A Home for Haley by Mary Jane Morgan

fence,
remembering how comfortable he’d felt with her this evening. He couldn’t
believe he’d spilled his guts to her about his ex. He hadn’t talked about Elisa
to anyone except his own family. And he’d kept even that to a minimum.
    A loud scream splintered the night
air. The horses whinnied and bunched together. Ethan jumped down from the
fence. “Whoa there. Easy. Easy boy.” Keeping his voice low and soothing, he
patted each horse, wondering what the hell was going on out in the hills.
Another scream filled the night. One horse reared, pawing the air. “Whoa, easy
does it,” he murmured, approaching the frightened animal.
    Hank raced out of his bunk at the
back of the barn in jeans and bare feet, holding a rifle and looking like a mad
rattlesnake ready to strike. Even bare footed he was several inches taller than
Ethan.
    “Unless I had way too much whiskey
tonight, Boss, that was the scream of a cougar.”
    Ethan plopped his hands on his hips.
“Well you musta had too much whiskey because we don’t have cougars in Tennessee.”
    Hank’s blue eyes narrowed. “We had
that damn renegade mountain lion less than a year ago. And old man Amos has
one. The idiot. Keeps it in a pen.”
    Ethan cursed under his breath. “It
better not get my ostriches or old man Amos is really gonna be really old when
I’m done with him.”
    Hank raised his rifle at a sound
behind the corral. A woman squealed. “Don’t shoot. Please don’t shoot,” she
whispered, shrinking back.
    “What are you doing out here?”
Ethan growled at Haley, irritation climbing up his throat. Damn, she should
have stayed in the house, not come out here where there might be danger.
    “I heard an awful scream and saw
you when I peeked out the kitchen window. Hi,” she said to Hank. “I’m Haley,
the new nanny.”
    Hank nodded. “Hank Bradley. Nice to
meet you. We’d better get the ostriches penned up, Ethan, before that cougar
has one for dinner.”
    Haley’s mouth fell open. “Is that
what made the awful scream?” she asked, hugging herself.
    Ethan walked to her. “Nah, just one
of Hank’s women.”
    “He thinks he’s funny.” Hank
started back toward his bunk. “I prefer the quiet type, Boss. I keep telling
you that.” Haley laughed and Hank looked back over his broad shoulder at her.
“You a screamer?”
    She flushed hot as a steaming
kettle. Ethan could all but see the heat rolling off of her.
    “Don’t mind him,” Ethan said. “He’s
got no manners. Get dressed, Hank, so Haley doesn’t have a heat stroke staring
at you, then we’ll go round up the ostriches. Tomorrow, though, we’re going on
a hunt.”
    “No need for that. I’ll set a live
trap tonight.” Hank stepped into the barn.
    Haley jumped when one of the horses
snorted. “There really are cougars out here?”
    “Not supposed to be, but Hank’s
positive that’s what we heard. I’d have to agree with him even though it
doesn’t seem very likely.”
    She grabbed the front of her pink cotton
robe and squeezed it. “The kids and I walked all over the place today,” she
reminded him.
    Ethan’s heart all but jumped out of
his chest. “Holy hell.” He glanced toward the hills. “Hank’s bait will probably
catch the cat tonight. I imagine it’s hungry. But stay near the house tomorrow.
Ryan’s just the right size to attract a cougar.”
    Haley’s hand flew to her throat.
“Can’t we just go back to the city first thing tomorrow?”
    He studied her face, protectiveness
surging through him “Sure. We’ll head out right after breakfast, let Hank take
care of the problems here. But now I’ve got to go help him move the ostriches
into the barn. You get inside the house.”
    She hesitated. “Please let me know
when you’re back inside safe.”
    Her concern touched him. “No need
to worry about me. Hank’s got his rifle and he’s tougher than any cougar.”
    She glanced toward the barn. “He’s
big and gruff.”
    Ethan laughed. “Gruff or not,