by Terry Spear
Then they heard two men coming into town, and both she and Howard ducked for cover behind one of the gambling halls.
"Special Agent Whittington? Patrolman Holland?" one of the men shouted.
"I know him," Howard said to her and shouted out to the newcomers, "Here! We're coming."
Relieved, she let out her breath.
Two male police officers joined them, the blond saying, "Hell, Holland, the boss was on our case, concerned you were in the middle of a firefight alongside the Special Agent, who has a reputation for being involved in shootouts."
Howard introduced them, and the darker haired man smiled at her. "I've heard you're kind of a maverick. But rough on partners."
She didn't want to tell him why her partners had such trouble—the one who had too much to drink, or the other who was distraught about his marital problems.
She glanced up at the rocks and saw a flash of the cougar's tail as he disappeared behind the boulders.
"Boss said you had an hour up here." The blond-haired Sanderson glanced at his watch as if emphasizing the time. "It's been four hours. If we don't get down that trail in twenty minutes and report back, a whole garrison of patrolmen are going to be here."
She thought the officer was exaggerating, but then again, maybe not.
Four hours. And in all that time, when she'd chanced to observe the cliffs, the cougar had moved around, but he hadn't left. She wondered then if it had been Hal Haverton and he had decided to hang around to give her added protection.
She was dying to know. Cat's curiosity. She couldn't do anything about it while she'd been with the patrolman though.
When they got to their vehicles, she gave her boss a call.
"Well, did you find anything?"
"Some peace of mind," she said. The other lawmen were watching her, and she suspected they understood. Only she hadn't really found anything to give her any peace of mind. She needed to bring the men to justice for that to happen.
"You left me no choice but to send some other officers to check on you."
"I understand. I'm on my way to Yuma Town now."
"We'll catch these guys. You don't need to be the only one doing the job."
"Right."
"Stay there at the resort and behave yourself."
"Yes, sir."
Then they ended the call and she smiled at the officers who were probably wondering if her boss had chewed her out.
"Thanks, for coming to check on us," she said to the men.
"We'll all follow you to your destination," Sanderson said.
Not that she was making any other detours.
When she arrived at the rustic resort, she thanked the officers and then they were on their way. She didn't expect the owner and his wife—Chase and Shannon Buchanan—to both greet her.
"You know why I'm here, don't you?" She didn't want either his wife or him to be hurt if she ended up being a potential target.
"Yeah, we're here to watch your back. Or…I am," Chase said, rubbing his wife's back.
And she realized immediately that they were cougars.
Very pregnant, Shannon was a dark-haired beauty, and looked like she was due any day now. All smiles, she was eager to meet Tracey and shook her hand. "Come inside and have some cake and milk or tea—before you settle into your own cabin."
"It's so late now. I'll just unpack what I need tonight and—"
"No, no. You have to have some cake. I can't sleep. I know I need to, but the babies are keeping me awake. I'm so thrilled to see another one of our kind visit, well, be our guest. Everyone else staying here is human. So anytime you want to drop in and talk, just do," Shannon said as she joined them inside.
Shifters were used to being able to keep secrets and since Tracey was off the clock—on administrative leave—and wasn't undercover at the moment, she wasn't about to keep her job a secret. Not when it was important for her to ensure the Buchanans knew the kind of trouble she might be in or cause if she remained here.
"Okay, you know I'm a Special Agent with the Fish and Wildlife Service and we were investigating the town of Anderson when my partner and I came under fire a few days ago, and that I'm, well… on—"
"Administrative leave," Chase said. His hair a light brown, he had penetrating dark eyes, and a nice smile.
But she sensed his concern also and she knew if she had trouble he would be there in a heartbeat to help her out if she needed him to.
"My…boss must have told you when he gave up his reservations so I could stay here." She guessed, anyway. She was glad Mick had told the couple what they could be getting into.
Shannon smiled brightly. "Personally, I hadn't had real good luck with police officers until I hooked up with Deputy Sheriff Chase Buchanan. Well, after he shot me with a tranquilizer dart, and we had a few more ordeals to get through—I knew then some law enforcement officers were all right."
Tracey snapped her mouth closed, glanced at Chase, and then found her tongue. "You tranquilized your wife?"
Chase smiled a little. "Yeah. Long story. Certainly a different way to meet."
Dying to hear what had happened, Tracey smiled. "Okay, so how long have you known my boss?"
"I was Special Forces buddies with Mick. We didn't know each other before the service, but when he ran into me during a mission, and realized I was just like him, we buddied up. So yeah, he asked me to watch your back. He admires you greatly and doesn't want anything bad to happen to you." Then Chase lifted the glass dome sitting over a double chocolate cake on a platter, set it aside, and began slicing pieces for everyone.
"Like you, I'm kind of on administrative leave from the department because the babies are due in a week or so. So I'll be here on-call at any time if you need me for anything."
"Thanks. I'm sure I'll be just fine."
They sat down to eat the cake and drink their milk.
"At least, I really don't expect to need anyone's help. But also, congratulations." Tracey loved babies, but the way she was headed, there would be none in her future anytime soon. She had to find a man who could be a reliable father for that to happen. "Do you know how many you're having?"
