by Beth Alvarez
“I have the treats he asked for.” She lifted the box, passing it over when Rico offered to take it. “Is, ah . . .”
“Kade?” Rico nodded, his nonchalant answer making her blush even more. “Riding about a mile or so out, if the herd hasn’t moved. You want a horse or a 4-wheeler?”
“Horse, please. I can’t see well enough to ride anything faster in the dark.”
James snorted. “ATV’s got a headlight.”
“And a horse has an extra pair of eyes. It’s a fair choice, s’why we use them in the first place.” Rico handed the box to the other cowboy. “Give me just a minute, I’ll get a horse saddled up for you. Which one you think, Jim? Dart or Prissy?”
“Prissy’s better for night riding,” James said. “The coyotes don’t spook her.”
Rico nodded. “All right. Hang tight, then, I’ll be back.” He stuffed his hands into his pockets, trudging toward the barn.
Felicity watched him, shifting awkwardly.
James watched for a while too, eventually settling back in his chair and taking a swig of beer. “So you and Colton, huh?”
“I don’t know.” The words escaped before she could stop them, adding fuel to her embarrassment. She swept rocks off the bottom step with her boot and grimaced.
“Ain’t nothing wrong with it. Seems like he has a good head on his shoulders. And he’s something different from what this town’s got to offer, besides.”
She kept her head down. “There’s nothing wrong with the people in Holly Hill.”
“Didn’t say there was.” James chuckled. “There ain’t a lot of people your age here, though.”
Come to think of it, she didn’t know how old Kade was. “Is he?”
He shrugged and took another sip of beer. “If he’s a day older than thirty, I’d eat my boots. There’s Rico, you better run and meet him. Ride safe, little lady.”
“Thanks.” Felicity jammed her hands into her pockets, hurrying out to meet Rico halfway.
The horse he led was smaller than the last one she’d ridden, a dainty ginger-colored animal with a wide white stripe down her face and a pink nose that proved soft as velvet when the mare greeted her with a nuzzle.
“Looks like a good match,” Rico laughed. “She likes you already. Need a boost?”
Shaking her head, Felicity took the reins, stroking the little mare’s nose. “I should be okay. Which direction should I go?”
Rico opened one of the bags slung over the saddle horn, digging out a flashlight and flicking it on. He pointed the beam skyward, waving it back and forth.
A moment later, an identical beam rose from the horizon in an answering wave.
“There you go.” He stuffed the flashlight back into the saddlebag, stepping back. “Just signal him again if you get lost.”
“Thank you, Rico. You’re all so good to me.” She wiggled her boot into the stirrup, pulling herself into the saddle and getting comfortable.
“Gotta be. How else would we get your good cooking?” Winking, he led her to the gate and held it open until she rode inside.
Felicity rolled her eyes but giggled, adjusting her hat and hair before turning her horse toward the open range.
Though she’d gone riding at the McCullough ranch countless times, the pasture was immense and it always felt like she was exploring somewhere new. Even more so in the dark, when she could only just make out the features of the landscape. She relied on Prissy to navigate around ruts and holes, the mare’s clever hooves finding their way around any number of pitfalls Felicity couldn’t see.
The winter air felt colder than ever, burning in her nostrils and making her chest ache. The biting scent of snow was strong on the bitter wind, and the clouds that masked the sky bore the smooth gray that promised precipitation. It was early for snow, especially here, but the clouds called to mind the woolly bear caterpillars Gertie swore could predict the weather.
Considering what she’d learned about Kade and the folk-tale monsters he hunted, the caterpillars no longer seemed far-fetched.
The herd came into view, white patches on the cattle standing out from the shadowy mass of animals and trees. They huddled together to rest, though a few stood a short distance from the herd, watching the fields and chewing their cud.
Kade rode to meet her and she slowed Prissy to a walk, a pleasant fondness warming her heart when she saw the way his eyes lit up. His eyes were all she could see; he had his scarf pulled up over his nose.
