You Had Me at Cougar

by Terry Spear

  “Autumn? Bare branches?”

  “Green, summer. The cabin has a weathered red door.”

  “That sounds like Shutter’s cabin,” Dan said, frowning, his arms folded across his chest.

  “So now, what about the bear?” the man asked.

  “Big. Brown. Beady eyes. Long claws,” Ava said.

  “Dark brown? Light brown? Blackish-brown fur?”

  Ava opened her eyes. “Brown. And big.”

  “Don’t tell me you think all bears look alike.”

  Ava smiled and then she frowned. “I hope you’re able to reach your sister in time to protect her from the bear.”

  Dan offered his hand to the man. “I’m Sheriff Dan Steinacker, and this is Deputy Chase Buchanan. We can help you locate your sister. Why don’t you come this way?”

  The man shook Dan’s hand. “Jonathon Browning.”

  “Wait, you didn’t pay for your reading,” Ava said, then flushed furiously as if she realized he was worried about his sister, and she shouldn’t be charging him.

  “Proceeds go to…?” Jonathon asked.

  “The Big Cat Reserve,” she said.

  “If the money went to a bear reserve, I would pay more.” Jonathon fished out his wallet and gave her a five.

  “Even though a bear is chasing your sister and I might have helped you to locate her?” she asked.

  Jonathon only gave her a tight smile.

  “If you need my help, let me know,” Chet said to Dan.

  “Will do,” Dan said.

  Bridget told Ava, “He’s a bear. And the woman he is after and the bear chasing her down is some other bear but I'm not sure that she doesn’t want to mate him,” Bridget said. “At least that was something that Jonathon was concerned about.”

  Chet realized Bridget hadn’t come to deal with Jonathon, but to read his mind. Chet would never get used to her doing that.

  Shannon was back to watching the kids when Chase had to take off on the bear rescue mission.

  Even though a long line of cougar shifters were waiting to see Ava, no one minded the wait, not when the cougars were all like family and everything that was going on concerning them interested them.

  Dan’s wife, Addie, was next in line and she held her hand out. “What do you see in my future?”

  “Uhm…” Ava cleared her throat. How could she tell Addie she would be in an emergency situation as a deputy sheriff, delivering Mandy’s babies? Ricky was nowhere to be seen, though Ava only got bits and pieces, but Addie was definitely delivering a baby in the backseat of a car.

  Addie frowned. “Maybe I don’t want to know.”

  “No, it’s just…” Ava sighed. “Okay, you’re going to be delivering a baby in an emergency situation. You might want to get a book to read up on it.”

  Addie’s mouth gaped. “Whose?”

  “Uhm, Mandy’s.”

  “Okay, so I’ll talk to Kate about putting Mandy on bedrest for that last three months of her pregnancy.” Addie sighed. “And failing that, I’ll get a book on emergency deliveries. All of us at the sheriff’s department could use that in a crisis.”

  Ava smiled. “That’s just the ticket.”

  “Okay, I’ve got to get back to work.” Addie shook her head and hurried off.

  The next person in the line to get her fortune read was Dottie Barrington. “I see your booth is really popular, now that you have taken it over. Everyone wants the real news, not some pretend stuff, even if it can be bad news. But a bear shifter here? Now that takes the cake.” She gave Ava twenty dollars for the reading.

  “Yeah I know. I had a dream about a bear chasing me earlier this year, and maybe it was a shifter, not just a wild bear. Who would ever have figured, right?” Ava said.

  “A premonition or a dream?” Dottie asked, looking concerned.

  So was Chet. Even though he meant to get some swimming in or visit with folks, he couldn’t make himself move away from Ava’s booth for anything. He was fascinated with her ability to see future events in people's lives. Bridget smiled at Chet, patted his shoulder, and headed back to where Travis was taking care of their two-year-olds.

  “A dream, I thought. And then I realized I'd had a premonition. It makes me wonder if it has to do with Jonathon and his sister. Now I’m not sure. So, let me read your palm.”

