Finding Valor (60 page)
Authors: Charlotte Abel
Top 20 Kindle Bestseller “Love and Romance”
#1 Bestseller in Sports Fiction
Enchantment
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Charlotte Abel was born and raised in Oklahoma. She spent many happy summers visiting relatives in Arkansas. She now lives in Colorado with her husband, Pete and loves hiking, biking, snowshoeing and skiing in the Rocky Mountains, but will always have a special fondness for the Ozarks.
Visit her at
You can also find Charlotte at
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Acknowledgements
I can't believe this series is actually coming to a close. Part of me wants to leave the door open for a spin-off or maybe some additional short stories. But an even bigger part of me is eager to move on to The Sanctuary Series. This has been an amazing journey and I wouldn't have made it this far without the love and support of my family and friends. I know there are more people than I can possibly list here but a few that come to mind are...
Carol Burkett, thank you for pushing me to attend that first writers workshop. If not for that weekend, I might not have ever had the courage to get started.
Kris Kendall, thank you for making my life easier.
I’d also like to thank my early beta-readers, reviewers and fellow authors that have kept me motivated to keep writing even when I felt like I couldn't come up with another word. Love you to pieces!
And of course, thank you, Pete, for making all my dreams come true! Love you, babe!
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An excerpt from
:
River shoved Sugar’s reins under her thigh to free her hands. She pulled her bow off her back and slid the bottom tip inside her boot so she could string it without dismounting. It gouged her ankle as she slid the string into the notch at the top, but she barely noticed the pain. The whole maneuver took less time than a single breath, but sometimes one breath could mean the difference between life and death.
She nocked an arrow and scanned the outcropping. Whatever was scaring Sugar was most likely hiding up there.
An angry snarl raised the hair on the back of River’s neck. Sugar dropped her head and bucked. River managed to toss her loaded bow away from her body before she slammed into the ground. The fall emptied her quiver and scattered arrows everywhere. River was lucky she hadn’t impaled herself.
Sugar took off towards home. Without the added weight of a rider, she should make it back to the ranch before the blizzard hit. Reuben would be worried, but right now, River had a much bigger problem.
The largest cougar she’d ever seen laid his ears flat against his skull, snarled and clawed the air. The cat wasn’t hiding in the rocks. It was on the ground, creeping closer.
“Hey!” An outsider stepped out from behind a rock and waved a stick at the cougar, drawing the beast’s attention. The aspen branch in the young man’s right hand was almost as long as he was tall and about three inches thick—but it wasn’t going to stop a full grown cougar.
River stretched one arm to the left and teased her bow into her hand with her fingers. The closest arrow was just out of reach.
The young man spoke in a low, calm voice as he edged closer, positioning himself between River and the cougar. “Don’t run. It’ll trigger his predatory instincts.”
River couldn’t breathe much less get up and run. But easy prey, lying prone on the ground, was even more attractive to a predator. The cougar narrowed his amber eyes, wrinkling his muzzle. He bared his teeth and hissed at the stranger then focused his attention back on River.
Time slowed as she watched the beast’s muscles bunch and twitch beneath his tawny hide. River didn’t want to witness her own gruesome death, but couldn’t look away when the cat leapt into the air.
The outsider screamed, “No!” and launched himself at the cougar, ramming his shoulder into the animal’s ribs.
River’s lungs finally responded to her body’s demand for air. She rolled to the side, grabbed an arrow off the ground and nocked it as she rose to one knee.
The cougar clamped his jaws around the outsider’s left wrist then flung him to the ground with a jerk of his head, severing the man’s hand. He cried out, but it was a shout of anger, not pain.
He sacrificed his hand to save my life. What sort of man does that for a stranger?
The young man sprang to his feet and faced the cougar. He glanced over his shoulder and said, “Stay behind me.”
Even now, he protects me.
River couldn’t see his injury since his back was turned, but there was no denying his courage—or stupidity. “Get down. You’re blocking my shot.”
Instead of obeying her, he hefted the stick in his right hand and…
twirled it.
The cougar sprang into the air.
The young man lunged to the side and smacked the cat on the back of the head as it flew past.
Amazing!
The cougar swayed on its feet for the briefest of moments then again focused his attention on River.
She finally had a clear shot, but the young man’s shout distracted her before she could release the arrow.
“Hey! Over here!”
The cat snarled at the idiot, eyed his stick warily, then obviously decided he’d had enough of that nonsense and ran away.
River released the tension on her bowstring and un-nocked her arrow then stood up.
The young man picked his severed hand up off the ground then turned it every which way, examining it. “Shit. I’m going to need a new one.”
He must be in shock. If River didn’t get a tourniquet around his arm soon, he’d bleed to death…except there wasn’t any blood.
The young man tucked his severed hand under his left elbow then extended his right hand in greeting. “Hi. I’m Jonathan McKnight.”
River held her arms stiffly by her sides and stepped back. This outsider was probably infected with all sorts of diseases. “Your hand…why isn’t it bleeding?”
Jonathan’s smile faded as he took his severed hand out from under his elbow and showed it to her. His voice was soft but respectful. “This is just a prosthesis.”
River stepped back and covered her mouth and nose with her hand. Some diseases were airborne.
“It’s not going to hurt you.”
“That’s not the problem.”
“I just saved your ass from that mountain lion.”
“You’re contaminated.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Influenza, measles, strep, syphilis—”
“Hey! I don’t have any STDs.”
“You could be sick and not even know it.”
“I’m not infected and even if I were, you can’t catch syphilis by shaking a guy’s hand.”
“Influenza is airborne.”
“Jeeze. What a germaphobe.”
“My people don’t use outsider medicine. A bad case of strep throat could kill me.”
“Your people?” He scanned her body, then locked his gaze on her bow. “Do you belong to some sort of anti-technology cult or something?”
River pressed her lips together. She hadn’t mentioned New Eden, but telling him she was a part of a community bordered on treason.
“There’s a blizzard coming. You need to leave.”
“I need to find shelter. I was looking for a mine or cave to hole up in when that mountain lion surprised me.”
“Where’s your camp?”
“Destroyed by a black bear.” He grinned, displaying a set of perfect, white teeth and two dimples. “It seems the wildlife is out to get me. Two years ago I was chased by a wolf; a bear destroyed my campsite this morning; and now this.”
“Maybe you should stay out of the wilderness.”
“It’s a little late for that.” He rocked his head from side to side, cracking his neck. “I hate to ask, but can I stay at your place until the storm passes? I can sleep on the floor.”
“My place?”
“I assume you live nearby. Right?”
“I don’t live anywhere near here, but I know a place where we can find shelter.” Taking an outsider to the Enforcer’s cleansing station could land River in all sorts of trouble if anyone found out. But Jonathan had risked his life to save hers. Leaving him to fend for himself was a death sentence. Hopefully, she’d be able to escort him back to the border once the storm broke and no one would be the wiser. “You have to promise you’ll never come here again or reveal this location to anyone.”
