MacKenzie Fire(12)

Slamming the door behind me, I can finally breathe again, although I sound like a frigging freight train. “Wow. That was close.” I swallow once to try and calm myself. It feels like my heart is in my throat. “Should we call the cops or the animal control people or something?”

Andie is trying to pull herself up into the truck, but she can’t because she’s laughing too hard. For a second I feel guilty that I didn’t help her pregnant butt in first, what with the lion and everything, but then I get suspicious. She’s not acting like she’s running for her life. Shouldn’t adrenaline be giving her the umph she needs to get more than a half-inch off the ground?

“Were you just messing with me?” I look out the back window, trying to see that mound she was talking about. There’s nothing there but some patches of snow. “There aren’t lions here, are there?”

If I had a snowball, I’d throw it right in her face. I don’t care if she’s pregnant. I’m pretty sure I just lost a year off my life or a month at least with that scare.

She’s inside and buckled before she answers, her cheeks bright red with happiness as she lets out a long sigh. “No, I swear, there really are mountain lions here. And coyotes and bears and wolves and all kinds of other scary shit. But there wasn’t one back there. I was just kidding about that one.”

I point my finger in her face. “That pregnancy excuse will only take you so far. I can still smack you. Just remember that.”

She swats my hand away and starts the truck. “Just keep your eyes open when you’re outside, that’s all I ask. I’m sure you’ll never see one, but just in case...”

I picture myself coming upon a lion wandering around the ranch and make my decision. “Do they sell guns here?”

She snorts. “Is the Pope Catholic?”

“How about winter running shoes?”

“No. You’re getting boots.”

“Fine.” I cross my arms, trying to picture how I’m going to arm myself for outdoor Ian stalking activities while also protecting myself from these man-eating beasts. A gun is probably a good idea. Plus some sort of shoe I can sprint over the snow in.

“What are you scheming up over there?” Andie asks, shooting me glances as we bounce over the rough road that leads to the highway.

“Nothing. No scheming. Just thinking about buying a gun.”

She laughs. “You’re not buying a gun. Don’t be ridiculous.”

I say nothing because she’s not the boss of me and I am too going to buy a gun. A girl’s got to protect herself, right?





Chapter Five





WHAT ARE THE CHANCES THAT driving into town, I’ll spy a gun store and be able to pull off a sneaky trip inside without Andie knowing?

Very good. Very, very good, in fact, because apparently pregnant ladies need to pee a lot and they like to shop for baby clothes, and in Oregon, baby clothing shops are sometimes located right down the street from gun stores. She totally bought my lies when I said I wanted to browse around the nearby wig shop while she was in the supermarket using their potty. We agreed to meet in the kid clothing place just down the street after.

I walk into the gun store and stop just inside, staring at all the firearms on display. There are what I assume to be hunting rifles all over the walls and a glass case near the register with handguns in it. A few aisles have other hunting type paraphernalia in them.

I walk over and stare down into the glass case. No one is here that I can see, but voices float over to me from down an aisle near the back of the store. The conversation filters through, and I listen in shamelessly.

“I’ve got a thirty ought six already. What I’d really like to try is the Mathews Creed short bow. Got any of those?”

“Yeah, I got one. The 2014, if you want to give it a shot. No pun intended.” The man giggles and I’m reminded of Dukes of Hazzard re-runs I watch when I’m in need of a quick redneck sizzle. I do love me some Bo and Luke in those tight jeans of theirs.

Is that Roscoe back there? I stand on tiptoes to try and see over the junk, but it’s too far back and too dimly lit to make anyone out.

“Yeah, let’s do it.”

Footsteps have me turning back to the glass case. I don’t want them catching me listening in on their conversation, so I frown at the hunting knives under the glass instead.

“I got it in the back. Just give me a sec and I’ll open up the range for ya.”

They’re almost to me when I hear the customer’s voice more clearly. My blood pressure spikes.

“What are you doing here, City? You following me?”

I turn around and act surprised. “What? Oh, hello, Ian. Fancy meeting you here.”

“This is getting a little creepy, don’t you think?” he asks. “You stalking me now?”

“Please. Get a life.” I roll my eyes, playing off the fact that my neck is blotching up as he speaks.

The man who was helping Ian glances at me as he walks by. His belly is very round and well insulated under a thick flannel shirt. “Can I help you, miss?”

“Yes,” I say, smiling with all the charm I have in my body, “you can. I’d like to buy a gun.”

He smiles back, fully facing me now, a little dazed-looking. “Well, aren’t you as cute as a bug’s ear.”