Coyote Gorgeous (3 page)

The tracks led through an open
landscape, toward the back of the neighbor’s tall, futuristic
house. On her way, Madison stepped over steel rods, pipes, and
metal sheets of various sizes and shapes. There were odd parts, a
car engine behind a boulder, a dismembered motorcycle. She walked
around a small tractor, fifty-gallon drums, and farm machinery
blades. Was this a public dump? Why would someone with such a fancy
house tolerate that clutter of junk around it?

From the side, Madison could see a
fancy wrought iron fence around the front yard, with a trimmed
green hedge, flowerbeds, and scarce pine trees. The back yard had
no visible property line and blended into the desert. A small boxy
building looked like some kind of workshop, and a white canvas
tent, about ten by ten feet, stood close to the back deck of the
house. It looked too clean for simple storage.

Closer to the house, a bloody rag on a
woodpile caught Madison’s attention. She picked it up and sniffed
it. Not blood, paint. But animal fur stuck to the paint.
Odd.

Should she call for backup? What if
the neighbor was the dangerous predator? No. She couldn’t call for
help. After the javelina incident last year, they’d say poor little
Madison feared the Chupacabra. She’d never hear the end of
it.

She was perfectly capable of handling
a predator, human or otherwise. Besides, these attacks happened at
night. And even if the neighbor was the culprit, he would not blow
his cover by attacking her. At least not as long as he believed she
didn’t suspect him.

Nothing moved in the
backyard. She called toward the house,
"
Anyone
home?
"

No one answered. Madison
circled the white tent to peek inside from the open flap. She came
face to face with a life size
...
Chupacabra
? A cloud moved across the
sky, hiding the sund and bathing the tent in shadow. Her heart
raced and she reached for her sidearm. She stopped mid movement.
When did she get so jumpy?

The object of her fright was a tall
metal sculpture, an armored muscular man with the head of a coyote.
Or was it Anubis, the Egyptian god with the jackal head? The bright
silver finish and turquoise decorating the black metal could
indicate either. Madison had never made the connection between the
jackal and the coyote. In this representation, they looked
identical.

More sculptures crowded the concrete
slab inside the tent, all stylized, teaming with life, strikingly
beautiful and awe-inspiring, with bright enamel colors. There were
Native American warriors with war paint and elaborate headdresses
of multicolored feathers, a meditating Buddha, a mother and child,
a golden eagle. The art lover in Madison couldn’t help but admire
the mastery and the sensitivity of the artist. The sculptures
looked alive. All exquisite.

In the far back, Madison discerned a
giant oriental goddess with many arms. The black sculpture seemed
to dance and brandished deadly blades. She wore a necklace of human
skulls. Red blood seeped from the lips of her monstrous head.
Madison shivered at the bloodthirsty expression on her
face.

Something growled behind Madison. She
whirled about, holding the 9mm .357 SIG pistol in a two-handed
grip. Aiming, she stared into the yellow eyes of a large bobcat,
sitting atop a flat boulder in the shade of a pine tree. The animal
had an orange top coat and white spotted belly. Forty pounds of
quick muscle. Was this the killer? Was it rabid? The bobcat growled
again but didn’t crouch to pounce.

"
Felix seems
to like you.
"

The low baritone at her
back made Madison’s skin prickle all over, but she maintained eye
contact with the bobcat.
Never take your
eyes off a wild animal in a standoff
.
"
Felix?
"

"
You better
put that thing away. He’s like me. He doesn’t like
guns.
"
The calm male voice
seemed to caress her.
"
It’s
okay, little brother.
"

The wild cat grunted a response, lay
down on the flat rock and yawned. He licked a front paw and rested
his head on it to resume an interrupted nap.

Madison lowered her firearm and
relaxed her finger on the trigger, but her heart beat like a jungle
drum. Reluctantly, she turned to face the man who had spoken in
such a smooth voice.

Tall, with a welding mask flipped up
over his head, he stood legs apart, boots firmly planted in the
ground. The top part of his leather apron had fallen, and his black
open shirt exposed a thick silver chain resting on the copper of
chiseled muscles glistening in sunlight. Madison allowed her gaze
to linger on such male perfection.

"
Sorry if
Felix startled you.
"
The
Native American man removed the welding mask with gloved hands,
revealing a face streaked with soot like black war paint. He wore
his long black hair in a ponytail and stared at Madison with the
most startling green eyes she had ever seen, fearless, with intense
fire, like a wild animal.

Shaken, Madison buried her
lusty thoughts under a gruff attitude and returned her sidearm to
the holster.
"
A bobcat is not
a pet. There are laws protecting wildlife.
"

"
Felix
chooses my company.
"
He
didn’t seem sorry at all and grinned, showing white teeth, as if
he’d enjoyed her fright. Something was odd about him.

The man’s bold stare made
Madison uncomfortable.
"
This
is a dangerous animal to keep around, mainly for your neighbors’
pets. Don’t they complain?
"

"
Felix and I
have an understanding. I feed him, and he doesn’t
kill.
"
He grinned at her with
insolence.
"
My name is
Kaletaka, and I own this house.
"

Chapter Two

Kaletaka exulted at the ranger’s shock
and surprise. He’d startled her all right. She’d almost turned her
gun on him. He hated firearms but loved a gamble.

