Saving the White Cougar by Terry Spear

Chapter 12

Stella was really excited about the prospect of working and living in Yuma Town. She couldn't believe how much her life had changed with that one little run as a cougar on private property. She had driven by the area numerous times before she'd finally made the decision to take the chance to run there. And it was the best thing she'd ever done. Of course, that was if she had a job here that she really loved. But everyone was so warm and welcoming before the party got started and she couldn’t help but love it.

She needed to see Larry in person too, but Ted got an apple out of the fridge and took her to see Celestina in the barn first.

The horse immediately recognized Stella, her warm brown eyes focused on her. Stella stroked her nose, then fed her the apple and figured they would be friends for life. Stella was glad to see her again and couldn’t wait to ride her.

After they left the stable, Stella saw all the women dressed in their western ballroom dresses, the guys decked out in their best western gear. And even Ted had put on a Stetson he only wore for social occasions. She had bought her first pair of cowgirl boots and thought these would be much better for riding horses in. Though not dressed in full, lacy petticoats. She couldn't imagine how woman could have ridden in those full skirts.

The kids were dressed in all kinds of costumes from pirates to vampires, to princesses and superheroes, black cats and even a mummy. Apparently, the western theme didn't appeal to them, but they were cute. The Haverton kids did wear a lot of western wear on a daily basis, so that was understandable. And the kids carried sacks for their goodies that they picked up from adults all over the place who were carrying candy with them to hand out, instead of doing a door-to-door affair.

The kids were running all over the place, but their parents, or others, were keeping track of them too. They didn't want to lose any of them during all the fun happenings.

She saw a Darth Vader in a helmet/mask, black clothes and a black cape and smiled. But because it was a western-themed event, at least for the adults, he was wearing black cowboy boots and a black and red bandana.

"That's Chuck Warner. He's in charge of the CSF in this region," Ted said.

"Too funny. I love how he added some western items to his wardrobe." She noticed when he walked and his black cloak billowed out, he not only had a lightsaber, but he also had a pistol at his hip. The kids all ran toward him to give him hugs. He was supposed to be the villain! At least in Star Wars.

"He's big into Star Wars and he loves the new Mandalorian series."

"With the baby Yoda? Me too!"

Ted smiled at her. "Then I'll have to watch them with you. I'm behind on the series."

Sacks containing battery-operated candles lighted the way to the haunted house and the corn maze. That was the good thing about their cougar eyesight though. They could see well as the sun set and it seemed like it was more beautiful all the time. Though she suspected she noticed it more now that Ted was sharing them with her.

"The kids are adorable," she said. "I'm not surprised they didn't want to wear western clothes. They probably thought it wasn't Halloween enough."

"Yeah. Next year, they'll come up with something else. Who knows what though? But it's always fun to see what folks come up with. Some of the kids want to talk to you,” Ted said.

She suspected they wanted to see her as a white cougar.

Stella was all set to dress in her beautiful blue gown, but it could wait as the Haverton kids assailed her first. "Are you really a white cougar?" "Can we see?" "Please?"

Then other children who had arrived came running over to beseech her to shift for them.

She smiled. Maybe she wasn't an oddity after all, but something special, especially in the eyes of the children here. And that made her feel really good. That's what she truly needed, besides Ted in her life—to feel like one of the gang and not like an oddity.

"Sure, I'll go inside the bunkhouse and change and come out to show everyone my white fur coat."

Ted was smiling at her.

She headed inside and then in Ted's master bedroom, she stripped off her clothes and shifted. As a cougar, she dashed through the bunkhouse, glad her arm and leg were no longer hurting—the first time she’d chanced being in her cougar coat since she was wounded and headed out the cougar door.

The kids cheered her as if she were a celebrity among fans. Everyone came over to take a look at her—adults and children alike. Some of the younger children stood back, as if they were afraid of the ghost cougar in their presence. What if she really wasn't a cougar shifter?

