SavedDragon Read Free Page B

and incapable of defending itself.” His brows rose, confirming his intended double meaning. It was as if he knew she expected him to be some kind of cannibalistic, mountain-dwelling murderer.
    Chloe’s cheeks flushed again. “Right, but how did you even get to where there was a deer? It’s pitch black and pouring outside still.”
    “As I said, hardly a difficult task. Deer frequent the summit and sometimes slip down the slope.”
    “Where’s the rest of it, Saul?” she persisted. Don’t tell me he poached the leg off of that poor creature and wasted the rest.
    His proud smile diminished. “Why do you ask?”
    “You didn’t have to kill something just to feed me its leg.”
    Chloe wasn’t a vegetarian or anything, but the callousness turned her stomach. Her father was an avid huntsman during his prime, and she had memories of him putting practically every inch of the animal’s carcass to use. He’d create art with the antlers and sew gorgeous garments with the pelts, which he gifted to his wife and child. She gained her love of the outdoors from him before her parents split.
    “I eased its suffering. What remained of the unfortunate creature became a meal for some other predator, no doubt.”
    “Some other predator?”
    Saul scoffed. “There are larger and meaner beasts in the vicinity than this buck. Do you honestly believe it to be wasteful when another has benefitted from the kill?”
    He was right, of course. Cougars were opportunistic animals who would enjoy the deceased white-tailed deer no less now that Saul had relieved it of one hind leg. It was better for the buck to be put out of its misery than to await a slow death.
    Shame colored Chloe’s face and forced her to look away. “I’m sorry. It was wrong of me to say that. And ungrateful.”
    “Apology accepted.”
    The meal lacked culinary finesse but Chloe had brought salt, pepper, and enough seasoning for the MREs to give the meat some flavor. They ate together in companionable silence, which led to Chloe comparing Saul and Freddy again. Her ex always blabbered about himself, his job, his clients, and his latest electronics indulgence. He rarely cared to inquire about her days.
    When Saul did speak, it was to inquire about her with genuine curiosity. Where did she come from? Had she enjoyed the mountain prior to her injury? His final unexpected question drew their conversation into awkward territory again.
    “Are you promised to anyone?”
    Such an old-fashioned term. Chloe chuckled and shook her head at him. “No. Not really. The guy I was seeing, well, we sort of fell out right before I came on this weekend getaway.”
    “I am sorry.”
    “It’s alright. He was a dick anyway.” She raised one shoulder in a half shrug and tried to pass him the rest of the haunch. He waved it off politely.
    “Say, would you mind taking a picture with me?”
    “To what purpose?”
    “First time I’ve had a white knight come to my rescue,” she replied, grinning. “I’d like to preserve the memory. Besides, my friend Marcy won’t believe me when I tell her you look like a Disney prince.”
    “Which prince?”
    “The Beast, of course. After he turns human,” she quickly added when her choice placed her on the end of his stare.
    “Ah. Prince Adam.”
    He knows his Disney characters! The discovery whipped a twinge of excitement through her. “Though... I’d have to say you have way prettier hair.”
    “Hardly,” he replied.
    Impulse drove Chloe to touch Saul’s shoulder length waves while suppressing an envious flutter. She didn’t spot a single split end.
    Saul was an enigma. An outdoorsman who knew his way around a mountain and a beauty salon? Come on. Those odds were one in a million.
    “So… can I?” She waved her cellphone at him.
    “I must humbly decline if you intend to duckface.”
    The most unladylike snort-laugh escaped Chloe. She shook her head quickly in denial. “No! I promise that I won’t.”
    The photo came out perfect