by Marie Carnay
It made Grant uneasy, but he’d promised Keira. If he didn’t take her back out, she’d be liable to go out on her own or leave town. He’d miss his chance get to know her for good.
He pointed at the map. “It looks like the area around the falls is clear so far. I’ll take her back there.”
Killian shook his head. “I don’t like it.”
“Neither do I. You should wait.” Jake crossed his arms.
“I promised.”
Killian walked over to the wall and grabbed a satellite radio. He strode back and handed it to Grant. “Take this in case.”
Grant nodded. “First sign of trouble and I’ll call it in..”
After a bit more conversation and a last goodbye to Betsy, Grant headed back to his Jeep and his mom’s diner.
He pulled up outside and killed the engine. The morning rush was over and only Keira sat at the counter. Her laptop was open and his mom perched on a stool next to her, pointing and smiling at the screen.
Keira’s brown hair fell over her shoulder and as she laughed, color rose in her cheeks. She was the most beautiful woman Grant had ever seen.
His mom leaned over and put her arm around Keira, squeezing her in a hug. Grant shook his head. He never thought he’d see it. A potential girlfriend and his mom, talking and laughing and getting to know each other.
Girlfriend? The thought made him pause. Is that what he wanted her to be? He knew the answer even if he didn’t want to admit it.
The guys might be right. Taking Keira back out was a risk. But if it gave them a chance to connect and bond, it would be worth it. If she left, he might never get this opportunity again.
He opened the door to his car and hustled into the diner. Both women looked up and the sight stole his breath. That could be his future. He smiled and clapped his hands together. “All ready to go?”
Two hours later, Grant and Keira were crossing the boundary line into the park again. He’d asked her about her job in Seattle and Keira had told him story after story about her job and running across town to photograph this or that. How the fish market opened at the crack of dawn and she’d gotten some of her best shots there before the sun even rose.
The more she talked, the harder he fell. She was everything he’d ever want in a woman. More.
Keira turned to look out the window as Grant navigated the Jeep onto a dirt road. “I thought we’d be going back to where we parked before.”
“That way will put you up at the top of the falls, and there isn’t an easy path to get down.” Grant grinned. “This is why it pays to have a guide. I’m taking you the less-traveled way. I’ll get you a better view.”
Keira smiled and it warmed his whole body. “Thanks.” She let out a little laugh. “It kind of makes me feel special.”
You have no idea. Ever since he’d met her, he hadn’t been able to get her out of his head. It should have made him anxious and unsettled, but instead, he welcomed it.
After carefully maneuvering the roughened trail for about half a mile, Grant pulled the 4x4 off to the side of the trail. “We have to go on foot from here.”
Keira hopped out of the front and Grant met her at the tailgate. He opened it up, hoisted up her backpack and helped her put it on. His hands lingered on her back and the smell of his soap in her hair almost did him in. She turned around and stared up at him, her tongue darting out to run across her lower lip.
Screw it. He wanted her. For a night, a week, whatever she could give. He leaned down just as she pushed up on her toes. Their lips met in the space between and Grant knew there was more to it than lust. She tasted like mint and coffee and he wanted to drown in her. It had been a long time since he’d felt like this with any woman.
“What was that for, Officer?” Her eyes twinkled.
“A promise of what we can look forward to tonight. You can come to my place…if you want.” Why bother tiptoeing around it? He was eager to have Keira in a real bed. His bed. As soon as possible. He should have admitted it to himself before they were miles into the wilderness.
“I think I like the sound of that,” she said softly.
“Let’s get these pictures and get out of here.” He took her hand as they walked down the trail. It felt right, and she giggled as she laced her fingers through his. Making her laugh was worth it.
Here he’d gone and fallen head over heels for this woman and she wasn’t going to stay more than three days.
Grant ran a hand through his hair as Keira passed him by. Her brown hair fluttered out behind her with the breeze and the sway of her hips had him biting back a groan.
