Call of the Cougar (Heart of the Cougar Book 2) (16 page)

"Love this. I think while I stay here, I'll come out here to watch the sun rise every morning. It's so peaceful. Like the cabins at Pinyon Pines, but different. The view, the scents, and sounds."

And you, he wanted to say. Just coming out here by himself would never have been quite like this, feeling her bundled under his arm, her robe and the woman so soft and huggable. She smelled of strawberries, whip cream, and chocolate, all sweetness.

"I wanted to thank you for taking Ricky in. I think he's a good guy deep down, but he just needs some parental guidance, even if he's now an adult. He needs some goals in life that don't include a life of crime."

"I agree. Ted's good with kids and animals. I know Ricky is an adult, barely, but I believe the same as you do, or I wouldn't have taken him in. I think he'd be a lot better off staying here for the time being rather than managing on his own. Ted got into some scrapes of his own when he was a kid. So I'm sure with Ted teaching him the ropes, it will help Ricky."

She suddenly looked up at Hal. "I didn't even think of the problem it could be as far as Ricky not being one of us."

"We'll be careful around him. It shouldn't be a problem." He'd already considered it and thought it would work out. When Ricky had waited for Hal to give his okay, he had looked at him so hopeful-like, Hal hadn't had the heart to say no. Besides, it seemed to help win Tracey over, and he was glad he could make her happy.

She settled back down against him. "Sorry about messing up our run this morning since we'll surely be asleep before long."

He shook his head and tightened his hold on her. "It gives me a better plan. I wouldn't have given this up for anything. We'll go for a run during the heat of the day. I'll take you up to the cliffs."

She nodded and finished her cocoa. He set the mugs on the table and they watched for the sunrise as a faint glimmer of light began to appear.

"So what do you think this could be about that would make it so personal?" Hal asked.

"Ricky said it might have to do with the pictures my sister took. And that the traffickers think that I'm the same person. I looked, but she's got so many pictures, I got too tired trying to figure out if any of them have anything to do with trafficking on the tiny screen on my phone."

"Other than the one that showed the mines."

"Right."

"Mick will contact Jessie for the photos."

"Right. I was trying to see if I might catch anything on them."

"Were you involved in any other cases where you were investigating this Mooney, or maybe even someone else, and he's got it in for you because you're so dogged about bringing him down?"

"Maybe. I haven't seen a connection."

"Maybe a much earlier case?"

"I've thought about it since the first shootout. They hid the tusks in the abandoned building in Anderson, and now at this gold mine. The only connection I can see is they're both abandoned mining camps."

The sun began to rise—the vivid purple, pink, yellow colors painting the sky—breathtaking.

"Oh, now that's really beautiful." She sounded sleepy and he wished he could carry her to his bed and provide real bodyguard protection.

After the fantastical colors faded from the sky, she patted Hal's leg. "Time for me to turn in or I'll be useless for the rest of the day."

"Me too." He noticed Ted leaving the bunkhouse with Ricky, who was yawning and rubbing the sleep from one eye.

They both caught sight of Hal and Tracey sitting together in such an intimate pose on the deck. Ted grinned. Ricky's jaw dropped.

Hal waved at them, then Tracey grabbed the two empty mugs, while he carried the blanket and escorted her into the house.

After dropping the blanket over the arm of the couch, Hal felt his phone immediately vibrate, and he answered it. "Yeah, Ted, we haven't gone to bed yet. Unless it's a real emergency, I would appreciate no calls."

"You got it, boss man." Ted laughed.

Hal smiled.

Tracey put the mugs in the dishwasher, then turned and smiled at Hal. "What?"

"I think Ted was really surprised to see me sitting out, watching the sun rise with a beautiful she-cat."

"Except for the she-cat part, Ricky looked a bit surprised too. Thanks for being the first to come to my rescue. We didn't talk about it, but I assumed you got a call from the dispatcher and your ranch was closer to the gold mine."

He could let it go, and just say that was what it was, but he had to be truthful. "Stryker had called me."

Her eyes rounded. "After he left my place?"