But the rest of the kids came over and petted her and gave her hugs, like she was a big pet cat that they loved. And for the first time since she'd been born, she felt loved and cherished and not like she was some aberration in the cougar shifter world. She was glad she had given them a show and tell, and even the little ones who were unsure at first as to whether to move closer to her, did, and petted her too. Maybe a little more tentatively than the older kids, but all she saw was the look of awe and genuine pleasure in all the kids' expressions, and in the adults' too.

When the parents started to say they needed to get on with the party and let Stella shift back so she could dress in her gown too, the kids reluctantly released their hold on her.

She raced back into the house and then she shifted in the master bedroom and put on her western ball gown, feeling genuinely like royalty. Once she had put up her hair and pulled on her western boots—blue and white to match her dress and that would go with her blue jeans, she left the bedroom to see all that Ted had in store for her tonight.

Ted was in the living room dressing the dogs in their Halloween costumes. He and the dogs were so much fun to be with. She laughed to see Koda and Zula wearing cowboy hats and bandanas tied at their necks. Zula's hat had blond braids attached which was the cutest thing ever. Stella took a picture of the dogs, both sitting for her and smiling eagerly, tongues hanging out, eyes on her—perfect little models and eager to please.

"They're a couple of photo hounds. Watch when we take them outside. They'll want to greet everyone, but then when people start taking pictures of them, they'll be professional models."

Stella laughed.

"Oh, and by the way. I told you everyone would think you were beautiful in your white coat of fur." He hugged and kissed her, and she did feel beautiful. Not just as a cougar, but dressed in her gown with a hot, sexy, male cougar hugging on her. "Both before and now. I'm one lucky guy. You would have had a dozen bachelor males interested in taking you to the party."

She smiled. "Yeah, but only you would have stood a chance at convincing me to go with you."

"I'm damn glad for that.”

"Even though Larry hired me," Stella said, "I..."

"Wanted to wait to say yes and give notice on Monday."

She smiled up at Ted. "I wanted to wait to say yes until tonight because I had to make sure everyone was happy for me to become part of the community."

Ted kissed her. "Don't tell me you were concerned about being a white cougar and that some wouldn't like you being here."

"Sorry. It had crossed my mind."

"You have nothing to be sorry about. They all love you, if you didn't gather that from how everyone reacted to seeing you as a white cougar. You are precious to me and you're precious to our town. The kids adore you. I love you."

She smiled up at him. "Are you sure it's not too early—"

"No. I love you and I'm not taking it back."

She laughed. "I love you too." And she meant it with all her heart.

He kissed her and hugged her like he didn’t want to let her go, but he finally said, “Then we’ll celebrate that after the party. Do you want to get refreshments first or do the corn maze or the haunted house?"

"The haunted house."

He walked her outside with the dogs. "I have to warn you, it's not really scary. There are no chainsaws being revved up. For little kids, it's still scary, but not bad scary, just fun scary."

"My best kind of scary as long as you're there to protect me."

Ted pointed out Deputy Sheriff Stryker Hill and his mate, Deputy Sheriff Nina, at the Halloween party, both eating some food at one of the tables, dressed in western gear, but both were armed with guns. Stryker had two pistols and Nina had a side holster too, both of them wearing deputy sheriff stars on their chests. "They're here to have fun, but they are also here to serve and protect, just as though this were the old west. You might have noticed a few other men are armed. It looks like they're just wearing it for the period costume look, but because of the trouble we had, we don't want any surprises."

"That's why you're wearing a pistol at your hip."

"Yeah. For precaution. We want to be prepared if we encounter any specific hunters who want to cause more trouble. We doubt it, but just in case…"

"Good. I'm glad. I wish I could wear a gun and look as cool as Nina."

Ted smiled. "You look beautiful the way you are."

"I probably look like the school marm who would make more of a damsel in distress than someone who is exciting and fascinating."

"Do you know how to fire a gun?" Ted asked.

"Sure, but I could go with a pretend one." She saw the Haverton's boys with plastic side arms. "Like those."

"Next time we have a western-themed party, I'll be sure to get you one."