“I thought you were one of the boys,” he called, stopping Dex a few feet away. “Here I was expectin’ this to turn into a rough night.”
“I hope you’re not disappointed.” Felicity grinned, urging her mare to close the distance. She didn’t need much encouragement.
“Seein’ you’s always a treat.” He tugged his scarf down, grinning at her. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”
“I heard a few things when I was talking to people around town. Thought I’d go ahead and give you what I’ve got, maybe you can look into them while I dig around some more.” She fished her notebook out of her coat pocket, struggling to open it with her gloved fingers.
Kade nodded toward the small cluster of trees on the other side of the herd, where he’d been when she rode up. “I think the herd’s settled for the night. Let’s tie up over there, we’ll sit down and you can show me.”
“Okay.” She put the notebook away, nudging Prissy with her heels. The little mare trotted to keep up with Dex’s long-legged strides.
Kade dismounted and dropped Dex’s reins, then joined her and reached up to help her from her horse. Felicity didn’t need assistance, but she let him help anyway. She slid down into his waiting arms, a tingle of delight running through her when he pulled her close and eased her to the ground. Then he took Prissy’s reins.
Felicity nodded toward his gelding. “How do you get him to do that?”
“Do what?”
“Just stand there when you get off.” She hugged herself against the cold. Even with all her layers, the wind managed to blow right through her on her ride. The trees were a welcome windbreak.
“Oh.” He tied the mare to a sapling before going back to get Dex. “Just training. It’s called a ground tie.” Picking up the reins, he tugged the tall bay toward another sapling, close enough for Dex and Prissy to stand together if they wanted but giving them both enough space to move comfortably.
Patting his horse’s neck, Kade murmured some quiet praise or reassurance, then pulled something from one of the bags on the saddle. “C’mon, sit down and we’ll have a look at them notes.”
Felicity inched away from the horses, unsure how far to go. Kade nudged her elbow, steering her to the trunk of an oak just beyond where the animals could reach. He shook out the blanket in his hands and she laughed.
“Really?”
“It gets cold out here. I ain’t the only one who wraps up when it’s wet. Fleece sheds water. A bit, at least.” He pointed to the ground and she settled at the foot of the tree. He sat beside her, wrapping them both in the blanket.
She nestled back against him, drawing her notebook out of her pocket once more. “Oh, I forgot my flashlight.”
“I got mine.” He flipped it over before turning it on, shining the light down at the earth.
“You’re just always prepared, aren’t you?” she teased.
Kade answered with a wink. “So what’d you find out?”
Felicity wiggled to make herself comfortable, fumbling with the pages. She wasn’t about to take off her gloves, blanket or no; he’d just have to wait for her to get the right page open. “Well, I compiled a list of nearby farms and ranches that have lost livestock. It’s not just cattle, it’s actually mostly smaller livestock. A pig or two, but lots of sheep, goats and chickens. Most of the time they just disappear, but some have been found again, several miles away, completely dry.”
He nodded. “Not uncommon.”
“That’s what I figured, judging from those books of yours. But th
ere’s another thing that makes it more unusual. Nobody’s seen any . . . animals,” she hesitated to use the word monster, “but several farmers have seen a vehicle. An old truck with the back closed in. Red or brown, the description differs on the color.” She tilted her notebook to show him how she’d arranged the information, logging each farm with the livestock lost, when, and whether the truck had been sighted.
Kade frowned. “It’s definitely red.”
“Well, according to one rancher’s hand, it didn’t have a license plate, but he thought he’d recognize the truck if he saw it again.”
“Sounds promising.”
She winced. “He’s dead. The man they found last week.”
“Don’t that figure.” He rubbed his nose with a gloved finger, then pulled his scarf up to cover his chin. “Don’t suppose anyone else could help find it?”
“Well, there’s you. You said it was red, and it sounds like you got a better look at it than most of these people.” She ran her fingertips over the open page. “But I’m sure the police have noticed the connection between that death and all this by now. Sam will have turned the information in to the sheriff.” She paused then, unable to make herself turn the page and go on. “Listen, Kade, if you get mixed up in this . . .”