Part of him said to just sleep with her until she left and forget about her. But he couldn’t. He might be a cocky bastard sometimes, but that didn’t make him an asshole. His mom raised him better than that. He pulled his water bottle out of the side of his pack and hustled up to her. He held it out. “Thirsty?”
Keira turned her flushed face to him and he forced himself to breathe. Big, round eyes. Pink cheeks. Beautiful. He only had a few days. He better make the most of it.
She took the bottle with a nod. “Thanks.” After taking a long drink, she handed it back. “You were right. Having a guide is way better than doing this on my own.”
“You’re a natural. Walking next to you I forget that you’re new to all this. I’ve been living it my whole life.”
She smiled and picked up her camera. He wanted to know everything about her. Did she sleep with a million pillows or none? Like coffee in the afternoon or tea? Did she get up and go on a Saturday morning or lounge about in bed.
Instead he started with the basics. “So, has Seattle always been home?”
She shook her head. “My dad was in the Army. I grew up all over the place. Thirteen different schools. Three second grades. I never really had a home before Seattle.”
Wow. The complete opposite of his life. He reached out to brush her hair off her face, but she pulled away.
“You mind if I take a few shots? The light is perfect right through those trees.”
Grant smiled. “Of course.”
Every few minutes, they’d stop, she’d snap some pictures, and they’d resume course. As they made their way to the falls, Grant asked her questions about her technique and shot selection. Her answers impressed the hell out of him. Then she’d show him a photo and blow him away. Smart and talented and good at her job. Grant admired that, and it reminded him of his dedication to his own work.
Things felt easy with Keira.
The sound of the falls announced their arrival. Keira rushed in front of him and stopped at the edge of the treeline. The falls ended in an oval pool shaped by years of rushing water. He wished it weren’t a photography expedition so they could strip down to nothing and dive in.
He came up beside her.
“Grant, it’s gorgeous!”
Not as gorgeous as you. But he kept his thoughts to himself as she lost herself in her work. For the first time, he saw the place through someone else’s eyes. Verdant moss and ferns. Slick rocks and rushing water.
Keira switched out lenses over and over and took photos from every angle. “I’d love to come up here at sunset and get a shot with the backdrop of the colors spread across the clouds. You just can’t get this in Seattle.”
Grant couldn’t help himself. He crept up behind her as she raised the camera to her eye again and gently settled his hands on her waist. She stepped backward and leaned her back against him. “Thanks. I needed a stabilizer.”
Grant smiled and realized that he was happy, happier than he’d been in the longest time. He enjoyed the warmth of her body next to his, and when she finally let the camera drop to her chest, he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her even closer. He settled his chin on top of her head and held her, content for the moment as they both watched the waterfall crash over the rocks and into the pool before them.
“Thanks for bringing me here.” Her voice was hushed and humble.
“Thanks for remind
ing me how lucky I am to live here.”
Keira turned in his arms and wrapped her arms around his neck. “I feel pretty lucky at the moment too.”
Grant didn’t need a further invitation. Pushing her camera to the side, he swooped low and crushed his lips against hers. Mmm. That skinny dip in the pool sounded better and better. Grant deepened the kiss, thrusting his tongue inside her mouth, when a sudden crack echoed through the air.
Shit. He pulled back in alarm.
“Was that what I think it was?”
Grant shushed her as he listened for another shot. With the rock surrounding them and amplifying the noise, he couldn’t get a read on the shooter’s location. The shot could have come from anywhere. After another minute, when the sound of another shot didn’t pierce the air, he turned back to Keira. “I need to get you back to the Jeep.”
“You can’t stay out here by yourself.” she said. “You don’t even have a weapon.”
Grant raised his eyebrows. “A wildlife trooper doesn’t head into the woods without a gun. I’ll get you back to the Jeep, and you can stay there while I check it out.”
Keira opened her mouth to protest again when he put his finger on her lips. “There are no troopers for miles. This is protected state land. Every legit hunter knows that. If someone is firing a gun, it’s a poacher.”
