Read Online The Rancher's One-Week Wife by Kathie DeNosky - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Kathie DeNosky
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look at the black cattle on the other side of the river that wound through the valley.
When she looked over at him inspecting the animals, she realized that he’d been right not to give up his way of life to move to Seattle with her. Blake Hartwell wasn’t a man who was meant to be a city dweller. She could tell he loved living on this ranch, loved watching over the animals in his care. He was as deliciously rugged as this beautiful land and she couldn’t imagine him living anywhere else.
As she continued to admire the man who had swept her off her feet eight months ago, she spotted the butt of a gun attached to his saddle that she hadn’t noticed before. A sudden thought had her looking cautiously at the tree line surrounding the vast clearing. “Are there grizzly bears in the region?”
Grinning, he shook his head. “Black bear, mountain lion and bobcat, but no grizzlies.”
All three species were prominent in the mountains surrounding Seattle and normally black bears and bobcats weren’t overly aggressive unless startled or if they were being protective of their young. Although she was extremely cautious when she was in an area where they were known to be, she wasn’t as concerned by them as she was by the mention of mountain lions. They were an entirely different matter. They were more aggressive and so silent, one could be within a few feet and a person might never realize the animal was there until it pounced.
Blake must have realized she was worried about the predators that might be close by. “Don’t worry, the big cats and bears in the area don’t normally wander down from the higher elevations unless there’s a drought or a shortage of the game they prey on.”
“What keeps them from making these cattle their next meal?” Karly asked as she gazed at the herd of steers grazing on the thick prairie grasses.
“Unlike grizzlies, black bears are too opportunistic to bother with hunting larger game,” he explained. “They’ll eat whatever is available—roots, berries, bugs, carrion. They’ll even eat garbage or whatever else they happen to find along the way.”
Karly laughed as she nodded. “They really aren’t very discerning when it comes to what they eat. Sometimes one will come down from the Cascade Mountains into one of the suburbs surrounding Seattle and everyone has to secure their trash cans. If they don’t, they risk having the trash strewn all over their yards show up on the evening news as a warning to others to take precautions.”
“Yeah, bears like an easy meal,” he agreed. “But mountain lions are natural-born hunters. We do have a problem occasionally with one of them straying down here. If we see one or find tracks too close to the herds or ranch buildings, we try to call the Fish and Wildlife Service and they send one of the game wardens to deal with a nuisance cat.”
“Do they kill the animal?” Even though the predators scared her outside the confines of a zoo, she hated that something might be killed because it had the misfortune to wander into the wrong place.
To her relief, he shook his head. “Not always. They first try to trap it for relocation to a more remote area. Exterminating the animal is a last resort unless it’s known to be a threat to humans or livestock.”
“Is that what the gun is for?” she asked, eyeing the hardwood stock sticking out of the leather holder. “For protection in case one of them becomes a threat to us?”
His expression changed to one of determination as he nodded. “It’s always better to be safe than sorry. I told you I’d protect you no matter what and I meant it.” He gave her a look that caused her insides to quiver. “I give you my word that as long as there’s a breath left in my body, I won’t let anything happen to you, Karly.”
The intense promise in his dark brown eyes stole her breath and reminded her of the kiss they’d shared in the barn. Neither of them had seemed to want to acknowledge that the
When she looked over at him inspecting the animals, she realized that he’d been right not to give up his way of life to move to Seattle with her. Blake Hartwell wasn’t a man who was meant to be a city dweller. She could tell he loved living on this ranch, loved watching over the animals in his care. He was as deliciously rugged as this beautiful land and she couldn’t imagine him living anywhere else.
As she continued to admire the man who had swept her off her feet eight months ago, she spotted the butt of a gun attached to his saddle that she hadn’t noticed before. A sudden thought had her looking cautiously at the tree line surrounding the vast clearing. “Are there grizzly bears in the region?”
Grinning, he shook his head. “Black bear, mountain lion and bobcat, but no grizzlies.”
All three species were prominent in the mountains surrounding Seattle and normally black bears and bobcats weren’t overly aggressive unless startled or if they were being protective of their young. Although she was extremely cautious when she was in an area where they were known to be, she wasn’t as concerned by them as she was by the mention of mountain lions. They were an entirely different matter. They were more aggressive and so silent, one could be within a few feet and a person might never realize the animal was there until it pounced.
Blake must have realized she was worried about the predators that might be close by. “Don’t worry, the big cats and bears in the area don’t normally wander down from the higher elevations unless there’s a drought or a shortage of the game they prey on.”
“What keeps them from making these cattle their next meal?” Karly asked as she gazed at the herd of steers grazing on the thick prairie grasses.
“Unlike grizzlies, black bears are too opportunistic to bother with hunting larger game,” he explained. “They’ll eat whatever is available—roots, berries, bugs, carrion. They’ll even eat garbage or whatever else they happen to find along the way.”
Karly laughed as she nodded. “They really aren’t very discerning when it comes to what they eat. Sometimes one will come down from the Cascade Mountains into one of the suburbs surrounding Seattle and everyone has to secure their trash cans. If they don’t, they risk having the trash strewn all over their yards show up on the evening news as a warning to others to take precautions.”
“Yeah, bears like an easy meal,” he agreed. “But mountain lions are natural-born hunters. We do have a problem occasionally with one of them straying down here. If we see one or find tracks too close to the herds or ranch buildings, we try to call the Fish and Wildlife Service and they send one of the game wardens to deal with a nuisance cat.”
“Do they kill the animal?” Even though the predators scared her outside the confines of a zoo, she hated that something might be killed because it had the misfortune to wander into the wrong place.
To her relief, he shook his head. “Not always. They first try to trap it for relocation to a more remote area. Exterminating the animal is a last resort unless it’s known to be a threat to humans or livestock.”
“Is that what the gun is for?” she asked, eyeing the hardwood stock sticking out of the leather holder. “For protection in case one of them becomes a threat to us?”
His expression changed to one of determination as he nodded. “It’s always better to be safe than sorry. I told you I’d protect you no matter what and I meant it.” He gave her a look that caused her insides to quiver. “I give you my word that as long as there’s a breath left in my body, I won’t let anything happen to you, Karly.”
The intense promise in his dark brown eyes stole her breath and reminded her of the kiss they’d shared in the barn. Neither of them had seemed to want to acknowledge that the
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