The Blessed Blend

by Allison Shaw

  Of course, if Euan really meant that he would stay over here to be with his children, his family might yet disown him.

  It didn’t make sense to her, really. Euan wasn’t the oldest son or the primary heir for his parents’ estate. All he would receive were his trust funds, which by law he should have already received ownership of, and perhaps some family heirlooms or a piece of property. She was aware that since their children had been born out-of-wedlock that they weren’t eligible to receive anything from the Wallaces, but that didn’t bother her in the least. She hadn’t wanted anything from them to begin with.

  Then the terrifying thought that struck her was the possibility that they might use the children to get back at Euan should he defy them by choosing his children over his own family. Niall and Leona Wallace might decide to sue for custody in an effort to make Euan toe their line and return to the fold. With all of that money and political power behind them, they could very well succeed in doing just that.

  Should things remain as they were between her and Euan, it could give his parents the leverage they needed to make a convincing case against their own son for custody of his children. Her heart sank and her gut clenched. “Oh Euan,” she whispered. “Why didn’t you do the right thing back then?”

  She would have to find a way to forgive him or at least get past her anger at him so they could present a united front in the event his parents decided to cause such problems. Her family stood on good footing with local folks and most certainly with the county for the revenue they were bringing into the coffers, but it was only a grain of sand on a beach compared with what the Wallaces could offer for a favorable custody decision.

  She had no doubt that if that came to pass, Euan would go back to Scotland to be with his children and that his parents would see to it that she would be barred from entering the UK. The children would most certainly not be allowed any contact with her nor would the Wallaces allow Euan to take them anywhere. She feared that his parents would make the twins suffer the brunt of their displeasure with her and Euan.

  She’d kill the Wallaces if it came down to that.

  Then she’d spend the rest of her life in prison, apart from Red Wolf and Mountain Rose.

  Lord, she was damned every which way in that scenario. This was something she couldn’t fight on her own, something she just wasn’t strong enough to face down without help. And the only one who could help her was the father of her children.

  Part of her resisted the notion of making peace with Euan. Her heart had never healed and the pain was still raw within her. His appearance had been like rubbing the proverbial salt in the wound and then drenching it with rubbing alcohol.

  Yet it had also brought all of those memories of their time together back in full color. She had loved him with all of her being and she grudgingly admitted that she still loved him deep down beneath all of the pain. The past week she had dreamed of him, of making love with him, and of being betrayed again by him. Hope and longing and fear and hurt all danced around in her dreams like some bizarre two-step, and she didn’t know what to believe or which way to turn.

  She sighed and thought to herself, I’m going to lose my ever-lovin’ mind before this is over.

  The hair on her neck stood on end as she heard the deep grunt of a very large hog. Her senses honed in on something big moving about forty yards to the right and behind her. Very slowly, she turned and saw a huge boar rooting around a fallen log.

  He was massive, standing nearly five feet tall at the shoulder, easily weighing fifteen hundred pounds, and armed with nine-inch long tusks. Callie recognized the brown and black-spotted hogzilla as Hell Hog, the largest, wiliest, and most dangerous of them all. Known to break into pens to kill poultry, calves, lambs and kid goats, he could also destroy a field of crops in a single night. He had killed an entire pack of hunting hounds set on him and was known to have killed at least four men, partially eating one of them.

  Folks considered him demon-possessed because he seemed to just disappear when pursued and his scarred hide gave testimony to the fact that he been shot multiple times with high-powered, high-caliber hunting rifles and still lived.

  Euan and the children were in danger and whatever ill feelings she had towards Euan fell by the wayside. If any of them moved or talked the hog might see or hear them and if the wind shifted he would smell them, making the chances quite high that he would attack. She turned and looked back at her children, directing her thoughts towards them that they were in danger and needed to be very still and quiet…and hoping that her gift didn’t fail this time.

