Page 6 of Wild About the Mountain Guide
Ahead of me, Brandon is simultaneously consulting what appears to be a GPS device, a compass, and a laminated map. “According to my calculations, we should reach the first waypoint in approximately—”
“When we get there,” Knox interrupts with a close-mouthed smile that suggests he’s dealt with Brandon’s type before.
We continue hiking in silence, but after another fifteen minutes or so, I hear a rustling in the bushes that sounds way too big to be anything cute and harmless like a rabbit. My thriller-author brain immediately conjures images of every predator that might call these mountains home. Grizzly bears. Mountain lions. Those aggressive squirrels you read about sometimes. Serial killers with a love for axes and out-of-shape hikers.
“Um, Knox. What was that noise?” I ask.
He turns around. “What noise?”
The rustling gets louder. I brace for claws, teeth, or fiery eyes. Instead, a deer steps onto the trail about twenty feet ahead of us. It’s beautiful, with large dark eyes and spots dappling its brown coat.
“Oh, my goodness,” Christine whispers. “It’s magnificent!”
I fish my phone out of my pocket to snap a picture, but Harmony has other ideas.
“Beautiful forest spirit,” she whispers, pulling a handful of crystals from her pocket and holding them up like some kind of mystical offering. “I can sense your ancient wisdom. Your aura is absolutely radiant.”
Strangely, the animal doesn’t run. Which is weird. Maybe it’s used to people. Or maybe it’s too confused by Harmony’s energy to move.
“We should back away slowly,” Knox says under his breath, but Harmony is already stepping forward with her crystal collection.
“Don’t be afraid, gentle soul,” she says, approaching the deer like it’s a lost puppy instead of a wild animal. “I’m here to commune with your spirit. We come in peace.”
“Harmony,” Knox’s voice carries enough authority to make her stop in her tracks. “Wild animals aren’t pets. Please step back. Now.”
The deer suddenly snorts loudly. It’s the kind of sound that in my books would be followed by something very bad happening to my characters.
I freeze. This is it. This is how I die. Not in some dramatic thriller-worthy scenario, but because I got trampled by Bambi on day one of a wilderness retreat I didn’t even want to go on.
But Knox isn’t having any of that. He steps forward with a calm confidence that makes my heart do something weird andfluttery in my chest. “Easy there,” he says, though I’m not sure if he’s talking to the deer or to us. “Everyone stay still for a minute.”
The deer looks at Knox, then at Harmony with her crystals, then at Brandon, who’s now reading aloud from his guidebook about deer behavior patterns. It gives us one last look, apparently deciding we’re all too weird to deal with, and bolts.
“That was incredible.” Harmony practically vibrates with excitement. “Did you feel that connection? That pure, untamed energy?”
“I felt something, all right. Pretty sure it was the early stages of cardiac arrest,” I mutter.
Knox catches my eye with what might be the beginning of a smile. “Welcome to the wilderness,” he says. “Never a dull moment.”
I grin as I fall into step beside him. I look over my shoulder to check if Harmony is out of earshot. “Have you ever seen someone dangle crystals in front of a deer?”
“That was a first for me. And trust me, I’ve seen my fair share of weirdness on these retreats.”
His eyes sparkle as he says it, and that sends a little jolt down my spine. For a second, I wonder if this gruff, no-nonsense mountain guide might actually enjoy my company rather than seeing me as a helpless city girl.
I raise an eyebrow. “Weirder than that?”
He nods. “Oh, yeah. I could write a book about it. Not that I’m a writer or anything. That’s your job. My job is making sure you get confident enough to stop flinching every time something rustles in the bushes.”
“I didn’t flinch,” I quickly say.
The left corner of his mouth quirks up.
I laugh. “Okay, fine. I flinched.”
“It’s nothing to be ashamed of. You’re doing better than most first-timers. Seriously.”
“Thanks. You make it all seem so easy, while I’m tripping over my own feet.”
