When he came back down the stairs to the bar area, Cynthia was marveling at the changes Eve had made, while Eve was telling her friend that they could stop and reverse anything that Cynthia didn’t like.
Mack ignored Cynthia for a moment, walking over to Eve and pulling her into his arms, kissing her until she melted against him. Only then did he lift his head. “I’ll talk to you later.” Then he set her back on her feet and walked out, tipping his hat towards Cynthia before he was gone.
Eve only waited until the door closed behind Mack before turning to face her friend. “Okay, Cyn, spill it. Who’s the daddy? What’s happening with your mother? Don’t even try to tell me that nothing is wrong because it doesn’t take a healthy woman several weeks to recover from the pneumonia. So start talking.”
Cynthia stared at Eve during her demands. And for a long moment afterwards, there was just silence. Then Cynthia laughed and pulled Eve into another hug. “Oh, I’ve missed you!”
Eve hugged Cynthia back. “Yeah, yeah. I know. But you’re stalling.”
Cynthia laughed wetly and pulled back, wiping fresh tears from her eyes. Taking a deep breath, she sank into the overstuffed chair. “Well, where to start?”
“How about the baby daddy?” Eve suggested with a dry tone that told her friend that she should have told Eve a long time ago.
“Don’t worry about him. He’s one of those men who…” Cynthia sighed, shaking her head slightly. “Well, I doubt that the man wants to be slowed down by a baby,” Cynthia said, patting her softly rounded stomach. “I’m on my own with this.”
Eve leaned forward. “You’re not alone, Cyn. You know that I’ll help you through this.”
Cynthia smiled sadly. “You’ve been a rock the last few weeks, Eve. I’m so grateful to you and amazed at everything you’ve done here. But you have your own life to live and I understand the way you think. It’s time to move on. It’s time for…” she stopped, staring at Eve for a long moment.
“Wait a minute,” she breathed, leaning forward. “What’s going on with you and our handsome and usually taciturn sheriff? You…” she pointed to Eve. “You changed the subject! You…you cheat!” she laughed.
Eve blushed, but shook her head. “We’ll talk about Mack later. Right now, I want to know what happened.”
Cynthia laughed and stood up, walking to the fridge to get a glass of water and milk. She downed the water and brought the milk back to the table. “How did I get pregnant?” she asked.
“Well, I think I can guess on the how. I think the bigger question is why?”
Cynthia sighed and twirled her finger round the ridge of the glass filled with milk. “I was stupid, Eve. I fell for the wrong guy. Again. I’ve known him all my life, but things have never really worked out for us. Part of that was my fault, but…I don’t know.” She looked down, patting her tummy. “I wasn’t expecting this, but I don’t regret it.” She grimaced even as she rested her hand on her stomach. “I was terrified at first. That’s one of the reasons I stayed in Florida for so long. I couldn’t face it. But then I got angry. I’ve wanted a family for a long time. You know how my dad ditched us when I was a teenager. Ever since then, I’ve wanted a family. To feel as if I belong somewhere.”
Eve touched Cynthia’s knee. “You belong here, Cyn. If there’s anything I learned while you were gone, it’s that the people in this town love you.”
She smiled. “Well, I hope so because I’m going to need their help.”
Eve leaned back. “And mine,” she announced. “I’ll be here for you.”
Cynthia laughed again, shaking her head. “No way. I can’t ask anything more of you.”
“You’re not asking, I’m telling. And if the baby daddy is going to renege on his responsibilities, then I’m stepping in. That’s what we do, Cyn. It’s what we’ve always done for each other over the years. Besides, I’ve already spoken to a realtor about buying a place here. I want to…”
Eve couldn’t finish her statement because Cynthia screamed joyfully and threw herself at Eve, hugging her excitedly. “You’re staying?” she shrieked, bouncing up and down even as she hugged Eve. “That’s awesome! I can’t wait! Let’s go get the rest of your stuff and you can move in here! You can help me run things here and we’ll be partners!”
