Donovan was on the phone with Otto Hendrick, one of his repeat customers. It was like a weird déjà vu conversation that slightly mirrored the safari one he’d had yesterday with Emily.
“You want me to get a what?” he asked, sure he’d heard the man wrong.
“A zebra.”
“What the fuck for?”
“To hunt.”
“It’s a damned horse with stripes. Not to mention, I think it’s illegal to do that.”
“No, it’s not. It’s perfectly legal.”
Deciding to humor the madman, he looked it up on the internet. At first, he thought it was a joke, but he got confirmation from several independent sources. “Son of a bitch,” he said.
“See?”
Donovan couldn’t even begin to imagine the utter shit show Emily would bring to his doorstep if he went to a zoo and bought a few zebras to breed for hunting. Not that he ever would. “I’m not willing to do that, Otto. I’ll tell you what, though. There’s plenty of places in Texas and it looks like in Florida, too, that will let you do that.”
“Donny, you’re throwing away money. People would pay you five grand to bag a zebra.”
He didn’t like being called Donny. It’s what his father had always called him.
“You get elk, deer, turkey, and hogs, Otto. Maybe a javelina or two. Take it or leave it.”
“Just think about it. We’ll see you next week for elk. Stock up on that Rahr and Sons, would you?”
“That I can do, Otto. See you then.”
He got off the phone, shaking his head. “Unbelievable.” Zebras and giraffes. Emily would chain herself to one of them if she ever found out this was happening in Texas. Although, she probably knew. It wasn’t, however, ever going to happen on the Three Sisters Ranch, that was for damned sure.
Emily was working with her father and Nate today with the cattle. She’d rolled out of his bed at an ungodly hour, but it was nice to watch her naked ass sway into the shower. And it was worth losing some sleep to have soapy shower sex. He hoped she was grinning at the memory just like he was.
Donovan took the ATV out through his hunting grounds. He spooked some hogs and thought he was in for some trouble. One chased him halfheartedly and then gave up when another male bellowed a challenge. He mentally noted the area so Otto and his friends could help clean up the menace. It was a good thing he wasn’t on horseback today. He parked the ATV by the tree stand where he first saw the white elk. He hadn’t seen her since that day, but he knew he was getting close. He’d go another five miles northeast this time and see what he could find.
He moved through the terrain silently, as always a little shocked that he felt so at home in the deep country. Growing up, he and his family had stuck to urban areas because that’s where the money was. Donovan liked it here, damn it. He had thought that all his wandering around had made it difficult for him to be tracked down. But his father had found him anyway. He guessed he wasn’t the only hunter in the family. Squatting down, he found deer tracks and something that suspiciously looked like it might be a cat print. But Texas pumas didn’t come up this far.
He had hunted one in Washington after it had attacked a few hikers and killed a bunch of off-leash dogs. The poor thing had been diseased and near starving. It had been a mercy to put it out of its misery. But he took no pleasure in doing it.
The only other time he’d seen one was when he was hunting a rabid grizzly in Alaska. Donovan had been so focused on tracking the bear, he hadn’t seen the cat on the rock ledge looking down at him. They had stared at each other while he had slowly backed away. He’d missed bagging the grizzly, but it had been worth it to pit himself against the puma and walk away unharmed.
He could have shot it. He had enough firepower to take down a six-hundred-pound bear. It didn’t seem right, though. If it had charged him, Donovan would have had no problem pulling the trigger. But it had been content to laze on the rock ledge and watch the humans go by. Live and let live.
Fuck, that was all he needed—Otto and his jackholes getting wind there could be a lion around here. He took a picture of the print with his cell phone to compare it with one he’d search for on the internet. It definitely didn’t have nail prints, so it probably wasn’t a large dog. And a dog shouldn’t be this far back either.
Staring around the area, he didn’t even see a place for a big cat to hole up. Still, he’d better stick a game camera here, just in case. A thrill shot through him at the thought of a mountain lion. Emily would be proud that he didn’t want to kill it. Not until it proved a threat to humans anyway. In his experience, if you left the puma alone, it left you alone.
