by Tena Stetler
“Fair enough. See you in about an hour.”
She started to push open the door and slid out, when he grabbed her arm.
“Not so fast. There is a two kiss minimum to get out of this truck.” He laughed and pulled her to him, taking her mouth with his in a lingering kiss, then brushed his lips lightly over hers and released her. “That will do for now, but it’s only worth a kiss and a half. You have a half kiss deficit.”
“You know you’re crazy. Right?”
“Crazy about you,” he confirmed.
She slipped out of the truck, turned, and brought her fingers to her lips. She blew him a sassy kiss with a wink. “There, we’re even.” And she closed the door.
****
After finishing his errands in Lobster Cove, Lathen put his phone in the hands-free cradle and turned the truck onto Highway 3 toward Bar Harbor. Using his index finger, he tapped the hands-free control and said “Call Jay.” Then he glanced at his watch. Yep, just enough time to catch him at the office.
“Hey, you old dog, what ya up to?” Jay answered good-naturedly. “Is it true?”
“Hi Jay, not much—same ol’ same ol’. Is what true?” Lathen checked his speed and glanced at his rearview mirror.
“Heard you’re getting married next month.”
“Geez…who told you?”
“A better question. Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I was just heading your direction to do exactly that. You going to be around the office for a bit? But yes, it’s true. The wedding is set for the afternoon of December 22nd, on the Winter Solstice.”
“Marrying the McKay witch, if my sources are correct,” Jay said in a smug voice. “Her name Pepper? Right? Built the Lobster Cove Wildlife Center on the McKay property.”
“Yep. If Q & A time is over, now, I’d like to stop by and discuss a situation with you, maybe hire your services.”
“Sure. I’ll be here for another twenty minutes or so…”
****
Lathen yanked open the door to Maggie’s and strode into the diner. A breeze ruffled the blue and white checked window curtains as he settled into a blue vinyl booth facing the street to wait for Pepper. Jay had cut him a heck of a deal, and the arrangements were complete. Resting his head back against the booth, he closed his eyes for a couple beats and hoped fervently that today was Kate’s day off. When footsteps approached and stopped beside him, he opened his eyes to Kate standing beside the cream and chrome table tapping her pen against her order pad. Shit.
“Afternoon Kate. It’s been a long while.” Lathen shifted in the seat and checked out the window for Pepper. Not long enough.
They’d made a point to patronize Maggie’s even though Kate was put out that he had chosen Pepper over her. Not that there was a chance in hell he would have asked Kate out in the first place, except in her wildest dreams. The scene a few months back in town square gave the town fodder for gossip but hadn’t lasted long.
“It has. Heard you and the witch set a date,” Kate said setting two glasses of water on the table then examining her hot pink nails.
“We did.”
A bell above the door jangled as it opened. Lathen twisted in the seat, then stood while Pepper made her way to the booth. She kissed him and scooted into the booth. He slid in beside her, arm around her shoulder.
“Lathen confirmed congratulations are in order,” Kate said matter-of-factly.
“Well, thank you, Kate,” Pepper said cheerfully. “I was finishing up a few last minute wedding details before the Thanksgiving holiday.”
“Do I need to give you a few minutes, or are you ready to order?” Kate said in a bored voice.
“We’re ready.” Lathen peered at Pepper, who nodded her head. “We’ll have two burgers, fries, and coffee for me, hot chocolate for Pepper.”
“Oh don’t forget…two pieces of the homemade blueberry pie, à la mode. Please. I’ve been looking forward to pie all day.” Pepper smacked her lips and grinned.
“Got it.” Kate put her pad back in her white apron and flounced toward the kitchen.
“You don’t want Kate to feel like she’s won, by staying away, but I don’t think…” Lathen said.
“It was supposed to be Kate’s day off. Sandy said she’d be working the afternoon shift. Besides, they have the best lobster burgers in town. Kate doesn’t bother me anymore. You?” Pepper spread her napkin on her lap.
“No—she never really did. Hated how she treated you. That’s all.” Lathen swirled his glass of mostly ice and tried to get a sip of water. Ice cubes shifted and fell on the tip of his nose, water splashed on his face.