"Yeah. He was worried that the call you had received wasn't from Anton, and that you might be getting involved in the case again. I tried calling you, wanting to tell you that if you were even thinking about following up a lead, I wanted to be your backup. Your partner."

Her lips parted. She looked so incredibly appealing, and he wanted to take her in his arms, crush her body against his, and kiss her like he had never done with any other woman.

But he wasn't sure whether she was thinking along the same lines as he was, or ready to slug him for having checked up on her.

"And?" she asked.

"I couldn't get hold of you. What were the odds that you would be out running as a cougar again?"

She smiled a little. "And get treed by a pack of wolves."

"Yeah. So I called Chase."

"Before I even sent out the distress call?"

"Yeah."

"I could have been sleeping."

"Right. But I had to be sure."

"Poor Chase."

Hal smiled. "Yeah, he told me the same thing. But he's been in the law enforcement business for too long, and with your history of getting into trouble…"

"He checked and found I'd gone." She wrapped her arms around Hal's neck.

"Yeah." Hal rested his hands on her waist. "I worried about you. I warned him that if he didn't check on you, I'd be over there."

"Thank you, then, for worrying about me." She tilted her head up, and he was certain she was looking for a kiss.

Did she kiss all the men she had "dates" with?

He wasn't going to let the opportunity pass so he kissed her. He didn't want to push her further than she was ready for and turn her off, but when she kissed him back, wanting more, pressing for deeper contact, he wasn't sure just what she had in mind.

He was certainly willing to go as far as she wanted, his hand gently cupping the back of her head, the other stroking her soft robe-covered back, their tongues colliding, teasing, stroking. His blood was on fire, and he was burning up as he pulled her harder against his body—his very aroused body.

He wanted to rub up against her like a big cat would, wondering just what she was wearing under the robe. The same slinky nightie she'd left by the door when she went running as a cougar? When he and everyone else had seen it, he had expected her to pick it up in her teeth and carry it to her bedroom. But when she didn't, he did the only thing he could think of, shifted, moved her nightie to the arm of the couch, and then dressed.

He'd seen the way her eyes had taken in the new location of her nightie. Knew he'd picked it up, felt the silkiness, and probably had guessed he'd admired it.

And now? He wondered if she was wearing that sweet bit of short silk to barely cover her beauty. He kissed her warm mouth, tasting the whip cream and cocoa and she-wolf. He looked into her eyes, darkened with lust, and smiled.

She was so tired, and yet, she moved her arms lower and tightened her hold on him.

He had to ask. "Did you want to—"

"Hmm, yes. Go to sleep." She hesitated to pull away, and he was hopeful that meant she wanted to join him in bed, but then she said, "Night. And thanks."

"You're not going to be too cold, are you?"

She laughed. "No. But nice try."

"What do you want for lunch when we finally get up to enjoy the day?"

"Anything is fine with me."

"Beef stroganoff? I can whip up a batch."

"Sure. Sounds great."

"All right. Then we'll run."

He left her off at her room and continued on to his bedroom.

"What else did Stryker tell you?" she asked, still standing at her door.

"That he stayed over for a movie and wine."

"And chips."

Hal smiled.

"Did he tell you we kissed?"

Hal's smile grew. "I'm not competing with him."

She smiled back at him. "Sure you are. I like it. It's never happened to me before. Keep up the good work." She entered her room and shut the door.

He frowned. So what did that mean? She liked his kiss the same? Better? That she wasn't going to decide between the two of them? He thought when she stayed with him that had decided it. What if Stryker learned what kind of dog she liked best? And got a puppy?

He shook his head and reminded himself he was an alpha male cougar. Not a pussy-whipped beta. Well, that had some appeal too.

Chapter 10

As soon as Hal woke, showered, and dressed, he was raring to go. Not only did he have the most charming houseguest known to a male shifter cat, but he'd had the best sleep in years, knowing his first foal was doing well. And he felt good about taking in a wayward "kid" to help give him some direction and maybe keep him out of trouble for a while. Maybe even help to set him on a better path for the future.

When Hal walked down the hallway, he noted Tracey's door was wide open and a bit of panic hit him. She was fine, he told himself. He had to stop jumping to conclusions where she was concerned. Not that the last few times weren't warranted.

