Free Cougar's Eve by Kelly Ann Long Page A

with a large blanket, he doubled it up and lifted the comforter. I was covered with my sheet and one other thermal blanket, but I was still uneasy about being naked under so few covers in front of Bud.
    He was very businesslike as he placed the blanket, which was toasty warm from the dryer, around my upper body then covered it once again with the comforter. A little part of my mind remembered it was August and even with the air conditioning on, I shouldn’t need this many covers.
    Bud stayed with me and even woke me when I had horrible dreams about evil spirits stalking my every move while I ran and ran. He never left my side until the cleaning crew arrived later that morning to remove the bloodstains from the carpet and surrounding soiled areas.
    After waking me from another bad dream, Bud said, “I tried to call your friend, Karisma, but her voicemail said she’s in St. Louis at a conference. I didn’t want her to worry about you, so I made it sound like I was following up on that cougar sighting. I thought you should tell her what happened in person.”
    Though Bud knew Karisma, they were more acquaintances than friends. Apparently, he understood there were times a woman needs a female friend to lean on, and he cared enough about me to try to do that for me.
    I put my hand on his and squeezed. “Thank you so much for trying to get in touch with her. I really appreciate it.” I thought a moment, then asked, “Did you call my grandpa?”
    Bud nodded. “You bet,” he shifted uneasily, “but I keep getting his voicemail.” Cheerfully, he added, “Maybe, his battery died. Who knows? I’ll keep trying to get in touch with him though.”
    “Okay, thanks,” I mumbled as I drifted off to sleep.
    Bud stayed overnight and slept in the chair next to my bed in case I had any more bad dreams. According to him, I’d slept for nearly twenty hours and only moved around a few times. Murrlin curled up next to my head, surrounding me like a winter hat.
    It was a little after noon when I finally dragged myself out of bed and walked into the living room. The first thing I looked at, of course, was the floor where everything had happened the previous day. I was more than surprised to see not a spot of blood remained on my blue carpet, tan kitchen tile, couch or walls.
    Bud sat on the oversized chair, reading the paper, when I walked into the room with Murrlin silently shadowing every step. He waited a moment before commenting, “I made sure they did a good job, Eve.” He stood up and embraced me gently then stepped back to give me a little room.
    “Thank you.” I nodded as I looked around the room, searching one more time, looking for something the cleaners had missed but finding nothing. “They really did do a good job.” I was relieved everything had been put back in its original place, too. “You’ve done so much for me; I don’t know how to thank you.”
    The big man smiled, and his dimples popped out as he subconsciously ran a large hand across his thinning blond hair. “You don’t need to thank me. I’m glad to be here for you.” He folded the paper and stared at me.
    I hated it when someone analyzed me, and it was worse when he stared mutely. Uncomfortable, I asked, “What?”
    He set the paper aside and rested his elbows on his knees. “Evie,” he started then blew a breath out of his mouth. “Look, I found something strange when I arrived yesterday. You know, after you called.”
    Not really wanting to relive the entire episode of questioning with Detective Stone, I asked, “Do you mind if we leave it alone for a day?”
    He smiled, rethinking his comment. “Sure.”
    I could tell he was doing everything he could to put the subject aside. Since he’d done so much for me, I started to feel guilty. “Okay, what do you need to ask?”
    “When the men broke in yesterday, did one of them have a dog?”
    Had he lost his mind?
    “A dog?” I repeated, not certain I’d heard him correctly.
    He nodded.