“Cord! Are you teasing me?”
He smiled but shook his head quite seriously. “No. There are lots of owls. They’ve been known to grab a bite during the day, so you’d best keep an eye on her.”
“I’m getting her a leash! We can start leash training today! No owl is carrying off my dog.”
Cord nodded. “That might be the best idea.”
Ellie didn’t seem inclined to do much walking in the snow. Mainly she hovered by their feet, sniffing.
“The last thing I need is a dog,” Tessa murmured. “But once I held her, I knew my heart was lost.”
Cord tightened his jaw, his eyes on Tessa.
Suddenly, Ellie looked toward the woods. She gave a sharp, interested bark. It wasn’t very loud, but it was enough to make Tessa smile with joy.
“Gosh! That’s the first time she’s made a peep!” Tessa gazed proudly at the puppy. “I didn’t even know what she sounded like.”
In the next instant, Ellie was off toward the wooded acreage, her paws scrambling to keep up with where her head wanted to go.
“Ellie!” Tessa ran after her.
Cord hollered, “Ellie!” overtaking Tessa, but he was no match for the puppy as it disappeared into the trees. Night was falling, shrouding the thicket in shadows. It was impossible to see the black-and-white puppy anymore. They could barely hear her tiny barks.
“I’ll go get her,” Cord said. “Stay here.”
“No. I’ll go with you.”
“You don’t know your way around, Tessa. You’ll definitely get lost, and that’ll be two of you I’ll have to search for.”
She stared at him stubbornly. “Cord Greer, it’s my dog. Nobody appointed you my guardian, and my dog isn’t a duty you raised your hand for. Either you take me with you, or—”
“Or what?”
“Or…I go in looking for her as soon as you’re out of sight.” She raised her chin. “She’d come to me quicker than you. She barely knows you. I’m not sure she would trust you.”
“Trust isn’t what she’s thinking about right now. She smelled a squirrel or a skunk and she’s gone investigating. But that’s no reason for you to be out in the cold, Tessa. Her curiosity will be over soon enough. Stay here.”
His tone brooked no argument. Tessa knew that all of Cord’s arguments made sense, far more sense than her running into a forest where she could easily lose her way. “All right. But I still think you need me to help you search.”
“One little puppy doesn’t need a search-and-rescue team. I can handle it. Trust me.”
“I do,” she said softly. “I’ll wait right here.”
He nodded. “If I don’t come back in ten minutes, go home and get warm. Put on a kettle of tea.”
She pulled her jacket collar more closely to her neck and tucked her hands into her cuffs so her hands joined beneath the fabric, warming each other.
“Don’t be stubborn. Go get warm.”
“I will,” she promised.
“If she comes back to the house, ring the triangle.”
“Okay. Hurry and find her before an owl—”
He touched a finger to her lips. “I’ll be right back.”
A second later, he had disappeared into the gloomy, leafless woods. Tessa held her breath, biting her lower lip, and told herself that Cord had tramped through the trees many times. Even Nan was accustomed to walking in the woods.
It was safe for a man and a lost puppy.
THE PUP GAVE A LITTLE YIP when its scruff was grasped securely. She was airborne, her paws scrambling helplessly before she was tucked inside a jacket, zipped securely against a warm chest. The smell of the man was not one she was used to, so she struggled, but there was no hope of escaping.
“Why did you do that?” Salvador demanded. “We do not need a damn dog.”
“He’s cute,” Rossi answered. “And warm. He is not hurting anything. I’ll let him go when we are finished here.” With one finger, he rubbed the soft muzzle poking out of his jacket.
“Shh!” Salvador listened intently. From somewhere, a man’s voice called urgently, followed by a whistle meant to entice a dog to return. “Señor Vaquero.”
“Sí. Guess he is looking for you.” Rossi touched the tip of the dog’s cold nose. “But you are not going anywhere.”
The crackling of leaves under heavy boots silenced Rossi and Salvador. Beneath the tree house, they could hear the big man’s steps halt.
Salvador winked at Rossi, picking up a large rock that he used to jab his cigarettes out against. But Rossi shook his head, frowning.
Salvador shrugged, letting his hand relax though he still held the rock. Rossi tended to think his actions through, while Salvador could be impulsive, sometimes to his detriment. He felt very impulsive right now. His hand twitched. Rossi ever so slightly shook his head again.
The footsteps moved on. The cowboy headed south, calling for the puppy.
When they could no longer hear him, Salvador put the rock down. “Why not? It would have made me happy.”
“Because the girl is waiting. She will send for help if he doesn’t return soon, and we will never be able to snatch her and get away before the police come.”
Salvador nodded reluctantly.
“On the other hand, we have got her little friend. And you,” he said, giving the puppy a tickle around its ears, “are the reason she will come looking for you herself tomorrow. When you don’t go home.”
In the distance, a triangle was rung vigorously.
“Coming!” the cowboy shouted from not too far away.
Salvador and Rossi looked at each other, slight smiles on their faces.
“As usual, you are the levelheaded one.”
Rossi kissed the puppy. “This dog doesn’t smell like a dog. Smell him.”
“No.”
“Smell him,” Rossi urged.
“It is not a him. Do you not know the difference between a girl and a boy?”
“Smell her, then.” Rossi shoved the puppy under his nose.
Salvador took an unwilling sniff, then inhaled deeply. “Perfume. Woman’s perfume.”
“Her perfume.” Rossi tucked his treasure back inside his jacket. “Tomorrow, you get close enough to smell it on the code breaker’s woman.”
Soon the hunt would be over.
The revenge could begin.
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