“They’ve seen cats before, haven’t they?”
“Sure, around the barns,” Rawley said, “but this is a different cat, and I think they’re wondering why it’s in the house.”
“Let me pick him up,” Skylar said as she walked toward the window where Cosmo was perched, his tail twitching nervously. She scooped him into her arms, his warm body tense against her chest as she approached the dogs. She winced when his needle-sharp claws dug into the soft flesh of her forearm. “Stop, Cosmo. They’re not going to hurt you,” she coaxed, kneeling on the hardwood floor in front of the panting dogs. They strained against their collars, but Rawley held firm, his knuckles whitening as he knelt beside her and held onto them.
“Be good guys. You hurt this cat and I’ll be out on my ass,” he said, crow’s feet crinkling at the corners of his eyes as she laughed.
Skylar extended the bristling cat outward and couldn’t help but giggle when Cosmo’s paw darted out, bopping Calvin squarely on his snout. The startled dog yelped and scrambled backward against Rawley’s legs. When Hobbs inched forward, whiskers twitching to investigate, Cosmo delivered the same swift punishment.
“Put him down,” Rawley said, his deep voice gentle but firm.
“Are you sure?” Skylar raised her eyebrows.
“Yeah, they know this is Cosmo’s territory. They’ll behave. It’s the cat I’m not sure about.”
When Skylar lowered Cosmo to the polished floor, the cat froze, his blue eyes locked in a standoff with the dogs while they retreated a few tentative steps, tails lowered.
“I think they’re more afraid of him than he is of them,” she observed.
“I’m going to let go of their collars, and we’ll take it from there.” Rawley let go of the collars, freeing the dogs while he watched intently.
The dogs cautiously extended their muzzles toward the cat, nostrils flaring. Suddenly, Cosmo bolted across the room like a bullet, and the dogs bound after him in a flurry of excited barks and wagging tails, with Skylar and Rawley scrambling to their feet in hot pursuit.
Later, they sank into the plush sofa cushions, Skylar’s head shaking in amused disbelief as Cosmo darted from the living room to the hallway with Rawley’s dogs chasing him, their nails clicking against the hardwood floors.
“They seem to be having fun,” Rawley said, his deep voice tinged with laughter.
“Sure. For now. Once Cosmo gets tired of them chasing him, he’ll let them know.”
Rawley looked at her, his gaze lingering on the curve of her smile. “I’m sure.” He touched her hair, twirling a few blonde strands between his fingers. “I’m hungry.”
“Me too. Let’s head to the kitchen and make sandwiches, then we’ll watch a movie.” She stood, stretching her arms above her head, and Rawley stood too, then he leaned down and kissed her lips.
After eating turkey and Swiss cheese sandwiches, they snuggled on the sofa beneath a soft throw blanket and watched an action thriller, the light from the TV dancing across their faces. It was close to midnight when they headed for her bedroom, where Rawley stripped out of his clothes, revealing broad shoulders that tapered to a narrow waist. Would she ever get enough of him? She wanted him anytime she could have him. With a deep sigh, she stripped off her clothes, got into bed and watched Rawley pull back the comforter and slide under the cool sheets. Skylar rolled onto her side, facing him, and touched his chest. He moved over her, kissing her deeply. It seemed they had both gotten their second wind.
****
Rawley lay awake, cradling Skylar against his chest. Her breaths came deep and even, rising and falling. He tightened his arms around her, pressing his cheek into the soft sweep of her hair. Beyond the window, the world was shrouded in darkness, but in the quiet of the bedroom he could think only of those men, rustlers, without a doubt. He’d tracked livestock thieves before, but these men were different, and he feared they’d vanish down long, lonely backroads before he caught up with them.
Stealing cattle wasn’t just a crime of opportunity, it was a blow to every rancher who woke before dawn to feed and waterthose herds, poured sweat into fences and barns so families could eat. When cattle vanished overnight, it wasn’t only the missing stock that hurt; it was the insurance claims that dragged on for weeks, the paperwork mountain and endless phone calls. Ranchers lived on tight margins, and every stolen head meant someone’s dream teetered on the brink of ruin. Rawley hated rustlers with a white-hot passion. He’d promised the ranchers he’d find them, run or hide as they might, and he intended to keep that promise.
He sighed, letting his eyelids finally grow heavy, the warm rise and fall of Skylar’s chest lulling him toward sleep. At the foot of the bed, his two dogs lay sprawled on the floor, tails flicking in soft snores. Rawley closed his eyes and was jerked awake by the low rumble of growls from the floor.
He bolted upright, Skylar stirring beside him. The wooden floor creaked as he pushed himself free and swung his legs over the side of the bed. Darkness pressed against the windows, but he sensed movement beyond the glass and heard the dogs’ warning in their throats. Slipping into his jeans, T-shirt, socks and boots, he made his way across the floorboards toward the living room with the dogs following behind.
He peered through the front window, separation of glass and shadow making the world outside impossible to read. A lone streetlamp cast a yellow pool of light over the driveway, illuminating only the parked silhouettes of their two vehicles. His breath caught in his throat. Nothing obvious, yet his gut clenched like a cold fist.
“Rawley?” Skylar’s whisper drifted through the dark and laced with fear.
He turned back. “I’m sorry I woke you. Go back to bed.”
Her voice trembled. “You didn’t wake me, I heard the dogs and I’m staying with you.”
He ran a hand through his hair. “I have to get my gun.”
“At three in the morning? Why?”
“Skylar, my gut tells me something’s out there.” He exhaled, trying to keep calm. “Stay inside. Lock the door behind me.”
