“No.”
“Any lights? A car on the road? Footprints?”
“No. It was too dark,” she admitted. “I didn’t want to get too close.”
Caleb let out a low breath. “Could be wildlife,” he said. “Hawks drop prey all over the place. Foxes drag things into yards. Seen raccoons leave worse.”
Mia wasn’t convinced. Not entirely. The placement still gnawed at her. Too centered on her doorstep. But maybe she was reading something into it she didn’t have evidence for. Lack of sleep didn’t help.
Ranger moved in a small circle, nose down, then tracked a few feet toward the side of the barn before losing the trail. He came back to Caleb’s side, sat, ears pointed, waiting.
“He seems weird about it,” she murmured.
“Probably just the scent,” Caleb said. “Dogs get worked up over predator kills.” He reached down and scratched Ranger’s neck.
Mia wrapped her arms around herself. “It felt weird. Last night.”
He studied her for a moment. “Being alone out here after dark will do that. Doesn’t mean someone was watching you.”
Maybe. Maybe not. Mia didn’t say anything. She didn’t trust herself to argue without sounding foolish.
Caleb scanned the yard one more time. “Nothing looks disturbed. No broken branches. I’ll get rid of it,” he said. “No point in you dealing with this.”
She let out a sigh of relief. “Thank you.”
Ranger stayed with her while Caleb ducked into the garage for a shovel.
When he returned, he slid the shovel under the rabbit and lifted it. “I’ll take it to the woods,” he said. “An animal will finish it.”
She nodded, although she still felt uneasy.
“You’re okay,” he said quietly. “Nothing’s here now.”
She nodded. “I know. It just … surprised me.”
“Anyone would’ve jumped,” he said. “Especially in the dark.”
He carried the rabbit away toward the tree line. Ranger trotted beside him. Mia stayed where she was, rubbing her hands together, trying to shake the feeling of invisible eyes on her back.
A minute later he returned, brushing dirt off the shovel. “All taken care of,” he said. His gaze softened. “But if anything else happens, call me. Even if it’s small.”
“Thanks,” she said.
He leaned the shovel against the barn. “Look, I’m not saying it wasn’t weird. But you’re in the country; animals drop things in places that don’t always make sense.”
A tiny laugh escaped her. “That’s reassuring. Sort of.”
“That’s all I’m going for,” he replied. “Still want me to check around the property?”
Mia hesitated. Part of her wanted to say yes. But another part knew he’d treat this as a real incident. And she wasn’t sure she wanted to go down that road yet.
“Maybe just walk with me for a minute?” she said.
“Sure.”
They made a slow circle around the barn. Ranger sniffed in every corner. But nothing looked disturbed. There were no prints or scuff marks. No sign that anyone had come close.
Caleb nodded toward the fence line. “If something dragged it in, it probably came through here. Foxes get bold this time of year. Could be they just grabbed it from the fields.”