His arms tightened around her, pulling the blanket closer. “Ain’t gonna happen. The cops can have their murderers. I just want the critter.”
“But if there isn’t one-”
“There is,” he cut her off, an edge in his voice. Then he sighed, resting his head against hers, his hat tilting sideways. “I know what I saw. And after everything you saw in them books, I’m surprised you’d think I’m makin’ this up.”
“I don’t mean it like that. It’s just . . .” She licked her lips, squeezing her eyes closed. “I just have one question.”
“And I got answers, probably.”
Turning, she looked him square in the eye. “If these things you hunt are real, why don’t you make it public when you catch one? Wouldn’t it be more valuable to put it in the spotlight, instead of whatever it is you do?”
Kade’s expression turned stony, his hazel eyes cold. “There are a lot of real good reasons not to do that, Filly.”
Frustration swelled within her. “Like what?”
“Well, for one, we got rules to follow. Hunters like me.” He plucked the notebook out of her hands, putting it aside. “We don’t just hunt anything we want. We only hunt the critters who become a problem. Just like most folk ain’t gonna shoot a bear unless it becomes a threat. Out in their own habitat, mindin’ their own business, they ain’t a problem. But you nab one that gets out of control, put it down so it don’t hurt nobody, then make a scene? People would hunt down every last one of ’em, hopin’ to make a quick buck.”
Felicity lowered her eyes, a wash of guilt flowing over her. She hadn’t considered that.
“We work for the bounty. That’s it. And honestly, if this thing is killin’ people now instead of just animals, it needs to be put down as soon as possible. Solves the problem, keeps a roof over my head, and keeps everyone here safe.” Kade squeezed her close, adding extra weight to his words.
She didn’t have anything to say to his explanation, unable to find fault in it, latching onto those words instead. “You’re that interested in protecting us?”
A hint of a smile tugged at one side of his mouth. “I don’t want nothin’ bad to happen to you. I think I’m startin’ to be a bit fond of you, Filly.”
She couldn’t help smiling back.
“Now,” he murmured, looking at her lips as he spoke. “I got a question for you, too.”
Her heart climbed into her throat. “Yes?”
“What’s the story about this Michael fellow?”
All her excitement and anticipation came crashing down. “That’s what you want to talk about?”
He turned off the flashlight. “Well, I keep hearin’ that name. I heard it from you, I heard it from the boys when I came up on them talkin’, and I want to know what’s so bad it’s got people going quiet like you’re askin’ after the devil.”
Felicity bit her tongue to keep it still. Part of her wanted to say the comparison was fair, but she knew that wasn’t true. She pulled away. “Michael was my fiancé.”
Either polite or just accommodating, Kade moved his arm. The blanket around them fell open and he shuddered, pulling it snug again and settling close against her side. “And?”
She tried not to laugh. “Well, we’re not married, which I think you noticed.”
“His loss.”
It wasn’t a story she wanted to recount, but Kade’s amicable silence added to the pressure to share. He’d been open when she asked questions. Maybe she owed him the same. Bowing her head, she hugged the blanket to her chin and sighed. “We started dating right after high school. We knew right away it was serious. He went to college, but it was only an hour or two away. He’d come back every weekend, all the holidays, and lived here with his family in the summer so we could stay together. Since he was in business school, we made all kinds of plans for how we could succeed here, staying close to family.”
Kade nodded, huddling closer. “Just didn’t work out that way?”
“Never does.” Felicity chuckled softly. “We set our wedding date in the summer and had it all worked out. We decided we’d lease a storefront on the town square and open a bakery afterward, instead of going on a honeymoon. Our first business, and the first adventure of our life together. Then . . .” Her throat tightened, tears pricking her eyes.
