A raspy purr had her turning in her seat. The mountain lion sprawled across the whole back seat.
“Oh! Hi there… Nice kitty.” She tried not to be obvious as she leaned against the door, praying they’d fed it already. It was so big and still made her nervous, especially in the tight confines of the vehicle.
Kelan chuckled again. “Falke, why don’t you quit scaring the lady and say hi?”
Meow.
She blinked. “They can meow?”
Kelan grinned. “Pumas are closer to cheetahs than African lions or the tiger. They can’t roar. They purr and meow, hiss, yowl and growl, a lot like a house cat.
Just depends on their mood and the circumstances.”
“Oh. So, as long as it’s purring, everything is all right?”
“Yeah, purring’s good.”
“Gotcha.”
The hatch closed and the back side door opened.
“Move, you big galloot.” Axel shoved at the cat’s butt, which it lethargically moved out of the man’s way as it sat up. Once Axel was in and his door shut, Kelan put the Jeep in gear and pulled out. Dakota glanced out the window to wave at Carrie who stood there shivering with a huge grin on her face.
Dakota zipped her down jacket up high and stood with hands in pockets as she watched the Jeep drive back down the slope until it disappeared behind the evergreens around a curve in the road.
The sky was just starting to lighten from black to navy, with a million stars dotting it. As deep into the forest as they were, though, all she could see was a strip of sky right above them. Still, it was a spectacular view, enhanced by a lack of citywide illumination.
Axel held a flashlight in one hand while he checked through the packs one last time. Before Kelan took away the vehicle, Axel had her sprawl out in the back seat of the warm truck and put on a lightweight pair of ski pants and a pair of insulated wool socks, all of which he supplied as part of the “package.” Now, with her hiking boots laced up, she was toasty warm.
Falke sat on his haunches next to her, staring. She tried not to let his penetrating feline gaze unnerve her, but it did. She didn’t have much experience with animals, other than the dog her parents owned when she was little—which had been a sweet little rat terrier that had been old when Dakota was a baby. She’d heard stories though, read newspaper articles about mountain lions coming into cities and eating house pets, attacking small children. One fast move and Falke might mistake her for breakfast.
The cat purred.
All was well if they purred, Kelan had told her. But that purr could stop in an instant. She’d rather not take any chances. “Nice kitty,” she whispered as she stepped sideways, slowly moving toward Axel and away from the monstrous cat.
“Okay,” Axel said, standing up straight. “It’s all here. Ready to head out?”
She nodded, excitement coming back full force.
Axel handed her a pair of thick gloves. “Put these on and stretch your legs good. Backs of your thighs and calves especially.”
As she took the gloves, she gave him a quizzical look.
“Have you ever snowshoed?”
“Ah, no.”
Axel grinned then turned and picked up one of two pairs of snowshoes off the ground. “This should be interesting.”
Dakota ignored the remark and started her stretches. She was in pretty good physical condition, she figured. She tried to hit the gym a couple times a week. How hard could this be? She hiked Mt.
Charleston west of Vegas in the spring and fall when she got a chance.
She did the warm-up stretches she normally did before starting her weight training workouts. Back, arms, thighs, calves.
Then Axel was there, right in front of her, and she got a whiff of something wonderful. Him. The cold morning air blended with a masculine scent and made her suck in her breath. Damn. He didn’t seem to notice her reaction as he set the snowshoes on the ground in front of her, lined up, and then said, “Step on. I’ll strap you in.”
Dakota placed her feet where he directed, and he tightened the straps to fit snugly over and around her boots. Then, as if as an afterthought, he raised the pant leg of her ski pants and checked her boot laces.
“Very good. You’ve hiked before I see.”
She laughed. “I might be a city girl, but I do leave the house once in a while.”
He stood up laughing. “And I’ve been put in my place. Let’s see you walk now.”
She went to take a step with the snowshoe. It wasn’t heavy, but the strange…bigness…of the thing had her lifting her foot higher than normal, which put her off balance, and she started tipping. She tried to pull herself back the other way, but overcompensated.
Waving her arms, she tried to save her balance and dignity. It was futile. She was going down.
She prepared for the impact of her ass on the ground, but it didn’t come. Instead, she hit something soft that gave a little grunt.
Meow.
“Oh, God.” Dakota scrambled as best she could to get off the cat, but with the snowshoes it was nearly impossible. “Sorry! Sorry.” She couldn’t get on her knees, so she slid along on her butt, glad for the slippery material of the ski pants.
Then big, strong arms were lifting her. “Easy,” Axel said, but the word was laced with amusement, and she had the urge to slug his shoulder. Her face burned with embarrassment, and when she was once again on her feet, she refused to look in his eyes. Instead, she cautiously eyed the big cat, glad to see it didn’t appear ready to attack her. She shuddered to think of how many stories she’d heard of animals snapping because someone stepped on their tail or paw.
“Falke is not going to hurt you, Dakota,” Axel said, his warm breath brushing her cheek, which made her scalp tingle.
For a moment, she forgot about the cat and wanted to turn her lips toward his. His nearness warmed her.
What would his mouth taste like?
He cleared his throat, shifted to put some space between them, and the intimate moment was gone.
“Falke just kept you from bruising your backside. The ground here is frozen and packed pretty solid. He’s here for protection, yours as well as mine.”
She nodded, a bit less jittery and somewhat soothed by his statement.
“Okay, I think we need some snowshoe lessons before we head into the snow with them. Yes?”
She huffed out a frustrated breath and brushed the back of her glove over her face. “Yes.” The sky was getting lighter, and it was easier to see both Axel and the cat. “Sorry.” She looked at Falke, who once again sat on his haunches staring at her with those penetrating eyes. “Sorry.”
He purred, and she would swear, if a cat could smirk, it just did. At her. Probably thinks I’m a moron.
She hoped she didn’t hurt the big guy.
“Ready? Lesson one was the stretching. This is a workout you’ve never had before, and you’re going to feel it. Some of the sheltered parts of the trail you’ll be able to take them off and walk, but this first stretch-about a mile or so—is in the open, and the snow this time of year is probably about seven feet deep. No snowshoes, you’re not going anywhere.”
She nodded and adjusted her knit cap, tucking in a few strands of hair that had fallen out in her tumble.
As he spoke, Axel stepped into the other pair of snowshoes and fastened the bindings. “Okay, lesson two. Keep your feet shoulder-width apart and try to think of the snowshoe as an extension of your body, just as you do your shoes or boots, but a lot wider and longer.”
She adjusted her stance a little, putting a bit of distance between the two webbed snowshoes. They were made out of lightweight aluminum and, other than the fact they seemed cumbersome because of size, they weighed almost nothing.