Then they walked into the haunted house in one of the large outbuildings, filled with stacks of hay that had been set up for displays and eerie lights and walkways throughout to showcase various spooky creations. Ghosts hung from the rafters, flowing above via the circulation of giant fans. A fluorescent skeleton greeted them, sitting in the entrance, an empty beer bottle in hand.

Giant black spiders highlighted with fluorescent lighting and brilliant orange eyes all aglow sat on one bale of hay.

A green-faced witch in a long black gown, the sleeves long and jagged, her hat—tall and pointy—sat atop one stack of hay and smiled wickedly as they passed by, saying, "I will get you, my pretties." She was a real actor and Stella wondered who she was.

Ted leaned over and whispered to Stella, "That's Elsie, one of your nurses."

"Oh, with all the green makeup and witch's warts I would never have guessed."

A wizard wearing a long, white beard, and a pointy hat, his long blue and gold starred robes looking majestic as he carried a staff featuring a hand-carved cougar on the top, smiled broadly at Stella. "Welcome to my world, pretty lass." Then he waved his staff at Ted, scowling and said, "Begone, you rogue. Leave the winsome lass to me."

Ted smiled. "None of your spells will tear the lady from my arms, you cantankerous old wizard, you." Once they passed him by, Ted said, "That’s Mick Sorenson, a bachelor, his mother Mae lives in town and is known as the cat lady. Mick is in charge of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services branch that Tracey works for."

"Ahh, okay, so he really did want to chase you off with his wizardry spells."

"You bet. A rare white cougar? You could be his familiar."

She laughed. "This is so much fun."

They were about to pass by a stack of hay where the actor or the display wasn't present, but suddenly, a cougar wearing a cape leaped onto the top of the hay and snarled at them.

Stella fell back against Ted, trying to get away from the threat, her heart beating like crazy, and then she and Ted laughed.

"Hey, Ricky, good job," Ted said.

Ricky inclined his head.

Ted and Stella moved on then. "He's the youngest deputy we have in the sheriff's office and still a kid at heart. But with Mandy due to have twins, well, I was going to say he would have to grow up quickly, but I think he'll always be a kid at heart."

"That's fun and his kids will adore him for it," Stella said.

"I agree. I wish I'd had such a fun father when I was growing up. I think my grandfather was so stern with my dad that he thought that was the only way to raise his boys."

"Except that you and Bill were getting into trouble," she reminded him.

Ted smiled at her. "Yeah. We tried out bungie jumping, for one thing, before it was a thing to do."

Some people behind them screamed out when Ricky scared them, and Ted and Stella laughed.

Then they had to move into a narrow space where hot air blasted them in short spurts, soap bubbles floated in the air, and rat tails assaulted their ankles. She was glad she was wearing cowgirl boots, though the pretend rat tails were still an eerie feeling as they slapped her boots. A mist descended on them and she had the sudden funny feeling that she was going through a car wash—a haunted car wash where nothing was as it seemed. Then a hand reached out of the dark and grabbed at her arm and she screamed and then laughed. This was just too much fun.

Since she had already warned Ted with her scream that there was trouble ahead, he was better prepared.

She didn't think the haunted house would ever end, and she was glad because she was really enjoying it. This party was better than any party that she'd ever been to. When they finally left the house of cackling and laughter, of screams and spooky music, she was ready to partake of the food.

They had a whole array of food from eyeball tacos—black olives filled with sour cream on top of the tacos, and spider devil eggs, with black olives cut up on top to resemble the backs of spiders and their skinny legs. Pirate pasta even with zucchini strips in the form of an “x” to mark the spot of the treasure within. And mummy dogs, hot dogs wrapped in strips of dough, and mustard drops for eyes. An orange cake was topped with ghosts and dripping chocolate, RIP headstones and eyeballs. Eyeballs seemed to be the theme, as Stella filled her dinner plate with tacos and some pasta, and even a mummy dog. She'd saved room for all the fun foods, but she hadn't expected everything to be so perfectly Halloween themed.

She'd go back for the sweets afterward. A green cake featuring Frankenstein caught her eye. And Halloween cake pops covered in orange frosting and black spiders looked good enough to eat. One orange frosted cake featured a black cat and another a white skeleton. And mummy, ghost, and witch cookies were featured too on the long tables covered in orange tablecloths.

