Her thumb paused in its quest to rub a hole through his skin.

"On your twenty-first birthday, you chose to drive your Aunt Sharon to the women's clinic on the fifth anniversary of her cancer-free status, because you couldn't bear for her to get the mammogram results alone."

"Hardly a sacrifice. Aunt Sharon's one of my best friends. She's always been there for me when I needed her. How could I not do the same?"

"You'd be surprised at the number of people who would have chosen differently." Angling toward her-a difficult feat in a folding chair that was barely wide enough to support his ass-he sandwiched her hands inside his. "She saw you graduate summa cum laude."

"What do you mean 'she saw'?"

"With her own eyes. In the audience."

Her face began to crumple. "Why didn't she find me afterward?"

"She didn't say." He softened his voice. "Would you have welcomed her?"

Tears glistened in her beautiful eyes. "No," she whispered. "No."

She closed her eyes, fighting emotions pent up far too long. He expected to see tears flow down her cheeks, but none appeared. With a will made of steel, something he'd admired many times over the months but hated witnessing now, she pushed and stomped and punched every vulnerable feeling into a cold coffin of self-preservation.

A forced smile appeared on her strained face. "Could we unveil the rest of my screwed-up life at another time?" Need shone in her eyes. Need for him. "I think it might be time for us to warm up our sleeping bags."

Britt wanted to better understand her and share so much more with her. But he dared not. She looked drained and fatigued, and despite his awareness that her offer of sex was, at least in part, a seductive ploy to redirect his efforts from her mind to her body, her suggestion sent fire through his veins.

What was the Hollywood expression? Ah, yes. Baby steps. He would take this-them-one small, clumsy step at a time.

22.

Randi's body ached. Bone deep, body and soul.

Spending the night on the hard ground was only part of the reason. Britt had accepted her offer of pleasure with unexpected intensity. She'd lost track of the number of times he'd awoken her with kisses and caresses. Close to morning, he'd curled his body around hers, entering her, though not taking them to climax. Two bodies merged. One being, one thought, one need. She had slept more soundly in those few hours before dawn, with him inside her, than all the nights of her life combined.

After spooning down some oatmeal and packing up their campsite, they returned to Steele Ridge to check on the red wolves. A thick fog had gathered in the trees, making long-distance visibility impossible. Randi made sure she stayed within ten feet of Britt's broad back. The disorienting fog didn't seem to faze him at all. He attacked every meter of invisible trail with a sure foot and confidence few achieved in broad daylight when hiking the woods.

Rather than enter via the Steele Conservation Area side, Britt chose to set off from her mother's property, so Randi could locate the Steele-Shepherd pack from this vantage point. Whether he intended to do so or not, their hike took them by the bluff that had claimed her mother's life.

Randi had not been here since the authorities had hauled Barbara Shepherd's broken body up the cliff. She'd arrived on the scene in time to see the last few minutes of the recovery effort. Five minutes that would be forever etched her in mind.

Britt guided her to the edge. "This is the place?"

She nodded, staring down at the steep embankment to the wide stream below. "A young man who'd wandered onto our property fly fishing spotted her. If he hadn't come along when he did, Mom could have lain out here for days."

It was unnecessary to explain to Britt what could have happened to a fresh corpse in this area of North Carolina that supported coyotes, bears, wolves, and a multitude of other scavenging creatures. A cramp took hold of her stomach.

"Have the authorities determined what caused her to fall?"

"No evidence of wrongdoing. Nothing beyond what logic dictates-she had a moment of inattention, something spooked her, she tripped, slipped, the possibilities seem endless."

Randi turned away from the scene of her mother's last moments on earth. The same questions pounded in her head. Had she died instantly? Had she suffered for hours before finally succumbing to her injuries? Randi would never know. The only person who could tell her had plummeted to her death. "Mom knew the dangers of hiking alone. She died doing what she loved most in the world."

Even after bleeding out her emotions to Britt last night, she still couldn't hold back the bitterness. The landscape she'd been admiring only moments ago now appeared exactly what it was, gray and bleak.

"How much longer until we reach the den?"

"Another twenty minutes or so." He wrapped his hand around hers. "Did anyone ever approach your mom about selling her property?"

