But she was just as angry with the cougar as Rory, and she began tearing into him like Rory was.They'd all fallen in the water and were struggling to keep their heads above it while fighting him.
Timothy finally made it to shore and tore off.He might think he could bully his ex-girlfriend, but he couldn't take on Rory and Lacy at the same time.They raced after him.He was headed for the ranch, but then he must have thought better of itbecause they could get reinforcements, and he took off for the Rocky Mountains.
Rory considered chasing after him, but both he and Lacy were bleeding, though so was Timothy.Lacy was trying to catch her breath.Rory nudged her to return to the ranch with him.
They headed back at a lope.He couldn't believe the bastard would figure out where Lacy had ended up, though he knew once Timothy had reached the ranch, he would have smelled their scents.He probably was irritated beyond measure that Lacy was running with Rory on a cougar date.
Once they reached the ranch, they headed straight for Hal and Tracey's home.Lacy led the way inside and ran up the stairs, startling Tracey.
"Ohmigod, what happened to..."Tracey began to say, then saw Rory right behind Lacy, bleeding also.
Tracey called out, "Hal, we have trouble."
Even though Lacyand Rory had been torn up a bit by her ex, Timothy had suffered the brunt of the fight.She wished he would die in the mountains, but that probably wouldn’t happen with their faster healing genetics.
Both Lacy and Rory put on their underclothes but needed to have their wounds cleaned and bandaged.They would heal in half the time that it took humans to heal, but they still had some pretty deep bite marks.
“I’m taking them to the clinic,” Hal said, after looking at their bite marks.“Kate said she would be there when we arrive.”
Lacy and Rory got dressed.“Thanks, Tracey,” Lacy said.
“I’m so sorry this has happened,” Rory said.
“I just wish we could have killed him.”Lacy pulled on her sweater.
“Where did he go?”Hal asked.He paused his conversation on the phone.
“Up into the mountains,” Rory said.“Since both of us were injured, I wanted to return Lacy home and get our wounds bandaged.”
“You did the right thing,” Tracey said.
“I wanted to go after him, believe me,” Rory said.
“I did too.”Lacy squeezed his hand.
Hal said on the phone.“Okay, Dan.We’re going to the clinic.I’ll let Ted know to alert our men to keep my family safe and to keep a watch out for this guy.”
Then they left in Hal’s pickup truck to get medical care.“Should we tell Mrs.Fitz?”Rory asked Lacy.
“No.We can tell her tomorrow.Though since Stryker is staying with her, he probably needs to be informed.We can check in on Granddad, but I don’t want to wake him if he’s sleeping.”
“I agree.”
When they arrived at the clinic, Dr.Kate looked over their injuries and stitched up three wounds on Rory’s shoulder and back and two on Lacy’s throat.She was lucky Timothy hadn’t killed her.
Rory was sure if Timothy could have, he would have ended her life by the river.They had to eliminate him first.
6
Frank was dozing when he heard Lacy’s voice as she talked to Rory while they headed down the hall past his room at the clinic.He had been sleeping on and off.Then he worried that Lacy had been hurt.Why would she be here otherwise, if not to see him?He didn’t think she would be at the clinic so late.
He pushed the nurse’s call button, and she responded.“Yes, Mr.Everest?”
“Is Lacy here?”Maybe he had thought he had heard her voice, but really hadn’t in his fog-filled mind.
“Oh, yes.Her ex-boyfriend fought Lacy and Rory as cougars on a run.Dr.Kate came in to take care of their bite and claw marks.”
“Aww, hell.I suppose Timothy is still running free.”
