CoyoteWhispers (10 page)

“There’s plenty of food, you don’t have to eat off Gordie’s
plate.” Kat offered the platter of bacon to Tatum.

“Oh, don’t worry.” Tatum scooped up a pile of crispy strips.
“I’ll eat this
and
hers.”

“Don’t eat too much. I’d hate for you to throw up in my car
on the way back to town,” Dale said.

“Who said I’m traveling with you?”

Dale stared across the table at Tatum. Steve waited for the
sheriff to back down like he had the night before but this time it was Tatum’s
turn to give in.

“Fine. But I’m eating as much as I want. I haven’t chucked
since the first month of my pregnancy and I don’t plan on starting again now.”

He thought it best to deflect any more discussion of
vomiting at the breakfast table. “I’ll take the plow out as soon as we’ve
eaten. It won’t take long to get to town. Anyone take a look this morning to
see how deep the snow is?”

“Yeah, we got about a foot. Not much considering how hard it
was coming down when we went to bed,” Brogan said as he reached for the
coffeepot.

“Only a foot?” Steve had expected much more than that.

“If we all follow you down the mountain we shouldn’t have
any problems. Once you’ve plowed, our snow tires and chains should handle the
road easily.” Quinn pushed back his chair and picked up his plate. “Are we
heading to the clinic or Doc’s house first?”

“Doc’s. I want to get in and out of there as quickly as
possible and I didn’t think we needed to go back to the clinic,” Steve said
between bites of food.

“Someone will have to pull my car out of the ditch,” Tatum
mumbled around a mouthful.

“Your car? Why is your car in a ditch?” Gordie asked.

“I slid on some ice down the road a bit last night, had to
walk the rest of the way.” Tatum shoveled food into her mouth as if she hadn’t
eaten in months.

“You what?” Gordie pushed her chair back and stood. “Get up.
I want to check you over.”

“Relax, Doc, I did some checking of my own and I’m good.”

“You can’t examine yourself.” Doc’s hands went to her hips.

Steve bit the inside of his cheek to hold in the chuckle at
Doc’s attempt to give Tatum a stern look. The other woman raised one eyebrow
and continued to eat breakfast. He’d come to the conclusion that Tatum did
whatever the hell she wanted and you either got in line with her or bashed your
head on an invisible brick wall.

“Eat some more and then I’ll let you take a look at us,
Doc.” Tatum aimed her fork at Gordie’s plate. “If you wait too long I’ll snatch
that bacon up.”

He watched Doc struggle to decide what to do. That mind of
hers was trying to work out whether it was worth arguing. With a sigh, she sat
back down and Steve patted her leg. She glanced at him and smiled. Warmth
flowed through him, centered in his chest and he leaned over to drop a peck on
her lips.

“Eat up. You can check Tatum’s okay while I get the plow
ready to go.”

“Honestly, Doc, I’m fine. I was tired from the walk but no
bumps or bruises mar this tub of a body.”

“You weren’t hurt in the crash?”

“Crash is far too severe a word to use for the slide that
put me in the ditch. That old tank of mine just rolled to a stop nose down. It
was the best stop I’ve ever made and I wasn’t even in control.”

“Maybe that’s why?” Dale said.

Steve glanced across the table at his friend. The man had
wrinkles on his forehead and his lips were stretched in a thin line as he
stared at Tatum. Tension vibrated between them, the air crackling with some
fight he wasn’t privy to.

“Yes, you’ve made yourself clear about your opinion of my
driving, Sheriff.”

Everyone was silent. No one breathed as the two of them
faced off. He didn’t have a clue what was going on or why and he really didn’t
have time to worry about it. To his surprise, Tatum was the first to break
their death stare.

“Thanks for a great breakfast, Kat.” Tatum pushed her chair
back and stood. “When you’re ready, Doc, I’ll be in the room I shared with
Kat.”

One by one his friends got up and followed Tatum to the
kitchen with their plates. As he and Doc had been the last to sit down they
were still eating when everyone else had gone.

“What’s going on with Dale and Tatum?” he asked.

“I have no idea.”

“But you knew she was coming back to the mountains.”

