He grimaced slightly. “Well, I knew what my dad would do—coyotes were a pest to him, like most ranchers—but I couldn’t do it. So I cleaned him up as best I could, bandaged him and hid him out in back of the well house, in a little lean-to I built. Joker guarded that thing like it was his own kid.”

“And you?”

“I checked on him. Stole a bit of food to give him, enough to keep him going. He could have used a vet, but I knew there was no way my dad would go for that. In fact, he started talking about going on a hunt, because there were a couple of coyotes hanging around too close. Started nagging at Joker, because he wasn’t doing his job.”

“The parents?” she guessed.

“Yeah. At least, that’s what I figured. It was the only reason I could think of why Joker didn’t run them off.”

She looked utterly entranced, leaning forward with her elbows on her knees, as if he were reading some fascinating story to her.

“What happened?”

“When he was strong enough and healed enough, I carried him out close to where the pair of adults had been hanging out. Put him down and Joker and I walked back to the well house and waited. After a few minutes, they came and got him.”

“Do you suppose he made it?”

“I know he did.” At her look, he explained. “Couple of years later, when I was out riding the fence line, I saw him. I could tell by the scar on his shoulder. And the way he and Joker stopped dead and stared at each other.”

“That’s amazing, Adam. What a great story. Did your father ever find out?”

He gave her a wry smile. “He knew. All along.”

She blinked. “What?”

“He saw the lean-to and went to look. He never said a word, then.”

“Then how do you know he knew?”

“We were talking about something else, a few months after. About exceptions to the rule. And he told me the young of any species, except maybe rattlesnakes—he’d been bitten by a baby one once—should be off-limits. Then he gave me this look he had, we call it the Dad look, and added, ‘Even coyotes.’”

She stared at him, a half smile on her lips, belied by the sudden sheen of moisture in her eyes. The slight husky note in her voice was like a feather down his spine when she said, “I think I would like your dad.”

“And he you. He’s a good man.” He tried not to think of how much he would like for them to be in a place where her meeting his father would happen.