Donovan unslung his rifle from his shoulder, just in case. After another few miles, he was about to give up when he heard the barking noises elk make, followed by a long bugle with an elk-y chuckle at the end. It was a little late in the season for mating, but not out of the question. The last freaking thing he wanted to do was get in the way of two bucks, though. There wasn’t any high tree coverage either.
But he’d come this far, he might as well check it out. He didn’t think it was the same herd that he was planning on bringing Otto’s group to. Staying downwind, he circled the area and found a large rock that he could climb to get a better look. Slinging his rifle over his shoulder, he got a toe and finger hold and hoisted himself up. It was slow going, but he managed to pull himself up and sat on top of the rock.
Son of a bitch, there she was. Fumbling for his cell phone, he zoomed in the best he could and snapped pictures of her. She had a few suitors trying to impress her and a couple more approaching her. Of course, there wasn’t a damned cell signal out here. At least now he knew where she was and he could set Kelly up on the rock for her pictures. If worse came to worst, he could leave a salt lick or two down there.
Climbing carefully down, his face hurt and he realized it was from grinning so much. How the hell was he going to leave here when his lease was up? He drove straight to the ranch house and knocked on the door. Sarah answered.
“Donovan, come on in. What brings you around?”
“I saw the white elk. I’ve got her on film.” He pulled out his phone and showed her.
Sarah marveled at the picture, making him show it twice more. “Look at the size of her. I’d love to see her up close.”
Nodding, Donovan accepted his phone back from her. “I think we can arrange that. I know Emily’s not back yet, but I sent it to her once I had signal. I’m not sure she has signal where she is either.”
“Probably not.”
“That’s what she really should do—put a cell tower on the land,” Donovan joked. But the smile slid off his face. Why the hell not?
Sarah seemed to have the same thought. “I’ll mention it to her.”
“Couldn’t hurt to look into it.”
“Why don’t you go show those pictures to Kelly. She and Trent are up at the school. She’s doing candid photos for some of the students.”
“Will do.” He turned to leave, but she stopped him when she cleared her throat.
“Donovan, what are your intentions toward my daughter?”
Oh boy.
“Would you believe me if I said my intentions were pure?”
“Do I look like I was born yesterday, son?”
He had to swallow hard for a moment. It had been a long time since a woman his mother’s age had called him that. “I think the world of your daughter, Sarah. I think you guys don’t give her the credit she deserves for growing up into a smart, fierce woman.”
“Don’t hurt her,” she said.
“You first.” He nodded his head at her. “Ma’am.”
Donovan could feel Sarah’s gaze on the back of his neck as he turned and left. Feeling like he’d dodged a bullet, he hopped back into the ATV and drove up the driveway to Trent’s rodeo school. He pulled up to the building and saw Kelly taking some pictures of a group of students in the practice pen. The high school kids were practicing putting a bull into the chute and some were in the pen acting as bullfighters. Trent was with a nervous-looking boy who kept wringing his rope in his hand. It looked like they had their hands full. He should come back later.
Billy King, Trent’s manager, was leaning up against the side of the school. He was talking with Alissa, Trent and Kelly’s five-year-old daughter. She was dancing back and forth on one foot and her face was curled up into a scowl. She looked five seconds away from having a meltdown. Hopping down from the ATV, he headed over. Maybe he could offer to take her for a ride or distract her with the picture of the white elk.
“I want to ride the bull,” Alissa said, stomping around Billy.
Billy tried to reason with her. “Maybe when you’re older.”
“Hey, guys,” Donovan said, walking up to them. “Alissa, do you want to see something?”
“No,” she said, crossing her arms.
“How about a ride around the ranch? I promise to go real fast.”
Alissa considered that for a moment. “Okay.”
Thank you, Billy mouthed and took her hand.
They settled Alissa in between them and took the ATV on a wide circle around the training school and the new house. However, as they rounded the far corner, Donovan saw a pack of feral hogs rooting around the new development.
“Shit,” Billy said.
“Shit,” Alissa said gleefully.
Donovan stopped the ATV and reached under the seat for his rifle. Stepping out of the vehicle, he quickly loaded it.
