“He’s magic with animals. He and Damien are out now.”

“I’m just here retrieving cat food for Ezra. I think it was his way of getting me out of there without barring me from coming with him.”

“That’s very possible. Why don’t you have them add the cat food to my order? I have the truck and they’re loading feed for the chickens and some other stuff up now. The bags are a hundred pounds each. I had four strapping sons to have someone do the heavy lifting once I got old. I’m old. So Ezra and his brothers can unload the feed back at the house.”

He winked and she laughed. She saw bits and pieces of Ezra in his dad, or she supposed it was the other way around. They had very like temperaments.

“I’ll do that. Thanks. I should have known he didn’t want some twenty-pound bag I could fit in my trunk.”

He walked over to the huge stack of pet food bags and pointed. “This is it. Don’t worry about hauling it up front. They’ll just take it out for me. Go ahead and let them know up at the counter. I’ll be with you in a few minutes. I have to check on a trap we might be able to use for the coyote. I hate killing them if I don’t have to.”

She went up to the counter and waited her turn. The woman who looked up after she’d said, “Can I help you?” smiled, pushing glasses up the bridge of her nose.

Tuesday did the same thing and laughed. “I hear you. I need a bag of that cat food over there.” She read the name Ezra had written down. “Can you please add that to Sweet Hollow Ranch’s account and have it loaded along with the rest of Michael Hurley’s stuff tonight?”

The woman looked around Tuesday, checking stock most likely. “Sure can.”

She handed Tuesday a receipt and Tuesday thanked her before wandering back to find Michael. He didn’t need to escort her back or anything and she knew they had all this business with the coyote to deal with so she didn’t want him feeling saddled down with her.

She’d caught sight of Michael standing a little bit away and was heading there until someone hailed her.

“Excuse me.”

She turned. “Yes?”

A harried-looking dude came at her. He wasn’t just walking her way, but sort of top heavily bobbing at her. She took a step back.

“Who are you and what are you doing in here?”

She looked to her right and left and then back to him. His tone pushed her buttons. “Pardon me?”

“You heard me. What are you doing lurking around?”

“Lurking?”

“It means studying something, getting ready to steal it.”

She knew her head whipped that time. “No, actually, that’s casing. Lurking is more like stealthily hanging around with possibly ill intent. I’m doing neither actually. I just bought some cat food.” Not that she’d ever shop in this place again if guys like this asshole worked there.

“Your hands are empty.”

“Just what exactly are you saying?”

“I’m saying you’re in here and I don’t know you personally and I want you to understand we don’t stand for any nonsense in our store.”

“Please clarify for me. Are you saying I’m nonsense because I didn’t immediately confess to your accusation of some sort of nefarious motive?” She paused. “Nefarious means bad or criminal. Since our game includes word definitions now. But since you did use you in a you people sense a few times, I’m guessing it’s that I’m a black woman in your store and since I’m black I must be thinking on ways to steal chicken wire and nails”

“Playing the race card. You people always do.”

And then there was a huge, hot, angry presence at her side for a brief moment and then in between her and feed-store bigot. Or FSB as she now thought of him. “I think you need to go ahead and get Ed out here. I’d like to talk with him about you.”

“Mr. Hurley. This woman was causing trouble and when I confronted her she of course said I was a racist. You know how they are.”

Michael vibrated with so much rage that both Tuesday and FSB took a step back. “You will shut your mouth before my fist does the talking.” His voice was a little unsteady, like he was so pissed he had trouble speaking.

Tuesday was familiar with that place.

The woman who’d helped Tuesday at the counter came over. “What’s happening here? Gary, what are you doing?” she demanded of FSB.

“Your employee just stalked my son’s girlfriend through the store and then accused her of casing the store, all while making it abundantly clear he did so because she was black. You need to know Sweet Hollow will do our business elsewhere if this is the sort of behavior practiced here now.”

“No, sir. I am horrified and so very sorry,” she said around Michael’s body to Tuesday and then back to FSB. “Gary, please go wait in my office.”

FSB leered Tuesday’s way and that’s when Michael caught him by the shoulder, picked him up and set him back a few feet. “You will not act like a beast in her presence. I won’t allow it.”

Tuesday wanted the ground to open up and swallow her.

She wanted to kick FSB in the taint.

She wanted to kiss Michael right on the mouth but then realized Sharon was too scary to even try.

The guy stumbled back. “This is taking over our country. Go back to where you came from!” FSB sort of mewled it as he scampered off.

“Olympia?”