Cougar''s Mate

  “Sheriff Dan Steinacher,” Dan said, pulling out his badge and his gun. “Drop the rifle.”

  “Hell, sheriff. I tracked a cougar here. I shot it and…”

  “Drop the weapon, now,” Dan growled. He needed to get to Chase and he sure as hell didn’t need the delay.

  “I’m in my rights…”

  “You fired a weapon this close to a house. You’re under arrest. Down on the ground.”

  “The cougar nearly killed a woman.”

  “On… the… ground. Now!”

  “Hell, sheriff.” The man set his rifle down, then laid face down on the ground. “You’re making a big mistake. I need to finish the cat off. It’s wounded and more dangerous than before.”

  Dan could have killed the man. Yes, he was just shooting cougars, but firing a weapon this close to a residence could have killed someone, and Chase could be dying or dead. In his desire to kill the cat, the man had broken a number of laws, including trespassing, the least of them.

  “You’re making…”

  Dan handcuffed the man, then called Dottie. “Let one of my deputies, any of them who might be close enough to Chase’s cabin, know that I need a man picked up for shooting Chase there. And I need an ambulance!”

  “What? I shot a cougar,” the hunter protested.

  “Yeah, well, you fired so close to the house one of the rounds penetrated it and struck my deputy.”

  That made the hunter’s eyes round a bit.

  “He’s inside bleeding to death.” Dan left the man on the ground and raced around to the front door and yelled, “Chase!”

  Chase didn’t answer him and Dan feared the worst. He followed the trail of blood through the house and down the hall and found him passed out on his bedroom floor, a bloodied towel lying on his wound.

  “Get an ambulance up to Chase’s place, STAT,” Dan said into his phone, and pressed the towel against Chase’s wound. He reached over to grab a blanket off the bed and cover him. Chase’s body was ice cold.

  ***

  Three days after Shannon’s run through the woods and her subsequent fight with Hennessey’s triplet brother, Roger, she blinked at the doctor, recognizing her voice from the first time she’d been admitted to the clinic. Shannon felt much better and was ready to leave, hating confinement of any kind.

  “How are you doing this morning?” Dr. Kate Parker asked.

  “I’m ready to leave. Where’s Chase? Is he all right?” Shannon was worried that the couple of times she’d awakened, she’d seen Dottie and Dan, Hal had even dropped by, but no sign of Chase. And she thought she’d asked, but in her drug-induced state, she couldn’t remember what they’d said. Or if they’d said anything. She noticed a ton of flowers on a table by the window, smelling fragrant and heavenly and couldn’t believe the outpouring of love for her.

  The doctor smiled. “He’s beyond the curtain, sleeping still.”

  Not realizing he’d been injured that badly, Shannon began to sit up, but the doc made her lie down. “Rest a while longer. You should be well enough to leave by tomorrow morning.”

  “Chase, what happened to him?”

  “He was chewed up a bit, but it was the bullet in his flank and the blood loss that resulted that was his downfall. He’ll be fine. He should be able to leave tomorrow also. He’s asked for you whenever he’s been awake.”

  “Can I see him?”

  The doctor pulled the curtain aside. He looked pale, his chin covered in a light stubble, his eyes closed in sleep. She wanted to leave the bed and kiss him—for everything he’d done for her, for everything he was.

  “Did… did they catch Hennessey?”

  “Chase killed him.”

  Feeling relief, Shannon studied Chase, listening to his light breathing and sleepy heartbeat. Then she realized he was wearing a penguin gown like she had worn the first time around. She smiled, then realized she was wearing one, too. They were a matched pair.

  “You should be able to eat a regular meal today. You let me know how you feel. Once you’re able to make it to the bathroom on your own, we’ll see about releasing you tomorrow.”

  “What about the other men? Hennessey’s triplet brother? I injured him, but probably not badly enough, and I’m sure if he got away, he would have healed by now.”

