Chapter 11
Scott tilted his chair back then perched his booted feet on the porch railing and took a long swallow of his beer as he watched Sidney romp and play with the coyotes. It had been two weeks since the incident and Josh Logan had assured him that he had gotten his point across to Jansen when he had visited him the morning after the incident. Everything had been quiet and had returned to normal at Lyndon Logging. He heard a whine from nearby and looked down at the two grey and black pups who were sitting in the blanket-lined box next to him. They were looking over the edge of the box at the goings on in the yard and even though they were too young to join in on the fun, Scott could tell they wanted to. He heard Sidney giggle as Duke poked her in the ribs with his snout then watched her grab him by the neck and wrestle him to the ground. The coyote wiggled free then scooted away from her only to yip happily then rush back for more. Scott chuckled at the playfulness. When Duke poked her in the ribs again he jumped out of Sidney's way then raced for the hills with the blonde and Midnight close behind. Scott looked down at the white coyote beside him and when she looked up at him he smiled. "We'll let the kids go off and play and us fuddy-duddys can sit on the porch." He reached down and scratched her ears then smiled when she nuzzled his hand. Just then he heard a low throaty growl in the depths of the coyote's throat that was followed by a single snarling howl and, saw her gaze rifle to the inbound driveway. He frowned. "Easy girl," he said softly and only then heard the sound of an approaching vehicle. When he saw a dark blue Ford four by four come around the corner Scott's gaze narrowed. His fingers curled a little tighter around the coyote's neck as he heard her growl increase. "Shhh," he told her and smiled inwardly when she quieted down. Scott wondered if Sidney had heard the truck approach or Princess's warning howl and looked up along the slopes but saw no sign of her bright red shirt.
Scott's checked the truck’s license plate. California truck One-T-Seven-Two-Four-Six-One. Dan Jansen. He watched the man get out of the truck and come toward him. Scott thought him to be in his mid-twenties. He was a relatively handsome man and Scott thought he walked like a city boy in cowboy duds.
"Hello," the man said in a tenor voice as he stopped on the other side of the railing and draped his left arm over it.
Scott nodded a quick greeting. "What can I do for ya'?"
"I'm looking for either Scott or Sidney Lyndon. I'm Dan Jansen."
Before Scott could tell him he had found one of them, he heard a piercing, howling cry that seemed to reverberate across the hills. "Oh shit," he thought and his gaze rifled to the underbrush on the far side of the yard. He heard and felt Princess's growl low in her throat and he clamped onto her neck tightly but not tight enough and the animal pulled back from Scott's grasp then leaped over the railing and bounded into the yard. Scott looked at the man in front of him to see his wide gaze on the yard. His face was now the color of ashes as three coyotes formed a line across the middle of the open area twenty yards away. The hair on the backs of their necks was raised and their teeth were barred. All three were emitting deep throaty growls that would curdle most men's blood. Scott thought it only fair to warn the man even though it would serve him right to get confronted by the three animals. "I wouldn't make any sudden moves if I were you Jansen," he said cooly and met the man’s wide-eyed gaze. Just then Scott saw a glimmer of red appear beyond the coyotes and he focused on the blonde who stepped out of the underbrush at the far side of the yard. He could see the fire in her eyes even from this distance and knew precisely who that fire was aimed at. Her slender hands were clamped down on her jeaned hips and she was coming toward the back of the coyotes at a slow and steady pace.
"Well," Scott drawled and looked at Jansen again to see his eyes were also on the blonde. "I'm Scott Lyndon," he told the man. "And that lady in front of you is my sister Sidney."
