Pippa
“Oh, come on. It’s only lunch.”
Marcie is persistent.
She caught me coming out of the Job Service Resource Center in downtown Libby, one block over from her real estate office.
I’ve had a few lunches with Marcie and all of them started in the middle of the afternoon and ended up sliding into dinner. On top of that, they were mostly liquid. Not a chance I’d get away not drinking without some kind of explanation, and I’m not ready for that.
“Come on. Cade wants to celebrate. Five baiting stations taken down in two weeks, that’s some kind of record. Besides, you know he’ll want to see you.”
The Cade she’s referring to is Cade Jackson, a conservationist with the DNRC—the Department of Natural Resources and Conservation—and founder of the Fair Game Alliance.
He would be the second reason for me to avoid going to lunch, seeing as I’ve been ignoring his messages.
He’s around my age, decent-looking, passionate about his cause, and hasn’t exactly made it a secret I caught his attention. We’ve flirted a bit back and forth—harmless enough—although last time it felt like he was working up to asking me out on an actual date and I bailed before he could. The flirting was nice exercise, but Cade doesn’t strike me as a casual guy and I wasn’t really interested in a committed relationship of any kind. At least not that soon after I got burned by Sully, only a year after my ex did his damage.
I’m like Pigpen, except instead of dirt I attract disaster. It seems to follow me around.
“I really can’t. I’m supposed to be meeting my sister and go over some business stuff. As you well know, I need to get my auto shop off the ground. Which—now that I think about it—you actually might be able to help me with.”
We’re blocking the sidewalk so I pull her out of the way of some passersby.
“I just posted a couple of job openings. One for a part-time office manager with experience in an automotive setting and another for a licensed mechanic, but I recall you mentioning something about a guy who used to work for the previous owner?”
“Yeah, Ira Nelson. He’s a licensed mechanic but I’m not sure he’d want to work for you. He was the only other person interested in the auto shop, but he wasn’t able to wing it financially. At least not yet. He wouldn’t have been happy finding out it sold from under his nose.”
She makes a good point, he likely wouldn’t be happy with me, unless I could make it worth his while. I’ll have to think on that.
It takes me another five minutes to extract myself from Marcie’s clutches before I can hop in my truck. I want to catch my sister who—according to her husband—is at Bean There, a local coffee shop. Supposedly she’s covering lunch for Kaylie, the young barista she’s taken under her wing. Why? Fletch wasn’t able to tell me, but I’m sure I’m about to find out.
I’m a little nervous when I find Nella’s eyes on me as I walk in. I haven’t seen her since I discovered I am pregnant. I’ve never been a successful liar and Nella is like a human lie detector. I’m worried she’ll take one look at me and know before I get a chance to tell her.
While she deals with a customer, I take a seat at a small table for two near the cash register. From here I can observe her. I’m still getting used to the fact my sister is wearing jeans all the time now, let alone maternity jeans. In the last six months she’s shown a whole new side to her I’d never really seen before, and I somehow feel closer to her.
I never questioned her love for me but before it expressed itself in motherly concern, despite only three years between us. However, since both landing here in Libby, she is more direct, more open, and definitely more relatable. Not that she’s a different person exactly, but she’s definitely come out of her shell. Fletch probably has something to do with it. Her pregnancy certainly has.
Or perhaps the change is in me.
“Vanilla latte.”
Nella slides a takeout cup in front of me. My favorite. I haven’t had coffee in over a week and my mouth waters at the sweet scent.
“Thanks.” I take a small sip, mostly foam, trying to avoid my sister’s observant gaze. “So what’s wrong with Kaylie? How come you have to cover for her?”
“She had to drive her mom to the hospital for a procedure.”
“Oh dear, I hope she’s okay.”
Nella leans forward over the table, clearly not wanting the folks at the only other occupied table to overhear.
“Routine colonoscopy.”
“Ah, gotcha.”
