Trisha glanced into her bucket with a sigh. “If we have to kill gophers for these pups, I’m just glad they’re gophers with a history of theft.”
“Just like coyotes have a long history of livestock theft.” Liam shot her a wink when she glared at him. “Just saying.”
“We could debate the merits of coyotes versus gophers for hours,” Maya said. “But let’s not, since we’re getting near the den.”
Liam followed the women up the slope until they reached the bushes that masked the den’s entrance. Vivian moved the camera out of the way, and Maya held the branches back so Liam could position the trap.
“Hang on,” Trisha whispered, and slid the cage door up. She tipped the gophers in, and then glanced up at Liam with a grim smile. “Breakfast time.”
“Mmm...” he whispered back. “Don’t tempt me.”
She laughed. Just a little huff of a laugh, but he’d charmed it out of her and he felt like he deserved a medal or something. He knelt with the cage and maneuvered it so the open door covered the den’s entrance.
“Okay,” Maya said quietly. “Now for the tricky part.” She pulled a thin rope from her jacket pocket and attached it to the top of the cage door. “If I do this right, we can drop the door once they’re inside.” She played out the rope for a few yards along the ground. “I’m going to hide in these bushes over here. Vivian, will you stay and help me?”
“Sure.” Vivian’s smile was bright with excitement. “It’s been a while since I’ve done any fieldwork. I actually miss lying around in the bushes.”
Trish put a hand on Liam’s arm. Just a brief touch, but he felt it right through the sleeve of his sweatshirt. “Let’s move back down the hill.”
He reached out, offering to take the bucket for her, but she moved it out of his reach. “I’ve got it.”
Of course she did. Even if she needed help, she’d never admit it. Walking behind her, Liam could see how she put most of her weight on her left leg. He wished he could offer his arm. Though he probably wouldn’t be much use. His own leg felt weak, too. Most of the time he was fine, but on rugged slopes like this, he felt an odd sort of weakness. He probably needed to do a little more physical therapy. Or maybe this was just as good as it got. Hard to say.
Down by the trucks, he noticed a few of Jace’s cows grazing along the far fence line. It was a good excuse to give Trisha the space from him that she so clearly wanted. “I’m going to go check on these gals. Jace will want a report on how they’re doing.” He started toward them, but Trisha called out.
“Can I speak to you?”
He stopped, heart banging oddly in his chest, and turned to face her. “Sure. What’s up?”
She took a few steps to close the distance between them. Her hands were clasped in front of her, fingers twisted together, betraying her agitation. “I feel like I’ve been rude since you arrived here in Shelter Creek. I want to apologize.” Her wide blue eyes looked even bluer against the beanie she wore. He had a sinking feeling he could forgive pretty much anything, when she was looking at him like this.
“I’ve given you a couple good reasons to dislike me.”
She nodded slowly and glanced around as if to make sure no one could hear them. “Can I ask you something?”
“Go ahead.”
“Why did you just leave that morning?” Her cheeks, already pink in the cold air, went a little pinker.
What could he tell her? Standing in this cow pasture with just a few moments alone probably wasn’t the best place for the full ugly truth. “I had some stuff I needed to take care of. Some personal stuff.”
“And you didn’t want to leave a phone number?”
“Ah. That.” He looked out over the green hills, with the early-morning fog clinging close to the ground.
“Yes, that,” she echoed.
“I wasn’t in a good place in my life back then,” he answered carefully. “I wasn’t able to start a relationship. I shouldn’t have gotten as involved as we did.”
“So...you regret it?”
This was like walking through a field of cow pies in the dead of night. No matter where he stepped, things were going to get messy. “No, it’s not like that. Not at—”
“Trisha! Liam!”
Liam looked up to see Vivian on the hill, waving her arms around.
“They must have caught the pups!” Trisha started toward her friend and Liam followed, relieved that he hadn’t had to answer her question. Did he regret what happened between them? No. He was pretty sure it had saved his life by making him realize how much he wanted to be worthy of someone like her. Did he regret behaving like a jerk? Absolutely. And he sure regretted the way she resented him. The way he must have hurt her.
