively and I shook my head.
“Austin, tell him it counts,” she said, hands on her hips.
“Sorry, Ladybug. He’s right.”
She glowered and began to retreat. “I’ve changed my mind.”
Austin snatched her wrist and spun her around. “Since when is Lexi Knight a quitter?”
“He takes it too seriously. I just want to have fun.”
Jericho leaned toward me and lowered his voice. “This happens every time. Lexi hates losing. Austin said when they were kids she used to cheat her ass off at checkers by distracting him and moving the chips around.”
“So why did Denver invite her to play?”
He reached around and tied his long hair back, but a loose strand slipped in front of his face. Jericho smiled with his jade eyes. “Denver likes to ruffle feathers; it’s his hobby, in case you hadn’t noticed. He has a way of getting under your skin because of how casual he is about things. Most of us can kick his ass at horseshoes, but he’s a sport about losing, so this is actually fun for me to watch.”
“You should let her win,” I whispered.
“April thinks we should let Lexi win!” Jericho shouted and laughed all at once.
Oh yeah, these men were pure evil, trying to stage a catfight. I hit him in the shoulder with my crutch and Lexi turned around as if I had betrayed her.
“Sorry, Lexi,” I said with a shrug. “Maybe it’s just not your game.”
“I’d like to see you try it,” she dared.
“Fine.” Challenge accepted.
Denver gave me a brief rundown of the rules and how to score points. Then he threw his horseshoe and it spun around the peg.
I handed my crutches over to Lexi. “Okay, go easy on me because I have a disability here,” I said with a wide smile. All eyes were on me. Careful not to smack someone in the head with that thing, my inner voice teased.
When I swung my arm forward, the horseshoe hit the ground and rolled off to the right.
Austin whistled with his fingers and Jericho clapped. I had to laugh because that was a truly embarrassing first attempt.
Ben leaned against the truck and I caught him staring at my ass. It made me uncomfortable, and I flushed as Denver handed me a heavy horseshoe.
“I’ll let you practice and throw a few,” he said.
“Swing low,” Ben suggested. “You need to bend over a little.” He was drunk by the glazed look in his eyes, and it was only three in the afternoon. I didn’t care for Ben, and even though Wheeler had a sharp tongue, I felt like I could trust him. The rest of the house favored Ben because of his light humor, but underneath, I don’t know. I couldn’t put my finger on it.
Jericho smacked him in the back of the head, a look of annoyance on his face. Ben instantly shifted into his wolf and growled before trotting off. Wheeler leaned against the house, watching Ben’s wolf from the corner of his eye.
I swallowed hard and tossed another one. This one cut short and hit the ground with a thud.
“Do you guys want to play laser tag tonight?” Denver suggested, stuffing his hands in his pockets and glancing toward Jericho.
“Sounds like fun,” Lexi piped in, her voice mysteriously cloaked with politeness. “Can I be on the opposite team as you?”
“Yeah, but dickhead’s on my team.”
Dickhead was Denver’s nickname for Jericho. It didn’t seem to bother him.
“Well, I’m not having Ben on my team,” Jericho announced. “He’ll be tanked by then.”
While they rattled on about their plans, I threw another horseshoe. This one landed on one of the wood planks that bordered the pit and I frowned.
“What about Mom and Maizy?” Lexi asked.
“Bring ’em along. Your mom can go in the arcade with Maizy while we mature adults are left to our devices,” Denver said, tucking his hands beneath his armpits.
“What about…” Lexi didn’t finish her sentence, but she didn’t have to.