  “They didn’t catch either of the other men, I’m afraid. They were wearing hunter’s spray. The sheriff and his men had hoped to grab their vehicle, but when the sheriff returned to learn what had happened to Chase, he discovered the men’s vehicle was gone.”

  Shannon let out her breath. “As long as Hennessey is dead.”

  “He is. I’ll let you get some rest. I’ll check back in on you a little later.”

  “Thanks, Doc.”

  “Kate. Everyone calls me that.”

  “Thanks, Kate.”

  Kate studied her for a moment, then said, “You’re the best thing that ever happened to Chase since he returned home four years ago. You’re good for him.”

  Shannon shook her head. “I nearly got him killed. Wait, who shot him? I thought Hennessey’s men were all in their cougar forms.”

  “A hunter. He was sure confused though. He’s had his hunting license revoked, rifle confiscated, going to court in a week or so over trespassing on private property and shooting Chase, a deputy sheriff on top of everything. Of course, he shot the cougar, but Chase managed to shift inside the house. A round had struck the corner of the log cabin, so the word was that a stray bullet went through the window and struck Chase while he was changing a light bulb. It was the only way to explain how Chase was shot in his side while he stood that high in front of the bedroom window.”

  After all her hero had risked while fighting the cougars aiming to kill her, that’s how he would be remembered?

  Kate smiled at her. “We all know the truth. That was the best that the sheriff could come up with on really short notice. The hunter’s got a lawyer, so they had to make it work. The bullet definitely came from the man’s rifle, so no problem there. If you need anything, just call the nurse.” Kate walked out of the room and closed the door.

  Shannon climbed out of bed, glad to be feeling so much better and walked to the bathroom, intending to prove to the doctor she was ready to leave sooner than later. Then she remembered that Hennessey and his kin had broken the window to Chase’s living room. Would she even feel safe there again? Not alone. Not with Roger and his uncle still on the loose. And even then, not for some time.

  When she came out of the bathroom, Chase was watching her. “Hey,” he said, smiling a little.

  She smiled back at him. “Thank you for saving my life.” She went over to the bed and took his hand, and leaned over and kissed him.

  He pulled her down for a bear hug.

  “Ooh, you’re pretending to be all weak and bedridden when you’re awfully strong.”

  “Yeah, it’s due to the workout I get with changing light bulbs.”

  She laughed. “I love you.”

  “I sure hope so because you and I are getting married.”

  She smiled, raising her brows. “Did… I just hear a proposal in there?”

  “After all I’ve been through, you don’t think I can get down on one knee and propose, do you? I will, if I have to, but…”

  “No. But I was thinking more like over a pizza and wine, and maybe some kind of a fun movie to watch.”

  “No violence though?” he asked, looking like that’s what he would prefer.

  “Romance. Dottie sent over several cute movies. Remember?”

  He groaned. Then he pulled his covers back and she eyed his naked legs as his hospital gown barely covered his tantalizing hardware—that was already tenting his gown.

  She smiled. “You look like you’re ready to leave the bed.”

  “I’ve fallen madly in love with a she-cat. Haven’t I told you? I’d have you join me, but I think the best alternative is to get out of here.”

  “The doctor said we couldn’t leave until to
morrow.”

  Chase pulled her on top of him in the bed and began to kiss her, really, really kiss her, like he had thought he’d lost her. She kissed him back, hoping she wasn’t injuring him further.

  He groaned as she tried to take some of her weight off him. “I’m hurting you,” she said, wanting to get off him at once.

  “Only one part of me and it has nothing to do with my wound, so stay right there. I love you Shannon Rafferty.”

  She kissed him again, slowly, thoroughly, until she heard the door open, and she realized her gown was open at the back. Instead of getting off Chase, she yanked the covers over them and turned, figuring it would be the nurse.

  Dan smiled. “Ah, I guess the two of you are feeling better?”

  Both she and Chase groaned.

