Nora sang along to the song on the radio as she drove along the winding road heading back to the ranch the next day. She’d had a great morning. It had started with a few stolen kisses from Cade in the kitchen before he’d headed out to help Zane feed the cattle, then she’d met Elle in town for coffee and a little shopping. She hadn’t planned on buying anything but had found a gorgeous dress in a cute little shop that would be perfect for the dance tomorrow night.
Shopping always made her hungry, and she’d stopped at Sonic for cheeseburgers and tater tots and had picked up cherry limeades for Cade and Allie. The tots hadn’t made it much farther than the edge of town, and she was already halfway through her burger.
Peeling back the wrapper, she took another bite as she rounded a corner, then slammed on her brakes to keep from hitting the mangy dog limping across the road.
Oh no. The poor dog stopped in the middle of the road and turned his head to stare at her. She winced at the sight of his swollen eye and his mud- and blood-streaked face. His tawny fur was matted with dust and dirt, and he held his front paw up off the ground. It didn’t look broken, but it was covered in blood as well. He held her gaze for just a moment, then turned to finish limping across the pavement.
Nora’s heart was pounding in her chest, and she realized she was holding the drink holder of the cherry limeades against the seat as if she were a mother reaching out to protect her kids as she hit the brakes.
Chewing her bottom lip, she watched the dog hobble along the shoulder. Aw, hell. She lived on a ranch that rescued horses. Surely they could help an injured dog too.
She slowly eased her car off the side of the road and got out.
***
Cade leaned over the fence as he watched Brody finish examining the horse. He already knew what he was going to say. Daisy had made remarkable improvements to her health. Her ribs were still visible, but she’d filled out more and her eyes were brighter.
“She looks good,” Brody said, confirming his assessment.
Cade nodded. “Amazing what buckets of sweet feed and the attention of a teenage girl will do for a horse.”
“She really does love Allie,” Bryn said from the other side of the stall. “I saw her following Allie around the corral earlier this morning. She didn’t even have her on a lead. Daisy just walked along beside her as she wheeled the knee scooter around the arena.”
“They’ve definitely bonded,” Cade agreed. It made him so happy to see his daughter connecting to the ranch.
“It’s not hard to fall in love with that one,” Zane said as he loaded a couple of hay bales into a wheel barrow. “She’s a sweet horse.”
The sound of an engine speeding down the driveway drew their attention. “What the hell?” Cade spotted a flash of white through the window of the barn. “That’s Nora’s car,” he said, hurrying out of the barn.
His pulse raced as he saw her terrified face through the windshield. She braked to a stop and leapt from the car, racing toward him and launching herself into his arms. “What happened? Are you all right?” He could feel her shaking. “Are you hurt? Did someone do something to you?” His muscles tensed, ready to fight whoever had caused Nora this distress.
She pointed to the car as she gasped for breath. “I picked up an injured dog on the road. I wanted to help him, but the damn thing has been growling at me the whole way here.” She pressed a hand to her neck. “I thought he was going to leap over the seat and rip my throat out.”
“An injured dog?” He took a step closer to Nora’s car to peer into the back seat. “Holy shit” was all he could manage to say before the laugh burst from him.
Bryn, Zane, and Brody had come out of the barn, and he waved them toward the car. “You all gotta see this. Check out the injured dog Nora found on the way home from town,” he said between fits of laughter.
They all looked into Nora’s back seat. The window, now streaked with drool, was rolled down a few inches, and the animal was crouched in the back seat. He bared his teeth and let out a low growl. Brody chuckled, and Zane’s lips curved up, which for him was almost the same as a hearty laugh. Bryn brought her hand to her mouth to cover her gasp.
Nora took a step back, the bewildered expression on her face changing to one of annoyance as Cade couldn’t stop laughing. She planted a hand on her hip. “What the hell is so funny? That dog is hurt.”
Cade shook his head and tried to catch his breath. “That’s not a dog, darlin’. That’s One-Eyed Jack. He’s a coyote.”
Her mouth dropped open, which only made Cade laugh harder. “A coyote?” she whispered.
He leaned forward, placing his hands on his knees as he shook his head. “How in the Sam Hill did you get him into your back seat?”