“Yeah, she rang me early last month and asked if I was still
looking for a nurse to help out part-time at the clinic.” Doc took a sip of
coffee. “It’s hard to get anyone on account of them needing to be coyote so I
told her anytime she turned up she had a job.”

“Obviously she accepted.”

“She told me she’d start mid-January.”

“Did she also tell you she was pregnant?”

“Yes. Said she wanted to bring her babies into the world at
home.”

“What about the father? And it’s not like this has been home
for her in years.”

“I don’t know, Steve. All I know is I’d give my right arm
for some help at the clinic and she’s just what I’d wish for. I remember her
coming to the clinic when Dad was still there. She had to be about ten and even
then she knew she wanted to be a nurse.”

“Seems strange that she’d stay away for so long and suddenly
come back. Babies aside, it just doesn’t seem right.”

“I guess, but then look at Dale. He came back out of the
blue and look how well that worked out.”

“Yeah, it was a good thing for the pack.”

“This will be too.”

“I hope so.”

They finished their meal in silence and Steve stacked their
plates and mugs. He stood. “You go take a look at Tatum. I know you were
thinking about it the whole time you ate breakfast.”

She stood beside him and smiled. “Thanks. I am worried,
especially now I know she drove her car into a ditch last night.”

He kissed her forehead. “Go, I’ll clear these away and meet
you in the garage when you’re done.”

Steve found Kat alone in the kitchen loading the dishwasher
and as much as he didn’t want to have a conversation with her about her sister
now, he figured it was probably best to get it over and done with. He didn’t need
to start talking. She fired a question at him before he’d taken three steps
into the room.

“You going to let her run you around for the next few years
or will you man up and marry her?” She kept her back to him and didn’t stop
what she was doing.

He walked over to the sink and rinsed the plates and cups,
handing them to her to stack in the dishwasher. When he was done he turned and
leaned back against the counter, waited for her to look at him.

Kat put the final dish in the machine and straightened. She
looked at him but before he could say a word she spoke again.

“I’m preaching to the choir, aren’t I?” She sighed.

Steve smiled. “Yeah.”

“She can’t really give you the runaround now though, can
she? I mean it’s not like she can change what you did yesterday and everyone is
going to smell you on her so whether she likes it or not she’ll have to own up
to it.”

“I think she will. You know what Doc’s like, once she makes
up her mind it’s full steam ahead.”

“I can’t believe she didn’t say anything about that fucking
dress.”

The subject change threw him for a second but he soon caught
up with her. “Did you notice anything odd at the house?”

“No. The only difference to any other night we’ve shared
dinner was her wanting me to stay over.”

“Nothing about the house seemed off? What about Doc?”

“She was a little tense but then she always is this time of
year so I didn’t think too much of it. In fact that’s what I put her asking me
to sleep there down to.” Kat shrugged. “Figured she just wanted to know she
wasn’t alone.”

He rubbed the back of his neck. “I’m moving her in here as
of yesterday. We’ll collect essentials today and leave the house locked up
until after New Year or when your parents arrive, whichever comes first. Maybe
you should think about staying out here with us.”

“I was planning to spend the next week with Wendy. She isn’t
going home for Christmas this year and with Mom and Dad arriving sometime
before New Year’s Eve, I think it best I stay in town.”

“You and Wendy could come out here.”

Kat placed a hand on his arm. “Steve, I know you’re just
being the gentlemen you are but you don’t really want me and Wendy underfoot
for the next week. Besides, I think you and Gordie deserve to have this next
week locked away in this house on the mountain. So I will gracefully consider
your offer but regretfully decline it.”

Steve laughed. “Was I that obvious?”

“No, but the sparks that fly between you two are sure to
singe my hair if I stand too close.” She grinned. “Go get the plow ready so we
can get this show on the road.”

He wasn’t sure which one of them was more surprised when he
pulled her into his arms for a hug. Kat remained stiff for a second before
giving him one quick squeeze and breaking free.

“I’m glad you two finally got together. Gordie deserves to
be happy and you’re the one man I know who’ll make sure she will be.”

She strode from the room before he could comment. His chest
tightened and his heart beat hard against his sternum. That Kat thought he was
good for Doc pleased him way more than he thought it should. He’d never
considered anyone’s opinion important. The only person he’d ever set out to
please was Doc and he’d screwed that up in so many ways he’d often thought he
didn’t deserve her. But Kat’s faith in him made him feel worthy and Steve would
do everything in his power to prove her right.

