Page 15 of Chasing Trouble
Luke poked his head under Mac’s arm.“Wow, that was the most amazing axe-throwing I’ve ever seen.”He stared up at Mac with admiration.“Can you teach me how to do that?”
Mac shot Whitney a wry grin.Leave it to a kid to see the bright side of a near disaster.“I learned from the lumberjacks, but I can try.”
He could see Luke’s brain working right through his hazel specked eyes.“Maybe I’ll be a lumberjack,” he enthused.
Whitney sighed and ruffled his hair.“You have some growing to do before that happens.In the meantime, I’m very proud of you for grabbing Amelia and running.You saved your sister’s life.”
“You save me from the scary kitty, Lukey,” Amelia echoed, her blue eyes as big as saucers.
Luke scuffed his toes and blushed.“Well...I couldn’t just leave her behind, even if she is annoying.”
Mac placed his hand on the boy’s shoulder.“Whitney is right, Luke.You acted like a man today.Protecting your little sister was a selfless act and worthy of high praise.”
Luke looked out at the big cat.“What are we going to do with it?We can’t eat it, can we?”
Mac chuckled.“No, that’s not meat for the table.Best we put it in the back of my pick-up and haul it away and bury it.We need to get it far enough away that other animals aren’t attracted to the scent and want to dig it up.”
“Like bears, right?”Luke inserted the question.
Mac nodded grimly.“Like bears.At least those who haven’t gone into hibernation yet.”
They started towards the cougar, but the sound of the horse’s hooves rustling the leaves caught their attention.
Someone was coming.
***
IMMEDIATELY, MAC SNAPPEDinto action.“Whitney, take Amelia inside and close the door.Don’t come out unless I signal you.”
She obeyed him instantly, and he was glad she hadn’t argued with him when he saw two men come riding out of the forest from the direction the cougar had come.He didn’t recognize either of them and didn’t like the looks of them.He held his rifle in front of him.“Luke, get the shotgun,” he muttered from the side of his mouth.“Tell Whitney to stay inside.”
Luke hastened into the cabin and returned with the shotgun, and Mac was very pleased that Whitney had followed his instructions.These men didn’t look like the type of men he’d want to know that a young woman lived here.Especially alone with kids.
The two men came in slowly, their eyes darting back and forth as they surveyed their surroundings.Then the tall, lanky one with a black slouch hat, jeans, and a coat that had definitely seen better days lifted his hand in greeting.A leather string drew back his black hair, and his beard was full of gray.His eyes were shifty, though, and the warning hairs on the back of Mac’s neck stood up.
“Howdy, friend.Was it you who shot that cougar we've been tracking?Or was it your son?”Both men cackled as if they’d said something hilarious.
“He isn’t...”Luke started to snap out, but Mac squeezed his shoulder hard with one hand.
“Not now, son,” he warned with a glance at Luke.
Luke nodded and subsided.
When they got to the cougar, Mac rang out, “That’s far enough.What do you want?”
The rounded one with red beefy cheeks pursed his lips in disapproval.“Now, that’s not very friendly.We’ve been tracking this cat for two days.It attacked a child in a settlement west of Bolton.It’s a killer for sure.”He turned his head sideways and spat a load of spittle on the cat. Then he turned his beady stare back to Mac.“Looks like you done beat us to the punch.Seeing as how this carcass is now yours, do you reckon we could at least come in for some hot coffee?It’s cold out here.”
“Not unless you want to catch the runs,” Mac drawled, improvising.“Both of my brothers came down with it in the last two days.
“Is that so?”The tall one asked suspiciously.
Mac nodded.“I’ll tell you what, though, you can have the carcass; we don’t want it around here.If you’re trapping, you could probably get a good price for it at the taxidermy down in Bolton, seeing as how it attacked one child already and tried to attack my boy.At least you’ll have something for your trouble,” he offered, figuring that was what they really wanted.
Both men grinned broadly, and Mac knew he’d made the right offer.
“Why, thank you, friend.That’s mighty generous of you, and we’ll take you up on that,” the rounded one replied eagerly.
Mac and Luke watched as both men dismounted and took a rolled-up load off the back of one of the horses.When they unrolled it, it was a makeshift travois like the Indians used to use to haul loads with dogs or horses.They made short work of getting the cougar tied onto the stretcher with leather straps.