“It wasn’t easy,” she said, brushing her bangs off her sweaty forehead. “I led him to the car with little bites of my burger, then I tossed the second cheeseburger I bought into the back seat, and he jumped in. But he got awfully pissed off when I shut the door. So I just hopped in and drove as fast as I could. I was praying the whole way here that he wouldn’t try to bite my arm off.”
“You’re lucky he didn’t bite you,” Brody said. “Coyotes are real assholes.”
“Well, I’ve found that even assholes need help once in a while,” Nora said, peering into the car. “And sometimes a little kindness goes a long way toward changing their attitudes.”
This woman. No wonder I’m falling so hard for her, Cade thought. She could even find the good in an asshole coyote.
“This guy might have been snarling and growling, but look at him,” Nora said. “He’s hurt. His foot is bleeding, and his eye is swollen. I think his face is cut up. There’s a lot of blood.”
“His eye always looks like that,” Brody said, putting his face closer to the window. “It’s an old injury, but I can see a piece of glass stuck in his front paw. He must have been trying to chew it out. That’s why his mouth and head are streaked with blood. He might have cut himself trying to free the glass, but I don’t see anything too concerning.”
“Can you get the glass out?” Nora asked.
“Not in the state he’s in. I’m sure he won’t let me near him.” His brow furrowed as he studied the animal. “I could probably sedate him though. Give him something to knock him out a little, then I could get the glass out and clean him up.” He gestured to his vet truck, which was parked near the barn. “I’ve got some sedatives in the truck. That should do it. You got any of that hamburger left?”
Nora shook her head. “No. He wolfed it down before I’d even pulled back onto the highway.”
“Well, if we can stick it in some food and get him to eat it, that’d be the easiest way to get it in him.”
“He likes pancakes,” Bryn said.
Zane turned his head slowly toward her and raised an eyebrow. “Just how in the hell do you know that this coyote likes pancakes?”
She lifted her shoulders in a shrug as she offered him a sheepish grin. “I wouldn’t know. I’m just guessing. Everybody likes pancakes, right?”
“Bryn Tender Heart Callahan,” Zane said, narrowing his eyes at his girlfriend. “Have you been feeding this damn coyote? Is that why he keeps hanging around here?”
Her chin dipped. “I may have given him a few scraps. Not all the time. Look at him though. He only has one eye.”
Zane put his arm around her. “I love you for your kind heart and your affinity for the wounded strays of this world, but that is not a stray dog. He’s probably hanging around here trying to figure out how to break into your chicken coop. We don’t want him around the ranch. He could attack the dogs or even Otis. He may look like a dog, but he’s still a wild animal who hunts to eat.”
“Zane’s right,” Brody said. “He is a wild animal. And even if you do feed him, he’s not going to suddenly turn tame.” He glanced back into the car. The animal hadn’t moved. His lips pulled back the slightest, and he bared his teeth. “And even though my opinion of coyotes is pretty low, I hate to see any animal in pain.” He nodded at Bryn. “Why don’t you go grab something you think he’ll eat? Now, don’t go whipping up a batch of pancakes, just grab some scraps.”
“I’ve got some leftover biscuits from this morning,” she said, taking off for the house.
“Be sure to dip them in some of that gravy,” Zane called after her. “We wouldn’t want old Jack to have to suffer a dry biscuit.”
She blew him a raspberry as she hurried up the steps.
“That’s what I thought,” he said, crossing his arms and leaning back against the side of the barn. “I can’t wait to see how this whole thing shakes out. Is it too late to have Bryn make us some sandwiches? I like a little snack to go with my show.”
Cade held back his grin, but only because Nora was glaring at him.
“This isn’t funny,” she said.
He lifted one shoulder and tried to coax a smile from her. “Come on. It’s a little bit funny.”
Her lips tugged up in a grin, and she swatted a hand at his arm. “It’s not that funny. I bought that second cheeseburger for you.”
Oh, dang.
Bryn came back with a handful of biscuits. Brody stuffed one with a few sedatives and tossed it through the window. The coyote gobbled it up. “Now we just have to wait,” Brody said.
