Page 13 of Raven's Instinct
Many of them chose animal form for sleeping, and Alan found himself stroking a drowsing bear with one hand while he cuddled a fussy puppy. Cherry quietly set up the craft for after naptime, and Alan was able to put the dozing puppy on a mat after a short time, just as his phone buzzed from across the room.
Alan missed Juliette’s call, but dialed back immediately, stepping into Cherry’s office at her nod of approval.
“How’s it going, Edgar?”
Alan chuckled. Being a raven meant all the Poe jokes. “Never better,” he said, affecting a deep voice. “I’m officially employed now and Cherry will have to cut me checks to keep it all legal. I’ve met most of the parents, and none of them are giving me redflags.” Kendra was all green flags, but Alan didn’t mention that. “Any news at your end?”
Juliette sighed. “We’re running out of grace with the feds about keeping Owen in custody this long. I don’t want to put him back on the streets with as much as he knows, but I don’t have a lot of options. And Clancy’s lawyer was unexpectedly savvy and got the case thrown out. They’re probably both going to walk by the end of the week.”
Alan frowned. “Well, that’s why I’m here,” he reminded her. “It’s too bad we don’t have the memory zapper from Men in Black.”
“Wouldn’t that be useful?” Juliette sounded sour, but she often did. Her voice softened. “How’s…Jackson?”
“Fluffy and adorable,” Alan said honestly. “He tries to eat my hair every single day.”
Juliette was silent for a moment, and Alan had a pang of sympathy. He suspected that Juliette had not wanted to give up custody and still regretted it, even if it was the safest option for everyone involved. She felt responsible for his subsequent abduction, and guilty for not being a better mom. It must make her feel angry and helpless to be releasing the person directly responsible for it.
“I’ll let you get back to work,” Juliette finally said, just as there was a shriek loud enough to penetrate Cherry’s door.
“We’ll stop them,” Alan promised. “Your kids—all of these kids!—we’ll keep them safe and secret.”
He only hoped he could keep that promise.
7
KENDRA
Kendra was glad that she didn’t have extra time to moon over Alan over the next several weeks. She emphatically wasn’t looking for a relationship, and work kept her busy. The van stuttered and ran like a bag full of rocks, but it got her to the farms where she needed to be. She neutered some livestock, treated a herd of sheep for worms, cleaned ears, gave dozens of vaccinations, and did wellness checks. Kendra liked those best, because it was always a welcome chance to deal with healthy animals, collect horse kisses, and pet eager goats. It was a short, lovely drive out to Swiftwater Ranch, and the owner, Tabby, met her at the barn. She was a tall, strong woman with straight dark hair and a friendly smile.
“Thank you for coming,” Tabby said warmly. “I understand you’re taking over some of Tom’s practice, and he says very good things about you.”
Tom had been a big part of Kendra’s success in moving to the Nickel City area. He wasn’t a shifter, but he was a big-hearted old man who was trying to retire in a community that still desperately needed his services. He’d taken Kendra under his wing as an assistant and was instrumental in passing her enoughwork to stay afloat. She’d spent nearly a month camping on his land with a new baby and he had been tolerant of her sleep-deprived baby brain when things were at their worst. When he’d headed south for climates that were kinder to his aging joints, Kendra missed him more than she missed any of her own estranged family. They still sent each other vet memes and she felt comfortable calling him to ask for advice when she ran into something tricky to diagnose.
Kendra shook Tabby’s hand. “I’ve got a work order here for eight general wellness checks with vaccinations, is that right?”
To Kendra’s delight, Tabby’s horses, most of them boarding clients, were well-behaved and in perfect condition. She always dreaded giving a horse owner expensive news, and sometimes it seemed inevitable. “No parasites, and they all have nice, healthy teeth. I’ll let you know if anything abnormal comes up in the blood tests. This sweet girl needs a little hoof trimming.” She checked her phone. “I have time to do that now, if you don’t have someone you use?” Farriers were often separate hires from vets, and they protected their turf vehemently. Kendra didn’t want to alienate someone who ought to be a partner in animal care by stepping on their toes.
“I do have someone,” Tabby said, “but he was by two weeks ago and not due again for another month. Poppy is brand new, so if you could do it this time, that would be great.”
Kendra got her tools, and took Poppy’s foot between her knees. Poppy turned to snuffle her head, but didn’t nip. She and Tabby talked about horse things and housebuilding. Apparently, Tabby was putting the finishing touches on a set of small houses that she planned to use for short-term rentals. “This is an amazing place,” Kendra said honestly. “I bet you keep them full without any trouble at all.”
It was one of the prettiest ranches she’d seen, with forest stretching up on all sides to the mountains. There was snow inthe heights already, and it was picturesque and just cold enough that Kendra could see her breath if the light was right. The trees clung stubbornly to some of their bright leaves, and the rest littered the ground.
By the time Kendra was finished with all of the horses, she was dusty, tired, and very ready for her shower. She put the blood samples in the van fridge and shook Tabby’s hand goodbye. “Give me a call if anything changes. Lameness, coughing, excessive head-shaking, you know the usual warning signs. I’ll let you know the test results, but I’m not expecting any surprises. This is a great-looking herd.”
Tabby looked as pleased as if Kendra had praised her family, and Kendra guessed that she basically had.
“Thanks for coming!” Tabby called after her.
Kendra looked at her phone as she paused at the end of the driveway. She had just enough time for a load of laundry while she showered if the traffic back to Nickel City wasn’t slow. Every so often, she’d get stuck behind an RV that didn’t understand how to drive, but the tourist season was coming to an end.
A hot shower.
It was a public bathroom, sure, and she was leery of touching the walls, but Kendra still longed for the feeling of hot water over her skin.
Thinking about her skin heating reminded her of Alan from the day care and she was fixedly reminding herself that, even if he was a good guy, she was a hot mess as she pulled out onto the highway…just as something big crashed into the side of her van.
8
