Black Hills

else there’d have been fresh tracks.”
    “None of the animals were hurt? Any locks tampered with?” she added when he shook his head.
    “We couldn’t find anything, nothing touched, taken. I know how it sounds, Lil, but when I went out, it felt like someone was there. Watching me. I just want you to keep an eye out, make sure you lock your doors.”
    “Okay. Thanks, Matt. Let’s all be careful.”
    There were strange people out there, she thought as she put her coat back on. From the No Animal Should Be in Prison—as some thought of a refuge—to Animals Are Meant to Be Hunted and Killed. And everything in between.
    They got calls, letters, e-mails from both ends of the spectrum. Some with threats. And they’d had the occasional trespasser. But so far, there’d been no trouble.
    She wanted to keep it that way.
    She’d go have a look around herself. Odds were, after a couple of days there would be nothing for her to find. But she had to look.
    She shot a wave to Lucius, opened the door.
    And nearly walked straight into Cooper.

7
    It was a toss-up who was more surprised, and disconcerted. But it was Lil who jolted back, even if she recovered quickly. She plastered on a smile and put a friendly laugh in her voice.
    “Well, hi, Coop.”
    “Lil. I didn’t know you were back.”
    “Yesterday.” She couldn’t read his face, his eyes. Both, so familiar, simply didn’t speak to her. “Coming in?”
    “Ah, no. You got a package—your place got a package,” he corrected, and handed it to her. He wasn’t wearing gloves, she noted, and his heavy jacket was carelessly open to the cold.
    “I was sending something off for my grandmother, and since I was heading back to the farm, they asked if I’d mind dropping it off.”
    “Thanks.” She set it aside, then stepped out and closed the door rather than let the heat pump out. She fixed her hat on her head, the same flat-brimmed style she’d always favored. Standing on the porch, she pulled on one of her gloves. It gave her something to do as he watched her in silence. “How’s Sam? I just heard yesterday that he’d gotten hurt.”
    “Good, physically. It’s hard on him, not being able to do everything he wants, get around the way he did.”
    “I’m going by later.”
    “He’ll like that. They both will.” He slid his hands into his pockets, kept those cool blue eyes on her face. “How was South America?”
    “Busy, and fascinating.” She pulled on her other glove as they walked down the steps. “Mom said you’d sold your detective agency.”
    “I was done with it.”
    “You did a lot, left a lot, to help two people who needed you.” The finality in his voice, the flatness in it had her stopping. “It counts, Cooper.”
    He only shrugged. “I was ready for a change anyway. This is one.” He glanced around. “You’ve added more since I was here.”
    She sent him a puzzled look. “When were you here?”
    “I came by when I was out last year. You were . . . somewhere.” He stood at ease in the cold, while the brisk wind kicked through the already disordered waves of his dense brown hair. “Your friend gave me the tour.”
    “She didn’t mention it.”
    “He. French guy. I heard you were engaged.”
    Guilt balled in her belly. “Not exactly.”
    “Well. You look good, Lil.”
    She forced her lips to curve, forced the same casualness he projected into her voice. “You too.”
    “I’d better get going. I’ll tell my grandparents you’re going to try to come by.”
    “I’ll see you later.” And with an easy smile, she turned to walk to the small-cat area. She circled around until she heard his truck start, until she heard it drive away. Then she stopped.
    There, she thought, not so bad. The first time would be the hardest, and it wasn’t so bad.
    A few aches, a few bumps. Nothing fatal.
    He did look good, she thought. Older, tougher. Sharper in the face, harder around the eyes. Sexier.
    She could live through that. They might be friends again. Not the way they’d been, even before they’d become lovers. But they might be friendly. His grandparents and her parents were good friends, close friends. She and Coop would never be able to avoid each other gracefully, so they’d just have to get along as best they could. Be friendly.
    She could do it if he could.
    Satisfied, she began to scout around the habitats for signs of trespass—animal or human.
     
     
     
    COOP LOOKED INTO the rearview mirror as he drove away, but she