Falke’s Captive by Madison Layle & Anna Leigh Keaton Page A

that if Falke must wear one to be here, we should all be willing to do the same. Anyway, after Falke came back without his, Kelan gave him his collar this morning.”
    The puma huffed and lowered his head onto his big paws, his body taking up a large chunk of counter space, his tail swiping back and forth in an angry way.
    So what if the family didn’t buy his tale; it only mattered whether she did.
    “I thought it must’ve broken and fallen off or something,” Reidar said, warming to his story. He held out his hand for the collar, waiting patiently until she handed it over. “We decided it would be better if the cat wore one. You know, since the townsfolk know Falke, they won’t be alarmed, but without the collar he could be mistaken for a wild animal.”
    Raising her chin in challenge, Beth looked him in the eye. “Mistaken? Collar or not, he is a wild animal,” she stressed. “A predator, a carnivore, with sharp teeth and claws. Don’t fool yourself.”
    Reidar smiled. She was a spitfire and adorable when ticked. A shame their budding acquaintance had to end on this sour note.
    Kelan was going to get a piece of his mind for not sharing that Beth was the trigger-happy scientist with him last night.
    “I suppose you removed the ear tag too?”
    Sindre and Torsten snickered but sobered when Axel scowled at them. Feeling uncomfortable, Reidar nodded to Beth.
    “I’m sure there’s some kind of law against that,” she said, her frown out in full force.
    “And I’m sure there’s some rule against tagging family pets,” he countered with a smirk, “so let’s call it even.”
    She cast a worried glance at the cat, which hadn’t moved from his spot on the counter. “You just let it roam free in the store? Around town?”
    “In the store, yes. Around town, he has to be on a leash just like any other animal taken for a walk.”
    Her tone softened. “Do you have any idea how inherently dangerous that is? How liable you are—”
    Falke yawned, and Reidar fought to keep his expression sober. Hers was an argument as old as every person present, older really, but the villagers had been conditioned to accept the Falke family quirk for generations. Their “pet” had become somewhat of an unofficial town mascot, and the cat was rarely if ever the one who actually caused trouble.
    “Falke’s been welcome in Leavenworth longer than you, Ms. Coldwell,” Axel said, his tone harsh. “If you wish to continue your research , I suggest you do it someplace else—”
    “Ax…” Reidar began, but stopped when he got the look .
    “And not on anyone under my protection.”
    “Protection?” She glared at Axel. “I’m not a villain, mister. I’m trying to help , and I thought—”
    “The name’s Axel Falke, and I’m sure you think you’re helping, but shooting a firearm of any kind inside my store is not in the wild .” He took the pistol from Dakota, checked to ensure it was unloaded, and handed it back to Beth. “I won’t press charges… this time. But I strongly suggest you determine whether the next animal you sight in on is wearing a collar before you fire. Now, if you’ll excuse us,” he finished pointedly, “I have a brother who needs medical attention.”
    She seemed to want to counter but apparently thought better of it. Her lips thinned into a hard line then softened when she glanced at Kelan who lay unconscious on the floor, Heidi attending to him. Slowly, Beth raised her hand, her fingertips lightly brushing her lips. Reidar fought an urge to wrap her in his arms, console her until the furrow in her brow vanished.
    But Axel was right. She’d fired at Falke not once, but twice, and both times the cat had been collared. He didn’t really know Beth, didn’t know what her scientific research entailed, but he knew enough of recent events to know now she was too dangerous to welcome further contact.
    “Tell him, I’m sorry. Please?” she all but whispered to him.
    “I will.”
    She blinked,