I take another careful sip of the brew, wondering if indulging in one coffee would harm the baby. I should’ve asked Dr. Tippen this morning but I had other priorities.
“How’d you know where to find me?” Nella suddenly asks.
“Fletch. You weren’t answering your phone and I wanted to make sure everything was okay so I called him.”
“As you can see, I’m fine.” She tilts her head slightly. “But I get the feeling that’s not why you’re here.”
See?
“You know that sixth sense of yours is not normal, right? It’s downright creepy and I pity that kid of yours. He’ll never know the secret pleasure of a snuck Halloween candy or the joys of a good hide-and-seek.”
She grins wide. “Quit beating around the bush and spill, what are you up to?”
“Actually, I’m in the process of hiring a mechanic and someone to help run the office. I want to open up the shop.”
Yes, I know I’m being evasive, but I figure it won’t hurt to soften her up with this information first before easing into the big announcement.
“You got your work visa?”
“No, not yet, but I figure I own the place, I’m paying utilities, I may as well start building some clientele.”
“Wow. But didn’t you say you wanted to run it by yourself for a while before hiring anyone?”
“True, but who knows how long it’ll be before I can actually start working.”
I’m not lying, but it’s a half-truth at best, because that isn’t the reason I’m suddenly in a hurry. The dubious look on Nella’s face tells me she knows I’m holding something back.
Time to put my big-girl panties on.
“That,” I continue, “and also the fact there’s been a slight change in my situation.”
“Oh?”
A look of concern steals over her face and I’m afraid her imagination may be worse than my reality, so I forge ahead.
“I’m pregnant.”
Sully
“If you want, I can drop it off for you. I was heading out anyway.”
Alex, who was already shrugging on her coat, stops and looks at me.
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah, it’s not a problem.”
I don’t mention it was my intended destination to begin with. I found out from Fletch that Nella had seen her sister this afternoon and Pippa should be back at the farmhouse. After an interesting exchange I had last night at Pulpit Mountain, I definitely want a word with her.
Alex hands me the bag of powdered milk supplement for a young foal at the rescue, providing me with an excellent excuse to stop by.
“Want us to save you some dinner?” Thomas asks from his perch at the kitchen island.
The smirk on his face makes it clear he couldn’t care less whether or not I eat. Nosy old fart. I don’t bother with a response—he’s not really expecting one anyway—and make my way to the door, his teasing chuckle following me.
Her motorhome is parked beside the small horse trailer and her pickup is in front of the house. The two dogs run up to my truck, barking, and Lucy is heading this way from the corral as well. I greet Chief and Scout before I pull the bag of supplement from the back of the truck.
“That’s perfect,” she says, taking it from my hands. “Floyd isn’t gaining as much as he should.”
“You named Hope’s colt Floyd?” I ask disbelievingly.
“So? It’s a perfectly fine name for him.”
Poor little guy, but I know better than to argue with Lucy so I let it slide.
“Pippa around?”
Lucy jerks her head toward the back of the property. “She took a ride to the creek.”
The creek would be Swamp Creek, which borders the north side of the property.
I became very familiar with the lay of the land here when we were hunting down a bunch of domestic terrorists last year.
“She left half an hour ago. I don’t think she’ll be too long,” Lucy continues, shooting me a funny look. “She took Ladybug, who doesn’t spook. She’s as docile as they come.”
Not sure why she’s sharing that information. I know Pippa can hold her own in the saddle.
“Mind if I head back there?”
“Be my guest.”
I don’t get very far. As soon as I clear the copse of trees behind the back meadow, I can see her coming toward me and I stop to wait. When she comes within thirty feet of me, I can tell she’s been crying and I’m instantly alarmed.
“What the hell’s wrong?” It comes out harsher than I intended and I immediately try to soften the impact. “Is everything all right? Are you hurt?”
“I’m fine.”
The response is curt and I have to grab on to the horse’s reins when she threatens to ride clear past me.
“Hey…hold up.”
“What do you want, Sully?”