Eve pushed her friend back into her chair. “Cynthia, what are you talking about? The Bull Frog is your place. I’m not…”
Cyn waved the minor detail aside. “After my father left us, I took over this place and was able to pay off all the debts, then I made it profitable. But you’ve done more over the past few weeks than I could have done in my whole life! You’ve changed things around and I love everything you’ve done, including putting your pictures up on the walls for sale. That’s a great idea!” She grinned. “Besides, I’m going to need more time off in order to raise this little one,” she pointed out, patting her belly. “So you becoming my partner is perfect!”
“Yes, but I’ll work for you.”
Cynthia shook her head. “Nope. I’m giving you half of the bar. If you’re staying here, you can help me run things and still go off and take your trips for your photography. It will work out perfectly!” She clapped her hands together. “Between the two of us, I think we could make this into an even bigger success!”
Eve had a brilliant idea. “Fine, I’ll be your partner, but you have to let me buy into the bar. This is your place. Your father started it and your mother won it in their divorce. I won’t…”
“Nope! I’m giving it to you. If you hadn’t come here while I took care of my mother, there wouldn’t be anything left for me to run. So you’re getting half of the bar.”
Eve looked at her friend carefully. “Okay, how about this. Let’s figure out a fair market value for the place, and I’ll put half of that into a college fund for the baby. Is that fair?”
As soon as Eve was halfway through the suggestion, Cynthia’s tears welled with tears. “Yes. That sounds extremely fair.” They sealed the deal with another hug.
For the rest of the afternoon, the pair made plans while Eve explained the process for the nightly cocktail and appetizer offerings. Cynthia was fully on board and even suggested additional ideas and recipes. By the time Annie and Penny showed up for work, the kitchen was hopping!
Chapter 16
“You have got to be kidding!” Mack snapped.
Ryan handed Mack the binoculars, shaking his head. “I wish I were,” and he lifted his cell phone, to call it in.
Mack peered through the binoculars, convinced that Ryan was mistaken. Surely no one was that stupid!
Sure enough, there were four men, one of them bald and the rest of them…well, they were on top of a cabin way up in the mountains. Seeing men perched on the roof of a cabin this far up would be unusual, since it was about four o’clock in the afternoon and the sun was setting. In about an hour, it would be chilly enough that the men in short sleeved shirts would be uncomfortable. In a few more hours, the night would be in the low forties or even chillier, enough to potentially give the men hypothermia. It wouldn’t happen quickly either. If the temperatures were colder, they’d understand what was happening to them. But the slow, insidious departure of body heat over the course of the night would take its toll.
If that were all that was happening, Ryan and Mack would step in and offer suggestions, such as, “Get the hell off of the roof, idiots.”
But no, this wasn’t just four men on a roof. This was four men on a roof with a furious mountain lion prowling the perimeter, roaring every few minutes in angry protest.
Mack and Ryan knew exactly why the mountain lion was furious. The brick of cocaine was on the roof with the four idiots who were taking turns doing lines. The mountain lion wanted his share!
“Do they have any idea how well a mountain lion can smell?” Ryan asked.
Mack snorted. “A predator stays alive by their senses. Which is why these four fools aren’t very good predators. Otherwise, they wouldn’t be snorting
cocaine on the roof of a cabin in the woods with a two-hundred-plus pound mountain lion demanding a hit.”
Ryan chuckled, shaking his head again. “This is one for the books,” he marveled and shamelessly started snapping pictures.
“You’re going to need video of this,” Mack pointed out, leaning back against the boulder, a tranquilizer rifle over one shoulder and a regular rifle balanced on the other. “No one is going to believe us when we tell them. And a picture just isn’t going to do this justice.”
Ryan laughed and switched his cell phone from picture to video mode. Neither of them were in any hurry to save the four men on the roof. Both of them knew that the men were safe, at least for the moment. Mountain lions could jump pretty high, which was how they survived in the mountains. Leaping up to catch one’s dinner was part of the survival techniques of a big cat like this one.
But the mountain lion was more interested in the cocaine, distracted, and frustrated. At the moment, he hadn’t figured out that he could climb onto the truck and leap from the truck to the rooftop to get both his treat, and potentially his evening meal.
