so we can’t pick up supplies,” she continued. “We raise sheep, up on the mountainside, but a few have gone missing. We’re asking around to see if anyone else is missing livestock.”
“I’m real sorry to hear that,” Byl said with a sympathetic frown. “I haven’t heard about any missing livestock, but I’ll be sure to keep an ear to the ground. Do you want to leave me your transmission digits? I’ll send along a welcome packet too.”
“Thank you,” she said, taking the tablet by the counter and entering their info.
“Bring luck on Lachesis,” Byl said as they took their leave.
Colton began to wiggle in the sling.
“Hang on,” Liberty told Odin, pulling the baby out to cuddle him.
“Hello, little one,” Odin said gently.
The baby yawned and then banged his head on Liberty’s chest.
“Oh, he’s hungry,” Odin said. “We have less than a minute before he starts screaming.”
Liberty scanned the shop and saw a little table by the window. “Maybe we can sit for a moment and feed him.”
“I don’t see why not,” Odin said. “We can decide what to do next.”
They sat, and she pulled a cell of milk out of the auto-warmer in her bag. Colton latched right on and fed frantically.
“Always sleeping or eating,” Odin said fondly. “It’s a good life.”
“It is, isn’t it?” Liberty said, gazing down at the sweet little face. “But soon he’ll get a little older and have a longer list of hobbies.”
The cell was nearly empty already. He really was a good eater.
A burst of pride warmed her heart, even though she knew it was ridiculous to be proud of her baby for eating quickly. It seemed like she was proud of everything he did.
Another customer was at the counter now, chatting with Byl.
She’d been too busy with Colton to notice anything about the transaction, but Odin was laser-focused on their conversation for some reason.
“We have to go,” he murmured to Liberty as she tucked the empty cell into her bag and rubbed Colton’s back to get him to burp.
“Why?” she asked.
“That man just upped his feed order,” Odin said darkly.
“Is that bad?” Liberty asked, trying to follow and get Colton back into his sling at the same time.
“The feed he ordered is the same thing the rainbow sheep eat to supplement their grazing,” Odin said. “We’ve got a huge sack of it back at the barn.”
“Probably a lot of animals eat that,” Liberty suggested.
“Not that formula,” Odin said. “It’s got byzantine oil in it as a moisturizer for animals with chameleon color fur. That’s a very expensive additive.”
“So no one would buy that unless they had rainbow sheep,” Liberty said.
“Or another animal with color changing fur,” Odin said. “But I can’t think of another that lives on Lachesis.”
“So we should ask if he’s missing any animals?” Liberty asked.
“No,” Odin said quickly. “He’s obviously not missing any. He just upped his feed order.”
Liberty’s breath caught in her throat as she realized what he was saying.
Her eyes went to the man at the counter.
He looked much like any of the other Terran farmers in the shop - older, wearing a worn but clean coverall, short gray beard and a cap with the name of a popular tool supply company.
“Don’t look at him,” Odin whispered. “We don’t want to draw any attention. We’re going to let him walk out of here, and then we’re going to follow him.”
24
Odin
Odin tied the stag-mare to a tree on the edge of the stranger’s farm, cursing himself inwardly as he did.
What kind of idiot followed someone all the way to the top of Witch’s Peak on an espionage mission with his mate and child?
But Liberty’s words to the marshal had stayed with him. The sheep were Colton’s birthright. Their wool was intended to raise and educate him. This man had no right to take that away.
“No one steals from my son,” he muttered to himself.
“What?” Liberty whispered.
“Nothing,” he mouthed. “Wait here.”
She shook her head emphatically and swung her leg over the mare’s back to dismount.
“You can’t sneak onto a thief’s farm with a baby,” Odin whispered to her reasonably.
“Well, I’m not sitting alone with a baby right outside of it,” she whispered back. “Besides, I’m responsible for Colton’s farm. This is something I can’t learn from a book.”
He observed her.
She stood her ground, feet shoulder-width apart, determination in her dark eyes.
“Fine,” he sighed. “Stay close and don’t make a sound.”
“We’ll do our best,” she said, her arm curving around Colton’s sling.
“Gods,” Odin muttered darkly.
But she paid him no mind and