You Had Me at Cougar by Terry Spear

Chapter 2

Chet sensed the tension in Ava as soon as he offered his hand for her to give him a reading. He knew she was a true psychic, and he wondered if she would give him a true reading or something that was just made up. He could handle it if she wanted to tell him his life was in danger or something like that. He lived for danger. It was all part of his job. Though he hoped she could tell him a bit of good news. Like if he had to apprehend or eliminate rogue cougars, he would survive the mission.

She frowned as she took his hand and ran her finger over his lifeline. “It’s good news. You’re going to get a pay raise.”

“Really?” He was so surprised at her reading, he wasn't sure what to think. Was it for real, or made up to disguise something bad? Maybe she’d just been tense because she’d worried she might see something bad and she couldn't see anything about him.

“Take the good news and go spend some more money on something else,” Chase Buchanan said behind him. He was a part-time deputy sheriff and the owner of the Pinyon Pines Resort on Lake Buchanan, and Chet knew he was just joking with him.

Chet arched a brow at him. “I just paid a hundred dollars. I need a little more of my fortune read.”

“Isn’t a pay raise enough?” Chase asked, frowning at him, but he was just playing with him. “Tell him what he wants to hear, Ava. He’s going to be in a world of danger before he knows it.”

Chet laughed. With the kind of work he did, that was a given.

“Tell him he’s going to lose the canoe race to me if he doesn’t paddle hard enough,” Chase added.

Chet doubted she would see anything like that. It wasn't a situation that would be dire enough, as far as he thought.

“I can tell you right now, neither of you will win,” Ava said, looking perfectly serious.

“Oh, so who does?” Chase looked surprised that she would know that, despite knowing she had real psychic visions.

“Me.”

Chase laughed. Chet smiled, but he again wondered if she knew it for real or she was she just playing with them.

“You are going to be in the worst sort of danger,” Ava said, looking really serious, frowning. Then she smiled brightly.

“Seriously?”

“Of course, with your line of work it’s inevitable. Next.”

Smiling, Chet moved out of the way and folded his arms, watching while Chase got his reading. Ava took his hand and said, “Oh, you are going to be in the worst kind of danger.”

Chase smiled and shook his head. “I know. It goes with my line of work as a deputy sheriff.” Chase left to let the next person in line get their fortune read, Mandy Jones, their nurse at the clinic. He was about to say something to Chet but stopped to hear what Ava had to say to Mandy. She was one of the newest members of the cougar family, having been accidentally turned by her former boyfriend Ricky, also a deputy sheriff, who had also been newly turned earlier—not born as cougar shifters like the rest of them.

“You are expecting twins in the fall,” Ava said, smiling.

“Ohmigod, really? For real? No joke?”

“Yeah, for real.”

“Ohmigod. I’ve got to get back to the clinic. I just had a break to have my fortune read. I guess I’m going to have to have a blood test then.” Mandy reached into the booth and gave Ava a hug. Then she pulled out her phone and hurried off. “Ricky, we are having twins. No, I didn’t know. Ava told my fortune. Yes, for real. No, she wasn’t making stuff up. Aren’t you glad? Yes, yes, I’m getting a blood test to confirm it. Aren’t you glad?”

Chet chuckled. “Ricky is going to be experiencing fatherhood sooner than he planned, it appears.”

Chase agreed. “So how are things going for you?”

“Oh, busy as usual.”

Vanessa Rugel, the veterinarian in Yuma Town, smiled at Ava. “So what do you see for me?”

“You…” Ava frowned. “Have you ever heard of white cougars?”

“They’re rare. I’ve never seen one for real. I’ve just seen them in books.”

“So you save one’s life.”

Vanessa stared her. “Truly?”

“Yeah, really.”

“Wow, thanks, Ava. A white cougar.” Vanessa thanked her again and then moved out of the way for the next person in line.

Carl Nelson, the reporter who had been a pest in Yuma Town earlier as he tried to figure out what was going on with the cougars and was bitten and now was one of them and writing for the local newspaper, was up next to have his fortune read.

“You will be chased by a hunter all over the surrounding area as a trophy,” Ava warned.

Carl frowned. “Seriously? Do I evade him?”

“Trees are covered in yellow leaves at the time he’s after you. Then when it’s snowing, I see you photographing snowmen sculptures for the newspaper. So I think you’re good.”

