Page 25 of Hiding in Montana

“I’d suspect a bit of both. From what I’ve seen, she can hold her ground and make her way. From what you’ve said, she’s competent to know her strengths and weaknesses, like getting the cameras. And I would guess she won’t back down from anything.”

“I like this woman and I don’t want anything to happen to her. Ever since I learned she was the woman we saved, I can’t get that image of her lying in the ravine, broken and bleeding, out of my head.”

“Clint, I know you’re asking me if you should ride in on Blaze and rescue her like the hero from a movie. She’s the first woman you’ve dated more than twice in years. She’s getting under your skin and part of the reason why is her strength. You don’t want some clingy kind of a woman who wants to be pampered. Follow her lead, spend time with her, and offer your support, but don’t try to control the situation. But if it were me, I’d reach out to Sherriff Blackstone and that will trickle down to the local police. They can keep an eye open just to make sure nothing happens when she’s in town. We can spread the word around the ranch, and with the gardens close to the kitchen, you know Quinn would never let anyone near her. He’s got a soft spot for her now that she’s filling his kitchen with organic vegetables.”

That was a true statement. Quinn, the dark and broody chef, had become soft butter in her presence. Jed also had a good point. If he and Polly were spending time together doing things, no one would get through him to her.

He drained the last of his beer. “Good thing you were out wandering tonight.”

“It had a purpose. Someone said there were mountain lion tracks near the horse barn after they came in for dinner and I wanted to check it out.”

He gave Jed a long look. “And what did you see?”

“Tracks and more than one cat. My guess is juveniles looking to get to the foals—easy pickings compared to a horse.”

His gut tightened. Annie was just getting her horse breeding program off the ground with a couple of new arrivals and she purchased four yearlings. This was something Linc and Annie needed to know first thing in the morning. “Everything secure?”

“For tonight, yeah, but we need to let the boss know and add some high-powered electric fencing around that barn. You know how Annie feels about her horses, even more than I’m attached to Tonks.”

Clint knew that was saying something. All cowboys had a strong attachment to their horse. Annie’s horses were like her children and she’d spare no expense to protect them. He thought of Polly’s cameras. “Might want to install trail cameras on the barns for an added measure of security.” If something were to set off a camera, they’d have a better chance of protecting the animals before it was too late.

“Ya gonna talk to Annie and Linc in the morning, or should I?”

“We both should and bounce ideas around to get things secured. Meet me at seven at the main house. They’ll be having breakfast, but better to get things rolling right away.” Clint stuck out his hand to Jed. “Thanks for the advice and the eagle eye on stuff around here.”

“It’s my home and I like Polly. I consider her a friend.” Jed wandered in the direction of his bunkhouse.

Clint waited until Jed went inside before sending a text to Polly.

I saw a shooting star tonight and thought of you. Sleep well.

He watched the dots appear on the screen as she texted him, and then they stopped. His breath seemed to be lodged in his lungs as he waited for a response, and then the dots appeared again.

Thanks for being you. Looking forward to seeing you tomorrow. XO.

The breath escaped his lungs with relief, and he smiled. The feelings she expressed in her simple text mirrored his own. He didn’t want to play the high school game of who got the last word, so he slipped the phone in the pocket of his shirt and took one last look over the darkened landscape. He could feel the danger hanging heavy in the air, and he hoped it was nothing more than the mountain lions. Whatever was headed this way, he’d be ready. If it turned out to be more than a big cat, no one would hurt the people he loved.

Early the next morning, after meeting with Linc, Clint put the word out about the mountain lions. He wanted to catch up with Polly before the day got busy. He saw her truck was in her usual spot, but he didn’t see her in the gardens. From where he stood, he could see no signs of her at the greenhouse. His next stop was the kitchen. Polly and Quinn, the cook on the ranch, had become good friends, more like siblings really, and he was sure they were talking about gardening in some fashion.

As he rounded the corner of the barn closest to the dining hall, his footsteps slowed. Polly was walking toward the kitchen, but in the shadows, he saw movement. His heartbeat hammered in his chest, and he unclipped his pistol from the holster. He wouldn’t shoot unless he had to. It was a juvenile mountain lion. He was surprised to see the big cat out in the daylight. That was unusual, but he must be hungry and looking for easier prey and the shadows of the building were decent cover.

Her boots clomped up the steps onto the back porch, and she pulled open the door. She paused as she held the screen, and he caught her smile as she noticed Clint. She went to come back, and he pointed to the cat lingering in the shadow and the smile faded. To her credit, she didn’t scream, but went inside. The door banged behind her and it startled the animal who snarled at Clint before darting the other way, slipping around the side of the barn, headed for the distant tree line. The incident had felt like forever but had really only been minutes.

Quinn appeared from the dining hall with a shotgun in one hand, Polly standing by his side. She scanned the area before she raced to Clint, wrapping her arms around him and holding him tight.

“Was that a mountain lion?” she gasped, her voice breathless.

“Yeah, he was stalking you.” He wrapped one arm around her waist and held her close to his chest and he could feel her shudder.

“Would it have attacked me?”

“Come on. Let’s get you inside and we can talk. But I’ll need to let Linc know what happened. We’re going to have to contact Fish and Game. This was a little too close for safety.”

Quinn was standing on the porch keeping an eye on them just in case any other creatures were lurking. Clint knew his style. The man might be the silent type, but he was strong and would never back down for anyone or anything.

He acknowledged Quinn. “Thanks for coming out.”

The chef nodded in Polly’s direction. “She might need lessons on how to handle a pistol since she wanders around by herself a lot.”

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