“This one is,” Beau said.“You’re right, though.It’s rare for a mountain lion to hunt humans, which is why we need to capture this one and move it to a sanctuary before it kills someone or gets itself shot.”
Her pulse kicked up a few notches while listening to Beau talk.How awful would it be to be eaten alive by a mountain lion?
Kade returned with something in his hands that looked like a mini-machine gun.The tranquilizer dart gun was something out of a nature show.
Ivy realized they were on a ranch.Why didn’t it occur to her that there would be wild animals out here—predators like bears, coyotes, and even mountain lions?She knew how dangerous wild boars and scorpions could be.She hadn’t really thought about how truly wild it was in Texas outside of city limits.She needed to carry a stun gun at the very least in order to protect herself.The blissful image of the horse ranch, breezes blowing across the meadow, was now replaced with the harsh reality of predators lurking in the bushes.
The worst part about the thought of dying was leaving her father alone.He wouldn’t be able to handle life on his own.Would he descend into the dark abyss once again, never to return?The thought was quickly followed by a sense of loss deeper than anything she’d imagined; loss because she would never see Beau again.
“We should get most of us inside,” Owen said as Kade took aim at something moving behind the barn.
He fired the dart.Then cursed.
Ivy shivered.He must have missed.
13
Beau winced.The sound of anything being fired triggered panic in his nervous system.Instinct had him wanting to duck.Instead, he moved closer to Ivy to protect her and reached for her hand.When she didn’t flinch, he laced their fingers.As much as he knew he should keep her at arm’s length, they were in danger, and he would step in front of a bullet before he would allow harm to come to her.
He tucked her behind him as they moved toward the back door.Once she was safely inside, he would help Kade.No way would he let his brother go one-on-one with this mountain lion.It was cunning and had escaped many attempts to capture it.
At the door, Travis said, “Go inside.I’ll back up Kade.”
“Not a chance,” Beau said.“I’m going to support my brother.”Those words rolled easily off his tongue.Was he getting used to having siblings?
It felt good to say those words out loud.Surprisingly good.He would laugh under any other circumstances.The footing he’d started out on with Kade shouldn’t have led to Beau offering up his own safety to protect his brother—not in a million years.Being angry at the world had cost him peace of mind for too many years.It was time to cut out the madness and let himself breathe for a change.Holding in all that anger, he realized, had been consuming him from the inside out, burning up energy that could surely be used for something more productive.It was time to start building bridges instead of burning them.For the first time, Beau was beginning to find his place in this family.
Would it last?
Kade inched closer to the tree line, taking measured steps.Travis wrangled the others inside, despite protests from the twins and Hudson.There was more danger than the mountain lion, even though Clay and Royce shouldn’t be able to get onto the family’s land undetected, since security cameras had been mounted at entrances onto the property.The time for taking chances had ended.Crime had come to Saddle Junction and the ranch.Putting their heads in the sand wouldn’t make it go away.Taking measures to protect the family despite a long history of crime-free living had been the best move.
Travis and Beau flanked Kade, hanging back a step as the trio moved toward the trees.They’d been in similar situations far too many times recently.How many more times would they get away with everyone coming out alive?
The thought sat hard on his gut.His mother needed him.He had to hope that she was still alive.The AI picture of her had been determined to be a fake.Or, at the very least, evidence strongly suggested that the image had been manipulated.
Did Ivy need him?Hands down, she could take care of herself.But did she need someone to share a life with?
The thought caught him off guard.He brought his attention back to the mountain lion and searched the darkness for a streak of golden fur.
Movement to his right caught his attention.“Over there.”
In one fluid movement, Kade turned, aimed, and fired a dart.
The animal turned toward them and leaped.The predator was fifteen feet in front of them, running at a pace they couldn’t match if they ran.Besides, they had to stand their ground.
Kade took aim.“I don’t want to shoot a dart in its face.”
“Can you aim for the chest?”Travis asked as they backed away.
Ten feet away now, the lion stopped.It turned and licked its shoulder before taking off in the opposite direction.
Kade’s finger hovered over the trigger mechanism.
“I see the dart,” Beau said, touching Kade’s arm to stop him from firing.He had no idea if they could overdose the animal and didn’t intend to find out the hard way.
Kade issued a curse under his breath.He lowered the gun.“I’ve lost visual on the animal.”
“Let’s go before she slips away again,” Travis said.There’d been several close calls with the mountain lion and several near misses while trying to save her.They all feared she was living on borrowed time.