He listened for any sign of her moving around in the house, and he heard none. She might be sitting on the deck, enjoying the scenery and having a cup of coffee, or checking on the foal.

He wanted to force himself to relax, but damn it. When it came to Tracey, she kept him on edge. He went out to the deck, observed that she wasn't there, and was about to take a walk to the stables when he saw movement in the grassy meadow near one of the ponds, way the hell out. He squinted his eyes. A rider and horse alone. One of his horses. And if he had to guess, the rider was none other than Tracey.

He yanked out his phone, ran down the steps from the deck, and stalked toward the stables, calling Ted immediately. "Ted—"

"Morning," Ted said so cheerfully, Hal knew he'd let her take one of the horses for a ride. "Boss lady took Nelda out. She's a good rider. She might not know anything about foaling, but she's a natural in the saddle. Now, Ricky? He's another story. He's afraid of the horses. Though Holly, that's fearful of humans, has taken a liking to him. Maybe because she senses he's not pushy with her like some humans can be. Anyway, there's hope for Ricky still. Before you say it, I've already saddled Big Red. He's chomping at the bit to get outta here."

Wordlessly, Hal ended the call. He couldn't help being irritated with Ted. He should have asked him first. Hal worried about her being on a horse without seeing for himself that she knew how to ride, when yeah, normally he fully trusted Ted's instincts. But when it came to Tracey, well, Ted should have asked him first. Especially because of all the times she'd been in real trouble lately.

Ted was conveying his usual "take everything in stride" posture today. Ricky looked nervously from Ted to Hal, like
he
was in trouble for letting Tracey go.

When Hal reached the corral, Ted said, "Hey, boss man, she's fine. You know me. I wouldn't have put her on the horse, if she wasn't capable of it. She showed me just how much she knew, and I let her go. Horse and rider are perfect for each other."

"What about the terrorists who are trying to kill her?" Before Hal climbed into the saddle, he noticed that Ted had packed his bedroll, which Hal shouldn't be needing.

Ricky quickly said, "She's got her Glock, and she's a good shot." He sounded as though he was protecting Ted from Hal's wrath.

Giving him a stern look, Hal looked down at the young man. It appeared that he was going to work out just fine here on the ranch. It seemed he already had Ted's back. But Hal frowned down at him anyway because
he
was boss and he didn't want Ricky getting the idea that he wasn't. "I thought you were supposed to help protect her."

Ricky shoved his hands in his jeans pockets and gave him a hard scowl right back. "You took my gun."

Like Hal had any intention of arming the kid. He shook his head and rode off after the lady.

By the time he was able to ride beyond the house, she was gone. Again, he felt that same sense of dread of losing her skittering across his spine.

Then he tamped down his concern and got out his cell phone and called her. It took a moment for her to answer, and when she did, he said, "Where the hell are you?"

There was a significant pause and then she said, "Well, good morning to you too, Sunshine."

He smiled. Just that one little jabbing, but humorous, poke changed his whole view of the world and her.

***

Tracey supposed she should have told Hal that she'd ridden horses before. A lot. On her job and off. On several occasions she'd ridden into the backcountry on horseback to investigate a crime. But she hadn't ever been around any that had foaled. So that was a new experience for her. Riding like this, wasn't. She loved exploring all the meadows brimming with wildflowers, the evergreen forests, and the ponds. Now, she headed toward the rocks. Riding horseback was just the best way in the world to really see the layout of the land. She'd been up for a couple of hours, had a piece of toast coated in honey, visited with Ted and Ricky, and when Ted suggested she take Nelda out for a ride, she was all for it. He said he'd send Hal out to join up with her when he woke. But that had been over an hour ago. And she really loved riding the ranchlands just like this.

A red-tailed hawk flew up above the pines, and she watched him soaring high in the bright blue sky. She wasn't upset with Hal, who was displeased with her for riding alone. She understood his concern, but she wasn't going to be cooped up in the house all the time until he got his butt out of bed so he could go with her places.

Maybe some of it was taking perverse delight in proving he couldn't tell her that she wasn't going anywhere without him.