  “I came by to tell you that some of our men replaced your window and cleaned up the mess. The cabin is ready for you to return to, but since we haven’t apprehended Hennessey’s brother and uncle, I’m concerned that it won’t be safe for Shannon there yet. They might have given up after Hennessey died, figuring he’d be the patsy for the crime, since he had actually committed the murder. Hopefully, they’ll believe hanging around here is bound to get them into more trouble than it’s worth. But we don’t know that for sure.”

  “Hell,” Chase said.

  “The two of you are welcome to stay with me,” Dan said. “I’ve got two spare bedrooms. Hal said he’d bunk in one of the rooms as extra backup.”

  “We can’t do that forever,” Chase said.

  “Rick and Yvonne are pinning the crime on Hennessey as we speak to clear Shannon’s name. They’ve got a couple of FBI agent buddies of theirs investigating their police departments for the narcotics trafficking, believing that these men were involved in shaking down drug dealers and then selling off their stash, taking their cash, and making them disappear.”

  “Murder,” Shannon said under her breath. Why hadn’t she realized they could have been involved in murder, beyond Hennessey murdering his own brother, Ted?

  “Yeah, these guys are bad news. They can’t return to their police departments now. They’re on the run this time. But it doesn’t mean they won’t want revenge.”

  “Now that they’re wanted by the FBI, what if the agents kill them? The same problem exists as they had with me, not being able to allow me to live, no incarceration for our kind.”

  “The two agents are shifters. That’s why Rick and his wife sent them the ‘intel’ and they’ve been tasked to take care of it. I’ve already identified the cougar you were fighting with and the man that Chase killed as Hennessey Kelly, but family or close friends usually are called in to make a positive--“

  “Wait. The man I was fighting with by the cave was Roger Kelly. His triplet brother. Ted was the one I had been dating, and he was the one Hennessey murdered. But I didn’t fight with Hennessey.”

  “Are you certain?” Dan asked, his eyes wide with surprise.

  “Yes, yes, the three men are identical triplets, but even so, Hennessey is a little stockier than Roger, and his hair was a little darker because Roger was out in the sun more often. But otherwise, all three men were hard to tell apart. Unless you were a shifter and knew the brothers by scent, or knew them in person. Their voices sound the same, too. It was hard to distinguish them when I heard them on the phone.”

  “Hell. All right.” Dan let out his breath and ran his hands through his hair. “Okay, I need you to come to the morgue and look at the man just to make sure. Are you well enough to do that?”

  “Not without some clothes.”

  “I’ll get you something to wear over your gown and wheel you down there.”

  “Are you kidding? Chase and I are ready to leave. We just need some clothes.”

  “Before you leave this time, you’re getting the doctor’s permission,” Dan said. “I’ll get a wheelchair.”

  “I’m going, too,” Chase said.

  Dan shook his head. “I’ll speak with the doctor, but if she says you’re not going anywhere, you’re not leaving the bed.” He stalked out of the room.

  Shannon kissed Chase on the lips, but before he could respond, she got off him, grabbed a sheet off the bed, wrapped it around her, and said, “Where’s the morgue? Are you coming?”

  Chapter 14

  Once they had the doc’s permission to leave the clinic, Chase and Shannon had agreed to stay at Dan’s place, have pizzas and beer and watch movies, though Dan hadn’t said what kind. But Chase felt like he was having a poker game night with his buddies with Hal and Dan there, and even Stryker showed up unexpectedly to join them.

  Though for now, everyone was observing Shannon make a snow angel on Dan’s front yard. After the fear of nearly losing her, Chase watched her in wonder, how she could be so happy as if nothing bad had ever happened to her.

  “Ah, come on, you guys. Make some, too,” she said.

  Chase just chuckled.

  “If you won’t, I will,” Hal goaded him.

  Chase shook his head at him, talk about being dared to do something that he really didn’t want to do. Dan’s place was in a residential area, and Chase really didn’t want anyone to see him making angels in the snow, especially with his Special Forces buddies waiting to see if he’d do it.

  But he did anyway to Shannon’s delight, and darned if Hal didn’t take a picture of them. “For posterity’s sake,” Hal teased.