“Got it,” Ryan said, packing his phone back into the case. “They have rifles too,” he pointed out.
Mack glanced casually over at the scene in front of him. “Yeah, but the rifles are on the ground. The idiots are on the roof.” He tilted his head slightly. “Want to take bets on how long it takes for our kitty to figure out how to get his treat?”
Ryan laughed, shaking his head. “Do you really want to have to haul that guy out of here one more time on your shoulder once we tranquilize him after he’s doped up again?”
Mack grinned. “See, here’s the beauty of my plan. We’re no longer in my jurisdiction. According to your logic from last week, you’d have to haul that kitty on your shoulder down the mountain.”
Ryan’s eyes narrowed. “Good point. Let’s go.”
Mack chuckled as he pushed away from the boulder. Slowly, Mack and Ryan walked into the area.
“Need some help?” Ryan asked, his rifle resting over his forearm, the muzzle pointing at the ground but cocked and loaded, ready for anything that might happen.
All four men jumped up, one of them not carefully enough. He almost slid down the roof to the ground. He caught himself, but the men panicked and peered down at the mountain lion, which was staring right back up at him, his giant tongue whipping out in anticipation.
“Hey man!” the one that seemed to be in charge called out. “You gotta get us out of here! This cat is crazy!”
Mack watched as Ryan got into position. Ryan grinned as he pulled his cell phone back out.
“Okay, gentlemen, and I use that term lightly,” Mack commented as Ryan moved to a safe position to video the confession. “Would any of you like to comment on how our resident kitty got doped up last week?”
Three of the men immediately started grinning, once again, peering over the edge of the roof. “Well, we might have had a bit of fun last week. One of our guys didn’t show up for barbeque night. Since we had an extra steak, we stuffed a bit extra into the steak and tossed it to the cat.” He shrugged. “Didn’t think there would be any harm.”
Mack’s expression didn’t change. “Ever seen a mountain lion attack a human being?” he asked, his voice low, but strong.
The men stared down at the lion, then back at Mack. “You’re not going to toss us to the lion, are you?”
“No,” he replied, moving his foot in place so he could fire at the lion more effectively. “But you doped up the mountain lion, then the lion came into town. See the issue?”
The men shrugged, not overly concerned about a dangerous predator walking through town. “We didn’t know he would do that.”
Mack refrained from rolling his eyes. “Yeah, first rule of being in the mountains, gentlemen. Respect the mountains and everything that lives in them.”
The men were silent, peering at each other, then back to Mack in the twilight. “So…are you going to shoot that thing, or what? We need to get down from here. It’s starting to get cold and dark.”
“I’m not going to kill the lion. By the way, mountain lions are amazing jumpers.”
That seemed to spur the men to group together and Mack had to stifle his laughter. Getting closer together might make the lion hesitate, thinking that the prey was bigger.
“You gonna help us, sheriff?” one of them demanded, angry now.
“Depends. What do you have in those boxes?” he asked. “Because right now, you’re not doing anything illegal. So I have no reason to get onto your property.” He paused, tipping his head back. “Is this your property? Should I leave? If you say I’m trespassing, I’ll politely get off your land.”
“Not ours!” one of the other men yelled. “Don’t go! That guy looks hungry!”
Mack rubbed a hand over his mouth, hiding his amusement. “Who doped up the lion last week?’
“Me!” the guy snarled. “Now put a bullet in that damn cat!”
Mack shook his head. “I’m not going to kill him.” He moved closer slightly and this caught the attention of the lion. “What’s in the boxes?” he asked.
“You get us out of here, and it’s all yours!” another man yelled. When the man in charge glared at him, the guy shrugged. “Hey, I don’t give a damn about the cocaine! I’m not risking my life for drugs!”
Mack tipped his hat again. “I appreciate the information. So…”
And he lifted the tranquilizer gun into the air, aimed, and fired. The tranquilizer hit the cat in the hind quarters, just like last time. Again, it took a few moments for the sedative to work, but eventually, the cat went down.
