Saving the White Cougar by Terry Spear

Chapter 10

Stella was researching the background of a client her boss was representing when Ms. Brown came out to speak with her. "Jeffrey Sims called to tell us that he needed representation for a shooting incident at a horse ranch near Yuma Town. The one you were involved in."

Stella practically held her breath. She couldn't imagine the lawyers from this firm would represent the bastards.

"I didn't take the case," Ms. Brown assured her. "I told him it would be a conflict of interest because the victim, whom they shot, works for me. Then he proceeded to tell me you had been trespassing illegally on the Havertons' ranch, but we know that isn't true since you went horseback riding there, according to your own testimony."

"Right." Though not before the shooting, of course. And cougars running on the property would never have been considered "trespassing."

"I just wanted to warn you that they could end up getting another lawyer to represent them and he might be able to release them on bail."

"What? They shot me!"

"I know, but when we researched their background—well, you did—for the previous charges they'd incurred for trespassing and illegally hunting, you couldn't find anything on the men that would indicate they had been convicted of any criminal charges before that."

Yeah, Stella couldn't. But that didn't mean they hadn't done a bunch of illegal stuff. Just that they'd never been caught at it or been convicted of the crime—because they'd never been convicted of criminal charges before that!

She'd still believed a judge wouldn't release the men because they'd shot her!

When Ms. Brown returned to her office, Tori said to Stella, "I love working here, but I hate when scumbags get off just because they have a good lawyer."

"Yeah, if I had pulled that, I'd probably be locked up for good," Stella said, still furious at the thought, but she was hoping the judge who listened to the case would be smart about it and keep the men in jail until their trial.

* * *

Ted was breakinga horse when he got a call from Dan and left the corral to take the call. He figured it was important, or the sheriff wouldn't be trying to get in touch with him. "Yeah, Dan?"

"Hey, I have some bad news for you and Stella. Jeffrey Sims and his buddies got some fancy lawyer out of Denver to represent them and they had the hearing and the judge set the bail at five thousand apiece. They're all out on bail."

"Hell."

"Yeah, that's how we feel. Both their lawyer and the judge are hunters, so not good for our side. But I needed to tell you and Hal and Tracey, just in case the bastards return to cause trouble at the ranch or lands around it, looking for the wounded or dead white cougar."

It always pissed Ted off when men could get out of jail on bond after shooting someone! Even though they thought they were shooting at a cougar, they could have hit someone else in the barn, if someone else had been in it, and everyone else who'd been out in the yard at the time. Would the lawyer and the judge get them off because they were fellow hunters? Damn it!

"Hey, they're not getting off this time. And I'm sure no judge in his right mind would find in favor of the hunters," Dan said, trying to reassure him. "I spoke with Larry about it and he said the same thing. It could have been anyone in the barn, the kids, a whole family, not just one person who had been shot."

They spoke about it so much as if the men had truly hit Stella as a human in the barn and not while running as a cougar on the cliffs, that he was almost believing it himself.

"We've got extra patrols going on around the ranch and the area where Stella was shot, but everyone in the community is being warned about the men. The thing is, they're dangerous for any of us, if any of us go running and the hunters decide to shoot another cougar—just to do it and try and get away with it," Dan said.

"I agree. No ankle monitor?" Ted figured they didn't have if Dan was afraid they'd come out to the ranch again.

"Nope. The judge didn't consider the men flight risks."

"I wouldn't really have considered them flight risks either. More that they would go out and illegally shoot more animals on private property is all. Thanks for letting me know. I'll tell Stella."

Ted hated calling Stella about the bad news—that Sims and his buddies were free to walk the streets again, but he could hardly wait to tell her that she could have a new job as a paralegal in Yuma Town, and he prayed she would take it.

"Hey, Stella, I have good news and bad news," he said to her that night after work.

"Don't tell me. Sims and the others are out on bail," Stella said.

She must have already gotten word. He wished he'd been there for her when she had.

"My boss said that he tried to hire her for the job to represent him because she had before and gotten him off. So he figured she was a sure bet. She told him no, because I worked for her and there would be a conflict of interest. But she told me that some other lawyer would probably be able to get him out on bail."

"I'm so sorry. Dan called me right away, and wanted me to tell you, but I wanted to wait until you got off work."

"Don't be sorry. It's not your fault. It makes me angry, but there's nothing any of us can do about it." She let out her breath. "So what's the good news?"

At least he hoped Stella would think it was good news. "You have an offer to work at a paralegal job for Larry Pierce in Yuma Town." Ted couldn't think of any better news than that.

"The ambulance chaser?"