  Red Wolf fell silent. Euan noticed the odd look on the child’s face. “What’s wrong, lad?” he asked.

  The boy put his fingers to his lips and whispered, “Shh! We have to be very quiet and sit very still.”

  Mountain Rose also went still. “We’re in danger, Daddy,” she whispered.

  For the life of him, Euan couldn’t figure out what was going on. He started to ask what danger were they talking about but both children reached up and put their hands over his mouth. They looked up at him, pleading silently for him to be still, a plea he actually felt.

  Any sudden movement or noise could prove disastrous for all of them. Callie calculated which direction and how fast she would have to run to draw Hell Hog away from Euan and the children. As fast as she was, however, a hog that size was even faster at a short distance. She had no weapons except her knives on her, which would be worthless against him. Having made Brutus and the pack stay home in order to better spy on Euan, she had no help to distract the big boar.

  If Hell Hog got hold of her she was a goner.

  Maybe if she remained still, the hog would wander off in the direction he appeared to be headed. She could only hope that Euan and the twins remained silent and still as well.

  The minutes ticked by slowly as the huge boar rooted around the log and through the fallen leaves. Finding a groundhog’s burrow, the big pig began rooting in earnest to get at the fat critter within. The ground hog ran out of one of its secondary burrows and scrambled down yet another one. Hell Hog gave chase, his deep woofing grunts and roaring squeals revealing his presence to the man sitting close by with his children.

  Too damned close.

  Callie wasted no time. She swiftly covered the thirty yards to get to her children. Euan was staring with a look of horror at the monstrous boar tearing at the soil with its huge tusks. As she reached him and the children, she ordered in a whisper, “Take the kids and run for the lodge before he figures out we’re here!”

  “Wha’ the hell is tha’?!” he whispered in return.

  “I said run, dammit!” she hissed.

  Holding the twins close, Euan got up and ran like hell. Callie was right on his heels, looking back over her shoulder to make sure that they weren’t being chased. They made it to the lodge within four minutes and Euan collapsed on the steps to the porch, thoroughly winded.

  Mike had seen them coming and had called for Darlene. Callie grabbed the children and ushered them into the lodge. “Hell Hog!” she wheezed.

  That was all she needed to say. Darlene ran to the back calling for Jim, who swore under his breath as he headed inside to use the phone to call Jim Purvis, the local militia leader and the only person he knew of with military-issue .50 caliber rifles that fired armor-piercing ammunition. That damned hog could destroy everything they had worked for. He had to be gotten rid of and it would take a hell of a lot of skill and luck to even find the porcine devil. No big hunting party or hounds this time. Just a few men with some really big guns.

  Darlene was getting out the hunting rifles and ammunition while Caleb and Mike C. went down to the spring to see if they could pick up the hog’s tracks. Euan and John looked at Callie as Euan demanded, “Sae tell me aboot this pig, Callie! Where the hell did ye get one tha’ fookin’ big?”

  Callie explained about the hogzillas and then said, “No one knows why they end up so much larger than either plain feral domestic
hogs or wild boar. They just do!”

  John asked, “Hoo big was he, Euan? Christ, yer face was white as a sheet when ye got here!”

  Euan gestured with his hands as he explained, “He was as big as a fookin’ hoose, with tusks like this an’ ugly as sin!”

  John nodded and said, “Like the Cuddy Black Sow!” referring to an ancient Celtic demon that devoured the souls of the newly dead.

  “Nae, the Cuddy Black Sow would run afeart o’ this beast!” Euan declared.

  Darlene motioned to Callie. “Call Jonas. We’ve got to get some men and dogs together to go after that hog.”

  “Mama,” Callie reminded, “he’s up at camp, remember? Anyway, his pack will be no good for this. Hell Hog will hear them coming from miles away and hunker down to hide like he always does. Or he’ll kill ‘em like he did Mr. Walker’s hounds. Whoever goes after him will need stealth to get close enough to take a shot.”

