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regards to my lovely niece, Rachel. You ve been after my land for some time, and I know
you only have the town s best interests at heart. To that effect, I bequeath to you the care
of the totem s guardian and all that comes with her, with the exception of my house,
which Rachel needs more than you can know. Of course, this is conditional on Rachel
accepting you truly accepting you.
She s a Penny through and through, and needs a strong man by her side. It s my
deepest wish that you take her as a mate and as a wife, or if you refuse to see her coming
as the gift it is, as at least a member of your pride. But make sure she fulfills her
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Rachel s Totem
responsibilities to Cougar Falls. She was born to summon the totem. Stand by her as she
learns what to do, and whatever you do, don t desert her in her time of need. Be the
strong male presence in her life I never had. And don t even think of working around me
on this. You re not nearly as smart as you think you are. Help my niece and help yourself.
Lead her, Burke, show her the way. All or nothing. And you and the town will find a
treasure to preserve the past.
Sincerely, a pain in the ass  til the end,
Charlotte
Glancing at Gerald, Burke wondered what the hell to make of this.  You know what
it says?
Gerald nodded.  I m the only one. You finished? He reached for the letter, taking it
from Burke s limp hand. In seconds the lighter he held burned the letter to ash, and they
both turned their attention to Rachel.
Scowling, she gripped the page tighter as she finished, then reread her missive.  This
is nuts. She stared at Gerald.  You actually encouraged my aunt with this nonsense?
 It s not nonsense. Gerald nodded to the letter.  Read it again until you re sure you
won t forget what s written there. I m not allowed to assist you any more than I already
have. From now on, if you have questions, Burke s here to guide you with regards to the
actual property and what s in it.
Burke didn t know how the hell he was going to guide Rachel in anything
considering he had no idea how to  call the damned totem, or how to make the thing
work. When Charlotte s health had begun to fail, the totem s magic had wavered, then
weakened. And when she d died, the magic and the large relic had vanished. A twenty-
foot tall hunk of wood just& gone.
Now Charlotte implied Rachel was here to take over where she d left off, hell,
maybe even to be his wife, if Charlotte had her way, and Gerald, that asshole, had known
about this the whole time.
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Marie Harte
 We ve been without protection for a week. Burke took a threatening step in
Gerald s direction.  If you knew, you should have 
 I ve done as I ve been told. Now it s up to you and Rachel. Sink or swim, this town
needs its defenses before the others step in. And I think you know who I m talking
about. Gerald stared beyond Burke toward the woods.
Yeah, Gerald had smelled the wolves as well. The encroaching bastards. The gray
wolves wanted the totem for themselves, not content with their large territory in Glacier
National Park. The mangy canines wanted a better handhold on  civilization, and the
totem and Cougar Falls were a perfect breeding ground to start a new Order, one to rival
the huge faction in Texas growing in leaps and bounds.
Rachel interrupted his chaotic thoughts.  Okay, I think I need some explanations,
and I need them now.
Gerald smiled, showing too many teeth.  And that s my cue to leave. He snatched
the letter from Rachel, burned it and pocketed his lighter. Grabbing his briefcase, he
swiftly said his goodbyes and left them standing together, alone at last.
Rachel blinked rapidly and shook her head.  This is like some bad dream. I inherited
my aunt s house with major strings attached. And what the hell is this totem, anyway?
Gerald told me about a twenty-foot totem pole, but that letter said something way
different. I want answers, Burke.
She planted her hands on her hips, her attitude both aggressive and scared. He
wanted to know exactly what Charlotte had written, and why it made Rachel so nervous.
 Tell me what your aunt said.
 First, you tell me about this totem pole and why the town has festivals dedicated to [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]