Sharp Shootin' Cowboy (Hot Cowboy Nights, #3)(10)

Reid cursed under his breath. “Ever been around a wolf, Haley?”

“No, but I’ve worked at dog kennels for years.”

“Wolves are not dogs,” he argued. “You need to get that straight from the start. Don’t think that a wolf can be tamed or trained. Or even a wolf cross. They might be cute and furry, but they’re damned dangerous animals.”

“They still deserve our respect and our protection. All animals do.”

“I don’t argue that. I like and respect animals too, but predators like wolves and grizzlies need to be kept in check.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“I mean their numbers need to be managed.”

“You mean by killing them?”

“When necessary,” he said.

“So you’re one of them?” She shook her head. “Why should that surprise me? I can partly understand people who hunt game for subsistence, but the ones who consider hunting and killing pure sport are another matter.”

“There’s something you need to understand before you pass judgment. I was born hunting, tracking, and shooting. I held my first rifle at about six years old. Killed my first elk at twelve. My family runs a hunting outfit just outside Yellowstone. It’s been our livelihood for three generations. “

“And I suppose you have all those animal heads mounted on your wall as trophies?”

“I do. A whole roomful. And I’m not going to apologize for it. I like hunting and shooting, but I’ve never killed anything just for the hell of it. We eat all the game animals. And every predator I’ve ever taken has been at the behest of the Fish and Wildlife Managers. Trophy hunting helps maintain the ecological balance.”

“Nature did fine on its own until people like you almost wiped out the predators.”

“People like me?” He mumbled another epithet.

“Yes,” she declared. “And someone has to make it right.”

“And you think that’s you?”

“Not me alone, of course, but there are a lot of people who care about wildlife and the environment.”

“So you’re one of those green-living crusaders.”

His mockery put her further on the defensive. “Maybe I am, but certainly no more zealous than you are.”

He grinned. “So you’re actually saying we’re alike.”

She exhaled an exasperated huff. “Don’t twist my words. There’s a huge gulf of difference between you and me. I like animals alive, and you like their heads on a wall.”

“That’s not fair and you know it. I’ve always been surrounded by animals. I was raised with dozens of dogs, cats, and horses. They’ve been a huge part of my life.”

“Then how can you hunt? I just don’t understand it. Why kill wild animals when we raise millions of domestic ones for consumption?” She opened her mouth to sound off again and then closed it with a sigh. “I’m not going to convince you anyway, am I?”

“Nope. And there’s no sense wasting any more breath on it. Let’s just agree to disagree.”

“If we avoid all the things we disagree on, what’s left to talk about?”

“We’ve hardly exhausted all the possibilities.”

“Next exit. Turn right,” she instructed. “Then left at the second light.”

They drove another mile in protracted silence.

“Turn here,” she said. “It’s the first house on the left.”

He pulled into the drive, put the truck in park, and cut the ignition.

“Thanks for the ride, Reid. It was kind of you.” She reached for the door.

“Wait a minute,” he stalled. He didn’t want her to go. Not yet. Although her opinions annoyed the hell out of him, her big green eyes drew him in. He’d never felt this kind of contradictory attraction before. Politics be damned; in this moment nothing mattered but his desire to taste her again. “Don’t go yet. I want to try an experiment.”

Her gaze narrowed. “What kind of experiment?”

“A simple one. I bet if we tried real hard we could find a number of things we can agree on.”

She snorted. “I doubt it. We stand on opposite sides of every issue as far as I can tell. Besides, what’s the point if we have to try? Most people connect over common interests and shared views. We have none of those.”

“Being on different sides doesn’t necessarily make us enemies. Good people are allowed to disagree. Some of the best solutions to the hardest problems result from differing minds coming together, meeting in the middle. Humor me, Haley. How about we just start with one thing and see if we can’t build on that?”

His gaze honed in on her mouth. He moved closer, close enough to feel her soft, sweet breath caressing his face. He waited. He’d made his intent clear. The next move was hers.

“Like what?” she whispered, licking her lips.

There it was again, that subtle invitation.

“This,” he answered.

*

His lips met hers in a soft exploration that asked, rather than demanded. She didn’t stiffen or retreat this time, but leaned into him by fractions. His mouth was gentle, tender, and teasing, as if savoring the kiss. She couldn’t help responding to the warm, wet slide of his lips. Despite their differences, her body had been thrumming with anticipation the entire drive, even secretly craving this.