  Dottie turned her palm up. “Don’t tell me I’m delivering anyone’s babies or going to have any more kids of my own. As much as I love them, five is enough. And if we have more kids, Jack’s going to have to go back to the clinic to have it snipped again.”

  Chet felt in pain for Jack all of a sudden.

  Ava glanced at him and smiled as if she knew just what he was thinking about.

  “Or,” Dottie said, “Jack will think I’ve been seeing someone else.”

  “No, way,” Ava said. “Okay, I see you are having a celebration in a little while of your own.”

  “A celebration. We’re doing that all day today.”

  “Jack just finished his mission south of Yuma Town and he’ll be here shortly.”

  Dottie smiled. “That’s great. Thanks so much.”

  Tracey came up next. Her husband, Hal Haverton, was also a part-time deputy sheriff, ranch owner, and he was working with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as a special agent with Tracey. She had quadruplets by her husband and the first thing she said to Ava was, “Ditto for me. Something other than I’m pregnant. I’m thrilled for Mandy though. So what do you see for me?”

  “Your horse, Misty, is going to foal.”

  “What? We had no plan to breed her. Wow, okay, thanks.” Tracey began texting away and left.

  Deputy Sheriff Ricky Jones was standing in line after that, arms folded, looking cross. “Mandy’s excited about having twins and mad at me because I sounded shocked instead of being as excited as she is.”

  Ava smiled. “Sorry, Ricky. I am just giving everyone a reading. It just happened hers showed she was pregnant with twins and they’re due in the fall. I thought you had already both known. Do you want me to read your palm?”

  Ricky kept his arms folded across his chest.

  Kolby, Ricky’s older brother, gently pushed Ricky’s shoulder. “Get it done or move out of line. I want to get my fortune read and the new fortune teller is coming, and she doesn’t have true insight.”

  Ava was so glad that her relief was going to be here soon. She was ready to swim again. She was getting hot.

  “All right.” Ricky gave Ava a twenty-dollar bill.

  “An old girlfriend is coming to town and you’d better find a way to ditch her quickly.”

  Ricky’s mouth gaped. “No way.”

  “Yeah, way, Deputy Sheriff.” Ava smiled.

  Ava could be so wicked. Chet knew she had dated Ricky too, until his old girlfriend, Mandy, turned up, ran into him with her car, accidentally, and he bit her, as a cougar, accidentally. He better not bite the new old girlfriend.

  “Great. Her name?” Ricky asked.

  “I have no idea, but she won’t be easily thwarted.”

  Ricky ran his hands through his hair and glanced at Kolby, who winked at him. “Mel Paccato, betcha. And her dad has ties to the Mob. I told you she was bad news, and you shouldn’t have dated her.”

  Ricky’s jaw dropped. “Great. It just better not be.” He headed off to do his deputy duties.

  Kolby stepped up to the booth next. “Do you see anything for me?”

  Ava looked tired, like she had seen about all she could handle. Chet wanted to rescue her.

  Ava read his palm. “You will have some good news this fall.”

  Kolby frowned. “About?”

  “I’m not sure, but you’re ecstatic, and I see Jack-O’-Lanterns in the vision, so it will happen around Halloween, it appears.”

  “Are you sure? Hmm.” Kolby brightened, "Ted is finally going to let me take on some more leadership roles at the ranch."

  Smiling, Ted Weekum, Hal and Tracey Haverton's horse ranch foreman shook
his head.

  Kolby turned and grinned at Ted. "Thanks, Boss." Then he thanked Ava and hurried off.

  "What about me?" Ted asked Ava, stretching out his palm after giving her a twenty. "Am I going to give Kolby more reign over the ranch?"

  "You do. It will take a lot for that to happen, but it will."

  Ted frowned. "So what's going to happen?"

  Ava shrugged. "You know me and my visions. I just see bits and pieces."

  "Okay, thanks, Ava."

  Amy Mayflower, the sheriff’s department dispatcher was up next, with her eleven-year-old son, Bobby, and her husband, Deacon, who was a news reporter and doing some cougar-human interest stories for the paper.

  “Bobby, you go first.”

