Cornered In Conard County. Rachel Lee

shifted uncomfortably. She was well aware that Betty felt she cut herself off too much from the real world. And not just because of her job.

      But trust didn’t come easily to her. It hadn’t since that night. It had even taken her godparents a while to get past the barriers that had slammed in place back then. If she hadn’t already known and loved them, it might never have happened. Betty was the unique exception, worming her way past ice and stone and into Dory’s heart.

      “I’ll try, Betty,” she said eventually. “But I tend to get stubborn if I feel pushed.” And anyway, she hadn’t missed Betty’s warning about Cadell’s aversion to women. Which suited her fine.

      “Tell me about it, girl.” Then Betty laughed. “No pushing. Just saying Cadell’s a nice guy and you can trust him. I’d never advise you to reach for more than that. Anyway, I’ve got some women friends you’d probably like, too, but you notice I haven’t invited them over since you arrived.”

      Instantly Dory felt ashamed. “I’m sorry. I don’t want to disrupt your life. You should just keep living the way you always do. If I get uncomfortable, I can take a walk. And I’ll be in my new place soon. I can go tonight if you want.”

      Betty sat straight up. “What makes you think I want you to go? Cut it out. I love having you here. Anyway, you’re not moving until Cadell gives you a dog.” Pause. “When is George getting out?”

      “Tomorrow, I think. Or maybe the next day.” She looked down. “You’d think the date would be engraved in my memory, considering what it’s doing to me.”

      Betty’s face tightened. “Then you’re definitely staying with me. You need someone around when the nightmares disturb you. Maybe the dog will help once you have him. I hope so. But in the meantime, you’re not going anywhere.”

      “They’re just dreams,” Dory protested, although neither her heart nor her gut entirely believed it. Her brother was a living, breathing monster, not some fantasy creature. She might never see him again. In fact, she hoped she never did. But as long as she was alive, he rode in the cold seas of her memory, a very real threat.

      Later, as she helped Betty make dinner, she made up her mind. She was moving tomorrow. She’d dealt with the nightmares all her life. Maybe not as bad as they were right now, but she’d dealt with them. She could continue to deal with them.

      But she wasn’t going to turn Betty into some kind of shut-in for her own benefit. No way. The woman had a life here and deserved to enjoy it. As for herself, well, even though George might be released tomorrow, there was no possible way for him to get here tomorrow. Or even the next day.

      And she still couldn’t imagine any reason why he’d ever want to see her again. They’d been close when she was little. He’d held her on his lap and read to her to distract her from their parents’ fighting. But that had been a very long time ago. After twenty-five years, there was nothing left to put back together. Nothing.

      Besides, whoever she had thought her brother was when she was little, he’d shattered all that one night in the kitchen. No way those shards would ever fit together again.

      * * *

      IN THE MORNING she drove herself out to Cadell’s ranch for another training session. Betty had a meeting to attend, but having been to the ranch once, Dory didn’t have any trouble finding the place. She loved driving down the battered county roads in the open places, looking at the mountains that appeared to jut up suddenly from nowhere. The land rolled, hinting at foothills, but these mountains looked as if they had been dropped there, not developed slowly over eons. Maybe that was just perspective, but she stored it in her mind for use someday in her art.

      Cadell was waiting for her when she pulled up. He sat in a rocker on his wide front porch and stood immediately. The day was exquisite, Dory thought as she climbed out of her car. Warm but not hot, tickled by a gentle breeze. The kind of day where it was possible just to feel good to be alive.

      “Howdy,” he said from the top of the steps. Today he wore a long-sleeved tan work shirt, sleeves rolled up, and jeans. “You want to get straight to work or do you have time for some coffee first?”

      He probably wanted coffee himself, and while she was in a hurry, wanting to get her move taken care of during the afternoon, she decided to be polite. The man was doing her a big favor, after all.

      Inside, his house was welcoming, showing signs that he was doing some renovation.

      “Excuse my mess,” he said as they went to the kitchen. “My dad kind of let things go the last few years, and I couldn’t get away for long enough to really take this place in hand.”

      “I don’t mind. So you grew up here?”

      “Yup. Left when I was twenty for the law enforcement academy, then I took a job in Seattle.”

      She sat at the table and watched him as he moved around digging out mugs and pouring coffee. Man, was he built. She wished he’d just sit down so her eyes wouldn’t be drawn like a magnet.

      “This must seem awfully tame after Seattle.”

      “I like that part.” Smiling, he brought her coffee. Sugar and milk were already on the table. “I get to spend more time with the dogs.”

      “And ostriches,” she dared to tease.

      He laughed and sat across from her. “And ostriches,” he agreed.

      “So no idea how they came to be here?”

      He shook his head. “Dad had enough time to set up the electrified fencing, but the vet, Mike Windwalker, tells me he only had them a couple of months before he passed. Mike had no idea where they came from, either—Dad just asked for his advice on keeping them healthy. Once. I wish he’d mentioned them when we talked on the phone, but he never did.”

      “Maybe he thought he wouldn’t have them for long.”

      He shook his head a little. “Possible, I suppose, but that fencing...well, yeah, he’d have needed to do something quick to keep them from escaping. I’d love to know where they came from, but when I ask around, nobody seems to know a thing.”

      A smile suddenly split his face. “In a way it was funny. I got the call that Dad had passed, and as I was packing to get out here, I got a second call that left me floored. It was from Mike, the vet. He said he’d take care of the ostriches for a few days so not to worry. I’m standing there holding the phone with my jaw dropped. Ostriches?”

      A giggle escaped Dory. “That’d be a shocker.”

      “Believe it. And I was no less shocked when I got here and found out how ornery they are.” He paused. “Okay, maybe that’s just my feeling and I ought to give them more of a chance. But they’ve already killed two of my favorite hats, and I don’t much like being pecked whenever they feel like it. I’m hoping we can eventually reach a truce.”

      She glanced out his window and saw the two ostriches in the small pen not far away. They weren’t especially cuddly looking, even now when they were just looking around. “Are they hard to care for?”

      “I have to special-order feed for them. One of the big pet food companies also makes food for zoos, so that helps. Special ostrich blend. And in the winter when it gets too cold, I need to keep them in the barn.”

      “So they don’t have to be in a warm climate all the time?”

      “Evidently not.” He sighed, half smiling, an attractive man comfortable in his own skin. She envied him that. Had she ever felt comfortable within herself, apart from her work? “I really would like to give them to someone who actually wants them.”

      “Wants them as pets?”

      “Not likely. As far as I can tell, they weren’t hand raised as babies. Or maybe they just don’t like me.” He shrugged. “But I won’t sell them for meat or leather. Betty keeps reminding me that ostriches are worth thousands of dollars, but