Dream Chaser (35 page)

“
I
propped
it in that little notch in the wall near the door.”

“Good. W
hen you go out, make sure you take it with you.
If you see anything bigger than
a dog
,
point
it in the air
and shoot
.
The
noise will scare it off.”

“You’re thinking of the wolves?”

“Maybe.”
He
wink
ed
at her, his grin broadening. “
Your favorite bear is in a den sound asleep about now.”

The fire was banked, its coals still visible when they fell asleep.
Late into the night
, Suzanna
woke
. The fire glowed softly in the darkness. She
slipped out of the sleeping bag
and placed more logs near the back of the grate
.
She pulled the extra blanket over Jonathan’s
bare
shoulder, brushed his forehead with a light kiss, and began to ease back down next to him when his eyes opened and
he
pulled her into his arms.

The next day, they
hiked to the crest of the hill before traveling more easily along the ridge, and stopped for lunch after hiking another two miles. As they were heading back in the direction of
the shelter
, he pointed to tracks in the snow.

“
Look there. I wonder if it’s the same cat
the men on t
he Blue Moon spotted.”

Suzanna looked at the marks in the snow. “Is he jumping through the snow? They’re so wide apart.”

“He’s a big one—probably following a deer.”

“I would think mountain lions would stay in the trees, where it’s easier to move—fewer drifts.”

“True, but if he’s hunting, he’d be out, maybe following a scent.”

“Not us?”

Jonathan shook his head. “Most times they stay away from people unless they’re protecting a kill.” He brushed a strand of her hair under her woolen cap. “Look there.” He pointed to several deep indentations in the snow. At least two deer came this way.”

“I hope they got away.”

As they moved over the ridge and began a trek down a long hill, the snow almost blown clean off the slope, Jonathan saw the carcass of a deer sprawled in the snow about fifty yards below them. A pair of golden eagles floated in circles in the sky. “Check them out. They’ve spotted the kill.”

“I thought they went after their own food.”

“They do, but they’re scavengers, too. If it was wolves or a big cat, it’ll come back for another meal. If you see one in the open, fire the rifle into the air. That should run him off. Come on, let’s head back. The wind’s picking up.”

Jonathan angled toward the line shack and she followed slowly, the distance between them gradually increasing as they moved up the hill and into deeper snow again. He was almost past a large rock outcropping when Suzanna heard what sounded like a cough followed by a growl. She looked up in time to see a swirl of golden coat gleaming in the afternoon sun as a cougar leapt off the rock, landing on Jonathan’s back and knocking him to the ground. Suzanna gasped as she watched him roll to one side. His pack must have protected his neck, because the cat seemed to lose its grip as Jonathan rolled and kicked at the hissing cougar. But the big animal came after him again, the claws of one immense paw connecting with Jonathan’s thigh.

“Stay
away, Suzanna! Use the gun!”
Jonathan yelled as he fought off the animal.

Suzanna pulled the rifle off her shoulder and
released the safety
. Her heart’s rapid thudding mirrored the shaking of her hands. How could she possibly shoot? She might hit Jonathan.

What had Curly taught her about taking aim? Maybe if she scared him away. She screamed as she ran closer.
Oh God, his leg’s bleeding.
And he’s down again.

She paused, remembering Jonathan’s words.
Into the air. That’s what he said.
Suzanna fired the gun into the air. The big cat jerked and looked in her direction, snarling. Jonathan rolled away from the cougar and shouted, “Shoot him!”

The cougar leapt away from Jonathan, as he lay sprawled on the snow. The animal’s yellow eyes seemed to glow as he focused on Suzanna and then angled back in her direction, leaping once, twice through the softer snow drifts as he approached.

He must be jumping at least fifteen feet. Oh, God!
Suzanna raised the gun, aimed at a spot just behind the animal’s shoulder and fired. The big cat leapt into the air and then fell onto its side in the snow, a blossom of red emerging just behind his left foreleg.
Oh my God, I hit him.
How lucky was that?

She activated the safety and slung the gun onto her shoulder, slid her feet out of the snowshoes, thinking she could move faster without them, and fought through the deep snow to Jonathan, her heart tripping against her ribs.

Jonathan was on his hands and knees, a halo of red sliding down his pant leg from his thigh to his knee. His face was pale and he was breathing rapidly when she knelt by his side. “Let me have the gun.” He shot two rapid shots in the air. “That’ll bring help if anyone’s around here.” Jonathan pointed in the direction of the cat, which hadn’t moved. “You got him with one shot. Curly taught you well.”

“Dumb luck,” she managed to reply, her heart thundering along.

“Can you help me back to camp?”

“Yes, but let me wrap your leg first. You’re bleeding pretty badly.” She pulled off her muffler and wrapped it tightly around his leg, covering most of the shredded pant leg where the cougar’s claws had connected. She helped Jonathan to stand, and, with snowshoes on again, they began moving slowly toward the line shack, a pace too leisurely for her to feel safe, but she couldn’t go faster than Jonathan could walk, and he was now limping badly.

They were almost to the crest of the hill when
three horses came into view, moving rapidly
through the snow.

“Glad to see you, Bill,” Jonathan
said, as the men
rode up.
“I believe
we got
your
cougar
.”

Bill Ames reined his horse to a stop.
“That so?”

Suzanna spoke up. “He’s down there.” She pointed to the spot, now barely visible in the darkening sky, where she’d last seen the big cat.