  Jim had entered the room and agreed. “We’ve got to get this son of a bitch and soon. We’ve got guests up in the woods! He’ll kill our business, not to mention our livestock or any one of us. Everyone’s tried to hunt him with dogs before and he just disappears somewhere, or he backtracks and attacks. Last time he killed a man, remember?”

  John asked, “Can Euan and m’self help? We’re both good shots.”

  Jim shook his head. “You don’t know the terrain here, John. There’s deep woods and hollows where you couldn’t see that pig if you were standing there looking at him. What you can do is protect this place. Ever shot a fifty-cal before?”

  “When I served m’ two years in the military,” John replied.

  “Well, you’ll get the chance to try one out again, then.”

  Jim nodded to Darlene. “The boys and I will take turns on night watch. You’d better call your folks and let them know about this mess. And tell Layla to stay put up there.”

  Chapter 10:

  Hell Hog

  An hour later several men met at the lodge. Jim Purvis and his brother-in-law Steve Jacobson were there, having brought a total of eight military-issue anti-tank rifles. The barrels were six feet long, and fired shells that were as long as a man’s middle finger and as big around as a fifty-cent coin. Purvis was describing the combination armor-piercing and incendiary properties of the ammunition to those assembled. He and Steve both explained the set up and use of the rifles, which usually required some sort of stationary support to steady it for firing, and had each man practice with the unloaded weapons to familiarize themselves with the handling and features, especially locking and unlocking the safety.

  Euan had never before seen let alone handled such huge firearms. He listened intently to the questions the other men had and as those present recounted local lore about the monstrous hog they were about to go looking for. The men were sober-faced, verifying that this was no time for tall tales or fooling around.

  Eli wanted to go get Jonas’ hounds but Jim shook his head. “We need stealth, son. Hounds on the hunt make too damned much noise.”

  At that moment Callie spoke up. “Let’s take the pack. They can track as good as any hound and don’t make any noise until they make the kill.”

  Before Jim could even open his mouth to veto that notion, Euan growled out, “The hell ye will, Callie! I’ll nae hae m’ bairns wi’oot a mathair!”

  Her jaw dropped as she whirled to face him. Shock was rapidly replaced with indignation. Holding up her left hand she indicated her ring finger. “Excuse me?!” she snapped. “What do you see here, Mr. Wallace?”

  He glanced briefly at her finger before replying, “What’s tha’ got tae do wi’ anythin’?”

  Callie responded in a level voice, “There’s no ring there, Euan. You’re not my husband or the boss of me. You don’t get to tell me what to do!”

  Euan got up and strode over to her, his six-foot-four frame towering over her five-foot-even one. “Ye’re the mathair o’ m’ bairns, Callie!” he said, his deep voice rumbling like low thunder. “Whatever concerns them concerns me as well, an’ that includes you. I’ll be damned if I’ll joost stand by an’ let ye put yerself in harm’s way apurpose. If I hae t’ do it, I’ll tie ye up an’ sit on ye until this whole thin’ is over.”

  Callie’s eyes narrowed. “You truly have a death wish, don’t you, Euan? If you think for one minute that I’d let you lay hands on me let alone truss me up and hold me prisoner in my own home, you’re sorely mistaken!” she warned, her voice dangerously soft.

  “An’ if ye think for one minute tha’ I’ll sit by an’ do nothin’ whilst ye get yerself killed, ye’re joost as sorely mistaken!” he snarled in return.

  Jim weighed in. “Callie, he’s right. This is too dangerous to risk your life for when you have two small children depending on you.”

  Callie turned to Jim, “You need the pack and they won’t run with anyone but me, remember? I’m not going to try to kill Hell Hog, just find him so we can take him out.”

  “If you find him, how will you signal us without him knowing you’re there and coming after you?” Eli asked. “Sis, you’re putting yourself in danger no matter what you do.”

