Cole drummed his fingers on the tabletop. “I don’t know about Al. I hope not. He pulled you away from the fence that was giving way, and he’s done a good job with the crew and given his best to the ranch.”
“He’s helped me a lot,” Jase said, his voice tight. “No one ever took the time to work with me. I’ve learned about the horses and cattle, the hay, even repairing fences. He always answers my questions, and he never makes me feel stupid.”
“I like the man too, Jase,” Cole said. “I honestly don’t know one way or the other, but if I’m right about all this, I don’t think he could be in on it. If I’m right, his brother-in-law is the perp, and he tried to get you and Al off the ranch.”
“I never liked Fred.” Jase ducked his head. “I was sometimes afraid it was you, Cole.” He confessed it in a soft rush of words. “I’m sorry. I tried not ever to think it, but I can’t seem to trust anyone very much.”
Cole’s smile held no humor. “If anyone can understand, Jase, it’s definitely me. I was having the same problem worrying about you. We’ll make it through this and whatever else is thrown at us. Together. Maia’s right. We can make our own traditions and become a family right here. We’ve come a long way just by taking back the house.”
Jase nodded. “That’s true. And it looks great. The doc threw a bunch of pillows on all the furniture in the living room, and it looks completely different. With the tree and Mom’s quilt, I feel like the house is really ours.”
Maia set her teacup on the table and stood up. “I’m glad you like it, Jase. I’d better get to work if you want me to check the horses in the stable too. I’ll see to Wally first, check the horses, then feed the mountain lion. I don’t want her scent on me when I’m around the horses.”
“I didn’t think about that,” Jase said.
“You’ve always got to remember what you’re doing around exotics, Jase. You can never become complacent. You can’t ever turn your back on them. People have no business owning them and trying to turn them into pets. I’ve heard of a tiger being kept in an apartment building. It was rescued, but then what do you do with it? Zoos have little funding, and the rescue sanctuaries are full. It leaves euthanasia as the only choice. It makes me angry.”
Her gaze met Cole’s piercing blue eyes, and she shrugged. “I told you I have a bad temper. Anything to do with the mistreatment of animals brings out the worst in me. It takes so much to run the rescue sanctuaries, and half the time they don’t have the funding they need to feed and shelter and provide veterinarian care for exotics.”
“Why is it so much, Doc?” Jase asked. “You’d think people would pay to see the animals, and that would provide the money for their care.”
“It would be nice if it were that simple, but it isn’t. You need licensed people who know what they’re doing, an enormous area, and all exotics have special needs. You can’t return them to the wild like a lot of people mistakenly want you to do.” Maia realized her voice was rising, and she blushed, holding up her hands in surrender. “I’ll stop, it’s the only safe thing to do.”
Cole leaned over to brush her mouth with his. “I like you all fired up. I can see we aren’t going to have any hunting on this property anytime soon.”
She looked flustered, indignant, a little wary. Maia pulled away from him, glancing at Jase, who was grinning. “Is the weather really going to give us a break tomorrow?”
Immediately the smile left the boy’s face. “Not that much of a break, right Cole? Not enough to get into town.”
Cole’s expression shut down completely. His shoulders tightened. He drummed his fingers on the table, watching Maia closely. “We could probably get you out if you really wanted to leave before Christmas, Maia. I don’t want you to go, and neither does Jase, but if you have somewhere important to go, we’ll do our best to get you there.”
Jase shook his head hard, his lips pressed tightly together. Maia caught the glitter of tears in his eyes as he turned away from her. The room was suddenly filled with terrible tension.
“Somehow I can’t see the two of you taking care of the mountain lion without me.” She tried to keep her voice teasing to lighten the situation. Her heart was breaking for them both. A man and boy struggling to be normal when they didn’t even know what normal was. She didn’t need the pretense from them, and she didn’t want it. Deliberately she poked Jase in the ribs. “You’d get eaten, although if Cole doesn’t feed you every five minutes, the cat might be in danger.”
“It would depend on how hungry I am,” Jase said.
“Are you saying you would eat a cat?” Cole lifted his eyebrow, but inside he could feel the tight knots in his stomach beginning to loosen. She wasn’t going to leave them. He had a reprieve.
“Ugg, you’re a sick, sick man, bro. I wouldn’t really.”
Maia stood up, pushing back her chair. “I’m off to work; you both behave while I’m gone.”