"Not that she ever told me. Why?"

"Nothing. Just a random thought."

Randi's focus turned inward, scouring her mind for a stray comment made by her mom or aunt that meant little to her at the time but now held relevance. Her steps slowed.

"A few months ago, my aunt said something about my mom having a run-in with a solicitor. I assumed she meant a lawn care service salesman or something similar." She covered her mouth. "Could it have been the Carolina Club's attorney?"

He squeezed her hand. "It's hard to say. But I'm growing suspicious of your stream of bad luck."

A corkscrew dug into the center of her heart. Could Britt's suspicions be right? Could the Carolina Club be the architect behind her mother's death, her financial advisor's earnest recommendation, her failing business?

"Why would they go to such lengths? For a plot of land? The property is a naturalist's dream, but a hunter's?"

He kissed her temple. "Don't mind me. I have a dozen nefarious plots running through my head at any one time. I shouldn't have said anything."

Without another word, he led them away from the bluff. A chill tapped down her spine. Tucking her chin into her chest, she shoved her hands into her fleece jacket pockets. She followed Britt for several minutes, her mind full of nothing and everything. The glow of their night of lovemaking long gone. The closeness, the warmth, the joy seemed ages ago. A different Randi, a different time.

Craaack!

Britt stopped.

With her body hunkered against the chill, Randi didn't react to the sound as quickly as he and plowed into his solid back. He didn't grunt in pain, simply reached back and steadied her.

"Gunfire?" she whispered.

He nodded. "Close, too. Had to be on Steele or Shepherd property."

Grasping her hand, he continued along the trail for several more minutes before bending down on his haunches to inspect something on the ground. Peering over his shoulder, she noticed red liquid smearing several leaves on a low-growing New Jersey tea bush.

"Is that blood?"

Breaking off a leaf, he held it up to his nose. "That would be my guess." He tossed the leaf away and rose, scanning the area. "Stay put. I'll be back in a moment."

"Wait, no-"

"I can track the blood trail faster and stealthier alone." He squeezed her hand in reassurance. "The shot came from ahead of us. You'll be safer here." He kissed her fingertips. "Stay here, Randi." His gaze met hers. "Please."

She had yet to see this commanding side of him. Being the eldest of six children and with an absentee father, he'd probably had to take control often over the years. And that six-lettered concession he tacked on the end of his directive felt a little rusty.

Nodding, she said, "Be careful."

He disappeared into the fog far too soon, leaving an eerie, desolate silence in his wake. Randi scanned her surroundings, though nothing besides the bloody leaves looked out of place. The fog was so dense, even wind could not penetrate the moist barrier.

A hundred scenarios ran though her mind as to what the presence of the blood meant. The more she thought about it, the more sinister the scenarios became. She shook her head with enough force to rattle her brain. Dramatics weren't her thing. The most likely reason for the blood was a rabbit, or some other unfortunate creature, coming into contact with a wolf.

Above her, a twig snapped. She studied the edge of the cliff above and caught a glimpse of color. She backed up a step for a better look. But nothing was there. No furtive movements, no shadowy figure, no predatory eyes.

Leaves rustled on the path behind her. Randi whipped around. Empty. Her heart fluttered inside her chest like a bird trapped in a cage. Fog had a way of amplifying noise, making music playing a half mile away sound as though it were in your backyard.

She knew this, yet she still found herself backing away, one foot after another. Toward Britt, toward safety. With nothing more than a half-cocked smile and a few words of reassurance, he would return her mind to its rational, logical state.

As she continued her careful retreat, she split her attention between the cliff above and the path behind her. The hairs on her arms and neck rose to attention. Someone-or something-hovered above her. Watched her. Or maybe she had too many scary movies under her belt. Or maybe Britt's comments about the Carolina Club carried more truth than fiction.

Either way, she was getting the hell out of here. She took three frantic backward steps before she realized she could become hopelessly lost out here without Britt. Navigating the woods wasn't a problem for her once she'd explored the area a few times. But she'd never ventured this deep. Even if she had, the fog changed the looks of everything.

Damn. Damn. Double Dog Damn.