Pepper pressed her lips together to keep from laughing. In the end, a giggle slipped out. “Did you get all your errands done?”
Taking the napkin, he wiped his face. “Yep, I did. Tied up all the loose ends. Looking forward to seeing everyone for Thanksgiving without interruptions. I can’t wait to visit your parents’ spread in Colorado.”
“Yeah, I’m kinda looking forward to it myself. When they retired a few years ago, Dad was tired of living in the city, and Mom was okay with whatever he wanted to do. So they bought land near Evergreen, Colorado, and built a house. I haven’t visited since their new house was finished. Come to think of it.” She glanced out the window. “The plans and framing I did see from pictures, looked a lot like our cabin, less the additions.”
“That doesn’t surprise me.” He reached for her hand, covered it with his. “How about you, everything set?”
“Yep. Took care of the cakes and doubled the menu with Maya’s mom. She runs the catering business now. All that’s left is to address and mail out the invitations before we leave. If we leave. Getting kinda late to get reservations.”
“Oh, we’re leaving. Travel arrangements are made.” He glanced around. “Tell you about them on the way home.”
The bell chimed again when Sandy sprinted in the door, her cheeks red from the cold. She glanced in Pepper and Lathen’s direction as Kate took off her apron and pushed past. Sandy walked over to the table. “Sorry about that Pepper. Damn car wouldn’t start this morning, had to have it towed. Asked Kate to cover. I’m going to regret that. I would have been here a lot sooner but the mechanic…” She raised her hands and made chattering motions with them. “Talked and talked then made me wait while he wrote up an estimate. He’s never done that, but whatever.”
“No problem. We just placed our order, and Kate was mostly pleasant.” Pepper shrugged. “If it wasn’t for your lobster burgers…”
“She better be, or Maggie will have her head. Besides, Kate’s dating one of the dungeon masters from the Red Club, so she’s moved on. What a hunk…uh…if you like that kind.” Sandy’s cheeks pinked. “I better get your drinks. The usual?”
“That’s more information than we need.” Lathen laughed. “Yeah, hot chocolate for Pepper and coffee for me.”
Eyebrow raised, Pepper leaned over and whispered, “Bet he’s got nothing on you.” A seductive smile curved the corners of her lips.
“That depends—” Lathen whispered, a sly grin tugged at one corner of his mouth.
Sandy came back with the drinks and a tray full of food. “Hot off the grill. Enjoy.” She served the burgers and hurried off to wait on a table of boisterous men who just pushed through the door and sat down.
Famished, Lathen took a big bite of the burger as Pepper dabbed her french fry in the ketchup and nibbled on it. The storm clouds rolled in, and the wind howled around the diner. He chewed thoughtfully watching townspeople pass by the window leaning into the wind. Some stopped and waved, others came into the diner to discuss holiday plans and ask about the wedding. The diner was the hub of community gossip. The men were worse than the women at times. Still the tight-knit community was what drew Lathen to set down roots and start his business after drifting over the country for a couple of years doing odd jobs.
Pepper took the last bite of blueberry pie with the last dab of ice cream and glanced out the win
dow. “Guess we better get going. I left Kaylee out along with Ember and Tonk. Didn’t think we’d be gone so long.”
“They’ll be fine. If the weather gets too bad, Kaylee will settle into the greenhouse until we get home. Tonk and Ember will use the dog door into the mammal habitat.”
The wind tugged at Pepper’s scarf as she exited the door Lathen held open for her. The minute they got into the truck, Pepper shifted in her seat to face him. “So what are the transportation plans?”
Lathen chuckled as he turned the key in the ignition and put the truck in gear. “Just can’t wait. Talked to a buddy of mine, Jay, he owns an air charter service. Come to find out, he’s headed to Denver to spend the holiday with his sister and her family.”
“Makes it convenient. He’s okay transporting a dog, wolf, and osprey?” She cocked her head in his direction.
