Page 57 of Choosing the Montana Cowboy

“So, Neil, how did you sleep last night?” Sunnie asked, changing the subject.

“Like a baby.” He lifted his coffee mug as if toasting. “My compliments to whoever selected that mattress and bedding set. I’ve stayed at luxury resorts with lumpier beds and lower thread counts.”

Across from him, Norah beamed. “We just upgraded those this spring. Glad you enjoyed them.”

“I so did. Looking forward to bedtime tonight already.” On a wink he set his mug down. “Now, let’s talk cameras, shall we?”

Neil reached to the empty chair beside him and produced a pencil bag and what looked like a rolled-up poster. But as he smoothed it out on the table, Natalie realized it was a three-foot wide aerial photograph of the ranch. He secured one corner with his mug and one with his empty plate, then looked to Madison, whose eyes were bright with excitement.

“Now, young lady, it’s my understanding you’re the resident black-footed ferret expert?” At her grin, he reached into the pencil bag, produced a fine-tipped blue Sharpie, and handed it to her. “Show me where you’ve seen them, so we can figure out the best places to set up my cameras. I have four high-def, high-res video cameras and plan to set up my still camera at one of those locations each night I’m here until we catch them on film.”

Madison uncapped the pen and leaned forward. “I can do better than just mark locations. Natalie told us you had four cameras, so Sunday, she, Dad, and I scoped out the areas in person and came up with the best four places to set up your cameras.”

“Excellent!” Neil exchanged a pleased smile with Natalie as Madison marked the four locations. When she finished, he studied the aerial, tapping a finger to his chin. “Do we have access to these places?”

“By four-wheeler,” Natalie said with a nod.

“Perfect. Not as fast as by truck, but we’ll make it work.” Neil shared what he’d learned online about the ferrets’ habitats and nocturnal behavior, and Madison confirmed those were what she had observed as well. He studied the map a moment longer then rolled it up. “I’ll head back to the cabin and collect my things. Natalie, if you can pack us water and snacks, that will give us more setup time. We’ve got a lot of ground to cover before dusk.”

“I’ll get those together for you,” Sunnie offered, rising from her chair.

“Madison, I can—” Natalie’s phone began to ring. She made to silence it, but it was her uncle. Worry settled in her chest. “Hey, Uncle Ralph. Everything okay back east?”

“Well, the first round of storms have passed, but they knocked out power for our entire neighborhood. Power company is saying it could be tonight before it’s back up.”

“Oh no. Are you guys okay?”

“We’re fine. I got our generator running then headed over to your place. Sweetheart, your basement’s got six inches of standing water in it. I borrowed a gas-powered portable pump to help drain it, but with more storms on the way and your power being out, too, I’m not sure it’ll keep up.”

She hung her head. “I should have tried harder to replace that battery backup. What should I do?”

“Get on a plane and come back home. You’re going to need to file a claim with your insurance. It’s… not good.”

Get on a plane? Now? She looked around the table and took in the Miles family’s hopeful faces. But Neil was here, and Sam would be back soon. Surely, they could handle things while she made a quick trip back. She just hoped Sam would get back before she left or that conversation she’d tried to have with him this morning on what the future might hold for them would have to wait a little bit longer.

“Okay, I’ll grab the first one I can find. Be careful, and Uncle Ralph? Thanks for all your help.” Natalie disconnected, ran a hand over her hair, and looked to Norah. “What’s the closest airport with weekend flights to Fort Wayne or Indianapolis?”

Chapter Nineteen

Sam dropped Carlosand Howie off at the barracks around five o’clock, then made his way to the lodge, wanting an update on the camera project. He found Gran in the kitchen with an afternoon cup of coffee in hand and a pot of something simmering on the stovetop. One look at her face, though, and he knew something was wrong.

“How did it go at Tyler’s place?” she asked.

“Got his ranch hand out of the hole and into the ambulance. His one ankle’s pretty bad. Horse landed against it when they reached the bottom of the mineshaft. The horse…” He shook his head. Sam never liked to see an animal suffer. Hated even more watching them get put down to spare them from more. “Where is everyone?”

“Well, Madison, Norah, and Neil are out putting up the cameras. They’ve been gone since ten or so.”

Sam frowned. “Where’s Natalie?”

“On a plane headed home.”

His heart skipped a beat. “What?Why?”

“Her uncle called just before they headed out to do the cameras, said the storms in Indiana knocked the power out and she had standing water in her basement. Natalie had to get home so she could help with the cleanup and get a claim filed with insurance.”

“She went home?”Without even saying goodbye?Sam sank into a seat at the table, trying to process it all. “Well, why the hell didn’t anyone call me?”

“We tried, hon, but your phone just kept rollin’ to voice mail.”

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