Chapter Six #2
“It’s toward the south end of the island. I tied it up to one of those big cedars to make sure it didn’t float away if the tide came in. It’s not fancy but it’s plenty big enough for the three of us.” He nodded at Diego. “We wouldn’t want to leave your bodyguard behind.”
I laughed. “Just try it. He’d probably swim the entire way if we didn’t let him on the boat.”
Ryland nodded. “I imagine he would. He seems like the loyal type.”
Unlike most of the men I knew. I thought it best to leave that particular thought unvoiced. “He is.”
We picked and ate in silence, filling up on the sweet fruit. The juice stained my hands a rather unappealing shade of red. Oh well. At least my belly was full.
I glanced over at Diego, waiting patiently for us to finish gorging ourselves, and felt a pang of guilt stab through me.
I wasn’t sure where I’d dropped the lunch kit, but it was highly unlikely that I’d ever see it again, and that meant I didn’t have anything to feed him.
Chances were something had already found the soft sided bag and made short work of Diego’s kibble along with the carefully prepared salmon sandwiches and dried fruit.
Walking over, I plunked myself down beside the dog and watched Ryland capture another handful of berries. He really was adorable, his hands even redder than mine.
And that ass… I licked my lips… it had to be the cutest damn ass I’d seen in a very long time.
Did he have a wife or a girlfriend stashed away somewhere?
He didn’t wear a ring, but that didn’t necessarily mean he was single.
Lots of guys didn’t wear rings. I hadn’t really given any thought to the fact he could have someone waiting for him to return home.
If he was married or involved in a serious relationship, then my fantasy of a one-night stand went right out the window.
I would never make a move on another woman’s man, willing or not. Nope. Not happening. I sure hoped he was single, but how could I bring the subject up without sounding like a complete idiot, or worse, like a slut in heat?
“So, is there a Mr. Kayaker waiting for you somewhere?” Ryland had his back to me as he reached for another handful of the juicy red fruit, so he missed seeing my jaw drop.
Did the guy actually read minds? “Nope. Just me and Diego here.” Wow, that would have been a great answer if I hadn’t sounded so damned breathless.
“That’s good. Hate to think of some poor guy sitting at home wondering why you hadn’t returned yet.”
Well, that was less than encouraging. Or was it? Maybe he was just better at this than I was. I took a deep breath. “How about you? Got a little woman wondering what you’re up to?”
He turned toward me, the grin on his face as wide as the Canadian prairies. “Nope. Totally footloose and fancy-free.”
I couldn’t help the matching grin that sprouted on my face. “That’s too bad. Maybe we could get together and discuss our bad luck over dinner when we get back to the mainland?”
“Sounds like a good plan to me.” Ryland pulled a few more berries from the overloaded bush. “Speaking of which, now that our bellies aren’t rumbling like sick big rigs anymore, we should probably head down to check out the boat. I’d like to make the mainland before dark.”
“Good point.” I glanced up at the sky. The sun was already heading to the west. “We’ve still got about two, maybe two and a half hours. At least we won’t be paddling in the dark.”
Ryland laughed. “No paddling required. I prefer boats that power themselves.” He patted Diego on the head and turned to skirt the near side of the clearing. “It’s down this way.”
The walk to the boat felt endless. The underbrush seemed unusually thick, pulling at my clothes and arms. I was used to a lot of outdoor activity but today had been brutal.
The adrenaline rush of this morning had worn off long ago, and the results were predictable.
I could feel myself getting sluggish, and it took longer than usual to wade through the tangle of vines and shrubs that blocked the path.
After a while I realized that if I hung back a short way and let Ryland and Diego break trail, the going got a whole lot easier.
The two of them made a good team, and I felt a tiny twinge of jealousy.
Diego was my dog. He wasn’t supposed to like guys I’d just met.
Then again, dogs were good judges of character so maybe this was a positive sign.
Diego let out a low growl, and stopped dead in his tracks, his whole body at attention. Head held high, his ears swiveled back and forth. Ryland took one more step before stopping to look quizzically at the mutt. He peered in the direction that had caught Diego’s attention.
“What do you see, boy?” His voice low, he stepped back to crouch beside the dog.
I caught up and paused to lean on a tree behind them. That knot in my gut was back again, and I didn’t like the feeling. Had the poachers returned to finish us off?
Ryland made an odd motion with his hands and Diego started to creep forward, keeping low to the ground. His ears swiveled constantly like large furry radar, and his whole body quivered with eagerness.
What the heck? How did Ryland know what hand gestures Diego would follow? Getting down on my hands and knees, I followed the pair at a distance. If there was something up there, I didn’t want to be in the way.
Crawling proved to be a more difficult feat than I anticipated. Small bits of twigs and sharp-edged rocks dug into the soft skin of my palms. How much farther did we have to go?
Diego dropped to the ground and let out a low whine.
Ryland held up his hand and all three of us froze.