Trisha led the way through the barbed wire fence and up the hill.
“We got three of them,” Vivian said as they approached. “They walked right into the cage. Two are still inside.”
“Can we see?” Trisha’s face was lit with an eager smile.
“Of course. Come on.”
Maya was kneeling down, looking at the pups. “Their ears are pointing up,” she said quietly. “And they’re interested in the gophers, so they’re probably a few weeks old.”
Liam and Trisha knelt down side by side to see them more clearly. They were varying shades of gray and brown.
“Whoa, that one has blue eyes,” Liam whispered. The one he pointed to let out a squeaky yelp and cowered in a corner with its littermate.
“No way.” Vivian glanced at Maya. “Do you think it could be one of them?”
Maya leaned over to peer at the pup. “It’s possible. Or its eyes may change to brown later.”
“What do you mean, them?” Liam studied the blue-eyed pup more closely.
“It’s a genetic mutation that’s been showing up on the California coast. No one knows why, but some coyotes here are now being born with blue eyes.”
“That is so cool,” Trisha breathed, leaning next to Liam to get a better look. “I hope they stay blue—that is really gorgeous.”
“We’ve got to get the other two out of the den.” Maya’s practicality brought them all back to the task at hand. “I’m going to grab a flashlight and a few other things from the truck.”
“I’ll help you,” Liam offered. The pups were incredible. Like little dogs, yet also some other animal entirely. More feral, more wild in both their looks and energy. He hadn’t expected to be so intrigued by them.
Maya started down the hill, motioning for Liam to follow. He fell into step beside her and said what he’d been wanting to say. “I’m sorry my actions have caused you and your wildlife center so much trouble.”
“I appreciate that. But I’ve worked with wildlife and ranchers all over this country. I’ve seen the bodies stacked up on ranches before. It breaks my heart that coyotes are hunted like that, but it’s not new to me.”
Liam was silent, processing the image she’d planted in his mind. They’d never had a full-scale hunt on their ranch before, just shot at any coyotes who were actively threatening the livestock. But he knew that other ranchers took a more proactive approach and tried to eliminate all the coyotes on their land.
Maya glanced his way with interest. “What did you study in college?”
“Animal husbandry, what else? I was born and raised on a ranch. It’s what I’ve always wanted to do. Well, that and rodeo.”
“Vivian mentioned you were in some kind of accident.”
“Yup. Got stomped on by a bull with a mean streak and something to prove.”
“I’m sorry to hear it.”
Liam shrugged. “When you sign up to ride them, you know it’s a very real possibility.”
“Are you planning to get back into rodeo?”
It pained him to say it, but he’d thought long and hard and come to his decision. “I don’t th
ink so. Not sure my leg could heal from another run-in with a bull.”
They’d reached the truck and he waited while Maya chose what she wanted. She handed him a shovel, a pickax, a rope and a pole with a noose of rope on it. She grabbed a few more things for herself. “Okay, we’re set.”
They started back up the hill, and the questions continued. What were his hopes for his family’s ranch? Did he enjoy travel? You’d think they were on a first date or something. He wasn’t used to talking about himself like this. He was a little relieved when they got back to the den.
“What should we do next?” Vivian motioned to the cage holding the pups, which she and Trisha had moved a few feet away from the den entrance.
“Let’s take a look.” Maya lay on the ground and beamed the flashlight into the tunnel. “I can see them. It’s not a deep den at all. I think if we can just make the entrance a little wider, I can use the catch pole and grab them.”
Trisha took the shovel from Liam. “Okay, let’s do it.”
He gripped the pickax. “Let me loosen the soil up first.”
Maya scooted out of the way and Liam went to the den entrance and carefully chipped away around the edges. The cliff was rocky—it was amazing that the coyotes had found a spot with soil soft enough to dig through.