Her eyes widened. “You think they’re dangerous?”
“Poachers are used to breaking the law. They take risks ordinary people don’t. I can’t do my job and worry if you’re safe at the same time.”
Keira sighed but nodded her assent. She hustled to her pack and stuffed her camera in the top. Grant helped her sling it back onto her back and he motioned for her to stay quiet. They hadn’t gone further than a hundred yards when a low rumble made him pause.
Damn it. There was no mistaking that growl. An animal was in pain. The afternoon had gone from arousing to deadly in a matter of minutes.
He turned and pulled Keira closer to him. “Stay here. There’s an animal close by, and it’s hurt. That means it’s going to be unpredictable and even more dangerous than usual. I’m going to try to locate it.” He pulled the satellite radio out of his bag and handed it to her. “If I’m not back in thirty minutes, turn that on and call the station. Tell them you’re on the Long Horn trail a hundred yards from the falls. They’ll come get you.”
Keira grabbed his arm. “What about you?”
He gave her a confident grin. “I’ll be okay. I am going to find that animal and the asshole that shot it.” Grant looked away before the fear in her eyes got to him. He’d given her clear instructions. He had to trust that she would follow them.
The low growl caught his ear again. It sounded like a bear. Grizzly or black, he couldn’t be sure. A surge of fury rose in his chest. When he found the poacher who had decided to make his park a hunting ground, the man would regret ever stepping foot inside the place.
Grant crept through the trees, stealthy and quiet. His feet were silent on the forest floor. Ten yards in he smelled it. Fresh blood. He was on the right path. Twenty yards later, he spotted the groaning mountain of fur. It was indeed a bear, and it writhed in pain from its wound.
Grant closed in. He’d assess the bear’s wounds, see if he could be saved and get back to Keira. As he reached the edge of the clearing, a man emerged into the sunlight.
He ducked behind a patch of brambles. Shit. He was sure he’d been spotted, but the man paid him no heed. His gaze was focused on the thrashing animal in front of him. Grant needed to immobilize the man and call it in. He’d go to jail, the bear would get medical attention and it would all work out.
Before Grant could do anything, the man raised a pistol. Another gunshot rang out, and the bear went still. Grant wanted to vomit. He might not have saved the bear, but he could do it justice by bringing its killer in.
The poacher was unremarkable. He was a regular guy of average height and a medium build. A hat covered his hair from view, and the brim cast a shadow across the rest of his face. He was wearing standard issue hunting camouflage that could be bought in any hunting shop in the State.
He trained his gun on the poacher and stepped toward the brutal scene. Another step and it was his life on repeat. A twig snapped and the man’s head whipped up. But instead of falling into a river, the poacher raised his gun and fired. The bullet whizzed by his ear and Grant fell to the ground for cover.
The last thing he wanted to do was kill the man. The Troopers needed answers. Did he work with Dwayne? Was there a bigger operation they could stop?
Grant pulled up into a crouch. If he could make it to the closest tree, he’d have cover…
Another shot rang out. The bullet hit him square in his shoulder and his body flew forward. His firearm skittered to the ground and his vision blurred as he fell. So much for that plan. His shoulder screamed with white hot pain and he rolled onto his side.
A pair of boots and camouflage-clad legs appeared in his line of sight. “So what do we have here?”
10
Grant’s plan stunk. Keira wasn’t the kind of woman who sat on the sidelines. She might have a camera in front of her face, but she still waded right into the thick of it, regardless of the consequences. She knew that Grant had good reason to ask her stay on the path, but a gnawing sense of dread in her gut told her she needed to do more.
After Grant disappeared into the underbrush, she slid down to rest at the base of a tree with the radio in her hand. Being near Grant turned her insides topsy-turvy. Her brain was as jumbled up as her heart. One look into Grant’s dark eyes and she wanted to throw away her whole life and fall into his arms.