  Bobby was eager, but he was also looking a little apprehensive. Chet hoped Ava didn’t have bad news for the boy.

  “Your girlfriend is going to give you a great gift for Christmas, but I can’t tell you what it is.” Ava smiled.

  The boy’s jaw dropped. “I’ll have a girlfriend.” He pumped his fist and yelled out, “Yes.” Then he ran off, calling to some other kids. “Hey, you don’t know what I learned.”

  Amy smiled at Ava. “I hope that they don’t have a terrible breakup in their future. So what about me?”

  Ava touched her hand and closed her eyes. “You’re going to win at some contest today.”

  “But I’m supposed to return to the sheriff’s department as soon as I eat.”

  “Maybe you win something later.” Ava shrugged, but she sounded certain it would be soon.

  Deacon offered his hand then. “What can you see about me?”

  She laughed. “Sorry. You’re going to take in a stray kitten, and Amy and your son are going to be shocked.”

  Deacon laughed. “Okay, thanks.”

  “I’m here as your relief,” Nina said. “Kolby’s in charge of the canoe race and I heard you were going to beat everyone, so get to it.”

  When other cougars saw that Ava’s relief was her twin sister, the line grew long again.

  “Right,” Ava said to Nina, though she couldn't imagine beating all the guys. They were really gung-ho when it came to competitions. She closed the curtains, hurried to strip off the gypsy costume, her bra and her panties, then pulled on her damp swimsuit and put on a long-sleeved rashguard over that. Then she packed her clothes—including the fortune teller costume that she would wash later—into her bag, before she left the booth to her sister.

  Chet hurried after Ava.

  “I thought you might go swimming or something instead of just standing there while I had to be the fortune teller,” Ava said to Chet, surprised he had hung around the whole time, watching her "perform." She thought he would surely visit with his friends some.

  “Seeing you come up with your predictions, and observing the disbelief on the recipients’ faces, and the joy they expressed—well, all except for Ricky—was fascinating. Pure entertainment. Everyone seemed pleased.”

  “Except for Ricky, well, and the bear shifter. I keep thinking we’ll see a wolf show up around here again. But I never expected a bear.” She picked out a bright orange canoe and Chet stayed with her. She frowned at him. “I have to beat you.”

  “I’m going with the winning team.”

  She smiled. “All right. I didn’t see that in my vision, but it could work out, I guess.”

  “What exactly did you see?” Chet climbed into the canoe in back of her as the stern paddler.

  “That I made it to shore before everyone else.”

  “With you in the bow.”

  “Maybe.”

  “Wait for us,” Chase shouted.

  “I thought you were helping out with the bear situation.” Chet sounded surprised to see Chase back so soon.

  “Jonathon said he would handle it himself, as soon as he knew where the cabin was. There was no arguing with a pigheaded bear.” Chase and Shannon got into a bright yellow canoe, while some of the others watched their kids.

  Eight other contestants had been waiting on Chase, then someone fired off a flare and the race was on.

  Chapter 3

  Ava couldn’t believe Chet would stand near her booth for nearly an hour until she was done, and that he had been ready to tackle the bear if he hadn’t minded Ava and left. That was until they realized why he was there. She appreciated Chet’s help. She still was surprised that Jonathon was a bear shifter and had come here looking for his sister and another bear. She hoped no cougars would be hurt in the process. Well, and that his sister would be all right.

  “Why didn’t you really swim or do something else while I was stuck in the fortune teller booth?” she asked Chet again.

  “Everyone else appeared busy with kids and such. What you were doing was vastly more interesting.”

  She smiled as she looked back and watched him paddle, his muscles rippling like the waters about the canoe. “Well, thanks for being there for me in case Jonathon had turned out to pose a real threat. I visited Alaska last year, and by mistake I ended up in White Bear where shifters run the town. So it turned out to be providence. Amazingly enough, a polar bear couple are psychics too. It was fascinating to see polar bear shifters, snow leopards, Arctic foxes and wolves, all shifters there. Oh, and they had grizzlies too. No cougars though.”

  “I would love to see it sometime. What made you go up there?”

