Total pages in book: 133
Estimated words: 122440 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 612(@200wpm)___ 490(@250wpm)___ 408(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 122440 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 612(@200wpm)___ 490(@250wpm)___ 408(@300wpm)
“Mon rêve, do you really want to spend your entire life alone? I was certain I would be doing just that until I found you. You’ve found me. Isn’t the risk worth taking? We may never get another shot at finding the right person.”
She found herself looking at her feet as they walked along the fence line. She had never thought of herself as a coward, and he hadn’t exactly called her one, but she felt like one. Wilder had a good point. Did she really want to live her life completely alone? No partner? No children? She knew she didn’t, but…
“I hate to think of myself as a coward.”
He stepped in front of her, stopping their forward progress. “Harlow.” Very gently, he framed her face with his large palms. “You are anything but a coward. You have every reason to be afraid of trusting your heart to me. I know I have to prove myself to you, and I intend to do just that. By my actions, not my words. I know I’m going to make mistakes, but if we both want it, I also know we’re going to be good together. I know it. I don’t just feel it, I know it.”
He stepped aside so they could resume walking along the fence line.
She wanted to be like him. He appeared to be so fearless, and yet when his brilliant gaze met hers, she could see his vulnerability. He was exposing that soft spot in him he kept hidden from the rest of the world, the one he was willing to put in her care. If she accepted that immeasurable gift, she would have to allow him to care for that same vulnerable spot in her.
Harlow halted abruptly, one hand curling around his forearm to stop him as well. “Something’s horribly wrong, Wilder. Look over there by the fence. That’s a mountain lion kill, and it’s one of Helen’s goats.”
“This is mountain lion country, honey. Surely, it isn’t unusual to come across one of their caches.”
“It’s one of Helen’s goats. She has working dogs. A large team of Pyrenean Mastiffs. Three females and a male. They’re all different ages, but when I tell you they guard the livestock, I mean they really do. They’ll take on any predator, and they work as a group. Like a lion pride, the females will go after whatever threatens their charges, and if they need help, they call in the male. He hangs back to protect the animals while the females fight off the threat.”
“It isn’t a breed I’m that familiar with,” Wilder admitted.
“They originate from Spain and they’re quite large and formidable. Helen socialized them, so for the most part, they’re good with people. In fact, they’ve always been friendly toward me. They love kids, and they get along with Misha, although I don’t allow Misha on her property out of an abundance of caution. They’ve chased off mountain lions, bears, bobcats, foxes, you name it. Usually, the three females patrol and do the actual running off of the predator, while the male seems to hang back with the animals in their charge.”
“A division of labor.” Wilder sounded amused.
“Exactly, and it works.”
“They sound efficient.”
She nodded. “Very efficient. The fact that one of her goats has been killed and stashed on my side of the fence raises a big alarm to me.”
Harlow began to move toward the carcass so she could study it. She didn’t get too close, taking a careful look around. Misha hadn’t raised any alarms, but chances were, the cat was somewhere close. Misha would be in danger, and if she and Wilder were close to the mountain lion’s food, they would be putting themselves at risk.
“Even with really good guardian dogs, wouldn’t she expect to lose an animal once in a while to a determined cougar?”
“I’ve seen those dogs in action. They run a tight ship. She lost a few chickens to predators because sometimes they got out of the fences and built nests away from the coop, but even that stopped once she had the entire dog crew. The way it works, apparently, is you train your first dog, socializing them as well, and then you get a second puppy. The adult teaches the pup right along with you. Then a year or so later, you get the next pup, and now two dogs are training that one right along with you. You’re building a solid pack, and the pups have the benefit of the adults’ experience.”
“They sound like an interesting breed,” Wilder commented.
“I find them fascinating,” Harlow admitted. “They’re very bonded to Helen, even the youngest one.”
She studied the goat carcass and the ground around it. “That’s definitely a mountain lion, Wilder. I’m going to try to raise Helen on her cell, and if I can’t get her, I’ll go check on her place. If something is really as wrong as I suspect, it would be better for you and Misha to stay here. Her dogs can be very dangerous.”