Dan Jansen shot a quick glance at the man on the porch before he turned his gaze back to the woman who was now flanked by the trio of coyotes. She was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen, bar none. Her blue eyes, even from this distance, glimmered with a light he could not describe. Her face, although he could not read it, was flawless. She had a body men would kill to hold and she walked with the grace of a gazelle. He swallowed hard once, twice, then took a deep breath. When the sheriff had come over and told him that Scott and Sidney Lyndon had decided not to file a complaint he had tried to play dumb. But after the evidence was laid in front of him he admitted that it had been him and his ranch foreman who had dumped the coyote they had killed in the middle of the Lyndon Logging yard. Sheriff Logan had warned him not to tread on the Lyndons or he would be up against something he did not want to face. Jansen had wondered about that warning and had thought about it for two weeks before he had decided to drive over to the logging firm. Never had he thought he would be facing this! Not only a pack of wild coyotes with their teeth barred, but this beautiful woman. Sidney? He had thought Sidney Lyndon was a man. This was no man! He watched the woman start a slow, steady pace toward him; watched the coyotes match her stride and he swallowed again then backed up until he found himself wedged in the jutted corner of the building. He could see the full of her eyes now and realized that glimmer was not a glimmer at all but a deep, raging inferno. He swallowed again then caught his breath as she stopped less than six feet from him.
"What do you want Jansen?"
He blinked as he heard her voice for the first time and thought it sounded like a choir of angels. He swallowed again and pressed himself tightly into the corner. "I,.." he stammered and swallowed again. He looked down at the three coyotes; one silver, one black and one white and heard them growl, saw their sharp fangs and he swallowed hard before looking at the angel in front of him again. "I just wanted to make amends," he managed through his parched throat.
"Amends?" Sidney grated.
There was that voice again. Dan Jansen felt his heart pound in his chest. He nodded meekly. When her hand extended and she pointed toward the porch Jansen had the instant urge to get down on his knees and kiss the slender hand.
"Make amends to them," he heard her angelic voice demand and he looked at the box and saw two pair of innocent eyes blink at him. "You killed their mother."
Dan Jansen blinked back at the innocence before his gaze shifted to Sidney Lyndon again. Any fight he'd had in him drained away as did his desire to stand. Jansen felt himself sliding down along the wedge that was holding him and he sank to his haunches as his gaze hit the ground. "She was killing my cattle," he said in weak defense.
"You took away her hunting ground with your damned ranches," the woman snarled. "You forced her and all others like her into a corner. They did what comes naturally. They have to eat to survive. They were here first. It was their land. You stole it from them then had the gall to kill them when they couldn't survive on what you had left for them."
"I have to survive too."
"You can survive in the big city," Sidney shot back. "But it wasn't enough, was it? You had to come out to their land, you had to spread out and take over the countryside, taking away what was theirs." She took a step forward. The snarling coyotes matched her stride.
The man's gaze rifled up and widened as he saw the barred fangs and heard the throaty growls. He shrank back into the corner farther.
"How does it feel to be pushed into a corner Jansen?" She took another step forward. "How does it feel to have no place to go?"
Dan Jansen swallowed again then sighed and hung his head. "I'm sorry," he said feebly. Right at that moment, Dan Jansen felt as if he had been chewed out by the coyotes themselves; as if it were them telling him off. "I'm really sorry."
Sidney emitted a low, throaty sound then stepped back two paces. The coyotes matched her movement. "Get up and sit down on the porch. You'll help me feed the pups."
The dark haired man rose obediently and after a glance at the coyotes, Jansen moved along the railing to the break in it then ascended the steps and sank into the first empty chair he came to. Dan Ja
nsen was not the kind of man who cared to take orders from anyone. But he knew he would gladly take orders from the angel with the blonde hair, with or without the coyotes flanking her. He dared a glance to see all three coyotes watching him. Their teeth were no longer showing but he could still hear a chorus of low throaty growls emitting from them. He looked at the man two chairs away to see him watching him intently.
