Page 3 of Chance Encounter

At least I’m dressed appropriately, or at least I am until the sun goes down and I’m stuck outside for hours.

A loud roar has me on my feet and hobbling as fast as I can in the opposite direction of where the sound came from. That roar isn’t from any old nuisance. No, it’s from a bear. I guess today is just not my day. I swear if I die out here, I’m going to come back to haunt my brother until the end of time.

It sounds like a freight train is coming through the wooded area to my right, and I know I won’t be able to outrun it.

The biggest ball of brown fur that I’ve ever seen comes speeding out from the trees. The brown bear heading straight in my direction roars. She opens her mouth, and the sounds that come out have all the hairs on the back of my neck and my arms standing straight up. The vibration of her anger seeps into my bones, terrifying me.

I don’t need to pat my pockets to know I don’t have any bear spray on me to ward off the attack. Before I can drop to the ground and curl up on the cold surface, the bear is only a few feet away. She’s up on her hind legs, and she’s pissed. I’m not sure why she’s after me. There were no tracks of any kind. Did I somehow walk through her territory and not know it?

The grizzly bellows as she barrels closer. If I wanted to, I could count each and every one of her teeth. Instead, I close my eyes and pray to a God I’m not sure exists that if he lets me live, I’ll be a better person. I won’t give my brother a hard time about his manwhore ways, and I’ll stay away from temptation. I’ll do anything if I live.

The change in the air happens in an instant. There’s a shift that has me wanting to turn around to see what’s happening, but I stop myself. I need to keep my attention on the bear that wants to rip me into shreds.

The sound of a shotgun blast has both me and the bear turning. Sally, I’ve decided to name her because why not. The bear who wants me dead should have a name. Sally takes off with one last roar as I stand stupefied, looking for the shooter. My savior. Whoever it is that saved me, I’m going to kiss their feet when I see them.

“Stay where you are,” a deep and gritty voice shouts—one that sounds eerily familiar. One that I’d know anywhere even if I haven’t heard it for years. One that I hate almost as much as being attacked by a bear.

Maybe I should have let the bear take me down, so I wouldn’t have to hear about Chance Reed saving me for the rest of my life. He is going to lord it over my head with evil delight.

It doesn’t matter, though. I’m not going anywhere right now on my fucked-up ankle. Unfortunately, I need his help.

“I cannot fucking believe it. Maddox fucking Blackburn,” Chance grumbles under his breath. Although he’s not very successful if he didn’t mean for me to hear him. “If I knew it was you, I probably would have let you fend for yourself.”

“And here I was thinking of how I wanted to repay the person who saved me. That was until I heard your voice,” I say loud enough for him to hear me as he eliminates the distance between us.

“I can leave, and you can see how far away you get before she comes back. You got too close to her cubs, and she’s crazy protective. I’ve never seen anything like it in all my years.” Chance says as he stops a few feet away from me. He turns to look back over his shoulder. “What are you doing out here, anyway?”

I don’t want to tell him because I know I’ll sound like an idiot, but I don’t have much of a choice.

“I was out checking on the horses when I ran out of gas. One went missing, and when I saw hoof prints, I followed them further than I realized. If I knew I was so close to your land, I would have gone the other way.”

“Yes, because you’re so much better than I am,” he sneers. “Heaven forbid you are tainted by stepping foot on my land.”

“I never said that, Chance. That’s all you,” I snap back.

“Oh please, you’ve thought you were better than me since the moment we met in elementary school.”

Never once in all my years have I thought I’m better than him. While I succeeded in more aspects of my life than Chance, the thought of me being better never crossed my mind. Not even once.

“I can’t help it that I was better than you in school or at hockey. Was I supposed to let you win or do better on tests than me just to appease your bruised ego?”

“No, but you-” His words are cut off when Sally rages once again. “Shit, she’s coming back, and I only have one more shell, so we need to get the hell out of here.” He looks down at my foot that I’m barely putting any weight on, and his lips thin into a straight line. “Can you walk?”

“I don’t have much of a choice in the matter, now do I?” I take a step and hiss as pain shoots up my leg.

“Let me help you. There’s no sense in us both dying out here all because you’re a stubborn son-of-a-bitch.”

“You could leave me and save yourself,” I step away from him.

“I’m not like you, Maddox,” He shakes his head, wrapping an arm around my waist. “I wouldn’t leave a man, even my worst enemy out here, to die by a bear.”

Does he seriously think I would leave him out here to die?

“I guess I should be thankful it’s a bear after me then,” I half-joke as I slip one arm over his broad shoulders.

“Indeed. Now let’s get out of here. I have a nice stew that’s waiting for me back at home that I want to eat.”

We didn’t say anything for a few minutes, as I used Chance as a crutch and tried to get away from the area as quickly as possible.

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