Then she heard it. The distinct, rhythmic sound of feet on forest floor moving toward her, from the direction Britt had disappeared. Relief cascaded over her like a waterfall of warm water. Before she even saw him, he calmed her. Embarrassment heated her cheeks at the way she'd allowed her imagination to run amok. All because of a little creepy fog.

Working in a bar for as long as she had, she'd dealt with some pretty tricky-and many times, scary-situations. Drunken university guys with rocket-fueled testosterone, domestic disputes turned physical, and jealous screeching, scratching, and punching triangles. She'd jumped into the fray of each of those situations without blinking an eye. Each time, her actions were driven by the basic desire to stop the violence and save the bar.

But none of those people saw her as a late-morning snack. There were few things that truly terrified her in this world, but being eaten, alive or otherwise, sat at the top of her I-Never-Want-To-Experience-This list.

As she pondered what two-inch canines could do to her flesh, Randi's subconscious remained on the approaching footsteps. Something about the cadence was off. Something she couldn't put her finger on, but a mere second before a black bear cub appeared, she knew it couldn't be Britt.

The cub shuffled closer. Given its size, Randi guessed the bear's age to be around six months. Panic held her immobile. She didn't dare move, breathe. Where was the cub's much bigger, much stronger, fiercely protective mother?

A cub so young and vulnerable did not set out on its own. Unless the sow had driven off her babe to save it from a persistent male bear sniffing around. Or maybe an unscrupulous hunter had killed her. Or a vehicle. Or a hiker in self-protection. So many possibilities.

The horrific bear scene from The Revenant skirted across her mind. Oh, crap. Britt!

Did he have a run-in with the mother? Was that why the cub was alone? Could Britt be lying injured somewhere? Needing her?

The cub let out a keening, mournful cry, and Randi stopped short of shushing it. If the mother came loping through here and found her not thirty feet from her cub... Randi broke off the thought before the gruesome images took shape again.

Randi had no place to hide. Her only hope was staying still and praying the cub would pass her by. Then she recalled the feeling of being watched. Could it have been this little guy or gal? Surely not. The cub seemed oblivious to her presence.

When the cub came parallel with her, though still a good fifteen feet away, Randi regulated her breathing and lowered her eyelids to slits. The cub continued to amble on its way, releasing a pitiful cry every few feet.

The sight broke Randi's heart. She had to find the mother and somehow reunite the two. If the mother was dead, then she would contact a local rescue. An unprotected cub wouldn't last for more than a few days with a pack of wolves so close by.

She waited another full minute before creeping ahead on the path, intent on finding Britt. Wary of the baby doubling back or mama making an appearance, Randi kept peering over her shoulder until the fog hid the cub's whereabouts.

Rounding the corner, she came toe-to-toe with mama bear.

Britt slammed to a halt at the sight of Randi facing off with a black bear. In the distance, he heard the baleful cry of a cub, and terror like nothing he'd ever experienced before rose up to suffocate him.

Randi slowly backed away. The bear huffed and swatted her paws against the ground.

"Stop, Randi! You're headed toward her cub." Britt waved his arms wide. "Over here, Mama." He stuck his tongue against his teeth and delivered a piercing whistle. "Over here."

The bear swung around at the new sound, snapped her jaws.

Britt held his ground, keeping one eye on the bear while surveying Randi's options. To her right rose a steep bluff. To her left, an even steeper cliff. The mother bear stood between him and Randi.

"Mama, come away. Over here, girl."

"Britt, no!"

"Be quiet, Randi. The moment she turns my way, get the hell out of there."

Britt took three harsh breaths like a pole vaulter right before takeoff. Then he marched toward the anxious bear. She gave him five steps before she charged.

Tossing away all his experience, he turned his back on the bear and ran, hoping she would follow. She did for all of three seconds. When the crashing of pine needles and branches behind him faded, Britt whipped around in time to witness the worst nightmare he could possibly imagine.

Mama bear had reversed her charge and was now headed for Randi. Stuck between the agitated bear and the cliff, Randi had no place to go but down. She caught his gaze, and he saw the mountain of fear behind her decision.

"Don't you do it, Randi! Don't you do it!"

"Run, Britt. Run!"

A split second before the bear reached her, Randi stepped off the ledge.

23.

Mama bear roared her triumph while watching Randi plummet down the mountainside.