Saddle Up(27)

“How do you know? How can you be certain the animal isn’t just wounded?”

“Mountain lions never wound, Miranda. They are masters of the surgical strike. It’s almost always a clean, fast kill. At least the other two got away.”

Miranda’s throat closed on a choked sob. “It’s all my fault! It happened on my watch.”

“There’s nothing you could have done,” he consoled her.

“Wh-what about us?” she asked. “What if it comes back? What if there are more of them out there?” Her hands flew to her neck at a sudden vision of a lion with fangs bared lunging at her throat.

“There won’t be others,” Keith replied. “Mountain lions are territorial. They always hunt alone. And that one is unlikely to strike twice, but my rifle’s loaded just in case.” Looping a strong arm around her waist, he guided her into motion. “Let’s get away from here. You’ll be safer by the fire.”

*

Miranda’s teeth chattered, and her body still racked with aftershocks as they settled back under the blanket together. She was close enough to be a second skin, but he knew it wasn’t a sexual invitation. She sought only warmth and comfort, but he still couldn’t help the surge of blood to his dick. Danger, especially close encounters with death, often incited sexual desire. The danger had been real, and so was his lingering lust, but the moment for acting on it had passed.

“Cold or frightened?” he asked, pulling her closer still.

“Both,” she answered with a shaky laugh. “You really don’t think it’ll come back?” she whispered.

“It won’t. It’s probably gorging itself right now.”

She shuddered. “I didn’t need that visual. Which one did it get?”

“I’m not sure.”

“What are we going to do out here with no horses?” she asked.

“I have the sat phone, remember? I can call for help if need be, but we’ll probably find the horses once the sun rises. After that adventure, they’ll be as happy to go home as we’ll be.”

In reality, Keith would be more relieved than happy to take Miranda back. Although his first priority was to keep her safe, he wouldn’t have minded more time alone with her.

“I can’t believe this whole experience,” she said. “It’s like a weird dream. Do people really live like this? With poisonous snakes and horse-eating lions?”

“Where I come from they do. We coexist with many predators, including wolves and grizzlies. I thought you said your grandparents have a ranch. Didn’t you ever encounter any wildlife there?”

“It’s actually just my grandma’s now. We rode horses and played around with the cattle, but I never experienced anything like this before.”

He chuckled. “You aren’t in Kansas anymore, Dorothy.”

“Funny you said that. The Wizard of Oz is my favorite film. I’ve watched it thirteen times, part of which was a twenty-four-hour marathon.”

“I don’t understand you.” He shook his head with a wry smile. “How can you watch the same film over and over when you already know what’s going to happen?”

“Because every time I watch it I focus on a different character and try to experience the events through his or her eyes. It’s all about the journey, not the destination.”

“Which character do you best identify with?” he asked.

“Well, usually it’s Dorothy, given that we’re both country girls and my experience in L.A. was all too much like hers in Oz, but I have to admit that tonight I’m identifying a lot more with the cowardly lion.”

“If that’s so, I have something that might help.” He reached beneath his shirt for a leather cord that he pulled over his head.

“What is it?” she asked, fingering the object that hung from the necklace.

“A grizzly tooth. It was my boo-ha-gant.” He slipped it over her head. “Now it’s yours.” He smiled into her eyes. “It will give you courage, but you must keep it secret, or it’ll lose its powers.”

“Courage? So this is really how you killed that snake? Won’t you lose your superpowers without it?”

“No.” He stroked a finger along her collarbone above where the tooth lay nestled between her breasts. “For the record, you have yet to know my true superpowers. We were interrupted before I could demonstrate them to you.”

Her face flushed. “You do think a lot of yourself, don’t you?”

He brought his finger back up to her mouth to trace her lips. “Let’s just say I wouldn’t have disappointed you.”

But disappointment reflected in her eyes. “Well, I guess we’ll never know now, will we?”

“No,” he replied, regretfully. “We never will.” He wasn’t likely ever to see her again, but in their short time together he’d opened up more with her than he had with anyone else in years. “Are you sorry you came?” he asked.

She exhaled a soft sigh. “No. Even with all that happened, I’m still glad I came.”

Maybe her answer shouldn’t have surprised him, but it did. This day had put her mettle to the test, revealing a strength she probably didn’t even know she possessed. She still had so much to learn about herself. He would have enjoyed the chance to watch her journey, but it wasn’t meant to be. There was no point in dwelling on it. The opportunity was lost. Tomorrow they’d find the missing horses and part ways.