“Well, if you’re gonna put it that way . . .”
I chuckled. “I promise, this is going to be the easiest encounter you have. She’s small, and deer are notoriously skittish. If you don’t want her near you, all you have to do is clap or make a loud noise and she’ll run away. Promise.”
“Do you think they have any dangerous animals here? Like, they don’t have tigers, do they?”
“You probably should’ve asked a few more questions before moving into the cabin.”
“Probably. But I’m already sharing my shame with you, and I don’t need Rowdy laughing at me. So, level with me . . . do I have anything to be afraid of here?”
“Only rattlesnakes, and those aren’t part of the preserve. That’s just Texas.”
Suddenly, the FaceTime notification went off, and I grinned before accepting it. Skylar’s beautiful face filled the screen, worry creasing his brows. “Rattlesnakes?” he asked, his voice practically supersonic. “There arerattlesnakesout here?”
Shit. I didn’t mean to scare him. I gave him a reassuring—I hoped—smile. “From what I recall, Woody has Bandit scouting for them, but he hasn’t ever alerted.”
“Bandit’s that three-legged dog of Woody’s, right?”
Woody had rescued him from the side of the road, then taught him to round up the exotics when they needed to be transported. Bandit was half Australian cattle dog, half Jack Russell terrier, and all heart.
“Yep, and he’ll keep you safe.”
“You sure about that?”
“Scout’s honor. Honestly, I wish I had a dog like that,” I admitted, knowing I didn’t have the time to train it properly. “Still, it’s good to be aware of your surroundings.”
“Great. I have surroundings that require extra awareness.” He threw his hands up in the air, taking me on the ride with him. “There goes any hope of getting to sleep tonight. Every sound is going to sound like a rattle, you understand.”
“I’m sorry I brought it up.” I really was, and now I’d do anything to erase the anxiety pouring off him. “You asked if you should look out for anything, and rattlesnakes were the only thing I could think of because everything else in the sanctuary is an herbivore.”
“Right. They don’t eat people.”
“Correct. Technically, rattlesnakes don’t particularly enjoy humans either. I doubt there are any on the property, and if they are, they are staying the hell away from you.”
“What? Like I’m not a good person?”
I laughed at his offended expression. “Do you want the rattlesnakes to be interested in you?”
“Good point. No.” He pushed aside the curtains and looked out the window. “Are you sure she’s not going to eat me?”
“Yeah, pretty sure.”
“Wait.” He brought the camera in real close. “Prettysure?”
“I am one hundred percent certain that the Sika is not going to eat you. I’m also one hundred percent certain that you should go out there and introduce yourself before you make it too much of a big thing in your head and end up never leaving the cabin.”
He narrowed his eyes at me. “You’re not just making fun of the city mouse, right? This isn’t some sort of hazing ritual?”
I couldn’t help my smile. “I might be hazing you a little bit.”
“Hm. Maybe I should’ve called Woody instead and had him send up Bandit to shoo her away for me.”
“Ouch,” I joked. “I promise, I would never put you in any physical danger.”
“I suppose I believe you.” He sniffed. “But I’m keeping you on the call so if this demon deer takes off my finger, you can feel bad about it.”
“That’s fine. Go ahead and go on outside, sweetheart.”
He grumbled, then switched to the back camera. The demon Sika in question was nibbling on what appeared to be a fairly long line of feed, keeping her eye on Sky as he opened the door and sat on the front porch step. She lifted her head, the move delicate and focused. Her nose bobbed as she took in his scent, and I was, for a moment, jealous of a deer. Could she smell his ambery scent?