I don’t like the dejected tone of her voice.
“We need to talk.”
She surprises me by barking out a laugh.
“Afraid it’s a little late for talking,” she mumbles before urging the horse forward.
Forced to let go of the reins, I let her go but follow behind as she returns to the barn. She’s already disappeared inside by the time I get there.
I’m about to step in the barn door when I pick up Lucy’s voice.
“It’s him, isn’t it?”
Him? Is she talking about me? Am I the reason she was crying?
I can hear Pippa responding but I can’t make out what she says. Whatever it is seems to stall the conversation and I continue through the door.
Scout—the more inquisitive of the two dogs—makes a beeline for me as soon as I step inside. The moment Pippa sees me, she grabs the saddle off Ladybug’s back and carries it into the small tack room. I glance over at Lucy, who is sitting on a hay bale, a pretty black foal tucked between her knees as she tries to feed it from a bottle. She doesn’t look up.
I’m pretty sure I walked in on something but it doesn’t look like either one of them is eager to fill me in. Pippa appears and, without looking at me, walks over to Ladybug, unties her, and leads her right past me and out of the barn.
Her evasiveness is starting to piss me off.
“Pippa!” I call after her and I’m about to follow her—again—when Lucy speaks up.
“Go easy on her. She’s got a lot on her plate.”
Lucy is a bit of a hard-ass, so her sudden display of sensitivity is a bit of a surprise. There is definitely something going on with Pippa.
I catch up with her just as she takes the lead rope off Ladybug’s halter and slaps her rump, sending her cantering into the field to join the small herd.
“We need to talk,” I repeat my earlier words as I block her way back to the barn.
She shuts her eyes and exhales on a harsh sigh.
“What do you want to talk about, Sully?”
“For starters, how about your association with the Fair Game Alliance.”
That seems to startle her. She looks genuinely surprised.
“Fair Game? What about it?”
“You’re involved with that group?”
“Uhh…yeah. Why? There’s nothing illegal about Fair Game. In fact, we work together with the game warden and the sheriff.”
“I know, I met a friend of yours last night; Cade Jackson.”
I tell her about going up on Pulpit Mountain at the request of the game warden’s office and encountering Jackson there. He’s the one who reported suspected bear baiting going on up there and had a pretty good idea where the feed barrels may have been placed.
It took me less than half an hour to get the Matrice up and pinpoint the location, despite Jackson’s ongoing commentary. I brought the bird back in and called the game warden with the coordinates for the barrels. While we were waiting for one of the wardens, he filled me in on his Fair Game group and their most recent calls.
That’s when Pippa’s name came up.
“You’re taking risks getting involved with shit like this, Pippa,” I tell her. “Some of these guys you have it in for wouldn’t hesitate to hurt you. Camping by yourself off the beaten path is one thing, but doing surveillance on poachers and rogue operators like these guys? And you were just out there for almost a week again, making a fucking target of yourself.”
“Actually, I wasn’t,” she snaps back, her temper flaring. “And who the hell do you think you are anyway?”
“Someone’s clearly gotta look out for you,” I fire back.
Her eyes bulge and her mouth falls open, but only for a moment, then her expression tightens up as she steps into my space, her index finger waving under my nose.
“You? Don’t make me laugh. The same guy who came on to me, took me home, got his jollies off, and proceeded to claim it was all a big mistake. You could barely manage to look in my direction for four fucking months, Sully. Now you wanna look out for me? Give me a break.”
She shoves right past me and stalks toward the house.
Oh yeah, she’s pissed, but if I’m not mistaken, I’m picking up on something else as well. Hurt? The woman is confusing and infuriating at the same time.
I catch up to her in a couple of long strides, hook her behind the neck, and pull her close. Before my mind has a chance to catch up, I kiss her.
Hard.
The next moment the air is sucked from my lungs, and my vision goes blurry with the hot blast of pain doubling me over.
She fucking kneed me in the nuts.