He leaned forward over the counter. “Tiffany, you shouldn’t be comforting me. It should be the other way around.”
“What makes you think I need comforting?” Nine years seemed more than sufficient to get over losing Jeff.
He let out a laugh that was almost a sob. I lightly stroked his back, unsure of the emotional turmoil he was suffering from or the way to comfort him. Tyrone was all over the place with this Jeff business. Maybe he was in therapy, but Dr. R clearly had some more work to do here. Obviously, Tyrone and I were meant to be.
With a sigh he leaned in closer and placed a soft kiss on my neck. “You’re so sweet. Thank you.”
Living up to the compliment, I plated a roll and passed it to him.
“Aren’t you going to have one?” he asked.
“You don’t have a tree. I’m not going to have a roll. Both of us deniedthe fruits of our labor.”
With a nod he said, “I’m good at denying myself.”
“What else are you denying yourself?”
He gave me an up-and-down look that burned all the way to my toes. With a big bite, he finished off the cinnamon roll, licking frosting off his fingertips. His pink tongue sliding through the sugary fluff turned my thoughts naughty.
A coyote’s howl tore through the quiet. Here I was trying to be sugar and spice, and my scapegoat was making a scene in the yard. I willed the stupid animal to shut up, but another joined.
“You hear that?” He perked up, and I could feel his heart beat faster.
How could I not? It was a chaotic chorus of yips and howls. The only thing louder than the coyotes was his heartbeat.
Tyrone moved to the window and pushed the curtain aside to investigate the dark nothingness of the countryside.
“How about we put on a show and snuggle under a blanket?” I said, trying to distract him. All these men and their insistence on protecting me was getting annoying.
“We can’t ignore this, Tiff. A coyote attacked the inspector on your property. It’s not safe.”
“Just sit down.” I willed him to let it go.
“And it’s not just that. For the last couple of weeks, the farm animals have been spooked. You saw the way the horses were acting. I don’t mean to sound crazy, but it’s like there’s some kind of predator lurking around the neighborhood.”
He wasn’t wrong. “Just because something is scary doesn’t mean it’s dangerous,” I said. But I was dangerous. Tyrone’s blood called to me.
“What does the city want from you?” he asked.
“They think I have some kind of vicious animal in my house. If I don’t produce the animal, Valentine Animal Control will collect and dispose of it.” I drew my brows together. “What does that even mean? Do they think I have a coyote in the house?”
“You’re supposed to bring a dead varmint into town, Tiff. Either that, or they’ll come find one.”
His words sent a chill down my spine.
Another crazy yip cut through the night, calling my bluff.Come and get me, Tiffenie, you liar!
“I believe there is a dangerous animal around. You saw a coyote bite the inspector. And for the last week, one’s been in my yard acting crazy and scaring the shit out of my horses.” Tyrone scanned the dark woods outside. “It’s not safe. I have kids out here every day at that fair.”
“I don’t want to give them a body.” Outside, the stupid coyote wouldn’t shut up.
With a heavy sigh and a look of grim determination, Tyrone slipped on some boots and a heavy coat. “Tiffany, we don’t have a choice. If you want to save your house, and if I want to continue operating a Christmas fair for kids, we have to deal with the coyote.”
“I don’t kill. It’s a rule.” Don’t wear matte lipstick. Don’t kill.
“This isn’t a normal coyote, Tiff. It sent a full-grown man to the hospital.”
How was I supposed to tell him that I was the problem? He would never talk to me again if he knew. I held the truth in tight.
