You Had Me at Cougar by Terry Spear

Chapter 17

The next morning, Ava woke early, smelling the coffee in the kitchen brewing and since Chet, the hunk of a male cougar, was sound asleep next to her, she figured Ursula must be in the kitchen. Ava sighed. She had to get to the bakery to work. She grabbed her phone and saw she had a text from Florence.

Florence texted: Take off this morning. I know you have the bear staying with you and need to learn what you can from her. Come in when you can.

Ava texted: Thanks, Florence.

Ava was so glad Florence had given her some time off this morning. It was time to sit down and talk with Ursula. Ava yawned. Man, she was going to need a catnap this afternoon after all the loving she'd had with Chet last night and dealing with the hunters and chasing down Ursula. She slipped out of bed, trying not to disturb Chet and grabbed her clothes and hurried to dress. She left the bedroom and carefully shut the door.

When she walked into the kitchen, she found Ursula sitting at the kitchen table eating an English muffin, coated in honey, and drinking coffee.

Ava smiled.

Ursula was watching out the window but heard her come in and turned and smiled at her. "I hope it was all right to eat a muffin. I was starving after that wild night we had. I didn't want to wake either of you."

"Oh, absolutely. It’s fine. I'm usually up even earlier than this so I can get into the shop and bake. But Florence texted me and said not to come in until later so I could rest up after our ordeal last night." Ava didn't want to mention that knew she needed to question Ursula as to what was going on.

"Oh, good. I want to pick up some honeybuns before I leave town."

"Why did you come to Yuma Town? Or the surrounding area to get away from Blue and Jonathon?" Ava asked, popping an English muffin into the toaster. After seeing Ursula eating it, that appealed to her too.

"I didn't want them fighting over me. I tried to tell them that I wasn't interested in either of them without hurting their feelings, but they just weren't listening. Each was trying to outdo the other. Our sleuth leader said he wouldn't get involved in relationship squabbles and just to work it out ourselves. Just like bears do in the wild would. So I just drove until I found this neat, unoccupied cabin in the woods. But then they brought the trouble with them. The next thing I know, they're trying to locate me after I had made a few runs as a bear around the woods surrounding the cabin. I have no idea how they found me. Though I'd seen both of them at one point and neither of them had seen me. I packed and left the cabin before either of them arrived at it."

Ava felt bad about that right away since she was the one who had told Jonathon where to find her. "Oh, I'm so sorry. I was a fortune teller at a booth during the Fourth of July celebration at Pinyon Pines Resort on Lake Buchanan and Jonathon wanted to know where you were. That you were in danger because of another bear." She pulled her toasted muffin from the toaster and butted it, then added honey.

"How did you know where I was?"

"Sorry, I'm so used to everyone in Yuma Town knowing what I can do, sometimes I take it for granted that not everyone does. I see future visions." Ava figured Ursula wouldn't believe her. Most people who learned that about her didn't unless she could prove it.

"Oh, okay," Ursula said.

Ava was sure that meant Ursula didn't believe her. She fixed some berry tea for herself and sat down to eat with Ursula.

"I know a couple of bears like that." Ursula got a refill for her coffee.

That really surprised Ava. "Oh, okay. You know, you would think that Jonathon and Blue would realize you aren't interested in them, and they would give the whole thing up."

"It's a power trip between them. Competition between two males, and yes, I've dated each of them, so it isn't like I didn't give them both a chance. They're sure I just don't want to get them all riled up by professing my love for one and then the other is left out in the cold."

Ava suspected there was something more to it than that. "But there's somebody else you're interested in." She finished off half of her muffin and took a bite of the other half.

"Yeah. An investment counselor at a bank in Ely, Minnesota, but he barely knows I exist. I've had a lot of financial dealings with him, and he knows I'm a bear too, but he has never asked me out and the one time I asked him, he said he had other plans."

"Is he seeing another she-bear?"

"He broke up with one. Maybe my asking him out was too soon after he and the other woman broke up."

"That could be. What appeals to you about him?" Ava took another sip of her tea. She couldn't imagine wanting to date a guy if he wasn't in the least bit interested in her. She wondered if he was just shy with women though.

"Oh, he has the cutest dimples when he smiles, dark brown eyes and the blackest eyelashes, long and full, like I wish mine were. And his hair is dark brown, nearly black, cut just so for his professional job. Despite being a banker, he's well-toned, muscular, not bulky like a bodybuilder, but in great shape. I've seen him shift before in the woods."

Ava smiled. That could describe Chet, except for the coloration. "Were you stalking him?"

Ursula's face flushed. "Uh, no, I was just out for a bear run when I smelled his scent and went to see if he was out running as a bear too. I hadn't expected him to be getting ready to strip and shift."

"Did you run with him then?"

"No. I didn't want to intrude."

Maybe the one who was shy was Ursula.

"Did you watch him run, track him?"

"No, I went my own way. I didn't want him thinking I was following him. I ended up running into hikers and scared them to pieces and I called it a day. Do you mind if I get another muffin?"

"No, of course not. Help yourself. Would you like some bacon and eggs to go with it?"