  “We’uns is in danger anyway with that ol’ devil in the area,” said Papa. “And the question remains as to what to do when we find him or he shows up at our door or barn. He’s been shot full of holes and it’s never even slowed him down.”

  Callie paused a moment, her eyes indicating several levels of thought going on simultaneously. Eyes narrowing as something occurred to her, she asked, “All those gunshots were to his body, right?”

  “Head, too,” Purvis replied. “Where you goin’ with this?”

  “But his hide is thick and tough, his body protected by a good layer of fat and massive muscle under that, and I’m willing to bet his skull’s as hard as a rock and twice as thick,” she noted.

  “Yeah, and yer point is?” Billy Dougherty asked, his blue eyes showing his irritation that a woman would even be included in the discussion. He didn’t think women were good for much except keeping house, raising children, and warming a man’s bed. The fact that Callie used to regularly beat the snot out of him when they were kids just might have figured into some of his hostility towards her, however.

  “Everyone has hit him where he could take the hits,” she said. “What would happen if you shot him where he might be less structurally insulated, like his legs?”

  There was a moment of silence as the assembled hunters thought that one over. Several began nodding as they saw the validity of that tactic. John said, “Take oot his legs an’ he canna run or charge an’ ye can get up close tae make yer shots count.”

  Papa agreed. “The legs are solid bone and hide but not much fat or meat to absorb or deflect the shot. It could work.”

  “Sae ye wouldna need Callie t’ track the beastie, then?” Euan asked.

  “Any of us can track him,” Jim responded. “But the wolves can track him better and they answer to Callie. They’re her pack.”

  “There’s still the matter of coming up with a signal that won’t tip the damned hog off,” said Jacobson. “Something that we can all hear that doesn’t depend on electronic signals that get lost in deep hollows or over ridges.”

  “We’ll have to use the mobile units on broadband, anyway,” Jim said. “We’ve got to have contact in case of emergency. We could use the ear phones to cut down on audible static, but we’d have to keep our voices down. The other problem is the squirrels, jays, and crows raising the alarm like they always do when hunters are out in the woods.”

  “Better use some damned good camo, then,” Purvis advised. “And mask our scent.”

  Callie asked, “When he moves into an area, how long until he starts raiding the pens and barnyards?”

  Purvis thought a moment and replied, “This time of year, he goes for easy pickin’s fairly early. Most of ‘em do, just like bear.”

  “Too smart to lure?” she inquired.

  “Pretty much,” Jacobson answere
d. “Won’t take poisoned bait and he’s learned to trip traps before he gets caught in ‘em.”

  Okay, so the hog was probably too smart to fall for a trap but Callie was trying to figure out a way to get him to come to them and to the place of their choosing. It would lessen the risks to them and if there was a way to keep Hell Hog away from their camp sites…

  Wait a minute! The campsites, where they had food supplies stocked and where food was prepared. What a perfect trap! That way they could set up tree stands for surveillance and set the monster up for an easier kill. She began to share this idea with the rest of the group, adding that the most recently use site would be the one most likely to attract their quarry. The group that John and Euan had been scheduled to be part of was vacating the site that day, and their hunting had been quite successful.

  “There’ll be enough blood and stuff on the ground to attract him. If we juice it up with some bait inside the cellar, he’ll have to really work to get at it which should hold his attention long enough for someone to try to take him out,” she said. “Shoot his legs out from under him and he won’t be going anywhere fast. Then you can call for back up to finish the job.”

  Jim grinned. “Might just work, Callie! We’ll need to get on this right away. Gentlemen, let’s suit up, full camo!” he ordered. “Face-masks, too.”

  Purvis nodded. “Got plenty of that spray to knock out human scent.”

  Mike C. and Caleb came in the door. “He’s headed up towards the gap near Bull Wallow Holler,” he said. “Them fellows is on their way back but I don’t think they’ll cross paths. We haven’t cleaned the camp site yet and….”