But to drink, she was sticking with bottled water. Even the bottles of water had special labels—hers a witch's brew; Ted's a warlock's tonic.

And when she and Ted sat down to eat alongside the Haverton's family, jack-o’-lanterns and flowers of purples and oranges decorated the orange cloth-covered tables.

After they ate their fill, Ted danced with her to several dances and what she loved about him was that even though she knew he didn't want any other bachelor males to dance with her, he graciously let them. Maybe he realized he'd totally won her over because of her fascination with all things country and western. Mainly she loved how he would always do special things for her, like the white roses, and even when she came to the party this time, he had placed white roses on the dining room table at the bunkhouse she’d noticed.

Ted danced nice and close to Stella as they waltzed their way around the dance stage they'd set up. This was like being in a movie, she thought, as the band played the music and she was swept up in that and breathing in the scent of the sexy cougar holding her hotly against his body, their hearts beating in rhythm, their feet in sync with each other and the music. She barely noticed the other dancers as if it were just her and Ted dancing their hearts out. She hadn't danced in years, and certainly not dressed like a western princess with the cougar of her dreams. Because that's what Ted was to her. The man, who in such a short time, had stolen her heart.

She tilted her head up and looked into his blue-eyed gaze and he seemed to know what she wanted, or maybe he just suspected, and he leaned down and kissed her, still to the beat of the dance, never missing a step.

She was in heaven, in a dream come true. And she couldn't believe how a run in a new place had led to this, as if the stars had suddenly aligned and she had been put in the right place at the right time, though when she had been shot and bitten by a rattlesnake, she'd believed otherwise at the time. Still, it had all turned out the way it was supposed to, she thought, and she kissed him back, loving the intimacy between them that made her ache to take this further.

"You are so hot," Ted told her, whispering in her ear, "and I don't want to give you up even for two weeks."

She smiled at him and moved her arms so they were resting around his neck. "It won't be for long."

"It will be forever."

"You'll be busy. I'll be busy."

"I won't ever be busy enough."

She laughed. But she was glad he felt that way about her. Just like she had felt that way about him. Even at work, all she could think of was not only about the cougar Halloween party, but seeing Ted again, worried that maybe the infatuation between them was because she'd been injured, and he'd come to her aid. But when she'd arrived at the ranch tonight, she knew it was a whole lot more than that. He couldn't get enough of being with her and she felt the same way about him.

They were doing line dances and then waltzing together again. She loved both because they were great exercise and great fun, but she loved dancing with Ted close. She'd never had a boyfriend who even liked to dance. So she was glad she'd taken classes in college to learn how to dance just so she could know what she was doing with Ted and not step all over his feet.

Once they finished dancing, he took her back to the table for refreshments.

"This is just wonderful." She looked around at all the lights that made the place sparkle with electricity—the pumpkins, the haunted house, the table full of creepy crawly stuff that everyone who participated touched while blindfolded and tried to guess what the stuff was.

They had Frankenstein cake and more bottled water and then she said, “The corn maze is the next thing I want to do.”

“That sounds good to me,” Ted said.

At the beginning of the maze, a sign stated: If you are looking for the wizard of Oz, come in, welcome, but watch out. Nothing is as it seems. Follow the yellow brick road.

"Let's go," Stella said and began their journey through the maze where steppingstones in gold occasionally could be seen on the path. They reached a dead end and had to choose—right or left?

"I have no idea," Ted said, and she suspected he had helped with the maze and knew just where things were, but she appreciated him for letting her lead the way on this new adventure.

She chose right and halfway down the path, they found a stuffed monkey wearing a hat, vest and wings. "The witch's minion," Stella said, with a worried tone of voice, playing along with the game.

They heard someone scream and then laugh and Stella wanted to go in the direction of the scream. That sounded interesting. Before they could run that way, one of the dogs came racing their way still wearing his cowboy hat, startling her and she laughed.

Koda greeted them and they petted him and then he ran off and Zula came chasing after him. They petted her and then she tore off after Koda. Stella and Ted continued on their way.

