Reunited with the Cowboy

by Claire McEwen

  “I dunno. I just can’t seem to keep my mouth shut around you.”

  The look she gave him was a little shy. “I like that we’re talking.”

  That smile. Her lips curved just so. The softness of them, the sweetness of her—it had him leaning in, just a breath of a movement, before he realized what he’d almost done.

  He couldn’t kiss her. She didn’t want that from him, and he couldn’t have it from her. She was here for a few weeks, to do a job. That was all.

  “Come on.” He stood, offered a hand and then pulled her up. “Let’s make sure we’re ready for your lion.”

  The sound of an engine had them both turning to where Emily’s truck bumped and rattled across the field and parked at the foot of the hill.

  It was just as well she was here. They needed a break. A chaperone, to keep things simple between them for the night.

  Emily, tall and athletic, ready for their campout in a parka and knit cap, clambered up the hill toward them. “How’s it going?” she asked. “I brought pizza.”

  “Hallelujah,” Maya said with a reverence that had them all laughing.

  Emily switched on her flashlight and studied them both for a moment in the dim light. “You two look a little worn out. Come on, Caleb. Help me get my gear out of the truck and you can have an extra slice.”

  His stomach growled. He’d been so busy getting the chores done around the ranch and getting his gear together for camping out tonight, that he’d forgotten to eat. He followed her down the hill. “Emily, you’re an angel.”

  “Nah,” she said, shoving the pizza boxes into his arms, still warm, and smelling like heaven. “But we need to keep our strength up if we’re going to catch a puma.”

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  CALEB HAD BEEN dreaming of Afghanistan again. Of the night they camped in a dry desert canyon, between some jagged rocks, and hoped like hell they hadn’t been seen on the way in.

  The snap of metal hitting metal had Caleb reaching for his gun. But instead of a rifle, his hand found something warm and soft. Slowly awareness crept in. Damp fog misting his face, the smell of sagebrush and Maya, still asleep, curled up against his shoulder.

  He was awake, on his ranch, with the woman he’d always loved right there with him, like some kind of miracle.

  That metallic sound must have been the trap. Something must have triggered it. He glanced down at Maya. The moon was up there beyond the fog, and in the faint glow, he could see Maya’s shoulders rise and fall with her breathing, the small smile that played on her lips as she nuzzled closer to his shoulder. Through the sleeping bags, he could feel the heat of her body along his, and he closed his eyes, relishing that small contact, wondering how he would ever find the strength to wake her, if it meant ending this.

  So he lay for a moment longer, letting her warmth seep into him and wake something all the way down in his bones, in the very marrow of him, that had been frozen, stuck and lifeless for so long.

  A rustling from the trap reminded him that it wasn’t fair to wait. The animal might be frightened, might be panicking to find itself caged.

  “Maya,” he whispered, and she popped her head up, peering at him through wisps of hair that had escaped her ponytail.

  “Did anything happen?” She whispered too, and sat up, peering through the dark in the direction of the trap.

  “I heard a noise. I think we caught something.”

  “I can’t believe I even fell asleep.” She was up and out of her sleeping bag and reaching for her hiking boots in one fluid motion. “Did it sound like a big something? Or a small something?”

  “I have no idea,” he admitted.

  Emily sat up from the other side of Maya. “What’s going on?” she whispered.

  “We might have something.”

  “Oh wow.” Emily reached for her jacket and boots. She and Maya could have been Marines, they were so efficient.

  For a moment the only sound was the rustle of clothing. When they were dressed, Maya pulled out a flashlight. “This one is really dim but I’d like to use it when we go over there. So we startle our animal as little as possible.”

  “Especially if we caught a skunk,” Emily murmured, and Caleb grinned. Maya pressed her hand to her mouth to suppress a giggle.

  “Okay, let’s bring the bags of gear.” She held up a long, flat, zippered case. “Emily, I have the tranquilizer gun in here. If it’s a mountain lion, let’s get the dose loaded quickly so we don’t have to stress it out for more than a moment.”