Carl sighed with relief. Now he would know how it felt to be one of them when a hunter was on their tail, just like when he was always trying to learn what was going on with them.

“How are things going with you with the cabins and deputy sheriff business?” Chet asked Chase as Ava continued giving readings.

“Busy too. It seems I’m always doing renovations on the cabins, updating them, doing some more woodwork and then we’ve got to deal with deputy sheriffing issues.”

Chet saw Chase’s mate, Shannon, waving at him and then pointing to their girls.

Chase waved back and smiled. “Looks like I’ve got kid duty. We’ll talk later. I’m so glad you finished that assignment and were able to make it here to celebrate with us.”

“Me too.”

The next person in line didn’t smell like a cougar, but rather like a bear.

Ava confirmed that he didn’t belong here. “You don’t have an invitation to be here. This is a by-invitation-only event. I'm afraid that you have to leave.”

“My money is as good as anyone else’s,” the man gruffly said.

“That’s not the point. This property is privately-owned, and the owner is hosting the private party by-invitation-only,” Ava said.

“You smell like you handle bears,” Chet said, getting involved when the guy didn’t seem to be planning to take Ava’s advice.

The man stood six-four, had curly black hair, a black beard, and dark brown eyes that focused now on Chet. “You smell like you handle cougars.”

Chet smiled. “Fair enough. Why don’t you come with me and we can have a private talk?”

“I heard the fortune teller is really psychic. I need to know where my sister is.”

Ava was already texting someone, Chet figured Chase or one of the other deputies or the sheriff.

But he was surprised to see Bridget show up. Like Chet, she was CSF, not with the sheriff’s department. Bridget nodded to Ava and she said, “Okay, I’ll give you a reading. But that’s it. Then you need to leave.”

Chet saw Chase and Dan Steinacker, the sheriff, headed their way. Ava must have sent a text to all of them.

The man reached his hand out to Ava, and she held his hand and closed her eyes. “I see a woman breaking into a cabin and then a big brown bear trying to break in after her.”

“Where? What does the woman look like? The bear?”

“She has long, chestnut hair, and she’s wearing hiking boots, jeans, and a T-shirt, a light jacket tied around her waist. Her skin was perspiring.”

“That’s Ursula. Where is the cabin?”

“I don’t know. It’s in the woods. Predictions can be unreliable. It may happen now, tomorrow, a month from now.”

“Autumn? Bare branches?”

“Green, summer. The cabin has a weathered red door.”

“That sounds like Shutter’s cabin,” Dan said, frowning, his arms folded across his chest.

“So now, what about the bear?” the man asked.

“Big. Brown. Beady eyes. Long claws,” Ava said.

“Dark brown? Light brown? Blackish-brown fur?”

Ava opened her eyes. “Brown. And big.”

“Don’t tell me you think all bears look alike.”

Ava smiled and then she frowned. “I hope you’re able to reach your sister in time to protect her from the bear.”

Dan offered his hand to the man. “I’m Sheriff Dan Steinacker, and this is Deputy Chase Buchanan. We can help you locate your sister. Why don’t you come this way?”

The man shook Dan’s hand. “Jonathon Browning.”

“Wait, you didn’t pay for your reading,” Ava said, then flushed furiously as if she realized he was worried about his sister, and she shouldn’t be charging him.

“Proceeds go to…?” Jonathon asked.

“The Big Cat Reserve,” she said.

“If the money went to a bear reserve, I would pay more.” Jonathon fished out his wallet and gave her a five.

“Even though a bear is chasing your sister and I might have helped you to locate her?” she asked.

Jonathon only gave her a tight smile.

“If you need my help, let me know,” Chet said to Dan.

“Will do,” Dan said.

Bridget told Ava, “He’s a bear. And the woman he is after and the bear chasing her down is some other bear but I'm not sure that she doesn’t want to mate him,” Bridget said. “At least that was something that Jonathon was concerned about.”

Chet realized Bridget hadn’t come to deal with Jonathon, but to read his mind. Chet would never get used to her doing that.

Shannon was back to watching the kids when Chase had to take off on the bear rescue mission.

Even though a long line of cougar shifters were waiting to see Ava, no one minded the wait, not when the cougars were all like family and everything that was going on concerning them interested them.

Dan’s wife, Addie, was next in line and she held her hand out. “What do you see in my future?”

