by Fox, Piper
Jo stood at the edge of her driveway for as long as she could tolerate. At last, she could bear it no longer. She put the safety back on the rifle, then held it to her chest as she ran swiftly toward the woods where she’d last seen the cougar.
The light flurry had gotten heavier. The snow was coming down thicker, adding a new layer on top of the recently fallen snow of a few days ago.
The clouds had slowly blanketed the sky, removing the moon’s light from earlier. The porch light didn’t reach farther than the edge of the tree line. She held tightly to the rifle with one hand while she pulled her cellphone out of her back pocket. Quickly, she swiped at the phone’s screen until she activated the flashlight feature, aiming it at the snow-covered ground.
She recognized the deep paw prints of a large cat, her gut tightening when she spotted a stain of red splashed against the snow.
He’d been hit, just as she suspected.
Jo moved the light, searching for the body of the animal, but found none. Instead, she found paw prints moving in the direction away from her cabin. Without further thought, she followed the tracks. She had to find it. She had to know the animal was okay. She had to make sure it wasn’t…
Jo stopped the direction of her thoughts before she could continue down a path she’d rather not go. Instead, she focused on keeping to the trail of the animal. Her only thought to see to its welfare.
It took several minutes for her to reach it. It had gone a long way from her home before it finally collapsed. She’d been hoping for a while that maybe the animal had only been grazed. Maybe the bullet had only scraped the skin, but by the amount of blood she’d seen, she suspected not.
Now, as she approached the unmoving animal laying on its side, her heart leapt to her throat.
Oh, God. It wasn’t moving.
But as she grew closer, she was relieved to see its chest slowly rising and falling. It was alive!
She wanted to weep with relief, but swiftly brushed that aside as she realized the animal was seriously wounded.
How bad was it hurt? Not only that, Jo was smart enough to know that wounded animals were dangerous. If this was simply an animal, nothing of the supernatural variety, then she was taking a risk by approaching it too closely.
She stopped a few feet away, keeping her distance from the animal even as she shined her flashlight on it. It didn’t move, but when she leaned on her left foot, she saw its head lift slightly. Within the beam of light, the animal tilted its face to gaze solemnly at her.
Jo gasped.
The bright, yellowish eyes glowed iridescently as she shined the light upon it. Other than staring back at her, the animal didn’t move. It made no attempt to stand, nor did it try to run from her. It continued to lie on the ground, letting the snow fall upon its tawny golden fur.
“Patrick?” Jo spoke his name, her voice cracking in the middle of the word. “Is that you?”
Chapter 3
The cougar reached its paw outward, scraping the snow once.
Jo didn’t know if she could take that as a sign for yes or simply an animal moving in pain.
“You’re going to have to show me some sign that it’s you.” Jo bit her lip, hesitating. “Or maybe you’re not Patrick.”
She shook her head, dismayed with her inability to recognize Patrick in his animal form. It had been so long since she’d last seen him. How was it possible to know for sure if this was her friend?
“You’ll have to give me some sign to let me know you’re a shifter.” She paused as if waiting for a response. The cougar stared. “Yes, I know what shifters are,” she said, tilting her head to the side. “You don’t have to hide from me. But if you are Patrick, then you already know this. And you’re probably thinking I’m an idiot for talking to you like this.”
The cougar whimpered, pawing at the ground again.
“Oh, geez…” Jo sighed. “If you’re not a shifter, then you’re just a regular mountain lion who still needs my help. But I’m going to have to call animal control or something. I’ll need to get help. I don’t know the first thing about helping a wounded mountain lion.”
Still, nothing. The creature continued staring at her with solemn, soul-filled eyes.
“Come on,” Jo urged as she readjusted the rifle in her arms, her body shivering from the cold. “Work with me here, Patrick. I know you don’t like others to see you shift, but you’ve got to give me some indication if this is you. Do something.”
The animal seemed to let out a weary sigh, then it moved. Jo gasped, taking a few steps back, thinking the animal had lost its patience with her rambling dialogue and was ready to eat her.
To her surprise, the cougar began to shiver, its body quaking in that supernatural way she’d seen once before, nearly a lifetime ago.
Remembering what Patrick once told her in the days of their youth about his discomfort with having anyone witness his shifting, Jo turned to face away from him. She kept him within her peripheral vision, so she could see if he made any unwanted advances toward her.
She was aware this might not be Patrick, but another supernatural like him. She had to be sure before she let her guard down.
It took about five minutes, maybe a little longer, for the process to complete. He groaned when at last he finished, breathing heavily.
“Jo…”
She sucked in a breath at the sound of her name, then turned to run to his side.
“Patrick,” she said, kneeling in the snow beside his naked form. “How bad is it?”
She held the cellphone high, shining the light on the ripped flesh of his shoulder. It continued to bleed. She wondered if he’d injured himself further by shifting with a bullet stuck in his arm.
Jo set the rifle and her cellphone onto the snowy ground, then slipped off her sweater.
“Don’t,” he protested weakly.
“Shh…” She took the left arm of the sweater and tied it around his wound, hoping that might help stop the flow of blood. The rest of the bulky sweater, she draped over his bare back. “You need this more than I do. Do you think you can stand?”
