Charmed in Harvest Moon

Chapter One

Tasty Afternoon Snack

There’s a special place in hell for people who let their dogs go off leash in the woods.

Flora, my Mastiff Doberman mix, loped alongside me as we hiked up the trail leading to the top of Elderberry Ridge.

Birdsong echoed through the trees. The lemon-drop sun descended, stretching shadows into shapes that resembled storybook monsters.

Goosebumps skidded over my skin as the clouds rolled in and the temperature dipped.

Late August was my favorite time of year in Colorado. Warmer days turned into cooler nights. At dusk, the symphonic chirp of crickets slipped in through open windows. The damp scent of the woods, sometimes falling rain, often lulled my chaotic mind into a dreamless sleep.

Some people took vacations to exotic places with white sand beaches. Turquoise water for as far as the eye could see. When I wanted to escape, I came to these woods and let the precious silence fold over me like a warm blanket.

I gripped Flora’s leash as she pulled me forward. Just as we reached a small rise, a chocolate Labrador retriever with a massive block head shot out of a dense set of trees. Panting hard, the dog circled us twice before he sprawled in front of my feet.

‘Where’d you come from?’

His thick neck was void of a collar. A low simmering heat rose in my veins.

Off leash and no tags. Dammit.

‘Hello,’ I called out, hoping the owner would emerge from the woods. The dog continued to pant at my feet. His pink tongue flopped out of the side of his mouth. Brick-red mud clung to his wet fur and paws.

I yanked off my backpack, shoving aside the collapsible water bowl and the few treats I’d packed for Flora.

At the bottom, I found a small length of cord and made a leash.

I slid it over the Lab’s head and coaxed him to the side of the trail.

As he walked, I clocked his movements. Sturdy body. Normal gait. No visible injuries.

Flora and the Lab sniffed each other while I leaned against a nearby boulder to wait for the owner.

Rabbits hopped out of low-lying bushes. Prairie dogs skittered across the tops of jagged rocks.

The Lab strained against the leash, eager to chase after the small animals.

Flora gave him an annoyed look and settled down onto her belly like she expected a long wait.

She wasn’t wrong.

Ten, fifteen, twenty minutes slid by without a sign of another human.

‘All right, boy,’ I said tugging on the leash. ‘Let’s head down and figure this out.’ Flora jumped up and stayed beside me as we made our way down the trail.

With each and every step, the weight of the day knotted in my shoulders.

Pounded inside my temples. I’d been up since four, tending to Mrs Werlin’s pregnant pug, Lola, whose distressed and tiny body required I take her puppies by C-section.

Three girls and a boy. Bringing new pups into the world was one of the best parts of being a veterinarian, but by the end of the day I was ready to crash.

Thursdays were my busiest at the clinic, but today was my little sister Aster’s birthday, and she insisted we all meet for dinner at Grandmother Clo’s.

That gave me just enough time to watch the sunset from the top of the ridge before I had to head to the party.

Now that idea was shot to hell, thanks to some idiot.

When we reached the service road at the edge of the trail, I pulled my phone out of the pocket of my joggers. A thud of heavy footsteps sounded through the woods, followed by a deep voice calling out, ‘Indy! Indy! Here, boy.’

The lab whined and yanked on the leash like he was a bottle rocket ready to ignite.

Cracking sticks and breaking branches cut through the air.

A man crashed out of the woods, tripped once and hit the hard-packed earth, turning a full somersault before landing with a thud.

The dogs both barked, rushing up the trail beside me.

Starfished across the dirt was a guy with long athletic legs and at least two days of reddish-blond scruff covering his chiseled jaw. His eyes were closed, his chest rising and falling with heavy breaths. An odd flutter filled the space below my breastbone like a feather caught on the wind.

‘Hey, are you all right?’ I bent down next to him, quickly scanning him for injuries.

‘Give me a minute.’ He shifted his legs and curled his hands open and closed.

It wasn’t hard to figure out why he’d taken a header onto the ground.

I’d seen it too many times on the trails.

Weekend warriors who wanted to play in nature for a while without understanding the terrain.

Bought boots at some fancy outdoor store, not realizing they’d be stiff to walk in, not to mention causing painful blisters.

