Page 29 of Roots of Redemption (Hicks Creek #4)

“What’s wrong?” she asks, her voice steady but laced with concern.

“Two of the cows on the meds died overnight. And a cougar got into the pasture. Killed another.”

Her eyes widen, and she doesn’t waste a second. “I’m coming. I’ve heard of cougar sightings out here, but I know it’s rare. Once heard Department of Natural Resources would drop a couple to handle the deer population.”

“I’ve heard that, too. I have a couple theories, but none of them are important. I thought I got rid of him last night.”

She doesn’t ask any questions. She grabs her phone and is already dialing as we head toward the barn.

“Doc Lucy,” she says into the phone. “We’ve had two cattle deaths overnight at Callahan’s. There’s another gone from a cougar attack. I need to know the closest lab that can do a full necropsy on both groups. Yes, immediately.”

I glance at her as she strides beside me, her pace quick and determined. She’s all business now, her earlier grogginess replaced with sharp focus.

“Tommy wasn’t ready to go over to Frank’s yet,” Caleb calls out as he waves at me from the tractor.

He’s ready to move the carcasses to a shaded area until we can figure out the next steps. Sutton’s still on the phone, rattling off details to Doc Lucy and taking notes on her tablet.

“I need samples from the water troughs, the feed, and soil near where the killed cows were grazing,” Sutton tells me as she hangs up. “I want to do a necropsy on the killed steer and then the two who died on the meds. It’ll be good to see if the steer had symptoms that weren’t yet visible.”

“You think Old Red was sick, too?”

“It’s possible,” Sutton says, frowning. “But we won’t know until we get the lab results. For now, let’s assume he was. With the stillbirths popping up yesterday with Tanner, I think it’ll be a good idea to get full-out necropsies done. It will give us so much more information.”

“What do you need me to do?” I ask her.

She looks up at me, her brow furrowed. “Help Caleb and Benny secure the pasture. I’ll take care of the lab arrangements and start documenting this. We’ll need a full report for the insurance and the vet.”

“Got it,” I say, already turning to follow Caleb. “You might want to call over and check on your dad, too.”

“Shit, you’re right.”

She scrubs her face for a second before she pulls out her phone and makes the call.

The morning’s chaos doesn’t let up as Caleb, Benny, and I work on moving the dead cattle so they can be taken to a lab. The other cows are agitated, their lowing echoing across the open field as we herd them along.

“We should do a head count,” I tell Benny. “There’s always some stragglers that go out too far; we need to make sure there’s not any today, or that cougar will hang out. It’s like a buffet for him.”

Caleb rides ahead, his horse’s hooves kicking up clumps of dirt, while Benny and I follow behind on foot, keeping the stragglers moving.

“You see anything out of place?” I call to Benny, who’s scanning the treeline with a sharp eye.

“Not yet,” he replies, his voice tight. “But I’ve got a bad feeling about this, Wade. Something ain’t right.”

I grunt in agreement, my hand resting on the butt of the revolver holstered at my hip. The thought of this cougar prowling around the ranch has my nerves on edge.

We’re halfway through the pasture when Caleb whistles sharply, waving us over. He’s dismounted, crouched low to the ground near a cluster of brush. Benny and I jog over, the tension in my chest tightening as I see what he’s looking at.

Both dogs stumble out of the brush, their fur matted with blood and dirt. Both are limping and bloody, but alive. Caleb directs the horse back to the ranch, where he can swap him out and grab the UTV so we can load both dogs in it.

“Looks like they got into a hell of a fight.”

“Had to be that cougar,” Benny says, his tone certain. He’s standing a few feet away, pointing to a set of tracks in the dirt. “Big one, too. These prints are fresh.”

I glance at the tracks, my stomach sinking.

Caleb helps me lift Lucky into the back of the UTV, then we get Max settled beside him. Both dogs are in rough shape, but they’re alive, and that’s what matters.

“We’re gonna need to make some changes,” I say as we climb into the UTV. “No more going out alone, not even Sutton. Everyone carries a gun, and we stick to pairs at the least.”

“Agreed,” Benny says. “Whatever this cat’s after, it’s bold enough to come this close. We can’t take any chances.”

Caleb nods, his hands tight on the wheel as he drives us back toward the house. “I’ll let everyone know. And we’ll keep the herd closer to the barn until we’re sure it’s safe.”

“Good,” I say, glancing back at the dogs. Lucky’s head rests on Max’s side, the two of them leaning on each other like they’re drawing strength from being together.

By the time we reach the house, Sutton’s already on the porch, her phone in hand. She takes one look at the dogs and starts barking orders, directing us to bring them inside so she can clean their wounds.

The way she takes control of high-stress situations was annoying at first, but it’s actually sexy as hell right now. I’m exhausted and don’t have the energy, for one, but she’s so good at keeping a calm head. It’s nice that we can work together as a team to handle whatever is thrown at us.