Read Online Heart of the Wild by Rita Hestand - Free Book Online Page A

and was sipping it, when something loud thudded at the door.
    Skeptical, Kasie slowly opened the door.
    "Good morning. Thought you might like to see where most of the food is kept," Amory said, as he pulled Kasie by the hand to lead her outside and into the lean-to.
    The touch of his hand sent currents of awareness through Kasie, but she hid it well. She had to face this attraction, and get rid of it, once and for all. But that wasn't going to be easy.
    In his other hand, two rabbits and one wild turkey dangled, she noticed with sad regret. Was she the reason for their demise?
    "The rabbits make a mean stew, and I'm sure you'll know what to do with the turkey. I thought we might have it when your father arrives. He loves turkey."
    He didn't let go of her hand until he had laid the game on the table. Kasie noticed, but he seemed oblivious to his actions.
    Kasie nodded numbly, her face turning ashen white as big tears pelted her cheeks.
    "What in the ..." he thundered. He took a clean bandana from his back jeans pocket and handed it to her.
    Blowing her nose loudly, she turned away from his intense gaze.
    "Sorry. I hate women who cry. Really." Her face flushed." It's just that all this seems so cruel. I mean, to kill such sweet harmless little creatures. I guess it brings back the memory of my own pet rabbit."
    He laid the butcher knife in the sink, then gently tipped her chin back with his elbow so he could look into her face. His expression seemed serious, almost thoughtful.
    "Hey, look, this isn't murder, you know. It's just self-preservation. I don't kill for sport. You don't see me hanging trophies in my lodge. Up here it's what we eat."
    "What about the bear rug, then?"
    He sighed aloud, and rolled his eyes. "The bear rug was given to me by an old trapper. He's lived in the mountains most his life, and he makes use of all of his skins, although I doubt he bears any trophies, either. He just lives quite primitively. I haven't gotten rid of it, because it was a gift. You don't give gifts away, you keep them to remember people by."
    She nodded.
    "You'll find no heads in here. This is for food. So, what happened to your rabbit?"
    She sniffled, her memory jarring. "Another kid let it loose, and it was hit by a car in front of our house. It was a long time ago, before I came here, while my parents were still together. When we actually had a home. I haven't thought about it in years."
    "You must have been pretty young then."
    "About six. Anyway, I found it minutes later, and I buried him in the back yard. Mother insisted I dig him up and take him to a pet cemetery, but I never did. I wanted him close to me. I guess that sounds a little silly."
    Amory grinned, an Amory kind of grin. Her toes tickled. She stomped one foot.
    "No," his voice went husky almost in a whisper, his eyes glued to her amusing action, "it doesn't sound silly at all. At least, not to me. It sounds very humane."
    She blushed from his intense gaze, as their eyes met.
    "I almost forgot what a animal lover you were. One of the few things we have in common."
    He looked away, a muscle in his jaw working overtime. "My closest pet was a dog, a husky."
    "What happened to him?"
    Why hadn't she known all this about him, before? Had she been so blindly infatuated with him that she barely knew him at all?
    "There was a logging accident. A good friend of mine got buried by a tree; the dog rushed in to save him, and got hit by another big limb falling away. It happened several years back."
    "How awful."
    "Yeah." His eyes held hers again, and this time she felt something pull on her heartstrings. Something real, something shared. They were sharing old hurts, and it felt so natural, so good. She remembered what had made her fall in love with Amory eight years ago; his love of nature and animals, for one thing. He had compassion for people; he was loyal, and, oddly enough, it was the loyalty to her father that destroyed what they might have had.
    "I'll get another one, some