"Twins." Shannon smiled, then sipped from her glass of milk.
"That's wonderful. You'll certainly have your work cut out for you." Tracey's mom had often talked about how much of a handful she and her sister had been when they were little. She turned to Chase. "Are you sure that you're not going to have any trouble with me being here?"
"If we do, between you and me, I'm certain we can take care of it. Your boss said you're one of the best."
She appreciated that he included her for being able to deal with trouble should it arise and not as someone who was incapable of helping herself. But then she wondered if her boss had mentioned she'd lost her first partner.
She enjoyed the delicious double chocolate cake, licking every speck of icing off her fork which brought a smile to Shannon's face, and Tracey felt her own cheeks heat a bit with embarrassment at being caught. But it was good! "Thanks for the cake. It was really delicious. I'll get out of your hair and go unpack now though. I'm beat and you must be too."
"If you need anything, just ask," Shannon said. "Our Yuma Town General Store has about anything you might need in town. Chase picked up a few non-perishable items your boss said you'd like. The store opens tomorrow at ten."
Tracey stared at her in surprise. She wondered exactly what her boss thought she'd like to eat. Though she appreciated his doing so since she'd arrived so late.
"Uhm, thanks."
"The whole place is a cougar haven. If a couple of wildlife traffickers come to town, someone will surely notice," Chase said.
No wonder her boss wanted her to stay at the resort. For the first time since he'd told her he wanted her to stay here, she truly felt comfortable about doing so.
"Oh, and…you know that Mick wants one of our other deputies to watch out for you," Chase said.
"Yeah, but I really don't think it's
necessary." Then she had a brilliant idea. She shrugged. "Then again, both can, if they feel they have to." She smiled brightly. If both did, that meant they'd take turns and neither man would get the idea he was dating her.
Chase laughed. "Good show then. Can I ride with you to your cabin? I was having it renovated and—"
She frowned. "I thought my boss had already rented it."
"Yeah, like when he needed you to stay here."
She groaned. "I wish he hadn't put you both out so. I could have found somewhere else to stopover for a bit."
"The only other place you could have stayed was Stryker's duplex or Hal's ranch."
"Wouldn't work if both of the men are going to safeguard me."
"Right, well, you'll be staying at the last cabin in the string of them, farthest away from the main one."
"I'll be fine," she said. "I have a spare Glock."
Chase nodded.
"He'll go with you," Shannon said. "If he didn't, I'd never get any sleep." She rubbed her belly and yawned.
"I'd feel the same as my mate."
"All right then." Tracey said goodnight to Shannon, then she and Chase climbed into her Hummer. "You know none of this is really necessary."
"If anything happened to you while I'm supposed to be watching out for you, believe me, it would be necessary."
"You know about both my partners, don't you?"
"Yeah. Mick filled me in. We're all here to watch out for you. If you get any feeling that something's not right, even if it's just a hunch, don't hesitate to call me. It won't be any trouble." He pointed to the last cabin beyond a stand of pine trees and high shrubs. "That's it straight ahead."
When she pulled up to the log cabin and parked, she smiled to see the lights inside were all on. She appreciated the Buchanans' thoughtfulness. Chase helped carry her bags inside and then they both checked the place out.
"All clear," she said.
"Same here," he said, coming out of another bedroom. He gave her a list of phone numbers. "We're really glad you're here. Shannon is thrilled and hopes you will visit her often. She's kind of been housebound lately and it's driving her crazy."
"Sure thing. I'd love to. Thanks for everything." She gave him her phone number.
"You're welcome. Don't hesitate to call if you need anything."
When Chase left, she locked up and then checked the cupboards to see what Mick had thought she needed.
A bottle of cabernet, seven packages containing six chocolate bars apiece, and three bags of potato chips. She laughed. In the freezer, three packages of extra thick, T-bone steaks, ribs, chicken drumsticks, and a pork roast. Not one vegetable anywhere.
She didn't care what time it was, she called her boss. Chase had probably phoned him as soon as she drove into the resort and her boss was probably still awake anyway.
"Who did you buy all these groceries for?" she asked.
"I figured you'd like what I like. Don't tell me you're a cougar that is a vegetarian," Mick said, sounding relieved that she was there.
"I am human too, and I need my vegetables. Thanks, though. I thought you said you had already rented the place."
"I have a standing invitation. Get your rest, Agent. And take it easy."
Yeah, right. "Night. Talk later."
"Night. No more thinking about the case."
No way could she shut down her mind about that whole situation and forget it. After saying good bye, she put her phone away and unpacked her bags.
Now, all she had to do was conduct some investigative work on her own and then, she'd track down the ringleader and ensure he received a lengthy jail term—though terminating him sounded like a whole lot better plan.
***
When Hal's phone rang, he stared at it for a minute before he realized Chase was calling him. What time was it? Three in the morning?
"What's up? Is Shannon in labor?" Hal was already getting out of bed in a hurry.
