Chapter 8 #2
“Yeah. Since I didn’t know him, he didn’t recognize me. I considered he could be a wild cougar, or someone new to town, and I didn’t want to make him fearful of me. Is he lost? Are you searching for him?”
“We’re taking him down, Blue,” Rory said. “He’s after my mate. This is Lacy.”
“Your mate?” Blue smiled. “Congrats. I’ll go with you.”
Lacy wanted to ask why he was living in a cave when he was a shifter.
“Good. We can use your abilities too.” Then Rory shifted.
Blue turned back into his bear. He was so much bigger than they were. But she was thrilled that he would help them.
She headed up the cliff further, and Rory stayed with her. Blue followed them. She’d read that bears could climb, but she thought he would be clumsier. He moved up and down the cliffs like a pro, just climbing rather than leaping as they did.
They continued searching for any sign of the cougar, exploring caves but not finding him.
She wondered if he had returned to his clothes, wherever they were, dressed, then flagged down a car.
Almost everyone would know to be on the lookout for Timothy.
Unless the driver was a human, then he or she wouldn’t know about it and might pick him up and take him into town.
Though she wondered if he wouldn’t want to stay closer to the ranch where she was, maybe he thought there were too many people there to protect her.
Where would he stay? Though he probably wouldn’t realize cougars ran the whole town, and they were all watching out for her. But he had to stay somewhere.
It was too cold to remain in the woods or on the cliffs. He needed shelter and a warm fire, not to mention food and drink, unless he continued to wear his cougar coat.
He couldn’t stay anywhere in town without the sheriff’s department being alerted, but he wouldn’t know that.
If he tried to go to the motel where she and her granddad had stayed initially upon arriving in Yuma Town, Timothy would realize the owners were cougars.
Maybe he wouldn’t think they would know about him.
The alternative would be for him to stay in an abandoned building or an unoccupied home, if any were in the area.
They finally all gathered together. Hal indicated it was time to go home.
She figured it was lunchtime. They had been out there for hours. She was ready to get warm by the fire.
They all headed back to the ranch, and spread out again, but this time the bear went with them, to her amusement. Everyone was still searching for any sign that Timothy had gone this way after they had passed this location, looking for him.
Once they reached the ranch, Hal and the other law enforcement officers went to the main house to shift and dress.
Everyone else, including the bear, went into the bunkhouse.
The cougars all shifted and dressed, and then Rory said to Blue, “Go into my room, and you can shift and dress. We’ll make lunch.”
Blue grunted and then headed for Rory’s room.
“What should we eat for lunch?” Lacy asked.
“We’ll make mini pizzas. Everyone gets involved in making their own, adding the ingredients they want.”
“That sounds good.” Lacy looked in the fridge for cheese, bell peppers, black olives, and onions while Rory brought out the boxes of mini pizzas. Some of them had pepperoni. Some sausage or hamburger. Some just cheese.
“Pepperoni for you, right?” Rory asked Lacy.
“Yeah.”
The other guys joined them and began adding their toppings while the oven preheated.
Blue finally entered the kitchen. “I’ll take one of the hamburger ones, if that’s all right with everyone.”
“It sure is,” Rory said. “We’ve got plenty for everyone. Just add the toppings that you want. We have cherry tomatoes on the counter over there. So what were you doing out there?”
“Girlfriend troubles. You know how it goes.”
“Yeah, you met my last girlfriend, so you know I understand completely.”
“I remember. But this one is the right one, I can tell.”
“We’re mated,” Rory said.
“Well, hell,” Wyatt said. “How long were you going to keep the secret from us?”
“Not long,” Rory said.
The guys all slapped him on the back, and then they gave Lacy hugs.
“Do the Havertons know?” Blaze asked.
“Hal does. I’m sure Tracey knows now,” Lacy said, adding cheese, olives, bell pepper, and tomatoes on her pizza.
“So what’s the deal with the cougar you were trying to track down?” Blue asked.
“He’s a stalker ex-boyfriend,” Lacy said.
The oven dinged that the temperature was correct. Rory put all the pizzas in the oven and set the timer for seventeen minutes.
Then they all went into the living room and sat on the plush couches and recliners.
“What do you plan to do with him?” Blue asked.
“End his stalking,” Rory said. “Permanently. There’s no other way to handle this. The guy isn’t giving up on Lacy, and we can’t allow him to hurt or kill her.”
“No, I don’t blame you,” Blue said, the other guys all agreeing.
“So if we can’t find him out here, would a human have given him a ride back into Yuma Town?” Lacy asked.
“Possibly,” Rory said.
“Okay, I had another thought. He needs food, water, and shelter. Is there somewhere he could go, like abandoned buildings? Or unoccupied homes if someone is trying to sell or rent a place?” Lacy asked.
Rory got on his phone. “Hey, Hal. Lacy proposed a couple of thoughts.” Then he told him what she had said. He put the call on speakerphone.
“I’ll tell Dan. They’ll coordinate a search of any buildings that he might try to occupy,” Hal said. “Dan and the others are having lunch with Tracy, the kids, and me. I’ll let you know what they decide to do. What’s Blue doing here?”
“Girlfriend trouble like usual.”
Hal chuckled. “Okay, hope he gets it resolved soon.”
The oven timer beeped, and Rory pulled out the pizzas. The other guys began bringing glasses of water to the table.
Rory cut the miniature pizzas into quarter-slices, and everyone grabbed their plates and carried them over to the table.
“I’ll clean up. I know you guys have chores to do,” Lacy said, once they finished eating.
“I’m going home,” Blue said. “Thanks for lunch.”
“Thanks for helping us out, Blue.” Rory kissed Lacy as the guys headed outside. “We have some business to take care of.”
She smiled.
Then Blue came out of Rory’s bedroom as a bear, and Rory opened the front door for him so he could leave. “See you later. Good luck with your girlfriend.”
Blue grunted, licked his hand, and then he went out the door, and Rory closed it. Rory lifted Lacy in his arms and headed for the bedroom with her.
She was ready.