“Uhm…” Ava cleared her throat. How could she tell Addie she would be in an emergency situation as a deputy sheriff, delivering Mandy’s babies? Ricky was nowhere to be seen, though Ava only got bits and pieces, but Addie was definitely delivering a baby in the backseat of a car.

Addie frowned. “Maybe I don’t want to know.”

“No, it’s just…” Ava sighed. “Okay, you’re going to be delivering a baby in an emergency situation. You might want to get a book to read up on it.”

Addie’s mouth gaped. “Whose?”

“Uhm, Mandy’s.”

“Okay, so I’ll talk to Kate about putting Mandy on bedrest for that last three months of her pregnancy.” Addie sighed. “And failing that, I’ll get a book on emergency deliveries. All of us at the sheriff’s department could use that in a crisis.”

Ava smiled. “That’s just the ticket.”

“Okay, I’ve got to get back to work.” Addie shook her head and hurried off.

The next person in the line to get her fortune read was Dottie Barrington. “I see your booth is really popular, now that you have taken it over. Everyone wants the real news, not some pretend stuff, even if it can be bad news. But a bear shifter here? Now that takes the cake.” She gave Ava twenty dollars for the reading.

“Yeah I know. I had a dream about a bear chasing me earlier this year, and maybe it was a shifter, not just a wild bear. Who would ever have figured, right?” Ava said.

“A premonition or a dream?” Dottie asked, looking concerned.

So was Chet. Even though he meant to get some swimming in or visit with folks, he couldn’t make himself move away from Ava’s booth for anything. He was fascinated with her ability to see future events in people's lives. Bridget smiled at Chet, patted his shoulder, and headed back to where Travis was taking care of their two-year-olds.

“A dream, I thought. And then I realized I'd had a premonition. It makes me wonder if it has to do with Jonathon and his sister. Now I’m not sure. So, let me read your palm.”

Dottie turned her palm up. “Don’t tell me I’m delivering anyone’s babies or going to have any more kids of my own. As much as I love them, five is enough. And if we have more kids, Jack’s going to have to go back to the clinic to have it snipped again.”

Chet felt in pain for Jack all of a sudden.

Ava glanced at him and smiled as if she knew just what he was thinking about.

“Or,” Dottie said, “Jack will think I’ve been seeing someone else.”

“No, way,” Ava said. “Okay, I see you are having a celebration in a little while of your own.”

“A celebration. We’re doing that all day today.”

“Jack just finished his mission south of Yuma Town and he’ll be here shortly.”

Dottie smiled. “That’s great. Thanks so much.”

Tracey came up next. Her husband, Hal Haverton, was also a part-time deputy sheriff, ranch owner, and he was working with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as a special agent with Tracey. She had quadruplets by her husband and the first thing she said to Ava was, “Ditto for me. Something other than I’m pregnant. I’m thrilled for Mandy though. So what do you see for me?”

“Your horse, Misty, is going to foal.”

“What? We had no plan to breed her. Wow, okay, thanks.” Tracey began texting away and left.

Deputy Sheriff Ricky Jones was standing in line after that, arms folded, looking cross. “Mandy’s excited about having twins and mad at me because I sounded shocked instead of being as excited as she is.”

Ava smiled. “Sorry, Ricky. I am just giving everyone a reading. It just happened hers showed she was pregnant with twins and they’re due in the fall. I thought you had already both known. Do you want me to read your palm?”

Ricky kept his arms folded across his chest.

Kolby, Ricky’s older brother, gently pushed Ricky’s shoulder. “Get it done or move out of line. I want to get my fortune read and the new fortune teller is coming, and she doesn’t have true insight.”

Ava was so glad that her relief was going to be here soon. She was ready to swim again. She was getting hot.

“All right.” Ricky gave Ava a twenty-dollar bill.

“An old girlfriend is coming to town and you’d better find a way to ditch her quickly.”

Ricky’s mouth gaped. “No way.”

“Yeah, way, Deputy Sheriff.” Ava smiled.

Ava could be so wicked. Chet knew she had dated Ricky too, until his old girlfriend, Mandy, turned up, ran into him with her car, accidentally, and he bit her, as a cougar, accidentally. He better not bite the new old girlfriend.

“Great. Her name?” Ricky asked.

“I have no idea, but she won’t be easily thwarted.”

Ricky ran his hands through his hair and glanced at Kolby, who winked at him. “Mel Paccato, betcha. And her dad has ties to the Mob. I told you she was bad news, and you shouldn’t have dated her.”