"Welcome to Lyndon Logging," Scott said as his sister stepped up on the porch and disappeared into the house. He had watched the entire occurrence with both lightness and heaviness in his heart. He knew what Sidney was going through and he also knew what Dan Jansen was going through. He felt sorry for Jansen but knew he deserved what he had gotten. Scott had seen the expression on the man's face when he had first laid eyes on his sister and knew the rancher had fallen for Sidney Lyndon, hard. It was evident in his eyes, in his face, and in his voice. He wondered if his sister had seen it; was pretty sure she had. He doubted if she would have him helping her feed the pups if she hadn't. Although he had never seen the angry side of Sidney Southington Lyndon, he knew it was there. And, when it was kindled, as it was this evening, it was like a raging wildfire. There was no way to stop it. It had to burn out by itself. Scott heard his sister leave the kitchen and come down the hallway and he looked up as she stepped out onto the porch with two baby bottles in her hand.
"You'll feed Tip," she told Jansen and handed him one of the bottles. She went to the box that sat beside her brother's chair and met his gaze for a moment before she reached for the darker of the two coyotes. She turned and handed the pup to the man before taking the other that she had named Duchess. She gave her brother a small smile that melted the remaining anger from her expression before she sat down in the chair beside him. She laid the pup across her legs then laid her hand on its back gently before she lowered the nippled end of the bottle to its mouth. Her gaze slid to Jansen to see him watching her. "Do it just like I do," she told him succinctly then watched him mimic her actions. She nodded when the pup took the nipple and began sucking.
"I really am sorry Miss Lyndon," Dan Jansen repeated, his gaze on the mound of fluffy fur in his lap.
"Consider the subject closed Jansen. But if I ever find out you went out hunting coyote again I'll bring the whole pack and come after you."
The man's gaze rifled to the three coyotes that were still watching him. "Yes Ma'am."
Scott met Sidney's gaze and he smiled then gave her a nod then mouthed, "It's ok,"; something they still shared from their first times together. When she smiled at him Scott laid his hand on her arm and squeezed it tenderly then looked down at the pup she was holding.
Sidney looked at the three coyotes then emitted a low, throaty sound and watched them drop to their haunches where they were then lay down.
The man to her left gave her a quizzical glance then looked at the animals. Although they were still watching him, they were not in attack position now. He decided to chance a comment. "You are very good with animals Miss Lyndon." When her head swiveled and he saw that beautiful blue gaze his heart melted again but then he saw the fire was still in her eyes and he caught his breath and dropped his gaze to the pup on his lap. "I'm sorry," he muttered.
"Since you're so sorry you won't have a problem coming over every evening to help me feed the pups of the mother you killed will you Jansen."
"No Ma'am."
Scott turned his head and looked the other way to hide a smile. When he looked back he caught the look of his sister. The twinkle in her eyes told him she had seen Dan Jansen's reactions too.
Just then a deep, reverberating growl rolled up from the underbrush. Two of the occupants of the porch recognized the voice.
Dan Jansen's gaze shot to the far side of the yard and widened sharply. "That sounds like a..." He stopped when a massive black bear appeared near the outer rim of the yard. "Bear!" he snapped and was on his feet instantly, clutching the coyote pup in his hand.
"Sit down Jansen."
Dan Jansen looked at the massive black bear again then looked down at the pup. Why was she ordering him to sit there when there was a black bear less than twenty yards away? That was insane! They should get in the house where it would be safer.
"I said sit down. Feed Tip,” she ordered and watched the man sink to the chair and cradle the small coyote on his knees again. Sidney handed the pup she was holding to her bother. "Finish feeding Duchess for me Scott. I forgot about Tongo."
Scott smiled and took the pup and the bottle and after laying the pup across his legs, leveled the bottle at the gaping mouth.
When Dan Jansen saw the woman get to her feet his gaze lifted with her and he caught his breath when her beautiful blue gaze meet his.
"Don't move," she told him and saw his meek nod before she stepped off the porch. As Sidney moved between the three coyotes and started a slow, steady pace across the yard toward the bear Dan Jansen's eyes widened then shot to Scott. "What's she doing?"