Liam wedged the pickax behind a rock and levered it forward. It gave suddenly, breaking free from the soil and sending him staggering back into Trisha. She stumbled, too, and he reached for her shoulders, steadying her so she didn’t fall.
He wished he could hold on longer—it felt so right. “Sorry about that.” Liam released her and stepped back. “Didn’t mean to knock you over.”
“It’s fine,” she muttered, moving to stand by Vivian and Maya. “I’ll just stay over here until you need some shoveling done.”
Liam kept working, loosening rock. He tried not to eavesdrop but he could hear a little of what the women were saying as they spoke quietly.
“Where’s our little friend this morning?” he heard Vivian ask.
“Priscilla came by to watch him. She’s always up so early. She said it’s because of all those years of getting up early to teach.”
“She loves kids,” Vivian said. “She watches Alex and Amy for us a lot. We tease her that she could have a second career.”
Maya glanced at Liam. She must have noticed that he’d been listening. “Pet sitting,” she said. “Priscilla pet sits. And babysits.”
“Right,” he grunted, heaving a big rock a few feet away from the entrance. Trisha sure did love animals if she hired a pet sitter for her cat when she went to work. That was going a little overboard. Maybe the cat was sick or something. Or maybe she was one of those cat ladies people were always joking about. “I think we’re ready for that shovel now.”
He reached out his hand, but Trisha was determined to shovel on her own, so he stood back and watched her scrape and slide dirt out of the way.
Maya came forward with the pole and flashlight. “Let me see if I can get them.” She lay down on the ground and trained the light into the den, then set it down and slid the pole in. She kept one hand on the rope she’d pull to tighten the noose around a pup. “Yikes,” she said after a long moment. “This is impossible. I can’t get any leverage and they’re scooting away so quickly.” She pulled the pole back and stood up. “One of us is going to have to reach in there. And, Liam, you’re tallest. Can you do it?”
“Reach in there and grab them?” He gaped at her. “Won’t they bite me?”
“Oh right, you don’t have a rabies vaccination. Trisha, you’re the next tallest. Are you willing to try?”
“Of course.” Trisha pulled off her hat and set it in the grass. “Anyone got a ponytail holder?”
“Take mine.” Maya pulled her brown hair loose and handed a rubber band to Trisha.
Trisha quickly bound her hair back and slid on the long leather gauntlets that Maya handed her. “Can someone shine the flashlight?”
It was on the ground next to Liam. He tried to hand it to Maya but she shook her head. “You go on. Once you see these pups in the den, I bet you’ll never want to shoot a coyote again.”
“You’re determined to convert me, huh?” He smiled at her and flopped down on the ground next to Trisha. A mistake because he immediately remembered the last time they’d lain down together. No. This was not the time. It would never be the time to think that way. He had to keep in mind that Trisha didn’t like him much. That night was clearly something she’d prefer to forget. He just wished he could.
Liam switched on the flashlight and lit up the den. It was just a hole dug into the cliff, and not that deep. And then he saw them, cowering in the back corner. Two balls of fluff with eyes lit green by the flashlight, their ears too big for their heads, like someone had stuck big furry tortilla chips on top of them. It was their fear that got him, though. They shook, knowing they were trapped, and he had to swallow down a lump that rose in his throat. What was wrong with him? He was getting soft after just a week in California.
“They’re beautiful,” Trisha murmured reverently, peeking in, too. “Okay, can you put the light all the way into the den? Otherwise I’ll just block it when I go in.”
Liam shoved his arm into the den entrance, wondering if he’d get a coyote bite for his troubles. Not that he didn’t deserve one.
Trisha slid forward into the den and Liam realized that the hole they’d dug wasn’t quite big enough. She was lying on her stomach, her side pressed against his arm, and he could feel her warmth. He bent at the waist, scooting his body away from her.