She swallowed. “Then Mom’s cancer came back. She’d been in remission for four years. One more year and they would have considered her cured. But it didn’t respond to treatments, and it was more aggressive. Three months before we were supposed to get married, Michael came to talk to me. He said he’d gotten a job offer he couldn’t pass up. He asked me to move to San Francisco with him.” Sniffling, she wiped her eyes with the edge of her coat sleeve. “But how could I leave when Mom was so ill?”
He rubbed the back of her shoulder, offering gentle comfort. “I’m sorry,” he murmured. “I shouldn’t have asked.”
“No,” she sniffed hard, fighting the tears. “It’s okay. You didn’t know. He just needed to work. And I needed to be with my mom.”
“And everything fell apart.”
She nodded. “So I just planned to stay here forever. Helping my dad pay the bills she left behind, since I had nothing left anyway.”
“No offense, but doesn’t sound like that worked out too well for you.”
Felicity couldn’t help but laugh. “No. But at least it taught me not to count on people staying close.”
He grew quiet for a time, fidgeting with his hat. Then he cleared his throat. “They told me today there’ll be room in the bunkhouse later this week. Seems the house guests are leavin’ soon, so Rico’s gonna be cleanin’ up a space for me when they go.”
Her heart sank. She knew he’d likely move to the ranch before he was on his way, if only because it wouldn’t cost him anything. Unlike staying at the Hilltop House. “Oh,” was all she said.
Kade chuckled ruefully. “Yeah. Think it’ll be a big adjustment.”
“Think you’ll like it?” She tried to sound indifferent, but her voice quavered at the end.
“Don’t know.” He leaned close, his nose brushing the top of her ear and making her shiver. “Seems there’ll be less privacy.” The husky tones of his voice made her forget the cold, the heartache of memories subsiding in favor of the moment at hand.
She turned her head just enough to look at him. “You need a lot of privacy, huh?”
“Sometimes,” he murmured, stroking her jaw with one gloved fingertip, turning her face toward his and leaning forward.
Her entire body burned with anticipation, her heart racing, her lips parting without thought. She wanted this. Wanted to taste his lips on hers, feel his arms around her, see how far he could make her fall. But the nagging ac
he in her chest lingered. She closed her eyes and put her hand on his chest. “Don’t do this to me, Kade. Not after everything I just told you. I already know how this will end, and I can’t do it. Not again. I can’t watch you walk away when this hunt is over.”
Kade wrapped his fingers around her wrist, pulling her closer. “Funny you mention that. Here I was just thinking I might be convinced to try somethin’ new.”
The thought of asking him to stay rolled through her head again and she met his eyes, struggling not to let hope blossom. “Kade-”
“You’re so determined. Tougher than you look, too, what with them swishy skirts you’re always hidin’ in, back home. But I ain’t sure what it is about you that makes it so I can’t think of anything but you.” He slid an arm around her middle, pressing her to his chest. “And I keep telling myself I’m here for the work, but the more I tell myself no, the more I seem to want you.”
Felicity blinked back tears. “Please don’t hurt me.”
“Ain’t plannin’ to,” he whispered, catching her mouth for a kiss.
His lips were as cold as hers but soft as silk, tasting faintly of peppermint and stirring the butterflies in her stomach into a hurricane. He cradled her face with both hands, drawing her into his lap. The gentle exploration of his tongue made her melt against him.
She sighed into the kiss, heat spreading through her limbs and pooling in her middle. She threaded her fingers in the hair at the nape of his neck, silently cursing her gloves, craving the sensation of skin against skin.
“Lord, Filly,” he breathed. “You ain’t gonna be a filly, not when I’m done with you.”
Blushing, she bowed her head. “I’m not a filly.”
“You ain’t a brood mare, either. And I would bet nobody’s ever ridden you proper.”
She sucked in a breath as his icy fingers brushed against her stomach, beneath all her layers of cover. Despite the chill, she arched into his touch. His gloves were gone, his other hand skimming up her side, sending sparks through her system.
He kissed the hollow beneath her ear, the combined pleasure and cold making her shiver.
Chuckling, he nuzzled her chin. “I think you oughta come up and see me in the morning. I think we got some things to talk about.”