  Emily reached for the case, and Maya grabbed a folded tarp from next to where they’d slept. “When we get close to the trap, we’ll set everything down on this. Let’s go.”

  Caleb picked up the two heavy duffel bags that Maya pointed to, and let Maya and Emily lead the way to the trap. It felt like a military operation, with Maya as their squad leader. He didn’t mind following behind. He smiled to himself in the dark. If it was a skunk, he’d also be farthest out of spraying range.

  He was enjoying this, and he had no idea why. Any mountain lion that showed up here was a threat to his livestock. He should be angry at it. He should hate it.

  But anger and hate didn’t fit here. Like Maya had said earlier, predators weren’t wrong; they just existed, following the only instincts they had. They’d never asked to play the role they did.

  Plus he was with Maya, and as much as he didn’t get it, being with her was the only thing that had given him any peace since he had left the Marines. Maybe it was only because they were constantly butting heads. Arguing with her was a good distraction from his worries.

  Or maybe it was because she brought solutions. The grant. The barn raising. Trapping this mountain lion so they could collar and track it. Though of course the chances of this being a mountain lion—

  “Oh my gosh.” Maya turned, eyes wide, to face him and Emily. “We got it.”

  What were the chances? For a moment, they just stared at each other, stunned. Then they all turned to look at the trap.

  Caleb had expected any mountain lion they caught to be panicked, thrashing in the crate. But when Maya turned her light on it, keeping the beam pointed at the ground and to the side to protect the big cat’s eyes, there it was, lying on its stomach, paws out in front, just like Hobo did when Caleb gave him a treat. Except this was a mountain lion, with an entire leg of lamb between its paws.

  They were just a few yards away. The big cat’s eyes glinted green and glassy in the flashlight’s dim glow.

  “Let’s back up a few paces,” Caleb said, suddenly wanting to give the proud animal space. Its ears were round and alert. Its pale nose was rimmed in black, a white patch at its throat.

  “It’s so beautiful,” Emily murmured.

  Caleb moved a few yards farther away. “Should we put our stuff down here?”

  Maya quietly unfolded the tarp. “Okay, let’s not waste a minute. Caleb, will you open up those two duffel bags? And Emily, will you measure out the tranquilizer? I’m assuming that puma is about a hundred pounds.”

  Maya held the light while the vet picked up a vial and filled a large syringe with liquid.

  “Okay, we’re ready.” Emily slipped the syringe into the gun and held it out to Caleb. “As ex-military, I suspect you’re the best shot among us. Can you do it? Aim for the center of the thigh muscle, below the hip, above the knee.”

  Caleb took the gun, acutely aware that the last time he’d carried one, he’d wanted to kill a lion. And had almost shot Maya. His hands shook at the memory.

  “I can do it if you’d rather.” Maya held out her hand, and in the dim glow he could see the concern in her eyes. She’d noticed his shaking. “I’ve done it a bunch. Watch and learn, soldier.”

  He gave her the gun. She handed him the flashlight.

  “Emily, can you grab a brighter light?” she asked the vet.
>
  Emily rummaged through the duffel and pulled out a light almost as big as the ones that military police carry on base.

  “So, here’s the plan,” Maya told them, keeping her voice low. “We need to be quick and quiet. We’ll walk up to the crate. Emily, when we get close, turn your light on. The lion will focus on you, and that should let me get close enough to fire the dart through the bars.”

  Emily nodded.

  “Caleb, you’ll stick with me and try to shine your flashlight right on the lion’s haunches so I can see where I’m shooting.”

  Maya was a natural leader, giving them their mission. She double-checked the tranquilizer gun, seemingly in her element, fulfilling this calling that was so uniquely hers.

  Caleb glanced back toward the cage, invisible in the darkness. The puma was silent, either wary and listening to them, or still enthralled by its easy meal.

  “Let’s go,” Maya whispered, and Emily led them close to the cage. A low growl erupted from the darkness as they approached. “Now,” Maya said, and Emily flipped on the big light, revealing the cougar crouched, teeth bared, staring at the light, ready to take on the threat it perceived.

