Alaskan Hideaway. Beth Carpenter

her nose.

      â€œWhat’s going on?” Mac pushed his way through the snow toward them.

      â€œBlossom was in an altercation with an eagle.”

      â€œEagle?” Mac caught up with Ursula. “Is everybody all right?” He peered toward the fence.

      â€œBlossom has a nasty scratch on her muzzle, but she’ll be okay. Judging by the way the eagle is holding his wing, it’s broken.”

      â€œOh, no.” Mac’s eyebrows knit together. “Can it live like that? Or would it be kinder just to...”

      â€œI’m on my way to Anchorage. If we can get it out of the fence, I can take it to the bird rescue center there.”

      â€œThere’s a bird rescue in Anchorage? That’s great.” He reached for Blossom’s collar. “Let me lock up the dog, and I’ll be right back.”

      â€œBring wire cutters. There should be some in the tool chest under the bench seat in the kitchen. And a heavy blanket or rug. When animals are hurt, they sometimes lash out at people who are trying to help them.”

      Mac gave her an odd look but obeyed. A few minutes later, he returned with the things she’d asked for, plus a large dog kennel. “I thought you could transport it in this.”

      â€œGood idea.” She studied the bird, who stared back, unblinking. When she took a step closer, the eagle gave a jerk but couldn’t seem to get loose from the fence. “Do you think you can throw the blanket over it and hold it still while I cut the wire?”

      Mac nodded. “I think so. Here, I brought us both leather gloves. Why don’t you try to distract it from the right, and I’ll approach from the left?”

      The distraction plan was only marginally effective, but after three tries, Mac was able to throw the blanket over it and hug the bird so that it couldn’t get its beak or talons loose to fight them. Ursula went to work, cutting the thick wires that formed the fence.

      â€œI’ve dealt with a few animals tangled in fences on the ranch, but a bald eagle is a first for me.” The bird struggled, but Mac managed to maintain his hold. “How do you think it happened?”

      â€œSome of these wires are rusted. I suspect a rabbit or something ran through this break in the fence to get away from the eagle. He must have hit it pretty hard.” Ursula cut the last wire.

      The eagle flapped the now freed wing awkwardly at Mac’s face, but he hung on. “Can you open the kennel?”

      Ursula unlatched the kennel door, and together they shoved the bird inside, blanket and all. Ursula latched the door shut. The eagle shook the blanket off and glared at them. Mac lifted the kennel, carefully avoiding putting his hands too close to any airholes, and carried it to Ursula’s Subaru. She opened the back, and he slid the kennel inside.

      He turned to face her. “Thank you. Blossom could have been hurt a lot worse if you hadn’t stopped.”

      â€œNo problem. I think she’ll be fine, but if you want to have her checked out, there’s a vet in Seward.”

      â€œI will if I think she needs it. I hope the eagle will be okay.”

      â€œMe, too. I’ll let you know.”

      * * *

      THE SCRATCH ON Blossom’s muzzle wasn’t too bad. Mac had just finished cleaning it, despite Blossom’s protests, when the internet installer arrived. While Mac had waited for him to finish, he’d gotten caught up in a book on the history of the Alaska gold rush he found on the living room shelf. He didn’t remember about the groceries until later that afternoon, so he locked Blossom in the cabin and drove into Seward.

      He returned to find the empty dog kennel in his driveway. A roll of lamb wire rested beside it. That was nice of Ursula. He hadn’t even thought about how he was going to repair the fence. Funny, back when he was a kid on the ranch, one of the constant chores was working on fences. Life seemed to have come full circle.

      Once he had the groceries put away, he’d give Ursula a call to find out what the rescue people said about the eagle. He opened the liftgate and reached to load the kennel. A note was taped to the top. I have your dog. —Ursula.

      What? He’d left Blossom in the house. He drove the rest of the way down the driveway and unlocked the front door. No nails clicked across the floor to greet him. The back door was also locked. The windows were closed—it was winter after all. So how did Blossom get out?

      The key. That was the only answer. Ursula had known exactly where he would find a toolbox containing wire cutters. He hadn’t even realized the built-in bench lifted up, much less that there was a toolbox underneath. She was obviously friends with the woman who had owned the place before him. Ergo, she would have a key.

      But why would Ursula take Blossom? It wasn’t as though he’d neglected her. He was only gone an hour or so. Ursula had to know he’d never let anything happen to Andi’s dog.

      Maybe that’s what she was counting on. She’d fed him muffins and listened to him talk the other morning to get him to trust her. She’d helped with the eagle and even brought him wire to repair the fence. Now she was going to “rescue” the dog, because she knew Blossom was important to him. And he would be so grateful, he’d give her access to the trails, or maybe even sell her the property. Classic manipulation.

      But she’d missed one little detail. She should have left the back door open. Mac couldn’t be expected to believe Blossom had closed and locked the door behind her. Yeah, if Ursula thought her little plan was going to work on him, she had another think coming.

      He jumped into the SUV and turned around. Could she have arranged the injured eagle, too? He couldn’t imagine her trapping an eagle and somehow getting it stuck in the fence without injuring herself. But then, the woman had a tame squirrel. For all he knew, she might have a pet eagle trained to pretend it had a broken wing.

      He pulled up in front of her porch, jumped out and ran up the steps. He reached up to pound on the door, but paused to take a breath. Better to let her carry through on this charade, see exactly what she was up to. He rang the bell.

      A minute later, Ursula’s smiling face greeted him. “Oh, good. You got my note. Come in.”

      He stepped in far enough to allow her to shut the door. Across the room, Blossom lay on a rug in front of the fire, getting belly rubs from Rory. She rolled to her feet and ran to greet him, pushing her head against his hand. He rubbed her ears.

      Rory chased after her. “Me and Blossom were playing. And I gave her a dog biscuit. But I didn’t share my cookie ’cause chocolate is bad for dogs.”

      Ursula put an arm around the girl’s shoulders. “I found Blossom running along the highway. She must have taken advantage of that hole in the fence. You found the fencing I left?”

      â€œYes.” Mac kept his gaze on the dog, so Ursula wouldn’t read his face. “Thank you.”

      â€œYou’re welcome. I’m pretty sure there’s a roll of bailing wire in your toolbox. If not, I have some you can use.”

      â€œUh-huh. How much do I owe you?”

      â€œDon’t worry about it. I was picking up a few other things.”

      He met her eyes. “I pay my debts. How much for the fencing?”

      Oh, she was good. Her expression was the perfect mix of surprise and hurt at his brusque tone. This wasn’t playing into her plan to have him indebted to her. “About twenty dollars, I think. I’ll find the receipt.”