  Chase was still smiling at having witnessed Shannon’s exuberance when she saw the snow everywhere that had fallen overnight.

  As they shook off the snow and headed into Dan’s house, Stryker said to Chase, “You didn’t think I would be left out in the cold this time, did you? After I missed the first of the action and got in on this last deal, I’m sticking close to the two of you. We never have this much excitement around here.”

  Still, Chase wished he could have been alone with Shannon, watching a movie, having some downtime together. And not spending the time with his friends, too. Though he had to admit he did feel Shannon was safer this way and that meant everything in the world to him.

  “I doubt anyone would be foolhardy enough to come here while all of us are watching Shannon,” Dan said, carrying a bunch of bottles of beer into the living room and setting them down on the coffee table. “If we could hunt them down, it would be a better scenario.”

  “By the way, we already fixed your broken window and finished painting the cabin you had been working on. Who spilled the paint?” Dan asked.

  Shannon looked at Chase. She thought he’d cleaned it up.

  “I wanted to get into town and get more paint. I just rolled up the wet plastic and set it by the door,” Chase told her.

  The guys were all smiling at them.

  “So who spilled the paint?” Dan asked again.

  “I did,” Shannon and Chase both said at the same time.

  The guys laughed.

  “Well, we cleaned up the place also,” Dan said.

  Then Shannon wondered about her sweats still covered in paint and sitting wet for three days in the kitchen sink. They had to know she was the one to have spilled the paint. But if her clothes hadn’t soured, they would still be a mess.

  She hated to bring up the issue of her paint-soaked clothes, but she also hated the idea that they’d be sitting there for any more time and the paint would have to be scrubbed off the sink also.

  “I had some clothes I was soaking in the kitchen sink,” she said.

  “Taken care of,” Dan said, winking at her.

  So he had known. “Did they get washed out okay?”

  “Chase said to get you a new pair.”

  She couldn’t help it—she thought the world of the guys.

  “I did. I know you really don’t care for gray, so I had Millicent get you a couple of other colors to wear to lounge in,” Chase said.

  “But I could have used those to paint in.”

  Everyone chuckled.

  She realized her sopping wet paint-covered
sweats must have been the topic of conversation among the men while she and Chase were recuperating at the clinic. She was glad they had something to laugh about after all that had happened. It made her feel a little better, too.

  Hal had already started a fast action thriller, but Chase knew they weren’t really watching the action. He hoped that Shannon would get her mind off everything that had happened, but he and the other guys needed to figure out a permanent solution to this problem for her.

  The doorbell rang and Dan got up to answer it. Shannon’s expression instantly turned to worry. Chase and his friends all pulled guns.

  “Pizza delivery,” Dan reassured everyone.

  Everyone holstered their guns, then grabbed slices of pizza and took their seats to watch the movie and eat.

  “You didn’t get a license number on the vehicle they had at your place by chance, did you Chase?” Dan asked.

  “Yeah, right. A little too busy at the time or I would have disabled the damn vehicle, too,” Chase said, wishing he could have and killed all three of the bastards at the same time and then this wouldn’t be an issue.

  Shannon snuggled closer to Chase as if she wanted to let him know she understood he was trying to reach her and save her life and hadn’t had time for anything else. He squeezed her tighter against him in a hug. ”You saved my life,” she said, as if the others needed to be reminded of that. “That’s all that matters. But Hennessey is a hard man and will seek revenge if he could kill his own brother for cheating him out of some money. His pursuit of me has cost him his other brother’s life and by tangling with you all, he’s wanted by the FBI and is now on the run.

  “He has to be pissed beyond measure. For now, I’m afraid he’ll bide his time. He knows people in his line of work—the kind that are into shady dealings. I assume he’ll be able to keep out of the reach of the police and FBI. He can gain a new identity. Become a ghost. And he won’t have to run as a cougar like I had to, either.”

  Everyone was quiet while staring at the TV screen as if watching the movie, but Chase knew better. They were taking in her words, knowing she knew Hennessey better than any of them there did.