Page 49 of Stilettos and Outlaws

“Knock it off. I’m not afraid of you.”

He grinned. “No, you’re not.”

“And no fighting.” I unlocked my car. Miss Kitty made a dash for freedom. I caught her before she could escape. “Bad kitty.”

Bad kitty hissed at me.

I handed her to Dad. “Good luck.”

Dad handed her to Grandpa and drove off.

If anything happened to Miss Kitty, Mom would kill them.

Edgar jumped in the back seat, carrying a battered pink toy.

“No! Out! Shoo.”

The coyote whined and wagged his tail.

“Hungry, huh? You are kinda of skinny and where did you get that play pretty from?”

Edgar stared at me with his big, sad eyes.

“You were someone’s pet, weren’t you? Did they dump you when they realized you were a coyote?” I studied him. “Hmmm. Was your momma a German Shepherd?”

Edgar yipped.

Dad was going to have a meltdown when I came home with Edgar. But I couldn’t leave him here. If he didn’t get hit by a car, someone would poison or shoot him.

Edgar whined pathetically.

“Let’s see what I have to eat.” I popped the trunk. Hmmm. All I had was protein bars. Grabbing a couple, I closed the trunk, tore the wrappers off and tossed them to him.

The coyote wolfed them down.

I shut the back door. Damn. I knew without a doubt; Edgar had been someone’s pet. I got into the driver’s seat. Mom was always complaining about the rabbits eating her garden and flowers. Edgar would take care of that problem. With the proper training, he could be taught to leave the cattle alone. Not eating Miss Kitty might take a bit longer.

I started the car. How did I keep Dad from shooting him?

Chapter Eleven

The bedroom door was flung open and Dad bellowed, “Why is there a coyote in my dog run?”

I bolted upright in bed and squinted at Dad. Crap, he was holding a shotgun.

“Coyote?” Julie repeated, rubbing her eyes sleepily. “What time is it?”

“Edgar is not a coyote,” I protested.

Dad cocked an eyebrow.

“Okay, he’s got some coyote in him, but I think he’s mostly German Shepherd.”

Dad just stared at me.

“I know Edgar had a family until recently. I don’t know if he got lost or if they abandoned him, but I couldn’t leave him at the hospital. Plus, Mom’s always complaining about the rabbits eating her vegetable garden and flowers. Edgar could take care of them.”

“Coyotes like to eat cats, too, and they have attacked our cattle before,” Dad responded.

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