Chase said, "No." And chuckled. "Just wanted to give you a heads up like you asked me to. Tracey arrived a little while ago. She's settled in her cabin now."
"Do you need me to watch her place?"
"No. She's fine. She's got her Glock handy. Don't go sneaking around the place and getting yourself shot. I may need you when Shannon goes into labor."
Hal settled back down on his bed. "Have you got her number?"
"Yeah, here it is and don't call her tonight. She has probably already gone to bed."
"All right. Anything else?"
"She doesn't have any breakfast fixings. Maybe in the morning, you can ask her out."
"What about Stryker? Did you call him?"
"I'm calling Dan next. He'll call Stryker."
"All right."
"She said that you could both guard her."
"What?"
"That's what she said. I suspect she wants you both to know that she's not dating anyone. Which means you'll have to work a lot harder at it."
Hal smiled. "I'm on it."
Chase laughed. "She might just be worth it."
After their first encounter, Hal was certain she would be. He couldn't believe she had gone back to the town of Anderson when he was certain her boss had said she was through with the case. He wondered if she realized the cougar up on the cliffs was a shifter and not a plain old cougar. He suspected she did when she kept the patrolman guarding her from shooting him. At least he was glad to see she had some protection. But if Hal had any notion of leaving the area once she arrived, he'd thrown that idea out. He had been providing a big cat's backup too.
In the background, he heard Shannon say, "Come to bed, Chase. I think I'm finally ready to go to sleep."
Hal smiled. He was wide awake. As soon as he finished talking to Chase, he called Tracey's number.
***
With the lightweight, forest green, embroidered coverlet at her waist, Tracey rested in the bed in the log cabin, the sounds of an owl screeching and crickets chirping were soothing to her soul. She loved the sounds of nature, much preferred to running around in the city when her duty took her there.
She was still thinking about the case, wishing she could have found some real leads to run down, disappointed she hadn't found anything further in Anderson. But she suspected she had rushed over things a little, when she wouldn't have had she been totally free to investigate the area, and not worried her boss would send reinforcements to make her leave.
What she needed to do was… She smiled. She needed to run as a cougar. That's what she needed to do. Early, before dawn, she would stretch her legs as a cougar. Wasn't that what the boss said? Time to kick back and relax? She hadn't had a chance to run in…well, way too long.
Her phone rang and she wanted to ignore it, but she couldn't. What if someone was calling about Anton?
She pulled her phone off the bedside table and looked at it. Hal Haverton. She smiled. Chase must have just informed him she was here. She liked a man who was eager to see her, even if she wasn't about to date anyone.
"I'm all tucked in and have my Glock right next to the bed, handy-like. No need to come over and protect me."
He didn't answer and for a second, she hoped she hadn't read the caller ID wrong.
"Well, hell, then what about breakfast?"
She chuckled. She liked a man with a sense of humor. "What did you have in mind?"
More silence. She smiled, wishing she could read minds and know just what he was thinking.
"My place and I can whip up a mean batch of hash browns, omelets your way, mimosas, bacon, ham, or anything else your heart desires."
"Anything?"
"Absolutely."
"And I don't have to clean up afterward?"
"Got a maid to do that."
"A maid."
"Yeah, believe me, you wouldn't want to see what the place looked like before I got a maid."
She laughed. "Okay. Eight, all right?"
"I'll pick you up."
"I could just drive over there."
> "No way. You might get lost and I'm your bodyguard. I'll pick you up at eight."
Her phone beeped, letting her know she had another call. "Okay, got another call. Got to go."
"We can have lunch too," he quickly added.
"Let's have breakfast first and see where it goes from there. All right?"
He sighed deeply. "Yeah, okay." But he didn't sound like he was okay with it. He probably suspected her next caller was his competition, Deputy Sheriff Stryker Hill.
"See you in the morning."
"I'll be there."
They ended the call and she waited for the other caller to try again. When he did, she said, "I'm all tucked in and have my Glock right next to the bed, handy-like. No need to come over and protect me."
Silence.
She laughed. This might be kind of fun after all.
"Uh, okay, so I don't need to grab mine and head on over there then." He chuckled. "I'm Stryker Hill and I wondered if you might like to have breakfast with me. Chase said you didn't have a chance to get any breakfast food."
Now Chase was trying to set them both up with her? "Hal beat you to it. Sorry."
"Hell, I thought you hadn't answered at first because you were asleep."
"So you tried again?"
"Just in case you weren't asleep."
She laughed.
"How about lunch, and don't tell me that Hal already booked you in solid for the next several days."
"He tried. How about dinner? Just in case I can't get away any earlier? Where and when?"
"I'll pick you up. Take you to anywhere you'd love to go for dinner."
"You don't cook?"
Stryker didn't say anything for a moment, then said, "Ah hell, is Hal telling you about what a great cook he is? Next, he'll be showing you the new foal. Well, when it's born. What do you think about puppies?"
She laughed. "Do you have a puppy?"
He paused. "Would it make a difference?"
"No."
"Okay, well, if you change your mind, let me know. I'll pick you up at five."
"See you then. Night."
"Good night, Tracey."