Total pages in book: 123
Estimated words: 119597 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 598(@200wpm)___ 478(@250wpm)___ 399(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 119597 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 598(@200wpm)___ 478(@250wpm)___ 399(@300wpm)
She sees what I’m doing and swerves toward the cliff, out of my way, running her beautiful heart out.
With a steadying breath, I adjust my grip, my focus narrowing to a razor-sharp point. She’s so close now, so close to safety. I won’t let her down.
As I take aim, heart pounding in my throat, I pray to whatever gods may be listening—for the strength, for the accuracy, to save the woman I love.
The cold digs deeper, slowing my movements, clouding my thoughts.
I blink, focus, and the instant she’s out of firing range, I shoot.
One bullet isn’t enough. Not with this gun. Not with this bear.
I keep firing, round after round, slowing it, maiming it, but not stopping it. I reload, running closer, slipping on the ice, the glacial water slamming against my thighs, trying to pull me under.
Still, I continue firing until finally, the bear lies still in the snow.
Slowly, I approach it, gulping for air. Five feet away, I send a final bullet between its eyes, a guarantee it will never threaten her again.
She races toward me with tears streaking her goggles, her breath coming in ragged sobs.
“Are you hurt?” I lower the gun and haul her into my arms, gathering her close.
“No. I’m just shaken up.”
“Shhh.” I squeeze her harder as if I could protect her from reliving the nightmare of a near-death confrontation with a grizzly.
But I can’t. No one walks away from something like that unchanged.
I nearly lost her. If I had arrived one minute later…
She’s my life. Her safety is my duty, my number one priority, and I failed.
“You’re okay,” I whisper repeatedly, my voice hoarse with emotion.
She clings to me, quaking violently, her heartbeat echoing mine. I kiss her head and inhale her feminine scent, letting it calm the wildness inside me.
As we stand there, surrounded by the raging threat of another adversary, I know we won’t make it out of this gorge anytime soon.
But we won’t starve. The fallen bear provides the promise of life. Food, precious and vital, now lies at our feet.
I have a million questions about the attack and her search for answers, but I ask the only one that matters. “Where’s the cave, love?”
“Five minutes that way?” She points behind her. “I think? It’s not far.”
“We’ll shelter there until the storm passes.” I lower my pack beside the bear and remove the heavy-duty ratchet straps. “We need to hurry.”
“What are you…?” She stares at the beast, her eyes widening with realization. “Oh, my God. We have food.”
“That’s right.” I grin, sharing in her excitement. “Can you grab the snow machine?”
Nodding, she reloads the rifle—smart woman—and races off as I secure our prize in the straps.
Hope, bright and warm, fills me to the brim. Bears don’t often wander out of hibernation in the winter. This one was probably hungry, drowsy, and confused. That, combined with the bullets she put in the front leg and flank, slowed it down enough for her to outrun it.
I’ve seen bears emerge early but never in this area. Had I known it was a possibility, I would’ve never agreed to let her out of my sight.
I can’t find it in me to be mad. This is a blessing. A miracle. This full-grown, six-hundred-pound, muscled female will fill our bellies for a month.
“Thank you.” I sink my hands into the thick fur and bow my head. “You saved us, old girl. I won’t squander this gift.”
The purr of the snow machine sounds behind me as I tighten the final strap.
A few minutes later, with the bear attached to the sled and dragging behind us, we make the slow journey to the cave.
I check the trail to the top, and just as I thought, the conditions are too dangerous to attempt the steep climb. We’re stuck here indefinitely.
The cave entrance provides enough shelter to stow the machine and its bounty. We have hours of work ahead of us, but the instant we’re safely beneath the overhang beyond the reach of the storm, I turn to her with questions in my eyes.
“I found it.” She lowers her pack to the ground and removes a dry bag, offering it to me.
Found what? I watch her, searching her face for clues.
“Open it.” She bites her lip.
“Is this what I think it is?” My chest lifts as I remove a book from the bag and pore through the pages. “This…Holy fuck, Frankie. This is…”
“Freedom.”
Unblinking, I stare at the diagrams of levers and gauges in disbelief. “We’re getting out of here.”
“Yeah.”
“You did it!” Whooping with laughter, I grab her around the waist and swing her into my arms. “You fucking did it!”
“I didn’t do anything. You’re the one who will be decoding all that stuff and flying us out of here.” Smiling, she pushes at my chest and stretches her toes toward the ground. “Better put that away before something happens to it.”