  Caleb followed Maya through the shadows. When they were just a few feet away from the trap, Maya tapped him on the arm, and he switched on his light, aiming the beam right at the big cat’s hind end.

  In one sure movement, Maya shot the tranquilizer dart through the bars, and the cat let out a yowl of shock.

  “That must have hurt,” Caleb said as she backed up to stand at his side. His light revealed the poor cougar turning in circles, disoriented, already swaying with the effects of the drug. “Is it okay?”

  “Yes.” Emily came to join them. “It’s not in pain—just a little woozy. And it doesn’t like the crate. But at least it’s safe in there.”

  Almost on cue the puma let out a loud sigh and lay down on its side, surrendering to the medication.

  “Let’s go.” Maya reached up to unhook the side of the crate. Caleb helped and they lowered the panel down to the ground. “Emily, Caleb, can you each grab one corner of the tarp? We need to work quickly, to get everything done before it starts to wake up.”

  The three of them tugged on the tarp, heavy with the big cat’s weight, freeing it from the trap. The puma’s front paws twitched and Caleb started.

  “It’s okay,” Maya told him, reaching right past those paws to slip a soft cloth over the puma’s head. “This will protect its eyes.”

  Caleb tried to remain as calm as the women were, but it was a mountain lion, and his instincts, the caveman ones that had kept his ancestors safe from saber-toothed tigers at the dawn of time, showed up and sent his heart pounding. He was grateful when Maya sent him to find the scale so they could weigh the animal.

  When he was ready, Maya and Emily took hold of the tarp and carried the puma a few yards, carefully setting it, tarp and all, on the canvas portion of the scale.

  “We need to weigh it. Which means it’s time for Muscles Dunne.” Emily shot him a teasing smile. “Can you lift it?”

  Grommets on the canvas attached to metal hooks on the scale. Caleb slid them into place and then pulled the scale up to chest height so the canvas made a sling. Maya and Emily made sure the lion was comfortably arranged.

  Maya glanced up at him with a grin. “Ready to prove just how tough you are?”

  He gave a short, nervous laugh. “Ready as I’ll ever be.” He took hold of the metal circle at the top of the scale.

  “Okay.” Emily grasped the canvas to keep it steady. “Ready, set, go!”

  Caleb lifted the puma-filled sling in the air while Maya and Emily tried to read the number on the scale. His arm and chest muscles were screaming in protest at the awkward angle.

  “One-hundred-eleven pounds,” Maya read. Emily helped Caleb set the cougar carefully down and unhook the scale. “Take five pounds off for the tarp.”

  “What a beautiful boy.” Emily dropped to her knees next to the lion and pulled a clipboard out of the bag. “A little skinny for his size, don’t you think? I bet it’s a young male, looking for territory. Caleb, will you please hold the light?”

  Caleb kept the light fixed on the puma as Emily recorded the weight and Maya grabbed a measuring tape out of the duffel. She climbed around the big cat’s body, measuring carefully and efficiently, while Emily took down notes like the two of them had worked together for years.

  Caleb stood, mesmerized by the powerful mountain lion, so limp on the ground. It was big. Maya said it was eighty-three inches from head to tail. Twenty-five inches from its paws to the top of its shoulder.

  It was beautiful, with thick fur the color of earth and branches and shadows, exactly designed for camouflage.

  “You can touch it, gently,” Maya said, as if reading his thoughts. “It’s probably the only time you’ll get to pet a cat this big.”

  Caleb knelt and ran a shaky hand over the lion’s surprisingly thick, smooth coat. It was automatic to keep petting, to feel this incredible animal that most people never got to approach. He took in the thick paws and the lean muscle underneath his hands. “I never did think I was a cat person. But I’ve sure had a lot of them in my life since I came back to Shelter Creek.”

  “Hobo won’t know what to think when he smells this kind of cat on you,” Maya said.

  It was surreal, to be here, in the dark, right before dawn, petting a lion. Every moment seemed to stand out as more crisp, more meaningful, because this mysterious predator was in their care.