Zane held up his hand. “Toss me one of those leftover biscuits.” Bryn threw half of a biscuit at him, but he caught it deftly in the air and tore off a bite. “Good toss,” he told her.
“Not really,” she said, giving him a saucy grin. “I was aiming for your head.”
Twenty minutes later, the coyote was asleep. The sound of his even snores came through the window, and Brody eased the back door open. Cade had donned a long-sleeved flannel shirt and a pair of work gloves, just in case the sedative didn’t fully take, and he helped the veterinarian lift the animal from the car. Bryn had spread out an old blanket, and they set the coyote down gently on its side.
Brody had already washed up and brought his work kit over. He lifted the coyote’s paw and examined the wound. “Dang. That glass is really wedged in there. It’s stuck between the pads of his paw. No wonder he couldn’t dig it out with his teeth.” He took a long pair of forceps and carefully inserted them between the pads. He got a good grasp of the shard, then cautiously pulled it free. The group let out a collective breath as the doctor held up the bloody piece of glass. “Got it.”
“Thank goodness,” Nora said, squeezing Cade’s hand.
Cade watched the vet inspect and clean the injury, but his focus was on the woman standing next to him, holding his hand and pressing her body against his side. The others were too engrossed in what was happening with the animal to notice, but Cade was hyperaware of every move she made, every brush of her skin against his.
He had laughed at her city-girl naivety—seriously, who lures a coyote into their back seat, even an injured one?—but he had to admire her spunk. And she had a heart that rivaled the size of the Rocky Mountains. He squeezed her hand back and tried not to think about how badly he was falling for her. Or about how soon she was heading back to that city.
“He’s all set,” Brody said, grabbing his tools and standing. “I cleaned up the little wounds around his mouth and face and did the best I could with his paw. The cut bled a lot, but it’s not deep enough for stitches. I put some antibiotic ointment in there and wrapped a bandage around it. Hopefully, by the time he wakes up and chews the bandage off, the ointment will have had some time to do its work.”
“Is there anything you can do about his eye?” Nora asked. She had let go of Cade’s hand and stepped closer to peer down at the coyote.
Brody shook his head. “Nah. That’s an old wound. It looks a little gnarly, but that’s just the way it healed up. My guess is he lost that eye years ago.” He gestured to the sleeping animal. “I stuffed some antibiotics in that biscuit too, to help fight off any infection. He should wake up in an hour or so. He’ll be a little groggy, but my bet is he’ll probably get up and run off into the mountains, find a place to hole up for a few days, and lick his wounds.”
“Between the hamburger Nora gave him and Bryn’s biscuits, he’ll have a full belly at least,” Cade said.
“I’ve got to get back to the clinic,” Brody said. “But call me if you have questions. Or if he wakes up and bites one of you.”
Nora took a step back.
“He’s just kidding,” Cade told her, putting a hand on her arm. He couldn’t help it. When he was around her, he just wanted to touch her. And seemed to find any excuse to do so. “Like he said, he’s gonna be groggy when he wakes up. Give old Jack his space, and I’m sure he’ll wake up and just take off.”
Zane’s pickup was parked a safe distance away. Bryn walked toward it. “I’ll sit in the back of Zane’s truck and watch him for a while.” She dropped the tailgate and climbed into the bed, then waved off Zane and Cade. “I know you guys have stuff to do. Those cows aren’t going to feed themselves.”
“I’m free,” Nora said, climbing into the truck with her. “I can wait with you. Plus, I brought him out here, so I kind of feel like he’s my responsibility.”
I know the feeling, Cade thought as he watched the gorgeous woman perch herself on the wheel well of the pickup, content to sit and watch the sleeping injured coyote.
***
Later that night, Cade was getting ready to take Allie into town when his phone rang. Bryn, Elle, and Nora were having a girls’ night to make pies for the dance the next night, so he, Brody, and Zane had agreed to take the kids out for pizza and ice cream.
His thoughts were on how comfortable Allie was getting around him and the community of Creedence, and he didn’t pay much attention to the screen as he pulled the phone from his pocket and held it to his ear. “Cade Callahan.”
“Ah. Just the person I wanted to speak with,” a man’s voice said into his ear. “My name is Michael Slater, and I’m an attorney with the law firm of Kirkland & Slater.”
