I lower my defenses and drop my hand from my hip as I turn around. But as I do, I see a shadow walking up on me and I yelp. “Damnit, boss! What the hell are youdoin’?” My eyes narrow at him and I try to slow my breathing.
“I was just sitting by the fire and saw you come out. I thought I’d see if there was something you needed. Are you okay? I thought for sure you’d be sleeping like a baby after all the hard work you put in with that spike earlier…”
“Ha. Well Iwassleeping like a baby until my tent started shaking and I needed to find what was doing it.”
“Well, did you?” His tone sounds concerned. He genuinely wants to know if I’m okay.
“No.” I look up and point above me. “Probably just this tree branch.”
But as soon as I say it, my boss whispers, “Shhh. Do not move.” I do as he commands because—I see it too. Right above us, perched in the tree are two glowing, yellow-green eyes. And I don’t have to wonder what they belong to. My boss slowly reaches for my hand and drags me behind him as he steps in front of me. The light from the moon is enough that I can see the mountain lion's shoulders move ever so slightly, like it’s about to jump right on top of us.
There’s only been one other time in my life that I’ve been so shaken. Except this time, I have someone shielding me from my enemy. I slowly put my hand on my gun and I can see my boss is already gripping his. I can hear the other cowboys still laughing around the fire in the distance, oblivious to what’s happening over here, and that thing sitting up in the tree about to eat us.
I follow his lead as my boss walks backwards, slowly, very slowly. We get a few yards away from where wewere, but that lion looks like it’s getting ready to jump. I whisper just loud enough for him to hear, “What are we gonna do?”
But as soon as the words blow from my lips, my gaze drifts over his shoulder to the beast in front of us as it leaps into the air. The sound of a semi-automatic weapon rings in my ears, and the mountain lion crumples to the ground at my boss’s feet.Damn he’s fast.Faster than any cowboy I know. I want to learn to shoot like that. My breath staggers as my chest moves heavily up and down. That fuckin’ thing could’ve eaten us alive…could’ve eatenmealive ifhehadn’t come to check on me. He spins, wrapping me in his ridiculously powerful arms and pushes me back to the tree directly behind us.
“Are you okay?” His deep commanding voice vibrates through me, and his whisky eyes burn as he waits for me to answer… but I can’t. I want to say I am, but for fuck’s sake I don’t know if that’s true. From where we are, I can hear the horses. They’re rattled too. The cowboys who were sitting around the fire are rushing toward us—then huddling around the lion. Brian appears, gripping my boss’s shoulder.
“Damnit, sir. That thing has to be a hundred and fifty pounds or more. Are you two alright?”
My boss is still staring at me, his eyes never leaving mine. “I’m okay. But Dixie will not be sleeping over here by herself. Take her tent down and put it next to mine. It’s only midnight, there’s half the night to go. When you’re done doing that, go wake the boys who are sleeping and tell them it’s time to switch shifts. Dixie won’t be taking a turn tonight.”
Brian nods then strides off to do his tasks. One of the other bunk boys hollers to us, asking what they should do with the dead animal. The boss tells ‘em to toss it off the ravine because we don’t want to attract the wolves.
“Your tent is next to mine, blondie. Until I have to go back down this mountain.”
“I heard.” I state softly.
He grabs my hand, then pulls me toward the fire. When we get there, he sits me down and puts a blanket over my shoulders. I’m shaking a bit, probably just the shock of what happened. My teeth might be rattling but my hand feels like I just stuck it in those fuckin’ flames in front of me. I’ve never experienced a touch like his before.
“I’ll come get you when your tent’s ready.” The deep timbre of his voice is comforting, though comfort is a stranger to me these days. It’s been decades since I’ve felt it—except for when I’m with my Blazey girl. A slight panic sets in as I remember her. My logic tells me she’s safe, but I need to see for myself.
I leap from the camp chair I’m sitting in and dart toward the rope hung between two trees, where all the horses stand tied. When I get to her, she’s calm. Wrapping my arms around her neck, I let a few tears drop on my cheeks. “I’m glad it came for me and not you.” I breathe, continuing to stroke her mane. Touching my nose to hers, I brush it back and forth, sharing our kiss. Her quiet whinny and the air she blows through her nostrils onto my face lets me know she’s okay.
I hear a stick crunch and whip my head in the samedirection I heard it. I don’t think I’ll ever get used to his deep voice rumbling through the stillness, directed at me.
“Your tent’s ready. I laid out your bed, and you’re safe to go to sleep. I’ll walk you back.”
Right now, I don’t feel like asserting my independence. So I nuzzle my horse one last time, then walk with him, back to where I’m going to sleep.
“If you feel scared or something isn’t right, you just holler okay?”
Scared? What the hell? Sure, it appeared out of nowhere, and that thingwasfuckin’ scary—but I’m not scared. “Don’t mistake what just happened for fear, boss. Shock isn’t the same thing. I’ve been through scarier shit than that cougar. Its eyes were nothin’ compared to the devil’s I’ve seen. Thanks for your help, but I’ll be just fine by myself.”
I pass him, then unzip my tent, never looking back.
Chapter Eight
We warn people about wolves up here in the mountains though the conversation doesn’t include the mountain lions as much, but damn, that thing was one of the biggest I’ve ever seen. It wasn’t hungry, there’s plenty to eat up here in the summer. I don’t think it was rabid; it didn’t have the behavior. It was hunting, and Dixie was the thing it wanted.
When the boys switched shifts, they briefed me on what they saw and how the herd was doing. Nothing except calm where they were. They heard my gunshot, and the cows shuffled, but not much. They calmed down pretty quickly. I was going to take my turn...but I didn’t want to leaveher.She acts like she doesn’t need a protector, and clearly she’s got history. History that she has every right to keep to herself. But riding up here in these mountains differs from where she’s from. I’ve just got to keep my distance, but keep her in reach at the same time.
When I held her in my arms last night as I pushed her away from that beast—I didn’t want to let hergo. I felt something, and now the guilt is gnawing at me. I keep telling myself I was getting her out of the way; it was my duty as her boss and a man. But then I remember how I couldn’t keep my eyes from studying hers as I waited to see if she was alright. I needed to know that she was alright. It was more than a sense of duty and I fuckin’ know it. I laid here all night, couldn’t sleep, felt guilty for not taking a shift. But I just couldn’t do it.
“Hey boss! Breakfast!” Toby yells at me as I pull on my wranglers.
“I’m coming!” I yell back and roll my eyes. He doesn’t know how bad I want to wring his neck half the time. But he’s a good guy and a great supervisor. I pull down my tent flap gearing to step out, proving I’m awake and getting dressed. “You forget who’s in charge on this drive?” But as I do, I run headfirst into the side of one of my guys. I stumble and cuss.
