He never answered her question.
Luckily, Chet sent a couple of other cars out to gather everyone up and bring them back to the department, for which Rance was grateful. He hadn’t looked forward to walking all the way back, although he could have thought of several things to do with Lainie in the woods. If all of Lainie’s friends did not surround them, that is.
Once they finished dressing, everyone made the round of proper introductions, all glad to see Rance and the “glow” on Lainie’s cheeks. The one thing about a mating call, everyone around knew when someone felt that pull. The scent the animals emitted was unmistakable and, to those exuding it, impossible to ignore. Everyone seemed to be great people to Rance as far as he could tell from the brief period he had met them, and he tho