  Lying there asleep and utterly helpless, the mountain lion seemed so vulnerable. It wasn’t a huge animal. In fact, it was almost delicate, with its lean stomach, long legs and streamlined body. And it was here on his land because it was trying to survive. Trying to find a few acres of its own in a territory crowded with other mountain lions, and fragmented by freeways and vineyards and more and more housing developments.

  Until tonight, lions had lurked in Caleb’s psyche as a shadowy threat to be eliminated. Enemies, out to get his livestock. But here in the dark, feeling the big cat breathe beneath his palm, he realized that Maya was right. This lion was just being who it was born to be. It had never asked to be a predator. It was just trying to get by.

  The thought had him smiling to himself, there in the dark. Maybe he had more in common with mountain lions than he’d realized. He’d spent over a decade now just trying to get by.

  Maya nodded her head toward the bag. “There’s a camera in there. Do you want to snap some photos?”

  Caleb reluctantly took his hand away from the mountain lion and pulled the camera out. Maya gently lifted the fabric from the puma’s face, then carefully revealed its fangs. Caleb snapped the photo and then Maya measured the teeth.

  Emily peered into the big cat’s mouth. “It has good oral health.”

  “What else do you notice?” Maya asked, taking the clipboard from the vet.

  Emily looked in the lion’s ears, and then ran her hands over its belly. “It’s got a fair amount of ticks. We’d better do a count.”

  “Let’s get a blood sample first,” Maya said. “In case it wakes up. I’d rather check for diseases and get some genetic material if I have to make a choice.”

  Emily drew a vial of blood from the inside of the cat’s leg, and then started counting ticks. Maya quickly put the equipment away and handed Caleb a full duffel bag.”

  “Can you set this by our sleeping bags?”

  When he got back, Maya was holding something that looked like an enormous stapler against the cat’s ear. When she squeezed, a tag popped on.

  “You’re piercing its ear?” Caleb peered closer. The tag read Department of Wildlife.

  “Yes. If anyone finds it, they’ll know to contact us.”

  He didn’t want to think about that. How this amazing animal might die. From a rancher like him wit
h a gun. Or cars on a freeway.

  They counted the ticks. Seven, which seemed like a lot to Caleb, but Maya said it wasn’t that bad at all. Emily plucked a few hairs off its belly and put them in a vial. Then Maya pulled out a collar with a wide band and a flat box on it. She set it carefully around the lion’s neck, fastening the clasp with a screwdriver. When she’d finished, she double-checked that it wasn’t too tight. “I think that’s it.”

  Caleb couldn’t take his eyes off the collar. It looked really big, taking up most of the mountain lion’s neck, and it changed it. Made the lion seem a little less wild. It seemed unfair, to make it carry this contraption wherever it went, for the rest of its life. He swallowed hard, surprised by the lump in his throat.

  “It’s difficult, isn’t it?” Maya must have read his thoughts, because she pointed to the collar. “But it could save its life. People are less likely to shoot a collared animal. And we’ll be able to keep track of it. Learn from it. And figure out how to better protect its habitat as a result.”

  “But you won’t be here,” Emily said. “Who will track it?”

  “I’ll turn its information over to the crew in the Sacramento office. They’ll keep an eye on it. And I’ll be able to access the data as well. But I’m also going to try to get one of the California universities interested in this region. Hopefully they can get some graduate students out here to continue this work.”

  The entire time she’d been talking, she’d been working. Carefully removing the hood from the puma’s face, and throwing the rest of her equipment back into its duffel bag.

  “Okay, let’s move away from here.”

  Caleb took a last look at the majestic mountain lion, so still on the tarp. “What do we do now?”

  “We watch it until it wakes up, to make sure it doesn’t get hurt.” For one moment Maya dropped her busy professional demeanor and stroked the cat’s shoulder. “Hey, big guy,” she murmured. “You might feel a little weird when you wake up. But you’ll be all better, very soon. Good luck out there.” Then she rose, grabbed the duffel and led the way toward their sleeping bags.