Black Hills

the cougar he’d carved for her when they’d been children.
    Sitting cross-legged on the floor, she ran her fingers over the lines as she had countless times over the years. She’d put it away, true. But she took it with her when she traveled, kept it in that drawer at home. Her good-luck piece. And a tangible piece of him she’d never been able to toss away.
    Through that roughly carved symbol, Coop had gone with her to Peru, to Alaska, to Africa and Florida and India. He’d been her companion on every field study.
    Twenty years, she thought, nearly twenty years since he’d taken a block of wood and carved the image of what he knew—even then—she valued.
    How could she live without that? Why would she choose to?
    Standing, she set the cougar on her dresser, then opened another drawer.
    She felt a tug for Jean-Paul. She hoped he was well, and he was happy. She wished him the love he deserved. Then she emptied the drawer.
    She carried the lingerie downstairs. A fire crackled in the hearth, and the scent of coffee tantalized the air. In the kitchen she put the nightwear in a bag, and with a smile ghosting around her mouth put it in the laundry room.
    It would wait until he got home, she thought, because this was home now. For both of them. Home was where you loved, if you were lucky. Where someone would light the fire and be there when you came back.
    It was where you kept the precious. A baseball bat, a carved cougar.
    She poured a mug of coffee and, carrying it with her, went upstairs to dress for the day. It was a good day, she thought, when you opened yourself to both the joys and the risks of love.
     
     
     
    COOP WORKED UP the first sweat of the morning mucking out the stalls. They had three group rentals booked for the day, two of them guided, so he’d need to load up a couple more horses and get in to set up. He needed to schedule a visit from the vet and the farrier, both at the stables and at the farm. He had to get in, check the website for future bookings.
    And he wanted an hour, a good hour without interruptions to study the files, his notes, the map and try to find a new angle for tracking down Ethan Howe.
    It was there, he knew it was there. But somehow he was missing it. A handful of men couldn’t cover the hundreds of acres of hills, forests, caves, and flats. The dogs couldn’t hold the scent when there was essentially nothing to hold.
    A lure was needed. Something to lure Ethan out, just far enough to trap him. But since the only bait that seemed potent enough to accomplish that was Lil, he had to find another way.
    Another angle.
    He tossed another load of soiled hay into the wheelbarrow, then leaned on the pitchfork as his grandfather came in. Barely a limp now, Coop noted, though it generally increased if Sam stayed on his feet for several hours.
    The angle there, Coop knew, was to get the man to take periodic breaks without making them seem like breaks.
    “Just the man I wanted to see.” Coop shifted to stand between Sam and the barrow before his grandfather got it in his head to haul the manure out to the pile. “Do me a favor, will you? We need vet and farrier appointments here and at the stables. If you could set those up it would save me some time today.”
    “Sure. I told you I’d see to the mucking out.”
    “Right. I guess I forgot. Well, it’s nearly done.”
    “Boy, you don’t forget a damn thing. Now hand over that pitchfork.”
    “Yes, sir.”
    “In case you’re working your brains trying to find other ways to keep me out of trouble and in the rocking chair, I’ll ease your mind.” With the grace of long experience, Sam went to work on the last stall. “Joe and Farley are going to give me some time today helping check fences. I’m going to hire the young Hossenger boy to do some chores around here, before and after school. If he works out, I’ll keep him on through the summer. He’s got it in his head he wants to work with horses. We’ll give him a try.”
    “Okay.”
    “He’s got a strong back and he’s not an idiot. I was talking to Bob Brown yesterday. He tells me his granddaughter’s looking for a job. Girl can ride, and she’s thinking about asking you if you need another guide.”
    “I could use one, especially with the season coming up. Does she know the trails?”
    “Bob says she does, and she’s got a head on her shoulders. You can talk to her yourself, and decide.”
    “I’ll do that.”
    Sam puffed out his cheeks. “Jessie Climp