cold. He hadn't caught sight of her in several hours, but thanks to his GPS he knew exactly where she was. He forged on ahead of her.
He was on a roll, comfortable, easy, as he let the dogs do their thing.
Now the race was really on.
The only reason he was here, the only reason he'd taken any interest in the Iditarod at all, was because of Lily. They'd never been friends, Derek thought. He'd taken one look at Lily as she'd loaded bales of hay into her dilapidated truck at the feed store six years ago, and he'd wanted her more than he'd wanted his next breath.
Every scrap of finesse had been shot when he'd glanced up and her eyes had widened. Thank God, he'd thought, she feels it, too.
But his heat had frightened her and she'd run. Run straight into Sean's open arms. Sean Munroe, who wanted to be Derek. But that was then. This was now. Derek wasn't planning on skipping any of the courtship stages this time.
He was just going to accelerate them to warp speed.
She was going to have to learn to trust him, and since there was nowhere out here for her to run from him, she was going to have to learn fast.
He'd given her six months. More than enough time to mourn Sean. Derek was done waiting. It was time to tell her some truths.
"Hello?" Click-click . The sound of a fingernail tapping echoed loudly in his ear. "Damn it, how do I turn this frigging thing—Hello? Hey! Derek?"
She'd slipped on the headset. Pleased, Derek's lips twitched at the annoyance in her voice. "Hey, Doc.
How're you doing?"
"I just wanted to see how this thing worked. Amazing. You sound as if you're whispering in my ear."
Not yet he wasn't. "Everything okay?"
"Fine."
"Call me anytime you want to talk."
"I don't," she said, already sounding as though she regretted contacting him in the first place.
Derek grinned as he heard the crackle when she tried to turn off the small electronic listening device.
Generated by ABC Amber LIT Conv erter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html
It didn't work, and for more than an hour he'd eavesdropped on Lily praising her dogs.
"Ah, hell."
"What?" she yelled, clearly startled by his voice right in her ear.
He drew his custom Baer from his pocket and clicked off the safety. "Moose."
A male, easily six feet high at the shoulder, stood silently in the tree line up ahead. Its enormous antlers indicated it was young and had yet to shed them even this late in the season. A young bull could be territorial, protecting its mate—Jesus, there were any number of reasons for it to be pissed. It turned its massive head slowly back and forth as if using its ears as a nature-made radar system.
Lily hissed a curse in Derek's ear. "Don't mess with it!"
"Trust me, sweetheart," he whispered to the woman who was miles away, "I want nothing to do with him. But he's blocking the trail."
There was no telling what a wild animal might do if it thought its territory was being invaded. And a damn moose could tear a man to bits with its hooves and antlers. Perfect. Dodge bullets most of your adult life and get killed by Bullwinkle.
He was going to try to slip by, as silent as a ghost. " Gee! On by !" he told the dogs, keeping his tone matter-of-fact and even. Eyes forward, Derek kept a peripheral bead on the giant in the trees for any sign of aggression. So far, so g—
The moose laid back its ears, the long, coarse hair on its rump raised as if electrified. It tossed its head and stepped purposefully out of the trees on long spindly legs. Long spindly legs that could easily kick the hell out of anything as puny as a human and sixteen dogs.
"Shit."
Braced and ready, Derek held the weapon easily, balanced for one-handed shooting since his left was needed to control the dogs. A gunshot was sure to freak them out.
The huge beast started its gangly run toward him. It was coming flat out, snow spraying in its wake, head lowered, eyes white and wild.
Derek took one shot, aiming high and right to scare the animal off. In the eerie
He was on a roll, comfortable, easy, as he let the dogs do their thing.
Now the race was really on.
The only reason he was here, the only reason he'd taken any interest in the Iditarod at all, was because of Lily. They'd never been friends, Derek thought. He'd taken one look at Lily as she'd loaded bales of hay into her dilapidated truck at the feed store six years ago, and he'd wanted her more than he'd wanted his next breath.
Every scrap of finesse had been shot when he'd glanced up and her eyes had widened. Thank God, he'd thought, she feels it, too.
But his heat had frightened her and she'd run. Run straight into Sean's open arms. Sean Munroe, who wanted to be Derek. But that was then. This was now. Derek wasn't planning on skipping any of the courtship stages this time.
He was just going to accelerate them to warp speed.
She was going to have to learn to trust him, and since there was nowhere out here for her to run from him, she was going to have to learn fast.
He'd given her six months. More than enough time to mourn Sean. Derek was done waiting. It was time to tell her some truths.
"Hello?" Click-click . The sound of a fingernail tapping echoed loudly in his ear. "Damn it, how do I turn this frigging thing—Hello? Hey! Derek?"
She'd slipped on the headset. Pleased, Derek's lips twitched at the annoyance in her voice. "Hey, Doc.
How're you doing?"
"I just wanted to see how this thing worked. Amazing. You sound as if you're whispering in my ear."
Not yet he wasn't. "Everything okay?"
"Fine."
"Call me anytime you want to talk."
"I don't," she said, already sounding as though she regretted contacting him in the first place.
Derek grinned as he heard the crackle when she tried to turn off the small electronic listening device.
Generated by ABC Amber LIT Conv erter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html
It didn't work, and for more than an hour he'd eavesdropped on Lily praising her dogs.
"Ah, hell."
"What?" she yelled, clearly startled by his voice right in her ear.
He drew his custom Baer from his pocket and clicked off the safety. "Moose."
A male, easily six feet high at the shoulder, stood silently in the tree line up ahead. Its enormous antlers indicated it was young and had yet to shed them even this late in the season. A young bull could be territorial, protecting its mate—Jesus, there were any number of reasons for it to be pissed. It turned its massive head slowly back and forth as if using its ears as a nature-made radar system.
Lily hissed a curse in Derek's ear. "Don't mess with it!"
"Trust me, sweetheart," he whispered to the woman who was miles away, "I want nothing to do with him. But he's blocking the trail."
There was no telling what a wild animal might do if it thought its territory was being invaded. And a damn moose could tear a man to bits with its hooves and antlers. Perfect. Dodge bullets most of your adult life and get killed by Bullwinkle.
He was going to try to slip by, as silent as a ghost. " Gee! On by !" he told the dogs, keeping his tone matter-of-fact and even. Eyes forward, Derek kept a peripheral bead on the giant in the trees for any sign of aggression. So far, so g—
The moose laid back its ears, the long, coarse hair on its rump raised as if electrified. It tossed its head and stepped purposefully out of the trees on long spindly legs. Long spindly legs that could easily kick the hell out of anything as puny as a human and sixteen dogs.
"Shit."
Braced and ready, Derek held the weapon easily, balanced for one-handed shooting since his left was needed to control the dogs. A gunshot was sure to freak them out.
The huge beast started its gangly run toward him. It was coming flat out, snow spraying in its wake, head lowered, eyes white and wild.
Derek took one shot, aiming high and right to scare the animal off. In the eerie
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