Leopard 03 - Burning Wild

the run, afraid of leaving Andraya out of her sight even for a short moment. Kyle fought, squirming, going boneless, determined to get back to the little creature he was so interested in.
    As she burst from the grass she saw Evan running toward Andraya. Tears streamed down the little girl’s face. She held out her hands to Evan and he pulled her from the swing, forgetting, in his haste, to undo the seat belt so that he had to unsnap it while he held the sobbing child to him. “Why the hell didn’t you radio us that you were coming out of the house?”

    She glared at him as she skidded to a halt beside him, still wrestling Kyle. “I did call you, several times.
    You didn’t come.” Her heart still thundered in her ears. The smell of the cat had long since been drowned in the skunk’s odor, but she couldn’t get it out of her mind. Her stomach churned. “Call Drake and Joshua. And Jake. Call Jake.”
    She couldn’t stop shaking. Evan regarded her with a puzzled look, but he obediently radioed the others before holding out his hand for her watch. “Let me take a look. Something must be wrong.”
    Emma didn’t move, just stood there, frozen to the spot, until Jake came out, striding toward her, looking invincible, a tower of safety. She handed Kyle off to Joshua as he arrived and flung herself into Jake’s arms, bursting into tears.
    Jake looked to his men for an explanation and all of them shook their heads. “Joshua, take the children inside. The nurse will be showing up soon. Stay in the playroom until she arrives and then watch over them until we’re back to normal. Kyle! Go with Joshua and behave yourself or you’ll be in your room on time-out.”
    Kyle ceased struggling immediately and went with Joshua. Andraya stopped crying the minute Jake sounded stern. Both children wrapped their arms around Joshua’s neck as he carried them back up to the house.
    Jake brought both hands up to Emma’s back and rubbed soothingly. “You’ve got to tell us what’s going on.”
    “Her radio didn’t work,” Evan offered. “I heard Andraya scream and came running. I didn’t see Emma or Kyle until she came bursting out of the grass. She told me she’d radioed for me, but I never got the call.”
    “He was here, Jake.” Emma looked up at him. “I know he was. The one from last night. I smelled him, but then Kyle was chasing a skunk and I could only smell the skunk, but I’m sure . . .” Now she wasn’t so sure. Maybe she was paranoid. Maybe the trauma and the aftereffects of the drug were playing tricks on her.
    “We’ll check,” Drake assured. “I’ll call Conner. He can track anything.”
    Jake took a careful look around, then escorted Emma back to the kitchen, putting her into a chair and making her a cup of tea while they waited. He sat across from her, holding her hand, his thumb gently sliding back and forth over her wrist.
    The radio crackled. “No leopard tracks, Jake. Skunk tracks. Conner found the den, but the skunk is gone. No odor of a cat anywhere, Jake.”
    Emma hung her head, wrapping her hands tightly around the teacup. “I must be paranoid. I’m sorry, Jake.”
    “Don’t be sorry, Emma. You’ve been through hell and you have every right to be upset.”
    “Even without the stupid leopard man prowling around, the skunk could have sprayed Kyle, or worse, what if it had rabies? I should have been more careful.”
    Jake wrapped his arm around her. “Nothing happened, Emma. Kyle’s fine, and so is Andraya. You’re just shaken after last night. The nurse is here today and can help inside the house and they’ll play in the playroom where you know they’re both safe.”
    “Stop calling her the nurse. She has a name. Brenda. And I can’t believe you’ve gotten her to come here when she isn’t even a pediatric nurse. You’re so spoiled, Jake.” The minute the words escaped she covered her mouth, horrified at the bite in her voice, horrified that she sounded so bitchy with him.
    “I don’t like strangers in my home. She’s been around a couple of years now and she knows how we do things around here. She likes the kids and she’s good company for you.”
    “I know, I’m sorry. I’m not myself this morning. I need . . . I don’t know what I need. Anything could have happened to Kyle. He could have gone down to the stables, Jake. One of the horses could have kicked him.”
    “But nothing happened. You grabbed him before he got too far. Parents have scares all the time.