"Huh?"

"Sorry. When he came to tell me he'd take my case after I was shot and still in my cougar form, that's what I was thinking of. He was an ambulance chaser."

Ted chuckled. "Oh, okay. No. I mean, I don't think he is. He just started working in Yuma Town and I chanced to go in to update my will and—"

"You learned he was looking for a paralegal?"

"Yeah. Roberta Barrington is working as his secretary and financial officer, but she can't do the paralegal work. The office where you work probably has a ton of paralegals and they could afford to lose you, whereas Larry doesn't have anyone, and he's swamped with work."

"It doesn't mean he wants to hire me, in particular."

"Oh, yeah, he does. I'm supposed to beg you, or he'll call and beg you. We need a cougar paralegal and—"

"You want to date me."

He smiled. "Hell, yeah. So is that good news, or are you mad at me for bringing it up to Larry?"

"Wait, you didn't actually just learn there was a need for one?"

Okay, so he shouldn't have mentioned that part. "Uh, well, I just mentioned it to Roberta, and she was all over it, saying yes! You needed to work with them. And, she totally vouched for Larry, saying he was great to work for. And then when I mentioned it to Larry, he was eager to hire you. He also said he would have represented you in a civil case against the hunters, but then recalled he would be a witness at the criminal trial and a civil trial, if you take it that far."

"Oh. He was a witness?"

"Yeah, he was helping get Tracey's kids to safety."

"So not an ambulance chaser."

Ted chuckled. "I don't know about that, but he even makes house calls for some of his legal business and he asked first thing about how you were doing, before he knew you were a paralegal or anything."

"Okay."

"So you'll take the job? Please say yes."

She laughed. "I have to think on it. You just hit me with the notion of quitting my job, working for another lawyer—"

"Who's a cougar."

"And moving to Yuma Town."

"All of us will help with it."

She sighed. "I need to think on it. I need to know if the pay is commensurate with what I earn now. If the other benefits—health and sick leave, paid vacation days—are similar to what I get now."

"He'll better it. I'm sure of it. Like I said, he has no one working for him now, well, except the receptionist, but no paralegal, so you have him at an advantage."

She chuckled. "Okay, well, let me think about it."

He sighed. "All right. You think on it." He gave her Larry's number and the location of his office. "Are you all right being alone tonight? I mean, as far as Sims and his buddies being out on bail."

"Yeah, as long as I don't run as a cougar in Grand Junction, I should be all right. And…thanks, Ted, for trying to get me a job in Yuma Town."

"That's good news, isn't it?"

She laughed and then they talked and finally ended the call so they could retire to bed.

So what did that mean? Was it good news or not?

* * *

The next morning,Stella woke and had three texts from Ted already. She chuckled as she made her hot tea. One was of Celestina eating an apple, and another was of Celestina and Pablo nuzzling each other. The last was a text from Ted saying: Good morning! How are you doing? Feeling okay?

She smiled and ate a scrambled egg, slice of toast, and two sausage links.

She texted him back: Feeling great. You're not worried I'm going to change my mind about coming to the party, are you?

You're not, are you?

No way. I have my gown. This will be my first function to attend that's cougar run so I'll get to meet all kinds of cougars.

Ted texted: Do you think you might want to work for Larry Pierce?

Stella pulled on her pumps and then her suit jacket.

Ted texted: He’s from Denver and was with a first-class firm there.

She didn't say anything. She didn't know what to say.

She texted back: I’m still thinking about it. I’m off to work. I’ll talk to you later.

Then she went to work and wondered if that would work out. It would mean living in a cougar community, which was great news. But she really loved the lawyers she worked for here. Would she even like Larry Pierce at all? She couldn't imagine moving from a job she loved to one she hated. Not all lawyers were equal. Then again, her social life would increase exponentially, and she really did like the idea of that.

She walked into the office and it wasn't long before she received another bouquet of white roses.

The paralegals all raised brows and smiled at her.

"I could use a lover boy like that," Tori said.

Yeah, that was really what Stella was thinking. It wasn't just that she could have a job or the social engagements with other cougars, though that helped to convince her to move, but it was Ted—his smiles, his helpfulness and his protectiveness, his interest in her, his romantic nature, and how caring he was. She loved how he was with the animals, with the kids, with people in general. It was uplifting to be with him in any setting. Yet when it came to the bad guys, he was all cougar gruff, ready to tear into them and protect the innocent.

But she had to wait until the party and see if what she was feeling, this longing and need to be with him and the other cougars would still be there. That it wasn't just something she had dreamed up because she'd been filled with drugs and even when she'd come off them, that she wasn't feeling a sense of belonging because everyone was concerned about just her health.