Ricky’s jaw dropped. “Great. It just better not be.” He headed off to do his deputy duties.

Kolby stepped up to the booth next. “Do you see anything for me?”

Ava looked tired, like she had seen about all she could handle. Chet wanted to rescue her.

Ava read his palm. “You will have some good news this fall.”

Kolby frowned. “About?”

“I’m not sure, but you’re ecstatic, and I see Jack-O’-Lanterns in the vision, so it will happen around Halloween, it appears.”

“Are you sure? Hmm.” Kolby brightened, "Ted is finally going to let me take on some more leadership roles at the ranch."

Smiling, Ted Weekum, Hal and Tracey Haverton's horse ranch foreman shook his head.

Kolby turned and grinned at Ted. "Thanks, Boss." Then he thanked Ava and hurried off.

"What about me?" Ted asked Ava, stretching out his palm after giving her a twenty. "Am I going to give Kolby more reign over the ranch?"

"You do. It will take a lot for that to happen, but it will."

Ted frowned. "So what's going to happen?"

Ava shrugged. "You know me and my visions. I just see bits and pieces."

"Okay, thanks, Ava."

Amy Mayflower, the sheriff’s department dispatcher was up next, with her eleven-year-old son, Bobby, and her husband, Deacon, who was a news reporter and doing some cougar-human interest stories for the paper.

“Bobby, you go first.”

Bobby was eager, but he was also looking a little apprehensive. Chet hoped Ava didn’t have bad news for the boy.

“Your girlfriend is going to give you a great gift for Christmas, but I can’t tell you what it is.” Ava smiled.

The boy’s jaw dropped. “I’ll have a girlfriend.” He pumped his fist and yelled out, “Yes.” Then he ran off, calling to some other kids. “Hey, you don’t know what I learned.”

Amy smiled at Ava. “I hope that they don’t have a terrible breakup in their future. So what about me?”

Ava touched her hand and closed her eyes. “You’re going to win at some contest today.”

“But I’m supposed to return to the sheriff’s department as soon as I eat.”

“Maybe you win something later.” Ava shrugged, but she sounded certain it would be soon.

Deacon offered his hand then. “What can you see about me?”

She laughed. “Sorry. You’re going to take in a stray kitten, and Amy and your son are going to be shocked.”

Deacon laughed. “Okay, thanks.”

“I’m here as your relief,” Nina said. “Kolby’s in charge of the canoe race and I heard you were going to beat everyone, so get to it.”

When other cougars saw that Ava’s relief was her twin sister, the line grew long again.

* * *

“Right,”Ava said to Nina, though she couldn't imagine beating all the guys. They were really gung-ho when it came to competitions. She closed the curtains, hurried to strip off the gypsy costume, her bra and her panties, then pulled on her damp swimsuit and put on a long-sleeved rashguard over that. Then she packed her clothes—including the fortune teller costume that she would wash later—into her bag, before she left the booth to her sister.

Chet hurried after Ava.

“I thought you might go swimming or something instead of just standing there while I had to be the fortune teller,” Ava said to Chet, surprised he had hung around the whole time, watching her "perform." She thought he would surely visit with his friends some.

“Seeing you come up with your predictions, and observing the disbelief on the recipients’ faces, and the joy they expressed—well, all except for Ricky—was fascinating. Pure entertainment. Everyone seemed pleased.”

“Except for Ricky, well, and the bear shifter. I keep thinking we’ll see a wolf show up around here again. But I never expected a bear.” She picked out a bright orange canoe and Chet stayed with her. She frowned at him. “I have to beat you.”

“I’m going with the winning team.”

She smiled. “All right. I didn’t see that in my vision, but it could work out, I guess.”

“What exactly did you see?” Chet climbed into the canoe in back of her as the stern paddler.

“That I made it to shore before everyone else.”

“With you in the bow.”

“Maybe.”

“Wait for us,” Chase shouted.

“I thought you were helping out with the bear situation.” Chet sounded surprised to see Chase back so soon.

“Jonathon said he would handle it himself, as soon as he knew where the cabin was. There was no arguing with a pigheaded bear.” Chase and Shannon got into a bright yellow canoe, while some of the others watched their kids.

Eight other contestants had been waiting on Chase, then someone fired off a flare and the race was on.