"Oh, sure, thanks."

Ava rose from her chair to make them a more substantial breakfast.

"So what about you and Chet?" Ursula asked.

"He lives in Cheyenne, Wyoming usually, but I think he’s probably making a move down here to work with the Cougar Shifter Force in Yuma Town." Ava figured he still needed to call all the parties concerned—Leyton, who would be his boss here, and Chuck, who would need to approve the transfer.

"See? That's what I mean. If Dennis was in the least bit interested in me, he would follow me to the ends of the earth."

Ava turned the bacon and finished the eggs. "Well, we don't know if we were meant to be together forever, but we're having fun getting to know each other."

"And he came to your rescue last night."

"That's true." Having a male cougar who took it upon himself to wake up the sheriff while concerned for her safety said a lot about him.

"I hope it all works out for you."

Ava smiled and dished up the bacon and eggs.

"With your visions, have you seen anything else in my future?" Ursula asked.

"No, just that you were trying to get away from a bear. And Jonathon said you were his sister, so we were worried about you."

Ursula laughed. "He wants to date me, not be my brother."

Ava sat down to eat with Ursula. "What are you going to do now?"

"Go home. They'll have to get the message one way or another. I'm not dating them."

"Okay, good. But you're welcome to stay longer or visit me anytime."

"Thanks. You can visit me too. You'll have to keep me posted on you and Chet." Ursula shared her phone number and email address with Ava.

"Thanks. I will. But who knows where it will take us? Maybe just a dead end." Ava shrugged. She didn’t think so, but where guys were concerned, it was always iffy for her.

"You don't see anything in your future about it?"

"Like Chet holding a couple of babies in his arms while we're going diaper shopping?" Ava laughed. "No."

* * *

Chet stirredawake and glanced over at the mattress in Ava’s bedroom but found she had already left the bed. Man, he must have been tired.

He heard her talking to Ursula in the kitchen, and smelled eggs and bacon and coffee brewing.

He normally woke early, but after making love to Ava again during the night and the late night they'd had already, he had slept in. Then he heard Ava and Ursula talking and he didn't want to intrude. He got up and took a shower, planning to tell his boss he was transferring to Yuma Town though. He'd call Leyton first to see if he was agreeable to him working with his team. Leyton had always told him he should move here and work with them, but Chet had to make sure it was still okay with him.

He lifted his phone off the bedside table and called Leyton. "Hey, Leyton, it's me. Hope you got some sleep last night."

"Yeah, I did. Hope you got some."

"Some."

Leyton chuckled. "What's up?"

"Does the offer still stand for me coming to work with you and the others?"

"Hell, yeah. Chuck said you have three new agents filling our positions. Though I heard one of them is a she-cat," Leyton said.

As if Chet would be intrigued with anyone else once he got to know Ava better. "Not interested. I've been friends with you guys for years and I can't imagine working with another team like yours. And yes, I know you're the boss this time around. I have no issues with that."

"Besides, there's a she-cat here who has been missing you, I've heard tell."

Chet smiled. "Well, I've been missing her too."

"What about your mom?"

"She's not moving until she knows it's a sure thing."

"She's a smart woman. When did you want to start working?"

"I'll talk to Chuck, but he told me already that if I decided to transfer here, I wouldn't have to give him any notice now that he has a whole new staff working for him there."

"Okay, good show."

"I'll get a place lined up and move my stuff down. That's all I'll need time for. Then I can begin working."

"We'll help you move."

"I appreciate it, but I really don’t have that much to move. I’ll get back with you when I’m about ready to return here. And thanks! Talk to you later." Then they ended the call.

Chet called his boss next, who oversaw Leyton and his operation in Yuma Town also, so it wasn't like he was actually quitting his job. He would just be relocating. "Hey, I spoke with Leyton and he wants me to work with him and Travis, Bridget, and Jack. You've got your three new special agents in Cheyenne. Are you good with that?"

"Yeah, why do you think I hired three new agents? I knew, even before you began seeing Ava, that you would be joining your fellow agents since all of you get along so well."

"Thanks, Chuck."

"How are things between you and Ava?"

"Good. I'll get a place of my own temporarily and date her to make sure things work out between us, but I would say we are good for now."

"That's great. What about your mother?"

"She says she's staying in Cheyenne until I decide to truly settle down—with a she-cat. She's afraid I'll fall for some other cougar and move to a different location and she'd be here, and I'd be somewhere else with a mate."

Chuck laughed. "I don't blame her. We'll be talking and if I need you up here, I'll call on you."

"Sure thing." They ended the call and Chet needed to find a place to rent and then move there. He suspected Ava might offer to let him stay at her place in the meantime, but he didn't want her to feel obligated.

Before Chet could leave the bedroom to join the ladies, Travis called him right after that. "Hey, I heard the good news. Though it took you long enough."

Chet smiled. "Chuck had to hire some more agents to take our places."

"And you have other interests here which made it really worthwhile to move." Travis sounded like he was smiling when he said it.

"Uh, yeah."

"So, did you want to stay at the safe house until you figure out what you want to do?" Travis asked.

