It was no use.There was too much snow.Too many places for a person to hide.With the snowshoe tracks almost covered—
His eye landed on something against a fallen tree.A brown hump much richer in color than the dying log.He picked up the pace.The snow thinned as he got further into the woods.The foliage above stopped a lot of snow that would have covered the ground.His breath was ragged, more from the cold than exertion.
The mound grew larger the closer he got.Jaxon slapped a tree branch out of the way, and he stopped at the small clearing that surrounded the corpse.A deer lay on its side, its belly ripped open.Organs spilled onto the crisp white snow.Large glassy eyes stared skyward, as if the animal had been praying in its last moments.Jaxon’s throat thickened, and he covered his mouth with the crook of his arm.
Fresh.
The creature that had attacked the deer hadn’t finished—something or someone had startled it away from devouring its prey.Heat seared up the back of his head in alarm.He backed up and scanned the forest for the mountain lion.It was too much of a coincidence that one had been lingering in the area.It had to be the same animal that had tried to maul him.
Jaxon moved backward, unable to rip his gaze from the trees in front of him.
Snap
A warning ping-ponged through his skull.
It’s back.
***
McKenna paced infront of the door.What a jerk.He’d picked her up as if she weighed no more than a kitten, rendering her formidable scowl and request useless.If he wanted to get himself killed so be it.He just didn’t have to do it on her property.
She stopped pacing and rose on her tiptoes to look out the window at the top of the door.Nothing.Wedging the tip of her thumb between her teeth, she gnawed.She wouldn’t go out there.
Do not go out there.
He’d been gone just over ten minutes.Guilt pushed itself to the forefront of her mind.Okay, so he wasn’t the brightest for rushing outside in the current weather conditions, maybe dimmer yet for doing so when some creep was traipsing around her property.But he’d done it to protect her.If he got shot or injured—hell, what if he stumbled across the mountain lion again?—she’d feel really, really fricking bad.
Which brought her full circle: back to being angry at him for leaving in the first place.Her lips still tingled from his kiss, her body still hummed from the closeness of his, and dammit, even her lady parts still wanted back in the action.She shoved her feet in her boots.If she didn’t bring him back, she’d never find out what pleasures that kiss might lead to.
Which was total crap.She was getting soft.Jaxon had wriggled around her body armor, softened the steel gate around her heart, and, in less than eighteen hours, filled her head with images of his sexy body.
This is what happens when you deprive your vagina of dick for so long.
The lecture came out in Josie’s voice.It was surely what she’d tell McKenna if she were here.McKenna fit her arms into her coat, zipped the material up to her chin, and opened the door.A large male form clomped up the steps.
She sucked back a scream.Slapping a hand to her chest, she glared at a brooding Jaxon.He stepped through the doorway, and she moved out of the way before getting trampled.
“What happened?”Before she could chew him a new asshole for storming out, she needed to know if he’d found the creep and if he’d left a body on her land.
Jaxon shucked off his boots.Red blotches covered his cheeks and nose.His hair stuck up in disheveled spikes.He held up a finger and took shaky breaths.She peeled off her coat then grabbed his arm and guided him into the living room.He sat on the edge of the table.A deep cough shook his chest.
She winced and pressed her hand to his back, feeling the rumble.“Relax,” she said soothingly, her training taking over.“Take a slow, deep breath.”
Splaying his hands on his knees, Jaxon did as she instructed.
“The guy wore snowshoes, so he was hard to follow.I lost his trail in the woods and almost gave up...then—” He coughed, and this time a fit took over.He hacked into his sleeve.Gosh, she should have cupped his back—and done a better job at keeping him inside.She fled to the kitchen and grabbed a bottle of water she kept stashed during the winter for power outages.If the fire hadn’t just died, she could have warmed him some water for tea, but it would have to wait.She needed to hear what had happened before she got the logs crackling again.
“I saw something,” he said, clearing his throat.“At first, I thought it was our guy.Maybe he’d gotten hurt or had been outside too long.”
A niggle of fear scratched her spine.“What was it?”The words came out raspy.Part of her hoped he wouldn’t tell her; the other part hung on his every word.
“A deer.Half-eaten.”
She forced down a swallow of air and stared outside.The mountain lion.It had to be.While there were thousands in the Rockies, it was unlikely there were many around her property.What in the hell was keeping the animal close to her place?
“A twig snapped and I thought that was it.I thought for sure that beast would have me as an appetizer before finishing its entrée.”
“Did you see it?”