Cade frowned. Why would a lawyer be calling him? “Okay. What can I help you with?”
“I think it’s more of a matter of what I can help you with. First, let me offer my condolences for the death of your wife. It’s always a tragedy to lose someone so young.”
“Well, thank you. She’s my ex-wife though. I mean, not that it mattered. It was still a tragedy.” Why was he tongue-tied? Not that he’d been around many of them, but lawyers just tended to make him nervous. Seemed to him like nothing good ever came of a situation that started with a call from a lawyer.
“Yes, well, regardless of if you are still married or not, Ms. Callahan named you as the beneficiary in her life insurance policy. It’s not a large policy. It’s the standard one offered to employees of the corporation where your wife was employed. Still, after taxes and fees, it should end up being close to two hundred and fifty thousand.”
“Dollars?” Cade croaked.
“Yes, Mr. Callahan. Dollars. We don’t often pay life insurance policies with dog treats.”
“That amount would make a lot of dogs pretty happy.”
“Be that as it may, I need to confirm your address and get some information from you so I can mail you the check. Or I can take your bank account information if you’d rather we wire you the funds.”
“Wait. Hold up. Nobody is wiring any funds. I don’t deserve this money. I haven’t been married to Amber for years.”
“Doesn’t matter. She still named you as the beneficiary. Beneficiaries aren’t always spouses. Sometimes they are parents or siblings or even friends.”
He huffed out a sarcastic laugh. “I haven’t been Amber’s friend in years either.”
“It’s my understanding you share a child together.”
“That’s right.”
“And do you now have custody of the child?”
“For now.”
“I don’t know Ms. Callahan personally, but I can only assume she named you the beneficiary in hopes you would use it to take care of the child.”
“Oh.” That would make sense. Diana was pretty levelheaded, but Cade wasn’t sure how responsible either she or Amber’s dad would be if given a quarter-of-a-million-dollar windfall. He scrubbed his hand across the back of his neck. “Can I get your information and call you back? This is a lot to take in, and I need a little time to think.”
“Certainly.” The lawyer gave him his number and took Cade’s address and email. “I’ll send you some more information,” he said. “And you can always call or email my assistant if you have questions. Like I said, it’s a pretty standard policy, and I don’t see much in the way of complications once we know where to send the funds.”
Cade hung up and slumped into a kitchen chair. All he saw were complications. He couldn’t believe Amber had named him as the beneficiary. What the heck was he supposed to do with that money? Could he just put it in an account and give it to Allie? That was a lot of responsibility for a thirteen-year-old girl. And if he did that, how could he ensure that Diana and Amber’s dad didn’t get ahold of the money? It was enough to send Allie to college and offer her things he’d never had growing up.
No way were Diana and Ed going to take this lying down. This had to be the money Diana was referring to. And she’d already said they weren’t going to let him keep it.
“You ready to go?” Allie asked, breaking into his musings as she wheeled the knee scooter into the kitchen.
“Yep,” he said, pushing thoughts of the life insurance money aside.
She held up a pink-and-purple band of crocheted threads. “Can you help me with this? It’s a friendship bracelet Mandy made me. I want to wear it tonight.”
“That was nice of her. She’s a sweetheart.”
“She is. I really like her. And Milo.” Allie scrunched up her nose as she held her wrist out. “Is it weird that I like hanging out with a couple of kids who are younger than me?”
He shrugged. “I don’t think so. Especially since both of them seem older than they are. When we were kids, my brother and I hung out with Bryn and Bucky, and we were all different ages. Plus I think it’s different in a small town. There’re fewer kids to hang out with.”
“They’re the only kids I’ve been hanging out with.”
“Do you have fun with them?”
“Yeah, they like to read the same stuff I do. And they’re both funny. They make me laugh.”
“Then who cares? Just have fun.”
“Yeah, you’re right.” She smiled as he finished tightening the knot on the friendship bracelet. “Thanks, Cade.” She turned and rolled toward the door.
He held back his own smile as he grabbed his hat and set it on his head. His daughter had just asked for some fatherly advice, and he hadn’t completely botched it. In fact, he’d done pretty well.
Maybe he was starting to get the hang of this dad stuff after all.