Then they reached the scarecrow and the cowardly lion, the lion sitting on a bench, the scarecrow standing behind him with his hand on the lion's shoulder.

"Okay, so we found some of the characters in The Wizard of Oz." She wondered if they would have any live actors in here also. That would be fun.

"Why don’t you take a seat and I'll take a picture of you sitting on the cowardly lion's lap," Ted said.

She laughed. "Only if you do."

Then together, they sat on each of the lion's straw-stuffed legs and smiled to take a picture of the lion's face between theirs.

"Okay, now us kissing," Ted said.

If any other cougar had wanted to date her, Ted was making sure that they knew she was with him.

She puckered her lips and so did Ted, then he snapped the picture.

They heard someone else coming—Chase and Shannon—and Shannon said, "I get to do this." She took several pictures of them with her camera.

"We can return the favor," Stella said, then took pictures of Chase and Shannon.

"Where are the kids?" Ted asked.

"They're with Dottie and Jack for a few minutes. We wanted to get a picture with the lion—just the two of us," Shannon said.

Then they heard more voices, kids' voices and a whole bunch of little kids showed up, Dottie and Jack herding them all into the area. "Momma, Daddy," the Buchanan's twin girls said, then Shannon was taking pictures of Dottie and Jack and their family and Jack took pictures of the Buchanans while Ted and Stella slipped away.

"That was fun," Stella said, as she took Ted's hand and ran with him through the maze, getting lost, and then realizing they'd backtracked. "I smell our scent here."

He laughed and they began again, then finally found their way to where Dorothy, her dog, Toto, and the Tin Man were stationed next to a haystack. They sat down to take photos with Ted's phone and then they were on their way again. She loved it because they'd actually have some memories to share. Though she wanted to share them with her friends at work, she didn’t want them thinking they should come here to the party next year and ask for an invitation.

Then a cougar jumped over the cornstalks and landed in their path, startling them as Stella threw her arms up in fright and planted her hands on her chest, her heart thumping wildly. She suspected that wasn’t part of The Wizard of Oz experience! She laughed.

"Ricky," Ted said, sounding just as startled.

Then Ricky did another jump over into the next path and two kids screamed, then laughed.

"I bet he's lost," Ted said, smiling. "Ricky always adds a bit of fun to every adventure. I guess his stint at the haunted house is over."

“You didn’t sign up for that?” Stella asked.

“Are you kidding? I’m on a date.”

She was glad Ted felt that way with her because seeing everything at the party wouldn’t have been the same without him.

When they found the wicked witch of the north, they laughed. Only her black boots and green and black striped stockings were showing under a big bale of hay. And the ruby slippers were sitting on top of the haystack. Stella had to hold them up to show she was Dorothy, and the ruby slippers were hers. After Ted took a picture of them, they finally found their way out of the maze and saw a woman hurrying after Ricky, the cougar, carrying his clothes.

"That's Ricky’s wife, Mandy, and she's a nurse at the clinic, if you recall seeing her."

"I do and she’s pregnant, so no jumping over the cornstalks looking for an easy way out of the maze for her if that’s what had happened," Stella said.

Then Ricky and Mandy went into the ranch house and Stella figured he was shifting and getting dressed in there.

Sheriff Dan was standing nearby and said, “Mandy and Ricky got turned around in the maze, she was telling me. She told Ricky to shift and find a way out for them because she was getting hungry, but by the time he leaped out of the corn maze, she had already found the exit.”

Stella and Ted laughed.

Then Dan tipped his Stetson and hurried off to join his deputy sheriff wife, Addie, and their kids.

"This has been so much fun, Ted. I've really had a ball," Stella said.

“I’m glad you’re enjoying it. Just so you know, Kolby is staying with his brother and Mandy in town for the weekend. The other two ranch hands are staying up at the main house in one of the guest rooms.”

Stella was glad that she and Ted would have the bunkhouse to themselves this weekend and was thankful to everyone who had made that possible.

"Are you ready for a hayride?" Ted asked her, offering to help her up onto the wagon.