But then she thought about her mom and how she’d done the same thing. She’d followed her dad from station to station, all over the country and even the world. Never settling down, never having a real home. She’d said it was worth it. She’d always told Keira that when she found the one man for her, she’d know it and any sacrifice would be worth it.
Keira frowned. It hadn’t been worth it to a little kid. Would it be worth it now as a grown woman?
She checked her watch again. Five minutes, that’s all? Time passed too slowly when you were scared to death. Every noise in the brush sent her gaze darting this way and that.
She peered into the forest the way Grant had gone. The light filtered through the branches and lit the mossy ground with an eerie glow. Prickles raised on Keira’s arms and her unease grew. Something was wrong, she knew it.
When the sound of the first shot hit her ears, Keira rocketed up to stand. All she could think of was Grant out in the brush alone. She spun around in a circle, desperate for something, anything, that could be useful. Grant’s pack. He’d forgive her. She rushed up to it and ripped it open.
Another gun. Her heart thumped like a freight train. Smaller and less ominous than the one Grant had taken with him, she frowned at it. His backup. Of course.
She’d grown up an Army brat—guns weren’t scary to Keira, but it had been a long time since she’d shot one. Would she still remember what to do?
Another shot rang out and Keira picked it up. No time to wonder anymore. I’m coming, Grant. Just hold on.
She plunged into the underbrush and headed the way Grant had gone. She didn’t care if he’d told her to stay put. The fear swirling in her stomach told her he needed help. She wasn’t going to sit on the sidelines while he got himself killed.
Keira kept to the trees, pausing every two or three to scan the forest. There! If he hadn’t moved, she’d never have spotted him. A man dressed like Dwayne from the diner in head-to-to camouflage stood in front of her, no more than fifteen feet away. His rifle was propped on his shoulder and he laughed as he kicked at something on the ground.
She followed the path of his foot and clamped her hand over her mouth to keep from screaming. Grant! He laid on the ground, curled up into a ball.
Had the hunter shot him? Was he there trying to help him? Oh, God. Keira didn’t know. She raised
the gun. If she shot him and she was wrong…This is why Keira didn’t follow her father’s path. She couldn’t be a hero. Not like this.
She needed a distraction. Crouching behind the tree, Keira raised the gun and pointed toward the tops of the trees. Here goes nothing. She pulled the trigger once, then again. The shots echoed through the forest and she pulled the pistol to her chest. Don’t see me. Please, don’t see me.
She couldn’t hear anything over the ringing in her ears and her heart hammering in her chest. If the hunter had shot Grant…if he found her…a tiny handgun was no match for the hunting rifle he’d carried. Keira needed to move.
Sweat coated her palms and the smell of gunfire still tickled her nose. She couldn’t turn into a shrinking violet now. Grant needed her. Just go, Keira. Go. With a deep breath, she pushed away from the trunk and twisted around.
“Well, well. Ranger Rick has a sidekick.”
Keira’s eyes widened as she came face-to-face with the hunter.
She pointed at Grant. “He needs medical attention.”
The man laughed. “He needs to bleed out.”
She gasped. “That’s murder.”
He shrugged. “It’s a hunting accident. He’s not wearing an orange vest. I thought he was the moose I’d been tracking.”
“No one will believe that.”
“They will if there are no other witnesses.”
Keira tried to swallow but her tongue stuck to the roof of her mouth. “What about me?”
He cocked his head and regarded her for a moment. “There’s a drop off not far. I think you’re about to have an unfortunate accident.”
Keira raised the handgun and the man laughed. “That little thing’s no match for me, honey.”
As she aimed it at the man’s chest, movement behind the man caught her eye. Grant! He’d staggered up to stand, his gun wobbling in his hand.
Keira smacked her lips together and tried to smile at the killer. “You’re hunting on protected park land. You’ll be caught.”
“Lady, I’ve been doing this for years. You really think a boy scout and his girlfriend are gonna stop me?” He raised his rifle. “Hand me the gun and get walking. There’s a ravine you need to fall down.”