"Watch,” Scott said. “And learn." He looked back at the blonde just in time to see her stop in the middle of the yard and he heard the low growl vibrate in her throat. Tongo's response came only a moment before the mass of fur bounded toward her. Scott heard Dan Jansen's gasp just before the bear pounced on Sidney, knocking her to the ground. And then the wrestling match was on. He chuckled as the pair rolled together then saw Tongo bury his snout in Sidney's side and heard her giggle before she grabbed him around the neck and wrestled him to his back. Scott glanced over at the other man on the porch to see his wide gaze locked on the wrestling match and his mouth hanging open. It was five minutes later when Tongo collapsed with exhaustion and Sidney plopped down at his side and cuddled against the massive beast.
"My God!"
Scott looked at Dan Jansen and smiled. "This is our evening entertainment."
"They do this every night?"
"It's usually more lively but it was interrupted tonight."
Sidney stopped at the foot of the steps with all four animals beside her. She perched her booted foot on the top rise. "Never seen friends wrestle Jansen?"
"Friends?"
She reached down and scratched the bear's ear. "Yes, friends. You do know the meaning of the word, correct?"
Scott smirked.
Dan Jansen sighed and nodded then looked down at the pup who was still sucking on a bottle that was now empty. "I think Tip's done eating."
Sidney rose onto the porch and took the pup from the man. She nuzzled her nose to his then released a soft throaty sound before she put him back in the box. She turned and extended her hand then took the bottle into the kitchen and rinsed it before returning to the porch. "You see Jansen," she said as she returned to the yard and stopped in the middle of the coyotes and bear. "There is room for all of us to live in this world." She looked at her brother. "I'll be back," she told him and, after releasing a low growl from her throat, spun on her heels and took off across the yard on a dead run with the three coyotes and the bear right behind her.
Scott nuzzled Duchess' nose then laid the pup in the box with her brother before he sat the empty bottle on the deck beside his chair. He looked at the man to see him watching the red blur that was moving up the distant slope at a fast pace.
"Is she always like that?"
Scott Lyndon looked at the distant form of his sister. "No," he said casually. "She's actually taking it pretty slow tonight."
"I didn't mean..."
"I know what you meant.” Scott met Dan Jansen’s gaze. “Whether you decide to take my advice or not Jansen is up to you. But, if you want to hang around my sister as we both know you do, then you need to gain a new respect for those she calls her friends."
"You know?"
Scott nodded slowly. "I know and," he paused long enough to look at the red blur that was already halfway up the north slope, tossing it a casual gesture. "So does she."
"I feel like such a fool."
"For which reason?"
"All of them. I came over here t
onight to tell you that I won't be bothering you anymore. I planned on selling the ranch and moving back to the city. Country life is just too slow for me." His gaze wandered sideways and found the red spot on the hill. "Then I saw your sister. I fell head over heels in love with her on sight. When she spoke, I melted. I felt like hell when she lit into me, when she told me I'd killed those pups' mother." He looked at Scott Lyndon. "I felt as if the entire coyote population was chewing me out."
"You're not that far off base. Do you still plan on selling the ranch and leaving?"
Dan Jansen watched the red dot disappear behind a patch of dense underbrush. "I don't know if I want to after meeting Sidney. I don't think I could live without her." He bit his lower lip. "Have you ever felt like that about someone so soon after you met them?"
Scott looked toward the slope, watched the red spot flitter along the hill and smiled as his mind raced back ten years. "Yeah, I have."
"Any advice for a lovesick puppy?"
"Sid gave you the key to the door. What you do with it is up to you."
"What do you mean?"
"She told you that you'd come over every evening and help her feed the pups. If she didn't want you here, I assure you, you'd be gone already. One sound from her and those coyotes would have run you off the place."
"Does she actually talk to them?"
"Yes, and they respond too."
"That's remarkable," Dan Jansen commented.
Scott Lyndon smiled at the group that was racing across the distant hillside. "Yes, and that's Sidney. Remarkable."
The End
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