The Lab was quickly at the guy’s side, giving his face a slobbery lick. ‘It’s all right, Indy.’

‘Are you hurt?’ I said.

He opened his eyes, which were a shade of deep periwinkle you only saw painted in a late twilight sky.

The sense that I knew him somehow washed over me like a gentle rain.

I searched his face, examining the sharp curve of his cheekbones and the sturdy set of his jaw, trying to recall if we’d ever met, because I knew every local in Harvest Moon.

‘I’m… fine,’ he stuttered, sitting up slowly, his gaze never leaving my face.

A raw scratch slashed across his cheek. A swatch of what looked like black ink colored the side of his left index finger. ‘Nothing really hurts, except maybe my pride.’ His rough laugh boomeranged through the trees.

Indy kept nuzzling him and he rubbed the scruff on the dog’s neck. ‘Glad I found you, boy.’

The whoosh of his relieved breath made the fire in my veins settle to a low simmer. At least he gave a damn about his dog, even if he’d let him run around unsupervised.

He rose to his feet and that lightness in my chest returned. I was five eight and this guy towered over me. He took a step closer, and Flora let out a guttural growl, placing her body between me and him. I gave her head a loving pat. ‘It’s okay. I’ve got this.’

‘Thank you for finding my dog.’ He tugged off his blue baseball hat, swiping at the pieces of reddish-gold hair plastered to his forehead.

‘We were playing catch in that small stream farther up the trail. Indy’s ears went up all of a sudden, and he took off like a shot.

That’s weird for him. He usually sticks to my side like glue. ’

He leaned over and pressed his hands to his knees, sucking in large breaths. Hiking in the high altitude was no joke. At this point on the trail, we were hovering right near 8,000 feet.

‘It wouldn’t have happened if he’d been on a leash. There are black bears, elk and other dangerous wildlife around here. It’s not safe for dogs to be running loose.’

He sucked in another thick breath, the vein in his throat beating wildly like I made him nervous. I was used to that reaction from folks in town but not from a stranger.

‘Indy doesn’t do well with leashes,’ he said.

‘Well, Indy, I’d guess, would prefer not to be a tasty afternoon snack for a black bear, either. He should have tags too.’

‘Yeah, collars are also not his thing.’ He gave me one of those grins I’m sure made women all hot and bothered. All it did was set my blood back to a high boil. ‘I’m Bryce O’Dell, by the way,’ he said, holding out his hand.

I shook the leash in his direction without answering, because I wasn’t in the habit of offering my name to strangers.

Indy whined, took a step back, and landed on top of my feet.

The touch set off a chain reaction I’d come to know well.

My breathing slowed like I was being powered down.

Pressure built in the back of my eyes, forcing them to close.

A sharp metallic taste flooded my mouth and coated my tongue.

A flash of muted red and yellow color lit up behind my eyes, followed by a sharp swell of light-headedness.

Several emotions hit me at once. Elation followed by hunger, melting into a nauseous ache that seeped straight through my skin.

All warnings this dog was ill in some way.

I wobbled on my feet, the sound of Bryce’s voice echoing in my ears.

‘Uh, miss? Can you hear me?’

I settled into the swirl of color swallowing me, my brain racing as I did a mental scan of this dog from nose to tail. No broken bones, but something in his system was definitely off.

Flora barked once and nudged my knees with her head. The tingling in my feet and legs floated away like smoke from an extinguished candle.

‘Hey, are you all right?’ He cupped my elbow, and match met kindling as a molten fire raced through my veins. Holy crap. Who was this guy?

Slowly the color faded behind my eyes, and once I pried them open I found him staring at me in a horrid kind of confusion. It was a look I’d spent a lifetime ignoring. Usually, I could brush it off, but I found myself stricken by his reaction.

‘Are you sick? Do you need help?’ His warm hand stayed firm on my arm.

‘It’s all right,’ I said, taking a step away from his touch. ‘I have a small condition that forces me to take a break every once in a while. Not a big deal.’

‘Condition?’ His gaze moved to where Flora kept her wide body pressed against my leg. ‘Oh, I’ve read about this. Dogs can sense sickness, right? They can smell when a diabetic’s blood sugar is high and alert them. Make them get help. Is that what happened?’