"Yeah, you know that would be perfect. I thought of renting a place, but I can do that anytime. The furniture belongs in the safe house in Cheyenne, so I just need to pack up my personal belongings. The other three agents will appreciate that they have more room at the house when they use it."

"Okay, that sounds good. I'll let you go, and I'll get the place tidied up for you. We're so glad you are joining us finally."

"Yeah, me too." Then Chet ended the call, and he took a quick shower and finished dressing and then he headed down the hall to the kitchen to speak with Ava and Ursula. He had to let Ava know his plans and he wanted to know about Ursula.

"Morning, ladies," Chet said, smiling.

"Thank you for saving us," Ursula said.

"You're so welcome."

"Morning. I'll get you some eggs, a muffin, and bacon." Ava started making breakfast for him while he got a cup of coffee. "I heard you on the phone."

"Yeah, taking care of business. I've got a job with Leyton and the team here. I called Chuck to say I'm joining Leyton and his team. Then Travis called and said I could stay at the safe house until I—"

"Figured out what you want to do with your life when you grow up?" Ava asked.

Chet smiled. She was cute.

Ava finished making breakfast for him and then she got another refill of tea and a cup of coffee for Ursula.

"What are you going to do about returning home, Ursula?" Ava asked.

“I’ve had a nice vacation. It’s time to go home. If you could drop me off at the new cabin I was staying at, I’ll pack and return home. Maybe Jonathon and Blue have had a long enough period of cooling off now and they’ll behave themselves.”

Chet hoped Ursula would be all right and the guys would get a clue. He couldn’t imagine continuing to want to see a shifter who wasn’t just as intrigued with him. It had to be mutual respect and interest in each other.

“And the other guy?” Ava asked. “Don’t give up on him. He could be just the one for you.”

The other guy? Chet raised a brow but didn’t question them about the “new” guy.

Ursula smiled. “He could be. Thanks for everything.”

“Do you have to work, Ava?” Chet thought she had to go in earlier today. He would volunteer to take Ursula to her cabin if so.

“No, Florence told me to come in later.”

That was good that Ava’s boss was so flexible with Ava’s working hours if something came up and Ava had to take off. “Okay, so the issue with Blue and Jonathon you believe is resolved then?” Chet asked Ursula.

“As far as I’m concerned. I just needed to get away from their fighting with each other over me.” Ursula smiled. “I hoped that they would get the message. I didn’t expect them to come after me and cause all this trouble.”

“I’ll take you to the cabin,” Ava said.

“If you don’t mind, I’ll come along.” Chet wanted to talk to Ava about their future.

“The more the merrier.” Smiling at Ava, Ursula picked up her dish and empty coffee mug and took it into the kitchen.

And then she helped Chet and Ava clear the rest of the dishes.

After that, they all got into Chet’s car to drive to the cabin, and he hoped Ursula wouldn’t have any more issues with the bears.

When they finally reached the cabin, they made sure Ursula didn’t have any company waiting for her. She didn’t.

“Are you sure you’re going to be all right?” Chet asked Ursula.

“Yeah. You all are the greatest. I was really lucky to find you all.” Then Ursula gave each of them a hug before she packed up her car and they followed her out of the park where the cabin was located.

Ava smiled at Chet. “I’m so glad you’re moving here.”

“I figured you might want me to stay at the CSF safe house while we’re dating.”

She nodded. “Sure that would be good.”

He had hoped she might say she wanted him to stay with her, but he was good with living at the safehouse and seeing her after he was home from missions, and she was off from work—at least for the time being.

“Unless you think people will talk.” She arched a brow.

“About dating you?” He hoped she didn’t think he was stepping back from the relationship.

“About not staying with me.”

He chuckled. He sure hoped that meant she was opening her house to him. “What do you want me to do so that the cougars won’t have as much to talk about?”

She smiled. “Oh, I think anything we do will cause speculation. So you might as well as stay with me and end the speculation.”

“Hot damn.”

She laughed. “And then if we decide we need other arrangements, we can start tongues to wagging again.”

He smiled. “I’m all for it.” And he hoped they could get along satisfactorily. That was the thing about them staying in the same place together. They could see how compatible they were when it wasn’t just for a date.

“So what are you going to do? Go home and pack up and then return?”

“Yeah. I want to be ready to start working as soon as I can so that if the guys need me, I’ll be all set.” He figured Ava couldn’t take off that much time from work to go with him and he didn’t want her to have to help him pack anyway.

“Okay, good. I’ll make room for your clothes and anything else you’ll be bringing with you.”

“Thanks, Ava, I really appreciate it. I’ll return to Cheyenne after I drop you off.”

“I’ll go into work then. Florence gave me time off to speak to Ursula and now we know what that was all about.”

When they arrived at her condo, he kissed her, and she hugged him back and smiled. “I can’t wait for you to return for good.”

“It’ll probably take me a couple of days before I make it back.”

“I’ll be ready with steaks for you to grill.”

He chuckled, kissed her, and hugged her, and then he got into his car, waved, and drove off.