THE BRIDE
* * *
DEVNEY PERRY
Copyright © 2020 by Devney Perry LLC
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations in a book review.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.
Editing:
Kaitlyn Moodie, Moodie Editing Services
ONE MORE STEP would mean certain death.
“I hate you for making me do this,” Everly hissed.
“Me?” I whisper-yelled. “This was your idea, remember? I wanted to spend a weekend glamping. But no. You thought a hike would be a more memorable experience.”
Not that she was wrong. We’d definitely remember this trip.
If we survived.
Her entire body trembled by my side. “Do you think they’ll come closer?”
“I don’t know.” I gripped her hand, clutching it as we huddled together on the trail.
Across from us, about fifty feet down the trail, stood a bison the size of a tank. He’d been farther away five minutes ago, but with every passing second, he inched closer, nuzzling the grass with his snout before taking another step in our direction. His charcoal horns tapered to piercing points, and his black, beady eyes seemed glued to our every move.
The bull snorted, causing both of us to flinch.
The minute we’d come upon the herd in this meadow, we’d nonchalantly retreated on the trail, but for every step we took, the animals—this one in particular—advanced three.
Everly unclipped the canister holstered to her belt. “Does bear spray work on bison?”
“I don’t know.” But if that thing came within firing range, we’d both unleash until either he killed us, or we turned him into bison jerky—pepper spray flavored. “Come on.”
We eased backward a foot, this time not drawing any movement from the beast. One foot became ten, then twenty. When the animal turned, whipping his tail over his ass in a silent fuck off, Everly and I leaned into each other in relief.
We were standing in the middle of an open plain in Yellowstone National Park. The path we were on was bordered by tall green grasses that stood above our knees and swayed in the slight summer breeze.
We’d been hiking since sunrise and had enjoyed seeing the park’s wildlife from a safe distance. Deer and elk had stared at us cautiously before bounding away in the opposite direction. Birds squawked as they flew overhead. They’d given us a wide berth and we’d returned the favor.
That was, until we’d rounded a bend in the trail, emerging from behind one of the trail’s many plateaus, and found ourselves much, much too close to the bison.
“At least it wasn’t a bear,” I said, doing a quick sweep of the area and sighing when there wasn’t a grizzly in sight. “So what do we do? They’re blocking the trail.”
The only way forward was through the bison, and one close encounter was enough for my lifetime.
“Should we turn around? Head back to the trailhead?”
“We’ll never make it back to the car before dark.”
We’d hiked almost seventeen miles today if my watch was correct. On this twenty-mile trail, we only had three to go until we’d reach the end. Three puny miles. Easy, if not for the blockade.
“Remember what I said about bison being majestic?” I asked rhetorically. “I changed my mind.”
Until thirty minutes ago, I’d loved bison. I’d bought a bison stuffy at the gift shop at Old Faithful yesterday. But faced with their sheer size and the fact that if one of the ogres decided to play chase the human, we’d be trampled and stomped to death in seconds, I’d changed my mind.
“I don’t want one of those faces to be the last thing I see,” I told Everly.
“What about bears? I don’t want to be bear food either. At least in the daytime, we can see them coming. I don’t want to be stranded out here in the middle of the night.”
“Shit,” I hissed.
Though the bison had taken us by surprise, we’d been prepared for bears. Everly and I were both packing three cans of bear spray, and we’d been hyper bear-aware with every mile.
I’d take my chances with the bison. “We have to wait for them to move off the trail.”
We could try to walk around them, but neither of us knew the area, and the last thing we needed was to get lost. Like the park ranger had reminded us three times yesterday when we’d told him we were hiking Mary Mountain—stay on the trail.
So here we were. Stuck.
Everly and I had spent hours and hours doing research on trails after she’d convinced me to hike. This particular path wound through the Hayden Valley, and the online descriptions had promised the Yellowstone Plateau’s unique experience. If you wanted to see the heart of the park, this was a famed hike.
Beyond us, the grasslands spread for miles, eventually meeting the mountain foothills. We’d traversed plateaus, lunched by a small lake and had passed wide sections of pinewoods. Through it all, we’d been out in the open wilderness with lots of space to run.
But not a damn place to hide.
Today’s journey had been one of the most exhilarating and terrifying experiences of my life.
Maybe fate had intervened and brought us here. I was about to embark on a new phase in my life and remembering this hike would help me keep things in perspective. If I could face down a one-ton bison and not pee my pants, I could move across the country and build a new life, no sweat.
We stood there, watching the animals meander through the meadow with no care for our urgency. The sun was beginning to dip lower in the sky, and though we were hours from sunset, eventually the light would fade, and we’d become a tasty temptation for a passing grizzly bear.
Or a pack of wolves.
My stomach turned.
“They aren’t leaving,” Everly said.
“Nope.”
The bison herd clustered along the stretch of trail ahead, eating and leaving their shit pies where we’d planned to walk. I’d almost stepped in a ripe one earlier, which should have been my first warning to turn back, but I’d been too busy appreciating the landscape and keeping an eye out for carnivores.
“How fast do you think we can walk slash run seventeen miles?” I asked.
“Fast.” Everly nodded. “Really, really fast.”
“Good. Let’s get the hell out of here.”
“Amen.” We both spun around, ready to bolt, but froze when we saw something else blocking our path.
Not a bear—thank God—but a man.
“Uh . . . how long has he been behind us?”