“Yeah,” Patrick grunted. “I’ll be fine. I’ve had worse.”
“I don’t want to hear it. Not until I get a better look. But I can’t help you out here. We need to get you back to my cabin. Do you think you can make it, or do I need to haul the wheelbarrow out here to fetch you?”
He grunted again. This time it sounded more like a pain-filled chuckle.
“I can make it.”
“It looks like you lost a lot of blood.” She glanced at the large stain on the snowy ground as she gathered her rifle and her cellphone.
“I’ll be fine,” he repeated.
“Yeah, well, you better be.” She stood, then reached a hand for him. He took it and she helped him to his feet. He wobbled, but she steadied him by draping his right arm over her shoulder to support him. He leaned against her but didn’t fall. “I don’t want to be the one to tell Meredith you got shot trying to help me.”
Patrick’s arm tightened around her. In fact, his entire body tensed. Jo worried that the pain of moving so quickly was too much for him.
“Easy,” she murmured. “Don’t pass out on me.”
“No… I… I won’t.”
Together, they started the long walk back to the cabin.
His skin was hot. Warmer than she could imagine. The muscles beneath his soft skin were firm. She bit her lip, not wanting to feel pleasure as she helped her friend. He was hurt. She shouldn’t enjoy the feel of his body pressed against her.
But it had been a long time since she felt a man’s body so close. And this was Patrick…
He was a good-looking guy with a kind heart. He was generous, friendly and supportive. All the things her ex-husband wasn’t. By the feel of him, he continued keeping in shape, too. Probably all that exercise he got as a mountain lion, running all over the wilderness so many days and nights.
She tried to keep the light steady on the deer path he�
�d taken after he ran from the cabin. She tried not to glance at his body to confirm what she felt beneath her fingertips. Knowing he was completely naked save for her sweater draped over his shoulders, she forced her gaze on the path in front of them.
“What were you doing out here?” Jo had to say something. The silence was too much. And she needed to distract herself from the sensations he aroused within her as she pressed her body against him.
“Out for a run. Just… just a run.” His deep, gravelly voice sent vibrations through her, making her shiver. “You’re cold.”
“I’m okay. The cabin’s not too far now. We’re almost there.”
They had picked up the pace since Patrick seemed to walk well enough. He still leaned on her, but not as great as he did at first.
Just a little farther. They were almost there. She needed to get him to the cabin before he passed out from loss of blood. He was a large man. Tall. Much taller than her own 5 feet 7 inches. He was muscular in that slender, athletic way. Fit and trim and oh, so firm.
Stop that! He was her friend, not someone to fantasize and drool over.
At last, they made it to the kitchen door. She helped him inside. The cabin was small compared to the home she had shared with Tim. This place was a four hundred square feet vision of coziness. Perfect for a weekend getaway to the mountains or a woman trying to escape her past.
She led Patrick through the tiny kitchen and into the living room where she helped him collapse onto the sofa. She grabbed a blanket and covered his nakedness with it to warm him.
“Lean back so you don’t fall over.”
“I don’t want to get blood on your sofa.”
“Don’t worry. It’s not my sofa. I’m only renting.” She left him to hurry into the bathroom adjacent to the kitchen area where she kept the medical kit. When she returned, he was reclining on his side, his head cushioned by the plump pillows she kept on the sofa.
Set opened her kit and pulled out all the supplies she needed and spread them onto the coffee table. Then she sat on the edge of the sofa, untied her sweater from his shoulder and dropped it on the floor, then went to work.
“Do you know what you’re doing?” Patrick’s gravelly voice was a little breathy. He sounded tired. More than tired, exhausted. She wondered how long he’d been in the wilderness as a cougar.
“Lucky for you, I worked as a triage nurse for several years. You’re in capable hands.”
“Nurse?” He grunted. “You went to college to become a teacher.”
“Yeah, well.” She sighed. “Turns out it takes years for teachers to retire. Few openings available. I had to do something to pay the bills. I went back to school. Became a nurse. Haven’t looked back since.”
Patrick sucked in a breath as she worked on his shoulder. He tensed beneath her hands as she examined his wound.
“You’re lucky. Looks like the bullet went clean through.”
“Yeah,” he said with a grimace. “Lucky me.”
“It could have been worse. A little to the left and we might not be having this conversation right now.”
He nodded and closed his eyes, sighing wearily.
Several minutes later, she finished patching him up. Then she went about cleaning up and putting her supplies away. She grabbed her sweater from the floor where she tossed it and threw it in the washer. Then she went to find clothes for Patrick. She’d seen when she first moved in that Eric had left some of his clothes in the closet. She’d left them there, knowing he’d come back for them, eventually. They looked to be around the same size.
When she returned, Patrick’s eyes were still closed, and his breathing was deep and even.
He’d fallen asleep.
Jo stood in the doorway. She held the bundle of clothes to her chest as she stared at the man sleeping on her sofa.
He was still as handsome as the day she met him. The years hadn’t changed him much. In fact, the addition of gray at his temple and a few lines upon his brow only added to his handsome looks. Maturity looked good on him.