Steve headed for the garage. He found Brogan, Quinn and Dale
already there, struggling to fit the snow plow to the front of his truck.
Glancing through the open roller door he saw they’d already shoveled the
driveway and turn-around so he could get the truck out.

“How the fuck does this thing go on?” Brogan asked.

“With great difficulty, but it shouldn’t be too hard with
all of us here. Normally it’s just me that fits it,” Steve said.

“Why isn’t it on already? You usually have this thing on
from late November or early December.” Quinn stood straight. “I can’t get that
thing to lock in.”

“We haven’t had as much snow this year.” Steve bent down to
adjust a bracket on the front of his truck. “There, that should do it.”

They worked together and quickly had the single-blade plow
fitted for the trip to town. He’d leave it on now, until late February, that
way he’d be able to get to and from town without much trouble. Since he’d moved
into his house he no longer had direct access to the town plow, it was kept in
a storage shed behind the community center and Harry was now in charge of
clearing the main streets in Whispering Springs.

“Ready?” Dale asked.

“As I’ll ever be,” Steve answered.

“We’ll all go to Doc’s house. The women can help her get
some things together to bring back here and we’ll take a look around,” Brogan
said.

“Thanks.”

“Don’t thank me, Steve. I should have killed the bastard
when we caught him. Instead I did the right thing and had him exiled.” Brogan’s
fists clenched at his sides.

“You weren’t the only one who had your hands on him that
day. And remember I didn’t rip his throat out even though I knew what had
happened to Doc up here last May.” Steve had almost given in to the need to
hurt Marcus that day, but he hadn’t.

“Water under the bridge. What if’s will eat you alive if you
let them, best to move on and learn from your mistakes.” Dale walked over to
the door to the house. “I’ll tell the women we’re ready to go whenever they
are.”

“So what’s going on between our sheriff and Tatum?” Quinn
asked.

“No idea. I asked Doc before and she’s as clueless as I am,”
Steve said.

“She’s a tough little thing, stood up to him without batting
an eyelid.” Brogan pulled his keys out of his pocket. “Never thought I’d see
that. Most run a mile and it’s not his size that frightens people, it’s the
don’t
come near me
vibe he gives off.”

“Yeah, I know what you mean. He’s been like that all his
life but it’s worse since he returned from the city,” Quinn added.

Steve could understand that. The thought of living in the
city for years put him in a bad mood, never mind actually living there. “The
city will do that to you.”

“Not sure it was the city or what happened in it that made
him worse.” Quinn headed for the driveway. “I’m gonna warm up my truck, tell
Rowan that’s where I am when she finally gets her ass in gear.”

“Hey, my ass is in gear.” Rowan stepped out of the house
into the garage. “Don’t go getting all smart mouthed or Santa won’t bring you
any presents.”

Brogan laughed. “Santa isn’t likely to bring Quinn anything
but coal in his sack. He’s got bad boy ticks tallied up until eternity.”

“Like you’re any better.” Rowan swatted her brother on the
arm as she walked past.

“Hey.” Brogan cradled his arm against his chest.

“Are those two at it again?” El asked.

“Quinn started it.” Brogan and Rowan spoke together.

Quinn rolled his eyes and turned to head outside. “I’m
leaving now, Rowan.”

“I’m coming, I’m coming.” She jogged after him.

“Come on, let’s get this show on the road.” Brogan offered
his hand to El and led her from the garage.

Everyone else filed out of the house and Steve locked the
door. Dale escorted Tatum with a hand on her elbow out to his squad car and Kat
jumped in the back of Brogan’s truck which left him and Doc.

“Kat could have come with us,” he said.

“I think she wanted to talk to Brogan about something.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah, something about the new guide starting next year.
She’s supposed to do some training with him, I think. I can’t remember exactly
what she told me.”

He helped Gordie into the truck and shut the door. Jumping
over the plow, he skirted the front end and got in the driver’s seat. In no
time he’d reversed out and turned around. Steve drove through the unshoveled
side of his driveway to the road. One by one the other vehicles fell in behind
him and they headed for town.