“Billy, why don’t you drive Alissa back to the school?”
“Piggies!” she said and jumped down.
Billy tried to grab her and missed.
The feral hog charged.
Donovan sprinted for her and scooped her up and all but threw her into the ATV. “Go!” Without waiting to see if Billy complied, Donovan dropped to one knee and sighted the rifle down on the boar that was thundering toward him.
Behind him, the ATV’s engine roared and took off like a shot.
Donovan’s first shot stopped the feral hog’s charge. The pack scattered. Whipping his head over his shoulder, he saw Billy driving back to the school. After noting that Alissa wasn’t looking, he put the hog out of its misery. Standing up, he fired his rifle twice at a fleeing hog. But he didn’t have a clear shot at the other three who had decided there was easier prey and had retreated as fast as their hooves could take them.
Blowing out a tense breath, he scanned the area through the scope of his rifle. The hogs were getting really bold to come in this close to the new construction. When he didn’t see anything else threatening him, he lowered the rifle and then slung it on his shoulder. Unsnapping his belt sheath, he took out his skinning knife. Donovan was about to call back to the ranch house to see if Sarah could meet him out here to take it after he dressed the hogs when his phone rang.
“You okay?” Billy said, breathing hard.
“Yeah,” Donovan said. “Is Alissa all right?”
“She’s fine.”
“She wasn’t scared?”
“No. She didn’t even realize what was happening.”
That was good. But someone was going to have to tell her that feral hogs weren’t piggies. They were dangerous. Before Donovan could mention this, Billy said shakily, “Thank you for saving my granddaughter.”
Donovan was at a loss for words.
“Your what?” he heard Trent say on the other side of the phone.
“I’ll talk with you later.” Billy hung up the phone.
Billy had been with Trent all through his professional bull-riding career. And after Trent’s accident and retirement, he still hung around as a business partner. Apparently, there was more to it. Although, he supposed Billy could have meant that since he had taken care of Trent for most of his life, he considered Alissa his granddaughter. Shaking his head, he called Sarah and she agreed to meet him with a cooler for the meat.
After dragging the other hog up to where he had shot the alpha, he was covered in sweat and gore from prepping the meat by the time Sarah got there. But Sarah didn’t even blink and had brought extra water to drink and clean up with, along with some towels that would only be good for rags after this.
“Kelly called and told me what you did.” Sarah hugged him hard once he had washed off.
Since he had taken off his shirt, it was a little awkward, but he patted her on the back. “Alissa wasn’t in any danger,” he lied.
Sarah snorted. “The hell she wasn’t. You take down every last hog you see. Do you hear me, Donovan?”
“I hear you,” he said.
“Trent wants to talk with you, too. I’ll give you a ride back.”
Donovan wished he had a shirt to put on, but once they were back in the rodeo school, Trent tossed him a school T-shirt.
“Thanks,” Donovan said, appreciating the clean cotton.
“Thank you for dinner,” Sarah said. “You’ll be joining us, won’t you.”
It wasn’t a question.
“Yes, ma’am,” Donovan said, and shared a quick grin with Trent.
After she left, Trent’s smile turned into a grimace and he eased into his chair.
“How’s the leg?” Donovan said. Trent was still recovering from riding Corazon del Diablo for the huge purse that had given the Three Sisters Ranch some breathing room.
“I’ve had better days.” He closed his eyes. “I don’t know what I would have done if something had happened to Alissa.”
“She’s was fine. Billy was with me. He’s the one who got her out of there.”
“We heard the shots,” Trent said. “But I didn’t think anything of it until Kelly took off running as Billy pulled up in the ATV. Alissa was so excited and chattering happily and Billy just looked green.”
“How’s he doing?”
Trent rolled his head around on his neck. “What a day.”
“You okay?”
“I found out Billy is my dad today.”
“Oh.” Donovan wasn’t sure what to make of that.
“I never knew who my biological father was. After Alissa came into my life, I took a genealogical DNA test because I wanted to see if I could maybe track down my biological father. My mother had told me he was a bullfighter she never saw again. But it turns out that wasn’t the case.”
