most
women fawn all over him. The big lug’s got a heart of gold. Trouble is it’s
usually for animals, not people. He’s not too keen on people.”
“Because?”
“Because they’re too damn nosey,”
Hank answered coming out of the barn. “You ready, Boss?”
“I wish you’d quit calling me
that.”
Hank grinned. “I like to irritate
you.”
“That’s the damn truth.” Ethan
motioned Haley back to the house. He watched until she shut the front door
behind her. He’d just as soon shoot that cougar as trap it. And to hell with
Amos if it was his. Ethan wasn’t about to let his family be in danger. And that
included Haley. He couldn’t explain it, but no way would he let any harm come
to her.
CHAPTER FOUR
“Follow me, everyone. I’ve got
something to show you.” Picking up Ryan, Ethan led the crew outside and over to
Hank’s red pick-up. A huge mountain lion paced inside a large cage in the back
of the truck.
“Oh my God.” Haley stopped dead in
her tracks and grabbed Ryan out of Ethan’s arms. Her eyes rounded with fear and
awe as she hugged her son close. “He’s huge.”
“Yes she is. Don’t go any
closer. She’s scared and she’s hungry. Hank caught her early this morning, but
the bait wasn’t enough to satisfy her appetite.”
Dottie crept closer and pointed to
the cougar with her cane. “That’s Amos’s cat, Lucille.”
“You positive?” Ethan asked. Dottie
edged forward. “Don’t get any closer, Mom.”
Dottie stopped. “She’s missing a
toe on her back left foot. After the county picnic this summer, Amos took me to
see her. She was as gentle as a kitten. I even petted her.”
“Well, don’t pet her now,” Hank
ordered, walking up with a slab of meat, cracking the cage door, and shoving it
through. She snarled and grabbed the meat.
Hank cursed under his breath. “Amos
and I are gonna have to have us a little talk this morning. He should have told
people his cat got out. She shouldn’t be this hungry if she’s only been roaming
around for the night.”
“I wonder how she got loose,” Dottie
said.
“Doesn’t matter,” Hank said. “She
did and she’s dangerous. Lucky for us she hadn’t quite killed the lamb she
grabbed last night when I showed up, or else the live trap I set after she
darted away would never have lured her in. I figured she might be some idiot’s
pet, because if she’d known what she was doing when she grabbed that lamb, it
would have been dead in a New York second.”
He shoved his cowboy hat up with a finger
then motioned toward the barn with a nod. “The lamb’s in there with a broken
leg and a horrific slash on the side of its throat. Doubt it makes it. Riley’s,
gonna be madder than a stuck pig when I tell him about his lamb. This cat needs
to be in a zoo.”
Haley took a step closer. The
mountain lion eyed her and flicked the end of her tail, biting down harder on
her meal and snarling. “I kind of feel sorry for her.”
“Me too, but Hank’s right.” Ethan
put a hand on Kayla’s shoulder. “I want to show you what her tracks look like,
so you’ll know if you ever run across them again to get back home as fast as
your legs will carry you. You, too, Haley.”
“I’ll pass on any more hikes, thank
you very much.” She hugged her son so tight he pushed against her and scowled.
She eased her grip.
Ryan waved at the cat. “Hi kitty.”
“Not a kitty,” Ethan corrected. “I
can’t say I blame you, Haley, for not wanting to hike anymore, but you need to
know this anyway. Just in case.”
“Just in case what?”
Ethan ran a hand over his face. “In
case she gets loose again and comes close to the house. Now let’s go look at
the paw tracks.”
Haley pursed her lips. “While we’re
at it, why don’t you show me bear tracks, too?”
Ethan hoisted Kayla onto his
shoulders. “We rarely have bears in Tennessee.”
“So Dottie told me, but we’re not
supposed to have cougars in this part of Tennessee,
women fawn all over him. The big lug’s got a heart of gold. Trouble is it’s
usually for animals, not people. He’s not too keen on people.”
“Because?”
“Because they’re too damn nosey,”
Hank answered coming out of the barn. “You ready, Boss?”
“I wish you’d quit calling me
that.”
Hank grinned. “I like to irritate
you.”
“That’s the damn truth.” Ethan
motioned Haley back to the house. He watched until she shut the front door
behind her. He’d just as soon shoot that cougar as trap it. And to hell with
Amos if it was his. Ethan wasn’t about to let his family be in danger. And that
included Haley. He couldn’t explain it, but no way would he let any harm come
to her.
CHAPTER FOUR
“Follow me, everyone. I’ve got
something to show you.” Picking up Ryan, Ethan led the crew outside and over to
Hank’s red pick-up. A huge mountain lion paced inside a large cage in the back
of the truck.
“Oh my God.” Haley stopped dead in
her tracks and grabbed Ryan out of Ethan’s arms. Her eyes rounded with fear and
awe as she hugged her son close. “He’s huge.”
“Yes she is. Don’t go any
closer. She’s scared and she’s hungry. Hank caught her early this morning, but
the bait wasn’t enough to satisfy her appetite.”
Dottie crept closer and pointed to
the cougar with her cane. “That’s Amos’s cat, Lucille.”
“You positive?” Ethan asked. Dottie
edged forward. “Don’t get any closer, Mom.”
Dottie stopped. “She’s missing a
toe on her back left foot. After the county picnic this summer, Amos took me to
see her. She was as gentle as a kitten. I even petted her.”
“Well, don’t pet her now,” Hank
ordered, walking up with a slab of meat, cracking the cage door, and shoving it
through. She snarled and grabbed the meat.
Hank cursed under his breath. “Amos
and I are gonna have to have us a little talk this morning. He should have told
people his cat got out. She shouldn’t be this hungry if she’s only been roaming
around for the night.”
“I wonder how she got loose,” Dottie
said.
“Doesn’t matter,” Hank said. “She
did and she’s dangerous. Lucky for us she hadn’t quite killed the lamb she
grabbed last night when I showed up, or else the live trap I set after she
darted away would never have lured her in. I figured she might be some idiot’s
pet, because if she’d known what she was doing when she grabbed that lamb, it
would have been dead in a New York second.”
He shoved his cowboy hat up with a finger
then motioned toward the barn with a nod. “The lamb’s in there with a broken
leg and a horrific slash on the side of its throat. Doubt it makes it. Riley’s,
gonna be madder than a stuck pig when I tell him about his lamb. This cat needs
to be in a zoo.”
Haley took a step closer. The
mountain lion eyed her and flicked the end of her tail, biting down harder on
her meal and snarling. “I kind of feel sorry for her.”
“Me too, but Hank’s right.” Ethan
put a hand on Kayla’s shoulder. “I want to show you what her tracks look like,
so you’ll know if you ever run across them again to get back home as fast as
your legs will carry you. You, too, Haley.”
“I’ll pass on any more hikes, thank
you very much.” She hugged her son so tight he pushed against her and scowled.
She eased her grip.
Ryan waved at the cat. “Hi kitty.”
“Not a kitty,” Ethan corrected. “I
can’t say I blame you, Haley, for not wanting to hike anymore, but you need to
know this anyway. Just in case.”
“Just in case what?”
Ethan ran a hand over his face. “In
case she gets loose again and comes close to the house. Now let’s go look at
the paw tracks.”
Haley pursed her lips. “While we’re
at it, why don’t you show me bear tracks, too?”
Ethan hoisted Kayla onto his
shoulders. “We rarely have bears in Tennessee.”
“So Dottie told me, but we’re not
supposed to have cougars in this part of Tennessee,
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