Mack paused, lifting his hand in the air, silently telling everyone to remain still. Only when he was sure that the lion was out did he twirl his finger in the air. A moment later, federal agents flooded from the trees, surrounding the cabin and the truck. The men on the roof immediately lifted their hands in the air, resigned to their fates. Obviously, this was not their first rodeo and knew what was expected of them.
It took only a few minutes to get the four men down off of the roof and handcuffed. One of the drug enforcement agents moved in and sliced open a box. A small sample confirmed that the box contained cocaine. “Yep!” she called. “Let’s pack it up and take it on out of here!”
The agents moved around, taking pictures as the tense moment dissipated into a letdown. Adrenaline had fired up but now there was no outlet for that energy. Mack suspected that there would be a whole lot of agents at The Bull Frog tonight.
“Did you get it all?” Mack asked as Ryan walked over to where Mack was standing. Angie was already in place, checking on the mountain lion.
“Every word,” he confirmed and both men chuckled softly at the ridiculous event. “And guess what?” Mack asked. “You get to take care of the kitty this time.”
And with that, Mack slapped his friend on the back and walked away, laughing because he would be home in time for dinner. And he anticipated making a romantic dinner for Eve tonight. Along with a very important conversation.
Chapter 17
Eve walked over to the door, ready to lock it for the night. Cynthia was already upstairs, sound asleep and exhausted. Everyone had gleefully welcomed Cynthia back, but no one knew about her pregnancy. Cynthia had donned a big shirt, hiding the slight baby bump.
So now…it was late, she was tired and she wanted…she wanted Mack. But he hadn’t come in tonight. Usually, he was here by now and a deep sadness filled her.
Locking the door, she walked through the various areas, flipping off the lights. She was just about to head up the stairs when she heard a light tapping sound on the door.
Turning, she saw Mack standing just on the other side of the door.
“Mack!” she whispered, excited and eager. Hurrying across the rough wooden boards of the floor, she flipped the lock and pulled the door open. “You’re here!” she whispered and threw herself in his arms. “I heard about the drugs and the
mountain lion. I was worried.”
Mack pulled her outside and stood on the wide porch, his hands resting on her hips. “Can you run upstairs and leave a note for Cynthia, letting her know that you’re staying with me?”
The smile was slow, but when it came, her heart just about burst with happiness. “Yes. Give me a moment,” she told him, then rushed back inside and quietly walked up the stairs. She scribbled a note and propped it up against the coffee machine, letting Cynthia know that she would be back tomorrow, but would stay with Mack tonight. She knew that they needed to talk, figure things out, but Eve would be perfectly happy to just sleep in his arms tonight.
Grabbing her purse and her keys, she thought about driving behind him. But she discarded the idea, wanting to be with him in his Bronco. She almost laughed at how time had changed things. Just a few weeks ago, she’d ridden beside him in his truck after he’d scared her about the bears, snakes, and spiders. Now…it would be a very different ride, she thought.
Ten minutes later, he drove through the trees, up a gravel driveway, and stopped in front of a huge house. It was similar to a log cabin, but…it was huge, with massive windows lining most of the outside.
“This is beautiful,” she whispered, not wanting to break the intimacy of the moment.
Mack watched her expression, wondering if she genuinely liked his house. If she didn’t, he’d build another one. He didn’t care where he lived, as long as Eve was with him.
“Can I show you around?” he offered.
She turned that incredible smile towards him. He could barely see her in the dim light from the moon, but he could see her smile.
“I’d love that,” she replied.
They slipped out and Mack came around, taking her hand to lead her along the dimly lit path to the front door. Pushing it open, he looked around, trying to see the house through her eyes. It was too masculine, he realized. She was a pretty woman and liked pretty things around her. Everything here was big and masculine. Wooden cabinets, big, leather chairs and sofa…all of it big and sturdy. He was a big man and his brothers and brother-in-law were equally as big. His sister Giselle, was small, and looked like their mother. When she visited, she curled up in one the corner of one of the sofas or sat on her husband’s lap.
Taming Mack (Sinful Nights Book 3) Page 13