“Why did she lie to you?” Donovan wondered what the scam was. Why pretend that Trent’s father was someone else? Was she extorting money? Unfortunately, those weren’t the type of questions you could ask someone. He and Trent were friends, but more in a have a beer once in while friendship, not the share deep, dark personal secrets type. Although that could be where they were headed now. He wasn’t sure how he felt about that. If he got too attached, it would just make leaving harder. Still, for three years, he could have a normal life. The last time that happened, he’d been in high school. And look how that ended up.
“I wish I could ask her. She died when I was a kid.”
Donovan didn’t mean to react, but something must have caught his attention because Trent said, “What?”
Clearing his throat, he said, “I lost my mom when I was a kid, too.”
“Sucks, doesn’t it.”
Donovan nodded.
“You want a beer?”
“Shit yeah.”
Trent winced as he got up and Donovan felt like a fool. “No, sit. I’ll get it.”
Waving him back to his seat, Trent said, “I’ve got to move or I’ll stiffen up and it’ll be worse.” He opened the fridge and handed Donovan a cold bottle.
Donovan tanked half of it before realizing he probably should have eaten something first. He’d been too excited about the white elk to remember to grab a sandwich and then, after dressing the hogs, he was still coming down from the adrenaline.
“I hadn’t received the DNA test results back yet,” Trent said. “But Billy obviously thinks it’s true. He never told me he suspected it. My own father was right next to me for my entire life and I never knew.” Trent shook his head. “I don’t know how to feel about that.”
“Did he treat you right?”
Trent looked at him in surprise. “Yeah, he treated me like I was his own son.”
“I’m not seeing the problem.” Donovan took another swig of his beer. “My old man is in prison for being a grade-A piece of shit.”
Trent winced. “Sorry about that.”
“I’m not. I hope he rots there. Billy always struck me as a nice guy. Did he love your mother?”
“He says he did. He says she wasn’t the type to settle down, and from what I remember, that was true. When she wasn’t drunk, she was heading that way to one party or another. From one man to another.” Trent sighed. “It makes sense that she didn’t know who my father was. I just can’t figure out why she wouldn’t tell me it was Billy. If it could have been anyone, why tell me it was a bullfighter she never saw again?”
“What does Billy think?”
“He refuses to say anything bad about her. But I’m wondering if she tried to get some other bull rider or bullfighter to pay child support.”
Sounded reasonable to him. Follow the money. “Did she ever get any?”
“Billy wouldn’t say. But it explains a lot about how he treated the women who claimed they’d had my baby.”
Donovan nodded. Alissa was Trent and Kelly’s little girl, but Trent hadn’t known about that for most of Alissa’s life because of Billy. “Are you happy that you know Billy’s your biological dad?”
“Yeah, I mean he’s been acting the part all these years and Alissa adores him. But I wish I’d known when I was a dumb kid that he was my father.”
“Hindsight’s a bitch.” If Donovan knew then what he knew now, he would have tried to convince his mother to leave Charlie. Although that probably wouldn’t have worked. She believed in Charlie’s bullshit. She thought Charlie was her ticket to the good life. Instead, he had been her ticket to the afterlife.
“I’m sorry for getting so heavy about this. But after the close call with Alissa and Billy blurting out that he’s her grandfather, I’ve been thrown for a loop. What had you originally come over for? Before the hogs?”
Donovan finished his beer, trying to swim out of all the memories of the past this week had dredged up. He was getting sleepy. The late night, the strenuous hike, the excitement and the emotion topped with the fast beer was sapping his energy.
“I found the elk. The white one.” He pulled out his phone and showed Trent.
“Wow. I’ve never seen anything like that before.”
“Why don’t you hang around and show Kelly when she’s done putting Alissa down for her nap?”
“Can I borrow your couch?”
“It’s lumpy.”
Donovan hid a yawn behind his hand. “I could stretch out on the floor mats.”
“Be my guest. I’m going to drink a little more.”
“Well, I can’t let you drink alone.”
And that’s how Kelly found them, half passed out and staring blearily up at her. “I found her, Kelly,” Donovan said and handed her his phone before his eyes shut.