“We’ll be flying out of Bar Harbor the Sunday before Thanksgiving and returning the following Sunday. He has a booking that week.” Lathen twisted in the seat and waited for traffic to clear before backing out of the parking space. “Tonk, Ember, and Kaylee will need airline approved crates, but they are welcome to accompany us. I spoke to your dad yesterday. He indicated there is plenty room on their twenty acres for them to run and the acre of property around the house is fenced in. Kaylee can hunt the area as well.”
“I can pack frozen fish in dry ice for the trip too. Lathen that is perfect!” She wrapped her arms around his neck and claimed his lips with reckless abandon.
He put the truck back in park and surrendered to her appreciative attentions. With demanding mastery, he smothered her lips caressing them with his tongue until he heard several footsteps crunching on the gravel parking lot. “I think this best wait until we get home. But I appreciate your enthusiasm.”
The color crept up her neck, spread across her cheeks when the group of construction workers from the diner passed by the truck. One guy let out a wolf whistle closest to her window then grinned waving at Lathen, his hand raised in a meant no harm gesture. Lathen waved him on, backed out of the parking space, and turned onto the highway home.
Upon their arrival Tonk and Ember raced up the driveway to greet them, but Kaylee was nowhere in sight. After ear scratches and kind words to the wolf and dog, Lathen unlocked the door to the cabin then followed Pepper around to the greenhouse.
The osprey was perched on the edge of the corner shelf situated high on the wall. Pieces of a dead fish lay on the ground below Kaylee, she blinked sleepily at Pepper and ruffled her feathers…twice.
“Well, I guess she made herself right at home.” Sheathing her arm in leather, she requested the bird to step up. Lathen grabbed a shovel and scooped up the dead fish parts depositing them in the compost bin and securing the barrel’s lid.
“Usually, she doesn’t bring her fresh caught food this far up.”
“Oh, she’s unhappy with us, and that is her way of showing it.” Pepper stroked the back of her hand gently over the bird’s wing. “We have a great surprise for you.” She crooned to Kaylee.
Inside the cabin, Lathen tossed several split logs in the fireplace, then walked over to the stack of newspapers. Pepper laughed and flipped her hand toward the logs. Orange, yellow, and blue flames raced up the raw edges of the logs.
“Show off.” Lathen grunted and dropped the papers he’d crumpled back on the pile. Pepper went down the hall to Kaylee’s attached aviary. He picked up Tonk and Ember’s food and water bowls, filled them and placed them on the navy mat in the far corner of the kitchen floor when someone pounded loudly at the front door.
Chapter Five
Wounded Owl, Poachers, and a Moose, Oh My
Tonk and Ember diverted their attention from the food bowls to the front door, rushing ahead of Lathen growling and barking menacingly. Pepper sprinted up the hall, paused to backtrack and close the aviary door into the cabin. He saw her stop out of the corner of his eye as he checked the computer monitor on the far wall. Before he reached for the door handle, he commanded dog and wolf to step back and sit away from the door’s path. Once they obeyed, he opened the front door to Rocky and Janice, neighbors a few miles down the gravel road.
Rocky’s old jacket had what appeared to be new rips on the arms, and Janice’s hand was bleeding.
“What the hell happened to you two? Come on in.” Lathen opened the door wide. “Pepper, can you grab the first aid kit?”
“Sure thing.” She scurried down the hall in the direction of the bathroom.
“Let me get a look at that.” He reached out to grasp Janice’s hand when she pulled back.
“It’s really nothing. But the huge owl in the back of our car, hopefully still wrapped in a couple tarps is hurt badly. I think.” Out of breath, she sucked in air and continued. “Knew the vet clinic wasn’t open this late. So we rushed over here.”
“Okay. Pep, we got an injured owl in the back seat of Rocky’s car.” Lathen called down the hall then reached into the crate of supplies they kept next to the door and yanked out a pair of leather gantlets, stuffed them in his back pocket. He glanced at Tonk and Ember, commanding, “Down and stay.”