"Yeah, I am." With her big flouncy skirt, she truly felt like a princess.

He climbed in after her, and with the wagon filled with partygoers, they took off for a long ride around a maze of haystacks and through the pumpkin patch filled with scarecrows.

"It must have taken forever to make all of the rest of those scarecrows," she said.

"Yeah, I even had the kids’ help, but you know little ones. After a while, they were done with the newness and off to chase each other around the maze."

"You did all the rest by yourself?" She would have loved to have helped him with the others.

"Kolby, Addie, Dan, Shannon, and Chase came and helped. It's all fun. The preparations, the actual party, and taking down everything, we do it as a big cougar family."

"Well, I might not have helped to set this up, but I'll certainly help you to take things down."

"You don’t have to, but any assistance will be appreciated. We'll have a big barbecue for everyone who helps. That's how we celebrate too. We make it fun."

She squeezed Ted’s hand, thinking about the situation when she was shot, even though she should have just been thoroughly enjoying the festivities and not been thinking about that, but she worried about it. "So what do we say about me parking my Jeep on the other side of the fence?"

"How about that you ran out of gas? They won't know any differently. We did have your Jeep towed. It was headed in the direction of the ranch.”

"If I ran out of gas, someone could have brought a portable gas can out to the Jeep, especially if I was coming to visit you all. Not only that, but I wasn't just parked off the side of the road, but way in on the old wagon road."

"You were afraid if anyone saw your Jeep on the road, it would be vandalized. It had some mechanical problem? And we had to have it towed? You thought you could make it on the old wagon road to the ranch, GPS messed you up maybe?"

"Oh, yeah, mechanical issue. That could work. Why I drove it off the main road was because I thought there could be a shortcut to the ranch, a gate, and I could call you and have you come tow the Jeep. Then when I reached the fence, my cell phone had no reception, or it had died on me and I didn’t have the charger with me, you know, just one of those days. And I had to climb over the fence and walk to the ranch. Then I thought you were in the barn, went in there, and before we could have my Jeep towed, the hunters were shooting at the barn, and I was hit."

"Sounds plausible, and we can practice the story. Really, you did a lot of that. Parked your Jeep at the fence, leaped over it, albeit as a cougar, and headed to the ranch, and hid in the barn. So except for a few human additions, that works."

"And the Jeep trouble?"

"Transmission issues. We'll have a mechanic in town verify he took care of your Jeep. And that's only if you have to say anything about that. They probably won't bring it up because obviously you weren't trespassing on the ranch land."

She smiled. "Not as a cougar."

"Right, and you were friends with us, so it wouldn't make sense that they'd mention it. But just in case, we'll have a story for them. Though I'm sure the prosecution will call the question irrelevant before you'd have to answer it."

"Okay, good, I'd rather not have to say anything about it at all."

"I agree. Even the smallest lies can get a person into trouble."

After the hayride, Larry Pierce came over to speak with them then, as if he thought it was the perfect opportunity. "I’m glad you’re coming to work for me.”

“I’m excited to get started and have the opportunity to work for you. I'll give my notice on Monday, and if you can wait for two weeks, I'll start working for you then," Stella said.

"You can’t know how pleased I am to hear it. That certainly works for me."

She exchanged phone numbers with him, and Larry gave her a handshake and she shook his hand back.

"When Ted came to see me about updating his will, I asked him how you were feeling after what had happened out at the ranch. He told me you were fine and that you were a paralegal and that set the ball rolling for me to hire you right away."

Stella slipped her arm around Ted's waist and squeezed. "I'm glad Ted talked to you about it and you wanted to hire me."

"See you in a couple of weeks then. I'm off to see my sister." Then Larry headed across the grounds.

"That's Yvonne Mueller, Larry's sister, and she's a former FBI agent and now a bank loan officer in Yuma Town. Her husband is also a former FBI agent and the bank president."

"That's so cool." Stella sighed. "I can't thank you enough for everything everyone has done for me here."

"It's just part of who we are. We see a cougar in need, and we do everything we can to help out."

And keep them there too? Which for her, worked out perfectly.