“Suzanna did the honors.”
White-faced, Jonathan slid
out of her arms
onto the snow.

She
kneeled down
to him, her heart thumping with fear
.
“We have to get you back to camp.”

“Give me a minute
.” He lean
ed
toward her.

Bill climbed off his horse.

“Suzanna … she got the cat,
”
Jonathan
between gritted teeth. “It
…”
His eyes rolled back in his head
and
he
fell backward onto the snow.

Suzanna looked up at the riders.
Before she could ask for help,
Bill Ames motioned to his foreman. The two of them
lifted Jonathan up so the other cowhand could hold Jonathan upright in the saddle.

“
Come on, Suzanna. You can ride with me. We’ll get you back fast. He’s bleeding pretty heavy, even with that bandage. Hand me his snowshoes. Yours, too.
”
Bill turned to his foreman.

“Tucker, why don’t you see about the cat? If your horse isn’t too skittish, haul it back to the ranch. We can dress out the pelt there.”
Tucker
turned his horse in the direction of the downed cougar
.

The other cowboy smiled at Suzanna as they approached the line camp shelter.
“You wouldn’t happen to have any hooch with you, wou
ld you, ma’am? For the pain. He’ll probably need
some when he
comes to
.”

“I think so.” When they got back to the line camp,
Suzanna
held up a
bottle of brandy Jonathan had brought along.
“Will this do?”

“Reckon so.”

Jonathan started to stir.
Bill helped him into a sitting position and said, “Open
up
,
Jon
.”
He poured the brandy into his mouth.

Minutes later, Bill helped Jonathan into his saddle and swung up behind him. Suzanna rode in front of the
other cowboy
, and
Tucker brought up the rear, having lassoed the cougar carcass. He dragged it behind his horse as they headed down the snowy hill.
They reached the Blue Moon ranch
buildings
an hour later.

“Kittie,
call Doc Lock
er. Ask him if he wants to see Jon here or at
the office.” Bill helped Jonathan sit and motioned
for
Suzanna to take a nearby chair.

Kittie bustled about getting hot coffee for everyone. She laced Jonathan’s with additional brandy when he tried to stand and sat back down with an involuntary groan.

Suzanna glanced at Jonathan, wanting to gather him into her arms for his comfort and her own. But he was chuckling at something Bill was saying. How could he be so calm?

She suddenly felt light-headed, her pulse galloping away in her chest, her face hot then cold by turns. Everyone seemed to be taking what had happened so matter-of-factly. As if almost getting eaten by a giant cat was a normal, everyday occurrence. Suzanna began to shake. She stood up and willed herself to walk steadily though she felt like a ship sailing in a too-strong breeze as her knees wobbled somewhere between her hips and her ankles. When she reached the kitchen, she sank into the nearest seat, and placed her hands on either side of her face.

She wasn’t sure how long she sat there, trying not to weep, when a hand touched her shoulder.

“Are you okay?” Kittie asked.

Suzanna raised her head and looked into a pair of brown eyes surrounded by a cloud of dark curls.

Kittie was smiling at her. “You were really brave to do what you did. Jonathan could have been killed. You saved his life.”

She shook her head. “No, I wasn’t. I fired because he told me to. I wasn’t thinking. I was so scared and when that cat looked at me and started coming up the hill …” Her hands began to shake again.

Kittie put her arms around her and hugged her. “You did what you had to do. You would have made a great pioneer, Suzanna. Those men in there—they couldn’t be more proud of what you did, and thankful, too. Not just Jonathan. Bill and our men have been looking for that cat for two years. You were the one who got him.”

Suzanna’s face crumpled and tears slid down her face.

Kittie handed her a tissue. “Did you hear what Tucker said?”

She shook her head between sniffs.

“He said that cougar weighed almost a hundred eighty pounds. One big cat. He said the pelt’s in good shape, even though he had to drag it over some rocks on the way back here. You’re going to have yourself a nice trophy.”

Suzanna shuddered. “Oh, I could never take it. Every time I saw it, I would think about what almost happened.”

Kittie sat down next to her and put an arm around her shoulder. “No, you won’t. You’ll remember how brave you were, that you saved Jonathan and yourself and some calves or colts that might otherwise have been lost next spring.” She patted Suzanna’s arm. “The men will dress it out for you. Don’t refuse it when they bring it to you. It’s tradition that you should have it.”

She rose and brought Suzanna a steaming mug of tea. “Drink this. You’ll feel better.”

Suzanna placed both hands around the mug, drawing comfort from its warmth.

“Look at me, Suzanna,” Kittie insisted.

When she did, the woman said, “You belong here—with Jonathan. I know he wants you here. Tell me you’ll stay. We could use a strong woman like you, and personally, I’d like to know you’re in the next ranch over, to visit now and again. Heaven knows you showed you’ve got the guts for what ranch life sometimes demands.”

“You think so?” Why was her voice so squeaky?

“I know so.” She patted Suzanna’s arm again. “Stay here as long as you want. When Doc Locker gets here to check Jonathan’s leg, I’ll come get you.”

Suzanna sipped her tea slowly, and listened to the sounds of conversation and laughter in the next room. Gradually her tension eased.

Finally, she rose and returned to the chair she had vacated. Jonathan reached over to squeeze her hand and plant a quick kiss on her cheek.

In front of everyone
.

The doctor
arrived
and checked Jonathan’s leg before saying with a wry grin,
“You look and sound like you’ve been into the booze a little heavy.”