Don't Cry for Me. Шарон Сала

Чтение книги онлайн.

СКАЧАТЬ need more men for sure,” Jake said, then eyed the sun through the trees. It was too close to sundown to set this new plan in motion. “And I can get them, but I need to notify your ranger station. What I am saying is we’re not doing this in the dark. Not with this one.”

      “I agree,” Quinn said. “So, unless I’m ordered elsewhere, I’ll see you tomorrow?”

      Jake nodded. “Yes, and for the record, that’s one damn good theory.”

      Quinn shrugged off the compliment. Knowing the animals and the region was just part of the job.

      “I’m headed back down to where I left my truck,” he said.

      “We’ll go with you,” Jake said. “I have a lot of phone calls to make and some extra plans to figure out.”

      “And in the meantime, we pray to God no one else gets hurt before we find that bear,” Avery added.

      * * *

      The sun was about to slip behind the peak of Rebel Ridge when Quinn got his first glimpse of home. He could not deny that his anxiety had nothing to do with wet feet and an empty belly. It was all about Mariah. As a grown man, he’d never had anyone to come home to before. It felt good.

      Mariah came out onto the deck as he pulled up and parked, then frowned when she saw the expression on his face. She’d seen that look before. It spelled both mental and physical exhaustion.

      “You look tired,” she said, as he came up the steps.

      “You look good,” he countered, smiling as a blush of pink swept up her neck and across her cheeks.

      “Well, that’s a lie, but thank you anyway,” she said.

      Quinn stopped at the door and pulled off his hiking boots and socks, then started to strip out of his clothes when it hit him that he couldn’t do that anymore without an audience.

      “Um… I usually strip out here and throw my clothes straight in the wash,” he said.

      Mariah crossed her arms. “Okay with me.”

      His eyes narrowing, he tried to decide if she was kidding or if this was a test. It wasn’t like she’d never seen him naked before.

      “It’s your call,” he said, as he shed his shirt and dropped his pants. His thumbs were in the waistband of his briefs when she sighed and walked away.

      “Whatever,” he muttered, then picked up the wet, muddy clothes and headed for the utility room.

      When he emerged the washer was filling with water and Mariah was outside, walking the deck with a stiff, lopsided stride. He couldn’t decide whether she was pissed or just frustrated. Either way, he could identify. He felt a little bit of both himself.

      Determined not to make an issue out of this, he went straight upstairs and into the shower. By the time he came out, the scent of heating meatloaf brought him down the stairs double-time. Mariah was at the sink washing her hands. He walked up behind her.

      “Something smells good,” he said.

      “Your sister’s cooking. Meatloaf and roasted potatoes. Do you want a salad or a vegetable? I can open a can or chop up some lettuce.”

      Quinn put his hands on her shoulders. “I’m sorry I was such an ass. I don’t know what made me do that.”

      She hesitated. “I do. This whole thing is awkward. We have a history, right?”

      “Yeah, I’d say that’s a fact.”

      “Only it was nothing but sex, right?”

      This time Quinn didn’t answer.

      She turned around. “Quinn?”

      “I vote for salad.”

      She blinked. “What?”

      “You asked me if I wanted a vegetable or a salad. I vote for the salad, but if you want, I’ll chop it.”

      Mariah sighed. Maybe he was smart to avoid discussing their past. Not when she was like this anyway—crippled in both body and brain.

      “Fine. No onions in mine,” she said, and turned away too fast to see the disappointment flash across Quinn’s face.

      * * *

      The bear had managed to kill a small doe that morning, which had given it a brief burst of strength that had carried it nearly two miles farther down the creek. But the wound in its hip was like a sore tooth—the pain never went away. And it was hungry again. By the time it was dark, the bear had stopped.

      As it sat, the water was just deep enough to wash over the infected wound and work a bit of medicinal magic. The cold, swiftly moving water both numbed the pain and flushed the running pus from the still-open flesh.

      An owl hooted from a nearby tree.

      The bear uttered a soft woof.

      The owl took flight.

      The bear sniffed the air, sensing a change in the weather.

      Clouds were gathering to the southwest. A storm would blow through before morning. Minutes passed as the forest came alive with the creatures of the night.

      Somewhere off in the distance, a dog howled. The bear lifted its head and sniffed the air again—anxiously this time. Nearby, a calf had become separated from its mother and bawled in a long, plaintive cry. Moments later, the cow answered back.

      The bear’s belly was empty. The calf was near. Without hesitation, it stood up, waded to the creek bank and, grunting in pain as it climbed up and out, disappeared into the dark.

      Конец ознакомительного фрагмента.

      Текст предоставлен ООО «ЛитРес».

      Прочитайте эту книгу целиком, купив полную легальную версию на ЛитРес.

      Безопасно оплатить книгу можно банковской картой Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, со счета мобильного телефона, с платежного терминала, в салоне МТС или Связной, через PayPal, WebMoney, Яндекс.Деньги, QIWI Кошелек, бонусными картами или другим удобным Вам способом.

/9j/4QAYRXhpZgAASUkqAAgAAAAAAAAAAAAAAP/sABFEdWNreQABAAQAAABQAAD/4QNxaHR0cDov L25zLmFkb2JlLmNvbS94YXAvMS4wLwA8P3hwYWNrZXQgYmVnaW49Iu+7vyIgaWQ9Ilc1TTBNcENl aGlIenJlU3pOVGN6a2M5ZCI/PiA8eDp4bXBtZXRhIHhtbG5zOng9ImFkb2JlOm5zOm1ldGEvIiB4 OnhtcHRrPSJBZG9iZSBYTVAgQ29yZSA1LjAtYzA2MSA2NC4xNDA5NDksIDIwMTAvMTIvMDctMTA6 NTc6MDEgICAgICAgICI+I СКАЧАТЬ