Page 72 of Beauty and the Bayou

“I’msorryI was trying to keepyour boyfriendfrom being hit on!”

“Josh can take care of himself!”Tori exclaimed.“Gus can’t.”Her voice wobbled on the last two words.

Maddie looked properly chastised.“God, Tori, I’m sorry.I had no idea this would get back to anyone official.How did that even happen?”

“It wasn’t the girl,” Tori said, shaking her head and taking a deep breath.“Someone overheard.”

Maddie crossed to her friend and pulled her into a hug.“I’m sorry.You are totally right.Josh can take care of himself and I need to keep my big mouth shut.I just reacted and didn’t even think about Gus.”

Tori squeezed her back.“I know.I’m sorry for yelling at you.I just…” She looked around the room.“I don’t know what to do.They’re going to come and check on Gus.And Bailey knows I’m here.She’ll probably stop by my clinic and…” Tori cast a look in Sawyer’s direction and pressed her lips together.

Sawyer felt his eyebrows go up.What the hell was that?Clearly she’d forgotten he was there.Or was, at least, hesitant to say whatever was next in front of him.

“And what?”he asked.He heard the tightness in his tone.

Juliet must have, too, because he felt her hand reach back and squeeze his thigh.

That actually made him breathe and soften his tone.“What’s going on, Tori?You can tell me.”

Huh, Juliet was reigning him in.Interesting.

Tori looked over her shoulder to Josh, who gave her a slight nod.Maddie moved over a step but stayed by Tori’s side.Owen moved in closer to the little cluster as well.

Sawyer almost rolled his eyes at the sign of solidarity.They didn’t need to do that.

But, then he admitted that maybe they did.He didn’t know what Tori was about to tell him but if it was something that was less than fully safe and sound, they had good reason to think he might yell first and listen later.

“We might need to…reallocate…a few…things…from my clinic to other places while Bailey and anyone else come out to nose around the wildlife in the area,” Tori said carefully.

Juliet squeezed his thigh again and Sawyer realized he’d been pulling a little hard on her hair.He loosened his grip and continued braiding.

“What does that mean?”he asked, his eyes on Juliet’s hair instead of on his family.In case he was scowling.Which he probably was.

“Just tell him,” Josh said.

Tori sighed.“I have a bald eagle in the barn.”

Sawyer looked up.“What?”

“Broken wing.I’m just nursing her back to health and will let her go, obviously,” Tori said.

Sawyer paused in the braiding again.The silky feel of Juliet’s hair in his hands kept him breathing steadily, though, and he asked calmly, “What else?”

Tori chewed on the inside of her cheek for a moment.Finally she said, “A gray wolf.And her pups.”

Sawyer bit his tongue.Literally.Bald eagles and gray wolves were on the threatened species list.He had to assume it wasn’t just A-Okay with government officials for private citizens to keep them in their homes.Or their vet clinics.

“They’re a vulnerable population,” Tori said, before he could comment.“When she chose our back shed as a place to give birth, we decided to let her stay.And not tell anyone.”

“Well, you didn’tputher there,” Sawyer reasoned.“Surely they wouldn’t have a problem with her being there.”

Tori shrugged.“It could be complicated.They’d probably want to rehome her.She’s a wolf after all and she’s kind of close to town.”

She wasintown.Technically.Tori and Josh lived on the edge of town, but they were still walking distance from Ellie’s and the boat docks and lots of other places with lots of people.

“Is rehoming her a bad idea?”

“The pups are still small and mom has an infected foot,” Tori said.“It would probably be better if they could stay put for now.”

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