I listened intently, but I couldn’t hear anything out of the ordinary. I couldn’t hear anything, in fact. No birds singing. No insects buzzing in the trees. That in itself was abnormal.
Ryland turned to look back at me, and I raised my brows in silent query.
He gave a tiny shake of his head and pointed at something ahead of him. Motioning me to stay where I was, he got to his feet and melted into the forest as if he were a ghost.
I blinked. One moment he’d been right there, and the next he was gone.
Diego stayed exactly where he was, and I followed his example.
I had no idea what the hell was going on.
My mouth was dry, and the butterflies in my gut were swarming like they thought it was time to migrate.
Damn. This was supposed to have been a simple kayak trip to take the edge off after a hard week at work. It wasn’t turning out that way.
A low whistle sounded, and Diego surged to his feet, sprinting off at high speed. I hesitated. Should I follow? I didn’t want to sabotage Ryland’s plan if one of the poachers was up ahead, but damn, not knowing what was going on really sucked.
I stood up, trying to see through the thick foliage. The forest greenery was lush here, and I couldn’t see a darn thing. The sound of Diego crashing through the bush rang loud in my ears. The dog certainly wasn’t making any effort to keep quiet.
“You might want to come see this.” Ryland sounded odd, but I didn’t get a sense of imminent danger.
It was easy enough to find them as the underbrush was crushed and stomped on where Diego had gone rushing through. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but it certainly wasn’t the sight that greeted me when I entered the small clearing.
Diego sat to one side, panting happily with his tongue hanging out the side of his mouth. Ryland stood at his side, his attention focused on the large white bear in the center of the clearing.
Oh crap.
I skidded to a halt as the bear swung its massive head in my direction.
While I admired the rare animals and was aware of their role in the spirituality of the Native Americans, I also respected the fact that they were large wild creatures who didn’t always take kindly to humans invading their territory.
This one had a cub to protect, which made it all the more dangerous.
I moved to stand beside Ryland and Diego.
“She’s beautiful, isn’t she?” There was a measure of reverent awe in Ryland’s voice.
“Yes, she is.” We both stared at the animal in silence for a long moment.
“She’s hurt, and she’s guarding a cub.” Ryland made the observation quietly. “It looks like you and I weren’t the only ones that the poacher took potshots at. That’s an arrow shaft protruding from her hip.”
“A cub?” I strained to see the little bear but failed.
“She’s keeping it behind her. It looks like it’s okay, but that arrow needs to come out of Mama before it becomes infected.”
I gave him an incredulous look. “You’re not seriously suggesting that you and I play vet to a wounded bear?”
The corner of Ryland’s mouth turned up in a grin. “No. I’m not a complete idiot. I was thinking more along the lines of sending a wildlife vet back once we make it to the mainland. This isn’t that big an island. They should be able to find her if we give them the coordinates of the island.”
“That sounds like a good plan.” I avoided looking directly at him. “Good thing those guys don’t have guns. It seems like they shoot without knowing what they’re going to hit. If they knew she was here, they would have kept after her until they got her.”
I could feel his eyes on me, questioning. He was right. It was a small island and anyone who spent time here would get at least a glimpse of the amazing bear.
Busted!
I let out a heavy sigh. “I knew there was a spirit bear on the island, but I didn’t want anyone else to know because then my beautiful refuge would be overrun with arrogant tourists. It would ruin it for me, and frankly it probably wouldn’t be good for the bear either.”
“That makes sense.” He sounded surprisingly sympathetic.
“I have some connections. I’ll make sure the vet is discreet.
Wouldn’t want mama bear to be disturbed.
In the meantime” -- he put his hand on Diego’s collar and began to back slowly away from the alert bear --”I think a strategic retreat is in order.
She doesn’t look like she plans to attack but mother bears are notoriously unpredictable. ”
“I don’t know.” I stared into the intelligent eyes of the Kermode. “I think she understands that we mean her and her baby no harm.” But I retreated in step with Diego and Ryland.
The air was getting cooler now, and I could feel evening getting closer.
We needed to get off the island soon or we’d be on the ocean at night.
The thought sent a shiver of apprehension up my spine.
Unless Ryland’s boat was a lot larger and better tacked out than I expected I’d just as soon not go there. The ocean was not a forgiving place.
As soon as we were well out of the clearing, Ryland stopped and bent down to give Diego a pat on the head.
“Good dog. You found the bear and knew she needed help. We’ll make sure she gets some as soon as we get back to civilization.
The bad guys are gone for now so she should be fine until we can send a vet back to treat her. ”
He talked to Diego as if he were a person, the same way I did, and I knew the big mutt appreciated it.
He might not understand everything that was said to him, but he understood the tone and intent, and that was enough.
I envied Diego’s ability to live in the moment, taking every day as it came.
Life as a dog definitely had its advantages.
“The boat is just over this ridge, and down the slope.” Ryland led the way, walking slow enough for me to keep up. Diego gamboled along the path in front of us. We crested a ridge, and Ryland stopped abruptly. “Damn! You have got to be kidding me!”