She received ten more texts from Ted throughout the day—videos of him breaking a new horse, taking the kids for a ride, one at a time, petting Celestina and telling her that Stella would be returning soon and would ride her when she could. That brought tears to Stella's eyes.

Ted was such a sweetheart. She couldn't show him pictures of anything fun at her work and she loved that he would share what she enjoyed, his cowboy world, with her.

"What's he texting you about now?" Tori asked, coming to check the pictures out.

This time, Stella let her see them.

"Oh, man, he's hot."

Then the other paralegals had to come over and see the videos too.

They smiled. "You have a real catch there," one of the paralegals said.

Yeah, that's the way Stella was feeling too.

That night, she returned to her apartment and here came her roses, and also more text messages. They made her feel not half as lonely and connected to him too.

But then he called her. "Hey, I've been missing you," Ted said.

"Yeah, I feel the same way about you." She couldn't stop thinking about cuddling with him on the couch while watching a movie, the fire crackling in the fireplace, rain pouring overhead. It was romantic and homey, something she hadn't felt in a good long while.

"Are you sure you're all right alone? I feel awful about the guys getting out of jail."

"Yeah, sure. I'll be fine."

"Are you sure? Dan, our sheriff, said he can send one of our deputies to watch over you at night. Hal said he'd been the first one on the list to do so."

She smiled. "No. That's all right. I'll be there in a couple of days' time to enjoy the party with you."

"Okay, well, you call me if you have any trouble at all, in the middle of the night or any other time. I'll be there."

But he still lived an hour away, so she would be better off just calling the local police. Though working for a law firm sometimes worked against her. The police detectives would hand over evidence to the prosecutor and expect the crime to be prosecuted in their favor, and then her bosses would get the man, or woman, who was charged, off on all charges. Not always, but a lot of times. But the police officers and detectives had to realize that if they were charged with a crime, the lawyers would be there to protect their rights too.

"Celestina is missing you," Ted said.

She laughed. As if the horse would even remember her.

"I show her pictures of you every day and she always nuzzles them with her nose."

Looking for food, no doubt.

"I can't wait to ride her again." She couldn't wait to do a lot of things with Ted again, she realized. Even running as a cougar, now that she was healing up nicely. She sighed. She really couldn't quit thinking about him either. Though some of that was because he texted her so much. But still, she enjoyed the little notes, videos, and pictures he sent her. She hadn't ever had anyone that interested in her that she was just as intrigued with. "All right, so did Larry Pierce need me to send my resume to him or had he planned to hire me sight unseen?"

"He wants to hire you no matter what. But it wouldn't hurt for you to send him your resume." He sounded hopeful that she was going to actually take the job.

She was really leaning toward taking the job. As a cougar, who wouldn't want to join the cougar community in the first place? Especially when the lawyer who wanted to hire her desperately needed her, so she would have a job even, which was really important to her. She'd been so used to nobody needing her in their lives—her own family especially—boyfriends, that she needed to just jump at the opportunity.

"I'll send it right away. And thanks, Ted, for wanting me to move out there to be with other cougars."

"And date me. I have to mention that because I really want us to see more of each other. Hell, if you'd been here, we would have had dinner out, movies out, cougar runs, horseback rides, you name it."

She was feeling worn out already.

"And just quiet time too," he quickly said.

She needed the quiet time with him too.

But the issue with the hunters was another good reason to think about moving to Yuma Town. If she had any trouble at all, especially since she was a white cougar and might bring attention to herself sometime on a run as a cougar, she would be right there where others could help her. Here, she was an hour away from help from her kind.

They finally ended the call, and she was glad she had Ted’s friendship that she knew was developing into so much more.

He sent more pictures of him feeding an apple to Celestina though, and she was looking forward to when she could do it too. She sent off her resume to Larry Pierce also, just in case this really might come to fruition. She wasn't about to give up her job though, until she knew for sure if she had another one she could begin working at.

* * *

The next day,Larry called Stella back about her resume while she was at work and she was trying not to let on to anyone that she had a new job offer. "Hi, this is Larry Pierce, and I'd like to tell you you're hired if you can start work right away. As soon as you give two-weeks’ notice at your work."

But she still needed to know about the pay and other benefits. Though she figured living in the cougar town and dating Ted would make a big difference too. Still, she wanted to be paid for her work and didn't want to have her wages cut back. She really didn't want to talk about it in front of the other paralegals though. They were busy, but if she started talking about pay and such, she could just imagine all their attention being on her. And she sure didn't want to let the cat out of the bag until she was truly ready to give notice.