‘It’s something like that,’ I said, running a hand along Flora’s back to reassure her.

‘Should I make a call? Give you a ride to get help?’ He scrubbed his hand over his tense jaw, his gaze wandering over my eyes and nose, stuttering on my lips, until he figured out he was staring a beat too long. ‘Do you live around here? I could take you and your dog home. It’d be no problem.’

The cautious look I shot him had him raising his hands. ‘I swear I am not a serial killer.’

‘That’s exactly what a serial killer would say.’ Flora whined again, and he pressed his lips thin in concern. ‘I’m fine, and, yes, I grew up here, which is how I know what is in these woods,’ I said, trying to steer the conversation back to the matter at hand.

A cloud inched over the setting sun, and he tilted his head to the purpling sky. ‘You’re lucky. This place is beautiful. I sort of feel guilty that it’s my first time here. My uncle has a cabin on the other side of the ridge. Well, had. He passed recently and left it to me.’

‘Sorry to hear that. What was his name?’

‘Richard Morrison. He was my mom’s brother.’

An image of a man about his height with a full white beard filled my head. ‘Didn’t he used to manage the ski hill?’

‘Yeah, but he got sick last year. My mom offered to come and help him, but he refused. I’m here to figure out what to do with the place now.’ He leaned back on his heels and tried to hide his grimace.

‘You should get boots that go up higher to protect your ankles. Take smaller walks to break them in.’

‘Is it that obvious I’m a newcomer out here?’ He glanced at the impression his body left in the dirt. ‘Don’t answer that. My stumbling out of the woods ass over teakettle like a total idiot probably gave me away.’

‘Ass over teakettle?’ I bit back a smirk. ‘That’s an interesting turn of phrase.’

He rubbed the back of his neck uncomfortably. ‘I like words. How a well-written sentence can turn your entire way of thinking upside down.’

Wow. I was not expecting that kind of response from some dude who stumbled out of the woods looking like he couldn’t figure out his location without some kind of complicated GPS toy.

‘You said “city”. Where are you from?’

‘Los Angeles.’

My gaze darted back to his boots. ‘Are you staying or selling?’

Once people spent time in Harvest Moon and realized it didn’t have a major coffee chain, or one of those big warehouse stores, they raced back to civilization as quick as they could.

‘Don’t know yet.’ He hesitated before saying, ‘I’ve only been around a few days.

’ A breeze blew across the trail, rustling the bright green leaves in the trees.

‘It’s nice and quiet here, though, especially in these woods.

’ Indy let out a small bark, and he bent down to give his dog’s head another pat.

‘There are some beginner trails. At the bottom of the hill there’s a map. I suggest you look at it before you hike again.’

He crossed his arms over his broad chest. ‘Any chance you’d want to meet out here some time? Show this beginner those trails?’

I huffed out a laugh. The last thing I had time for was a date with some stranger. There was no point to it anyway.

‘If you can read, you can figure it out.’

Flora nudged me again, my muscles still aching and pulsing.

‘You’re sure you’re okay? That I shouldn’t call someone for you? Maybe a boyfriend? Husband?’

‘What you can do for me is take care of your dog from now on,’ I said, ignoring his probing of my relationship status.

I patted Flora’s head and she let out a low bark, reminding me of what I had to say, even though it was going to be all kinds of awkward.

‘You should also take Indy to the vet. Get him a full physical.’

‘A physical? Nah. That’s not necessary. I took him in a few months ago. He got all his shots, and the vet said he was in great shape.’

The dog panted happily at Bryce’s side, but that nagging itch in the back of my brain kept repeating his dog was ill. Telling him I was a vet was on the tip of my tongue until his phone rang. He glanced at the screen, the lines around his mouth tightening before he silenced the call.

‘I need to go. Thanks again for grabbing him.’ He tugged on Indy’s leash and sped in the direction of a small black SUV parked further down the service road.

Flora nuzzled into my side just as my own phone buzzed in my pocket, reminding me of the time.

I hustled to my truck and pushed all of Flora’s ninety pounds up into the cab.

I drove away, not bothering to give Bryce a second glance.

A part of me wondered if I should have pushed more.

Insisted he get Indy checked out. But years of experience told me he still wouldn’t believe me. Strangers never did.