It awed her to see him. And it warmed her, too. In ways she wished she could ignore. She’d always had a crush on Patrick Evans. Since the first day she saw him shift into a cougar, and the months of friendship afterward, followed by years of keeping in touch.
Her hopes of a future with him were dashed as teenagers after he met Meredith, but Jo never stopped loving him. Meredith was a kind woman. Jo didn’t know her well, but she could tell they were made for each other.
He’d always been a great friend. That’s the way Jo loved him. As a friend.
But she always did her best to ignore the way her heart sped up when she saw him or heard his voice on the phone.
And now, it was easy to explain the way her body reacted to his presence. It was surprise, that’s all. It had been years since she’d last seen or heard from him. Over a decade.
They’d lost touch after she married Tim.
Patrick sighed in his sleep.
Jo smiled, enjoying the sound. Then she walked into the room, grabbed another blanket from a chair and draped it over his shoulders.
Chapter 4
The pain in his shoulder woke him. Otherwise, Patrick could have done with more sleep. He’d been exhausted from his ordeal. Countless days wandering as a cougar with little to no sleep and then getting shot.
When he lifted his head from the pillow, he remembered right away what had happened and where he was. He glanced at the white bandage wrapped around his shoulder.
Jo.
She patched him up. And he’d fallen asleep during the process. He felt like an ass. He could have at least thanked her. Instead, he dropped his head like a stone on the pillow, inhaled the sweet lavender aroma that pervaded her snug little cabin, and promptly drifted off to sleep. Not even the pain of her working on his shoulder could keep his eyes open.
Shifting did that. Sapped the energy right out of him. Shifting while injured was worse. It took an incredible amount of willpower to shift when all his animal counterpart wanted was to curl up and lick his wounds. Quite, literally.
Patrick sat up and stretch his back, careful not to jar his shoulder. A striped crocheted blanket fell from him, reminding him he lay naked beneath the blankets.
He scanned the room, but Jo was nowhere in sight. He didn’t hear her either, but the scent of freshly made coffee teased his nostrils.
As Patrick made to stand, gathering the blankets together to wrap around his waist, he spotted the bundle of clothing on the coffee table in front of him.
He smiled.
Seeing the neatly folded clothing reminded Patrick of the first time he met Jo. While he’d been running through the forest as a cougar, she’d folded his clothes into a nice and neat bundle for him, leaving it near the window where she’d hoped he would find it. The memory of their first meeting surfaced and with it came all the emotions he associated with Jo.
Tenderness, caring, compassion.
It had been years since he’d last seen or spoken to her. Now, the thought of spending time with his dear friend sparked joy in his heart. He’d avoided her for far too long. In fact, he hoped she didn’t bear any grudges against him for neglecting their friendship. There were so many times that he wanted to call her. Just to hear her voice again. To hear she was happy and healthy. When he finally gathered the courage to do so, he’d discovered she had disconnected her phone. Moved or got a new number. He didn’t know for sure. After that, he’d lost track of her.
He grabbed the bundle of clothes and dressed. It wasn’t easy with only one arm. Moving his shoulder sent waves of pain through him, so he kept his arm as still as he could.
After he finished dressing, he decided to find his host.
“Jo?”
The house was silent as he walked from room to room. It was a simple cabin-sized house with a living room, kitchen, bedroom, bathroom and laundry room. There were stairs leading to a basement and a trapdoor leading to what he presumed was the attic, but no Jo.
He made use of the bathroom facilities and when he finished washing his hands emerged to find the front door to the cabin swing open. Jo entered, shaking the dusting of white powdery snow from the hood of her jacket and arms. She stomped her feet, shaking the snow loose, then looked up.
Her gaze connected with his, and she immediately stopped all motion.
Patrick’s heartbeat doubled at the sight of her. It took a moment for her shocked expression to shift into a smile, and his heart melted at the sight.
No hard feelings for his neglect from Jo. She was always one to pick up their friendship from whenever and wherever they left it.
“Patrick,” she said, a little breathlessly while she closed the door behind her. “You’re awake. How are you feeling?”
He stepped fully out of the bathroom and into the living room, grimacing when he thought of his shoulder. Looking at Jo, watching her shrug out of her winter jacket sent a shiver of warmth and gratitude through him.
“Well rested, at least,” he said, smiling. He noticed as he walked closer to her that the sun shone brightly beyond the windows. How long had he been passed out on her sofa? “It seems I got plenty of sleep.”
“You were out like a light.” Jo nodded as she hung her jacket on a hook behind the door. “How long were you running as a cougar? And how did you know where to find me?”
“I was out there for a while. As for finding you…” He hesitated, not wanting to darken the moment with the recent thoughts that led him deep into the forest days ago. “I didn’t know you were here. No idea. It was just dumb luck that I caught your scent through the trees.”
Her smile widened. “Dumb luck is the best luck of all. I’m so glad to see you.”
“Me, too. Come here,” he said, as he lifted his right arm to welcome her in for a one arm hug. She came willingly into his embrace. Her hands were icy from being outside, but the rest of her body was warm, and she felt good nestled against him. He thought for a moment how right it felt to hold her in his arms, like this was the place she was meant to be.