Page 2 of Clearly Charmed

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.’