She removed her sunglasses
and tucked them in her belt.
"
Ka-le
...
"

He smiled inwardly at her
struggle. No one ever got his name right the first time.
"
Kaletaka. But my friends call me
Kal.
"

"
Kal.
"
She hesitated,
her wide blue eyes fixed on him.
"
You shouldn’t sneak up on people like
that.
"

She looked
beautiful
in a fierce kind of
way
,
for such a little bit of
a girl, sun-kissed, with sassy blond hair. Almost as fierce as the
sculptures in the open tent behind her.

"
Nice to meet
you, too.
"
The words came out
too fast as excitement rushed through him. Kaletaka strove to keep
a calm demeanor. Lately, all kinds of strange urges ran amok inside
him, like right now.
"
But you
are the one trespassing,
Ms
...
"

"
Officer
Madison Huntley.
"
Her
melodious voice reminded him of silver chimes in the soft
breeze.

Kaletaka pulled off his
long asbestos gloves in anticipation of feeling her hand in his. He
already imagined her skin against his naked body. Tendrils of
electricity coursed through him at the lusty images in his
head.
"
Beautiful name,
Madison. It suits you.
"

"
Thanks.
"

He threw the gloves into the welding
mask, tucked it under his arm, and stepped closer, extending his
hand.

She frowned and stepped
back, staring at his blackened fingers. She didn’t take his
hand.
"
I just have a few
questions.
"

"
For
me?
"
He grinned to cover the
sting of the rejection, but his hand
was
black with metal
grime.

"
A predator
killed animals at the ranch last night. The tracks lead to your
property. Mind if I look around?
"

Did she say tracks?
Something in his stomach fluttered. He’d seen them, too, but wanted
to know what
she
had deduced.
"
What kind
of tracks?
"

She hesitated and knitted
her brow.
"
Probably a
bear.
"

"
I’ve seen a
few around, but not lately.
"
Kaletaka could sense her agitation as her hand hooked
nervously on her belt. What was she afraid of? Felix? No. She
didn’t even glance at the bobcat. He wasn’t her primary suspect.
Then Kaletaka realized she might suspect him. He growled inside
with frustration. He couldn’t let her poke around.
"
Do you have a
warrant?
"

"
I can get
one, but I hoped for your cooperation.
"
She straightened her tiny frame and indicated his
sculptures with her chin. A whiff of fragrance floated around her.
Gardenias after the rain.
"
Interesting collection.
"

"
I don’t
collect. I create. I’m a sculptor.
"
Her sweet scent overwhelmed him. The notion of
seducing her despite the danger she represented crossed Kaletaka’s
mind. Kaletaka felt like the Big Bad Wolf inviting prey into his
lair.
"
Would you care for
some lemonade?
"

"
Thanks. It’s
hot out here.
"
A smile
strained at the corners of her full pink lips. She glanced at
Felix, who napped on the flat rock, but easily turned her back on
the bobcat. She trusted Felix but not him. That couldn’t be
good.

With his free arm, Kaletaka indicated
the wooden sun deck with its table and chairs and let her walk
first up the few steps. He followed the sway of her hips and round
derriere with delight, so close behind her, he could feel her body
heat. He burned to touch the small of her back but feared she might
bolt.

Checking her shapely reflection on the
tempered glass pane separating the living room from the deck, he
dropped the welding mask and gloves on a metal bench and flinched
as the intruding sound hit his sensitive ears. Then he stepped
ahead of her to pull open the glass door, getting a whiff of
gardenia as she brushed past him. His acute senses detected her
reluctance, but he relished the challenge. He would make her trust
him, and more.

She surveyed the open floor plan and
took in the masculine brown leather couch and chairs of the living
room. She also glanced at the wrought iron vine banister he’d
sculpted for the stairs, but she did not comment. Her gaze scanned
the split-level balcony and large structural beams crossing the
empty space under the vaulted ceiling.

She returned her attention
to him.
"
Did you hear
anything unusual last night?
"

"
Coyotes,
why?
"
Kaletaka made his way
to the shiny granite island separating the living room from the
open kitchen. But mostly he walked away to hide his growing
erection.

"
What do you
know about the incident at the ranch?
"
Her inquisitive tone seemed to accuse him of the
nasty deed.

When he glanced at her, Kaletaka could
plainly see suspicion in the narrowing of her eyes. He averted his
gaze and washed his hands in the sink. Could she read him? Hell, he
couldn’t even read himself. And although he suspected he was
responsible, he had no memory of last night at all. He kept his
back to her as he dried his hands on a towel then walked to the
large, stainless steel refrigerator.

"
Pablo says
it’s Chupacabra.
"
Kaletaka
opened the refrigerator door.

A bar stool scraped the tile as lovely
Madison pulled it out, and he imagined her sweet behind settling
onto it. He growled inwardly. She wasn’t helping his growing
problem.

"
You are
friendly with the ranch hand?
"
That chiming voice didn’t help either.

"
We
talk.
"
Kaletaka grabbed a
pitcher of freshly pressed lemonade and quickly closed the door on
the week old P.F. Chang’s cartons of leftovers.
"
What do you think of his
testimony?
"