  “I just wanted to take a trip up there. I had never been to Alaska. They were surprised to see a cougar arrive. I was surprised to see all the different kinds of shifters there.”

  “Sounds like a fun place to visit, as long as no one minds cougars invading their territory.” Chet was paddling hard, expertly, as if he had been in competitions like this for years.

  “They were thrilled to meet me." She glanced back at Chet. "Have you done this before?”

  “Paddled? Sure.”

  “No, in competitions,” she said.

  “No, but I’m a competitive sort. Besides, you said we were going to win. So I have to do my best to prove to you that I was part of the winning team.”

  Smiling, she glanced at the other canoes. Without him paddling, she would never have won. She and Chet were way ahead of all the others. She thought they had a good chance at beating the rest of the competitors.

  “Do your predictions always come true?” Chet asked.

  “They do, but you never know the exact context. Like this. I saw my boat coming in first, but I didn’t see you in the boat with me.”

  “Which is a surprise”—he flexed his broad, muscled shoulders—“since I would think it would be hard to miss seeing me.”

  She laughed. “Your muscles are getting a good workout. What I saw was me getting out of the canoe and everyone cheering me.”

  “So you didn’t see me at all? Maybe I fall overboard, and you made it to shore on your own.”

  She chuckled. “I’m sure if you fell overboard, we wouldn’t win.”

  “Maybe we do this another time.”

  “We might, but the premonition was so clear that I’m sure it happens now. And from the looks of it, we’re way in the lead.” They turned the boat around and headed for shore.

  Chase hollered, “Hurry, we can’t let them win.”

  “Too late,” Chet shouted. “We’re on our way to first place.”

  To begin with, Ava hadn’t even planned to paddle in the race. She had planned to swim. “So do you know what we’re going to win?” She hoped it was something they could split between the two of them—a cash prize would be nice.

  “A weekend at one of the cabins, and breakfast at Mrs. Fritz’s bakery.”

  Ava’s mouth dropped. Okay, that wasn’t what she had in mind when it came to sharing her prize with her partner.

  “We’re going to win,” he said. “You were so right on your prediction.”

  They reached the shore, and everyone was cheering them.

  She was glad they’d won, if nothing else to prove her premonition was correct, though she
still wished the prize had been something they could have divided up equally between them.

  Chase and Shannon and the others finally made it to shore. “Hey, we couldn’t win because we own the resort, so we’re glad the two of you did.”

  Maybe Chet could pay her for half his win, and he could find a friend he wanted to share the cabin with.

  Tracey handed Ava the gift certificate. “You’re hanging onto it, right? Or is Chet going to?”

  “She can hang onto it,” Chet said. “We’ll make plans later for our stay, when one of the cabins is available and we're both free to do it.”

  Ava wanted to roll her eyes at him, but she curbed the inclination.

  Some of the adults and kids were flying kites. Some of the little ones were taking well-deserved naps on quilts under shade trees.

  “What are you going to do next?” Chet asked, as if he thought he should tag along with her the rest of the day, just because he was staying at her place for the next couple of nights.

  “Swim.”

  “You're not going to take part in the fishing contest?”

  “Only if I got to do it as a cougar. I’m good at it, but not as a human.”

  “I can teach you.”

  “Are you lonely?” Did Chet think he had to keep her company because she was on her own? Or did he want to date her or something?

  He chuckled. “I’m on my own. You’re on your own.”

  “I’m going swimming.” She headed for her bag, left the gift certificate in it, then made her way to the water.

  He didn’t follow her, but then said, “Do you want some company?”

  She laughed, threw up her arms, and said, “Come on.” She swore that half of the cougars on the beach were watching them. It was a good thing she wasn’t thinking of dating some other guy she was interested in anytime soon.

  Then Chet raced after her and she squealed. She was not a squealer, normally, but he just scared her in a fun way. She ran into the water and dove in. He ran through the shallow water, and where it dropped off, he dove for her.

  They swam out to the floating dock and climbed onto it and sat down at the edge, kicking the water with their feet.

  “I keep wondering if Jonathon has resolved the issue with the bear and his sister,” Ava said.