“I haven’t checked them yet. I cleaned them up, but they don’t seem to have power. I think there must be a fuse or something somewhere.”
“We’ll figure it out. In the meantime, we’ll make do,” Niall told her.
“There are only two single beds and a sofa to sleep on,” she told them. “Want to draw straws?”
“Nah. You and Ronan can take the bedrooms. I’ll sleep out here on the sofa so I can keep an eye on the door.”
“You are expecting trouble?” Ronan asked.
“Not expecting but prepared for it. You know we never let our guard down.”
“All right, well, I’m going to drop my things in the smaller room. I’ll let you boys have the bigger room so you can both have your stuff in there out of the way, even if one of you is on the sofa.”
“Sounds good,” Niall replied.
What’s for dinner then?” Deidre asked.
“Fish and chips from a little chip shop by the lough,” Ronan told her, already unpacking the bags they’d brought in onto the counter.
“Sounds good. Best eat while it’s hot. Have I mentioned that I’m starving?” she replied with a smile.
“Once or twice,” Niall laughed.
“Let’s get you fed,” Ronan added.
The three of them sat around the small table that sat to one side of the tiny living room space and ate, discussing what to do next. They were limited with being so far out in the middle of nowhere and getting the car in an out of the barn it had been hidden in was risky.
“I think we’re best off spending some time in bear form,” Deidre said. “We’ll blend in out here. We can stash some spare clothes or carry them in a garbage bag. We’ll just look like we stole someone’s trash.”
Niall and Ronan looked at each other and laughed, causing her to raise an eyebrow at them.
“You haven’t seen us in bear form,” Niall replied.
“No, but a bear’s a bear, isn’t it?”
“Not us. We don’t exactly blend in,” Ronan told her.
“Why not?”
“We’re ginger,” he answered.
“You’re kidding me,” she laughed.
“Nope. The moment we shift, any other bear who has been around these parts for a while will know who we are. The McNallys are, as far as we know, the only ginger-furred shifters in Ireland or America, perhaps the world. Who knows?”
“That’s fascinating. Why’ve I never see one of you or heard about that?”
“The Maguires killed most of us. Only our immediate family managed to escape. So, there were no more of us to see, and I guess it just sort of erased that we existed for anyone beyond a certain age.”
Their conversation was interrupted by a heavy knock at the door. Niall and Ronan were instantly on their feet.
“Get in the bedroom, out of sight,” Niall barked at Deidre.
“I don’t need to hide. I’m in this fight too.”
“I can’t protect you if you’re going to sass everything I say,” Niall hissed, his face screwed together in a mask that told her he was not up for being challenged.
Deidre did as he asked, not exactly hiding, but at least lurking inside the bedroom door so she could hear what was happening. She heard the door opening and then Ronan speaking to someone in a low tone.
“It’s okay,” he called out behind him, presumably to both of them. “It’s one of Andrew’s guys from the main house.”
Deidre started to step out of the bedroom, but something told her not to do so. Instead, she lingered for a moment, just listening to the conversation.
“I brought you some extra fuses in case any of the ones down here aren’t working. Also, a wheelbarrow of firewood. It’s going to get a lot cooler once the sun drops. You’ll want a fire. This’ll get you through the night, and we’ll haul down some more tomorrow when there’s more daylight.”
“Appreciate it,” Niall said, stepping into the conversation.
“Where’s your girl at?” the man asked.
“We sorted her elsewhere,” Niall told him.
“Oh? I thought the whole point of bringing her down here was to keep an eye on her,” the man replied.
“Thanks for the firewood and the fuses. We do have a couple things that aren’t working,” Niall replied.
“Aye. Sure,” the man replied.
“You have a good night then,” Niall told him.
Deidre could tell he was anxious to get rid of the man, and he had lied to him about her being there for some reason. Whatever sense she had about the man, he seemed to share it, or maybe he just realized that she hadn’t come out and took that as a sign. At any rate, he hurried him away.
She could hear him and Niall talking in whispers once the door was shut, then he called out to her to come finish her dinner. Neither Niall nor Ronan remarked on what had happened with the man other than that he had brought fuses, so she brought it up.