She said, "Uhm..."

"Pay and benefits. So I know you're at work, but I wanted to make sure I could entice you to work for me before I drown in work here and I could really use your help. You have an excellent resume, I'm impressed. That you're a cougar like me, I'm hiring. But I know you need to ensure your pay is commiserate with what you're already earning, and you probably don't want to discuss it over the phone. I assume you're making about 51K. Right?"

"Yes." Fifty and some change.

"I'll make it 60K."

Her jaw dropped. Tori raised her brows. Stella said, "Okay."

"As to time off—any time you need off, you've got it, as long as I don't have a major case going to trial that I need your help with. And you won't have to take vacation time for that. But you also will have a bonus every year, depending on the payout of cases, and three weeks paid vacation, and I will supplement your health insurance. Since we don't have long-lasting health issues as cougars, I don't expect you to need more than twenty days paid sick leave, but if you do, you'll have it. And I'll give you maternity leave when the time comes. Paid three months. I need you. I want you to work for me. You can give me your answer at the party."

She smiled. She wanted to just say yes! But she did want to meet him first. She didn't get bonuses here, and she only had two weeks paid vacation. He sounded like a dream boss to work for. She just hoped it wasn't a delusion.

"Okay, thanks." This could be the best thing that ever happened to her in whole entire life. But still, she wanted to make sure she wasn't kidding herself about what she was—a rare white cougar among a sea of normal, tan cougars.

She was thrilled, scared, excited, not sure if she was jumping the gun or what. "Thanks, I'll be at the Halloween party tomorrow—"

"I'll be there and come looking for you, then we can shake on it and you can give notice at your work after that."

Perfect. Because she wanted to see everyone at the party first, to ensure she wasn't making a big mistake in uprooting herself and moving to Yuma Town, though she was thrilled with the prospect.

"I look forward to seeing you there," she said, and they ended the call.

Tori was eyeing her with suspicion, but Stella couldn't share a thing about it. Not until she was ready to give notice for certain on Monday.

* * *

Once Ted spoketo Larry Pierce about hiring Stella, just in case he was still considering it, Larry said he'd been swamped with a case, trying to do all the work a paralegal would do and his job too. So he sounded like he really needed her and wanted her, but he hadn't had time even to call her back with the news. Still, Ted had to leave him to it and not tell Stella the good news, if Larry changed his mind. Ted sure hoped not. He was an affable man, but who knew how he would be to work for. Ted just hoped he wasn't making a mistake as a go between for the two of them.

If things worked out between him and Stella, he was going to buy Celestina from Hal and Tracey and give the appaloosa to Stella for a wedding present. He just hoped she was thinking along the same lines as he was. Then again, maybe she wasn't as interested in the horse as he thought she was.

He had sent the horse statue to her office so she could show off that she had a boyfriend who was really into this business of courtship big time.

She called him right away. "Ohmigod, Ted, the horse is adorable. She is on permanent display on my desk. She's just adorable."

He hoped she would be on permanent display on Stella's desk in Yuma Town before long. He wanted to ask if Larry had called her yet, but he stifled the urge. "You haven’t had any trouble with the hunters, have you?"

"No, if they did, you would be the first to know. Well, after the police. Since they're closer. But you know what I mean."

"Good. Anytime day or night, you let me know if you have any trouble with them."

"I will."

Then he had to let her go and he knew if she took the job here, he wouldn't be hassling her all the day long because he'd have her at home at night with him, if he could get her to agree and he could even have lunches with her and, well, hell, he was going to have to damn well mate her so he wouldn't feel driven to constantly text her and call on her to make sure she was all right.

He was working hard at the ranch, so it wasn't like he didn't have important stuff to do, but as soon as he had a moment, he had his phone out and he was texting her again. Kolby was ribbing him about it mercilessly in the beginning, but by the end of the week, he'd given up on it. Tracey and Hal were just amused.

By Friday, Ted had cleaned up his bedroom, getting it ready for her to stay, and he hoped she would spend the whole weekend with him. He also had bought some more roses for her that he had sitting on the dining room table.

He'd spent tons of time working at his regular chores, but also on the Halloween party decorations, setting out tables for the food and for everyone to sit down and eat at. And tons of chairs. He'd helped to get the band stage set up, and the dance floor too. Yet his mind was still on seeing Stella and making her feel welcome in what he hoped would soon be her new home.

He was even wearing his party Stetson and dance cowboy boots, new jeans and vest and western shirt just for her when she finally arrived.