“Hold the light still,” she hissed, so he did, and she wriggled farther into the den. He heard a high-pitched squeal and then Trisha was sliding back out. She emerged with a squirming pup caught by the scruff of the neck. As soon as she was out of the tunnel, her other hand moved to support its little bottom.
“Make sure the other one doesn’t get out,” she told Liam and clambered to her feet. She hurried to meet Maya at the cage, where they put the pup inside with its littermates.
“One more to go.” Trisha’s face was bright with joy. She was in her element here. All her animosity toward him, the stiff, self-protective way she’d been acting, had vanished in this moment.
Liam could rescue coyotes all day, just to see her like this.
She flopped down on her stomach again. “Ready?”
He put the flashlight back in the den and she scooted in on her stomach, and quickly there was another yelp from inside, as if the final coyote had given up on hiding and accepted its fate. Trisha came back out with the last pup, a lighter tan color than its brothers and sisters. “What a cutie,” she said breathlessly as she scrambled to her feet. “Here’s the last one.” She put it in the cage and Maya locked the door. Vivian sat down on the ground next to Liam. “Can you hold the light for just another moment? I want to get some photos of the den.”
“You thinking of redecorating?”
She giggled. “It’s science. We want to learn as much about our local coyotes as possible. Plus we’ll put photos and video on our website to educate the public about our work.” She sat up again, finished with her photos. “The more people understand about coyotes...”
He got her drift. “The less likely they’ll be to take a shot at them.”
“You learn fast. I’m glad Jace hired you.”
“Really?”
“Yes. Really. Except for the shooting, it’s been nice having you on the ranch.” Then she stood, brushed off her jeans and went to join the others.
Liam sat for a moment, looking at the den. Just over a week ago he was in Texas, pulling out of the ranch, waving goodbye, starting his trek for California. Now he was here, rescuing coyotes with a bunch of scientists. He’d gone down a strange rabbit hole, for sure. He glanced at the den. Coyote hole might be more accurate.
But maybe it
wasn’t such a bad place to be. For the first time since he got here, it felt like maybe things were looking up. It was nice that Vivian was warming up to him, especially because she was married to his boss. Maya was friendly and even Trisha was smiling today.
Liam heaved himself up off the ground and gathered the tools. Vivian helped, while Maya and Trisha carefully lifted the cage of coyote pups and started down the hill. As he followed, Liam glanced out over the hillside, half expecting the adult coyote to be there, mourning the loss of its pups. But there was nothing but grass and brush and some patches of blue sky where the fog was lifting, moving back toward the coast, letting in the light of day.
CHAPTER EIGHT
“I CAN REPORT that Liam’s got a good way with horses.” Annie topped off her wineglass and took her seat in the circle of lawn chairs set up behind Eva’s gallery booth at the Spring Art Fair. “I went by to pick up that hoof trimmer and Liam was up on Jace’s horse, Wild Bill, bringing in some cattle. That horse has been on three ranches and not been willing to do much work for anyone. Jace only took him because he was so broke at the time, he’d have accepted anything with hooves. But he hasn’t gotten much use out of him either, until now.”
“That says something about a man, if he can get a skittish horse to settle down.” Maya looked at Trisha reassuringly. “I knew Caleb couldn’t be totally lost to me when I saw him working with his rescue horse, Amos.”
“I agree. Horses are more people-smart than people are.” Annie looked at Trisha. “We’re not trying to pressure you. Just reporting what we’ve noticed.”
Trisha nodded and bounced Henry gently on her knee. Her sweet baby giggled in delight, giving her a big openmouthed smile with two bottom front teeth just poking through his pink gums. “He was really helpful with the coyote pups.”
“How are they doing?” Monique folded her perfectly manicured hands in a plea. “Can I come see them?”
“We’ve got a video camera on them, so you can see them on the wildlife center’s website. But you can’t come visit them personally,” Trisha told her. “We need to limit their exposure to humans as much as possible. We try to never let them see our faces or hear our voices.”
Her Surprise Cowboy--A Clean Romance Page 9