Pepper came sprinting around the corner, handed the first aid kit to Rocky, and jerked open the front door with several bath towels draped over her arms. “What is an owl doing in the back seat of your car?” She directed the question to Rocky but kept moving out the door with Lathen at her heels. Through the car window, she saw a lump moving slowly under a tangle of blue and green tarps. She closed her eyes and breathed deeply, attempting to connect with the owl. Lathen observed her while opening the car door slowly.
“Anything?”
She shook her head. “All I’m getting is panic and pain from the owl. No real connection.” Pepper gingerly put her hand on the tarp a few inches from the moving lump.
Lathen shoved her arm out of the way. “You’re going to need stitches too if you don’t let me handle this bird.”
Pepper swung around then noticed the leather gloves on Lathen’s hands. She backed away, glanced toward the doorway where Janice and Rocky still stood watching. Turning her back on them, she murmured a couple words, her arms and hands became immediately encased in leather. Her warm breath swirled around her head like smoke, as did Lathen’s in the frosty air. Carefully, Pepper poked at the tarp and was able to distinguish where the bird was as opposed to the extra bunching material.
“It’s okay. You’re going to be fine. No one is going to hurt you,” Pepper sing-songed soothingly. Her words and abilities of calm won out, and the bird relaxed just a bit. Lathen was able to hold its wings against the body and back out of the car, ripped pieces of bloody tarp hung awkwardly from his arms while he held the bird firmly in front of him. “It’s a big one.”
“Let’s go directly to the seabird aviary. Not going to want to try to move the owl again.”
As they passed by the open front door of the cabin, Pepper stopped and quickly explained what they were doing to the waiting couple, asked one of them to call and leave a message for Dylan. She reinforced the stay command to the canines, then closed the door.
Catching up with Lathen, she said, “I left Tonk and Ember in a stay. We don’t need them sniffing around and scaring the owl any more than it already is. Rocky will join us as soon as he gets Janice bandaged up. She may need stitches but is refusing at the moment.”
“Heartbeat is slowing, so panic may be subsiding.” Lathen shifted the bird’s back against his chest for a better hold.
“That’s good. It’s not going into shock.”
Lathen rested the owl on the examining table and with caution peeled the layers of tarp away from the bird. “The feather patterns on its neck and back are barred crosswise, and its belly is barred lengthwise, no ear tuffs. It appears to be a Barred Owl.”
“There you go fellow. It’s not so bad.” She reached for a light sedative then moved away after looking at the bird’s dark brown eyes and examining a lump forming on its head. “Must have sustai
ned a hard blow to the head.”
“I thought the same thing when you touched the raised area on its head. Feathers are caked with blood over the lump, wing edge is sliced, and there are abrasions above its talons.”
“I don’t think those are serious. We’ll clean him up, administer antibiotics per Dylan’s instruction sheet until we hear from her. Can we get him on the scale, get a weight?”
“He’s a big boy. I’d say that wing span is well over three feet.” Lathen maneuvered the bird onto the scale and let go for a beat. Looks like a little over two pounds.”
“Thanks.” She cleaned the bird up with warm water then drew the drug into a syringe. “Hold him still.” She stared into the owl’s eyes then administered the shot. The bird jumped and gave a shrill hoot.
“We can put him in one of the heated cubes with a few towels. I’ll stay out here with him tonight.”
“No, we’ll stay out here with him,” Lathen corrected.
The heavy wooden door to the aviary, which used to be an old barn, squeaked open when Rocky strode in. “Is the bird going to be okay?”
“Yeah, I think so. What happened?” Pepper’s cell phone rang in her pocket. She held up an index finger and looked at the screen, frowned. “It’s the DIFW (Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife).”
“What do you suppose the wildlife department wants?” Lathen asked as Pepper put the phone to her ear.
“Well, that was what I was just getting to…” Rocky paused glancing from Lathen to Pepper. “The owl flew into the side of a pickup truck when the driver was using a spotlight toward the forest. We were following the truck on the way home and heard shots. Suddenly, the owl hit the truck. Must have been blinded by the spotlight. They didn’t shoot it. Did they?”
“No, there are no gunshot wounds on the bird, mostly scrapes and abrasions from hitting the truck. Hell of a lump on its head. Your story explains a lot of its injuries.”