“This is the first time I’ve noticed him,” Everly said. “I glanced back to look for bears but that was a while ago.”
“Maybe he’s a park ranger.”
“Or a serial killer following two idiot women from Nashville and he’s going to drag us back to his lair and turn us into human stew.”
“Eww.” I cringed. “Thanks for the visual.”
“Sorry. I’ve been watching a lot of Criminal Minds.”
The man approached quickly, his long legs eating up the distance between us. His thighs bulged beneath his faded jeans with every stride. If he’d hiked the past seventeen miles at that speed, it was no wonder we hadn’t noticed him behind us.
He wore a backpack like ours, but the straps seemed tiny on his broad shoulders, and they stretched the navy cotton of his T-shirt tight across his muscled chest and flat stomach. The baseball cap on his head shaded his eyes from view, though even from a distance, you could see the strong line of his jaw and the straight bridge of his nose.
Neither Everly nor I spoke as we watche
d the man get closer, his features becoming clearer with every step.
Everly clutched her can of spray in a fist as he lifted an arm to wave.
I fought to keep my mouth from falling open at this unexpected and devastatingly handsome surprise.
Everly jammed her elbow into my side, forcing me to close my gaping mouth. “You’re drooling. Potential murderer, remember?”
I blinked, dropping my eyes to my feet for a long moment as I composed myself. When I lifted my chin, the guy was standing before us.
“Ladies.” He kept his voice low as he looked over our heads. “Roadblock, huh?”
“Yeah.” I sighed. “And they aren’t moving any time soon. We were just going to hustle back to the trailhead.”
“Seventeen miles?” He shook his head. “No offense, but you’ll never make it before dark. And this is not the place you want to be after nightfall.”
Everly and I shared a look. She shook her head, knowing what I was about to say.
I said it anyway.
“Any chance we can tag along with you until the end of the trail?”
“Not a problem.” He nodded, his gravelly voice sending a zing down my spine, before he took a step into the tall grass.
“But the trail . . .” I pointed to the narrow dirt path.
“That’s not the hiking trail. That’s a bison path. They knock down trail markers a lot.” He lifted a hand and pointed toward the mountains in the distance. “The trail is over there. But you two looked lost so . . .”
He’d come to rescue us.
Which meant the reason we were standing in the middle of a bison herd was because they’d lured us to them.
Sadistic creatures, buffalo.
“Come on.” He jerked his chin and took another step. “I won’t get you lost. Promise.”
“Sir,” Everly held up a hand, stopping him. “I really hope you don’t take this the wrong way, but how do we know you’re not leading us to your serial killer hideaway?”
A slow grin spread across his face, and he shrugged off his pack, setting it down and dropping to a knee as he unzipped the front pocket.
“Whoa, whoa, whoa.” Everly aimed her bear spray at his face.
“Easy.” He held up his hands. “I’m a cop. I was going to show you my badge.”
Everly’s eyes narrowed. We really needed to find her another show to binge on Netflix.
“She’s just a little on edge.” I placed my hand on her wrist, pushing her arm down as I gave her a scowl. “Nature stresses us out.”
He quirked an eyebrow. “Yet you’re in the middle of Yellowstone National Park.”
“We all make mistakes, Officer.”
He chuckled, flashing me a smile of straight, white teeth before he rifled through his backpack.
I fanned my face.
“Seriously,” Everly mouthed.
“What?” I mouthed back.
She rolled her eyes.
In a different setting, Everly would be shoving me into this guy’s arms. He was exactly my type, tall and built with an unpolished and rugged edge that had always been my weakness.
He stood and handed me a wallet, opening the front flap to reveal a gleaming silver and gold badge. “Sheriff Duke Evans.”
Sweet lord, I nearly swooned.
He had a great name.
I’d always been a sucker for a great name.
Everly hovered over my shoulder, studying the badge. When she deemed it real, she relaxed and holstered her spray.
“What’s your name?” Duke asked, taking the badge and putting it away.
“L—Jade.”
“Lajade?”
“No, sorry.” I blushed. One gorgeous man saving my life, and my tongue felt twelve sizes too big for my mouth. “Jade. My name is Jade Morgan. This is my best friend Everly Sanchez.”
“Nice to meet you.” He rezipped his pack and shrugged it on. “Ready?”
“Definitely.” I nodded and stepped off the trail.
Then I blew a kiss goodbye to the bison as Everly gave them the finger.
• • •
“Are you guys camping out?” Duke asked as we walked.
We were on the real trail now, the bison encounter forgotten as we crossed an open meadow toward a cluster of trees in the distance. The only animals in sight were the birds soaring above in the big, blue sky.
“We’re staying at the Madison Campground. You?”
He shook his head. “I’m just here for the day. I had a buddy drop me off at the trailhead this morning. My rig is parked up ahead and waiting.”
“He didn’t hike with you?”
“I, uh . . . didn’t invite him. I like to hike alone.”
Which he had been until he’d rescued us. “Sorry.”
“Don’t be. I’m glad to help.”
I smiled at his profile, then turned my attention back to the trail so I didn’t trip over a rock.
Duke had navigated us through the grasses to the trail without any trouble. For the past mile, we’d had to walk in a single-file line and hadn’t spoken much. I’d stayed behind him, doing my best not to stare at his ass even though it was completely stare worthy, while Everly followed behind me. When the trail had widened, Duke had hung back a step so I could move up to his side.
Everly, my beautiful friend, stopped to tie her already tied boot and give us a little space.
“Where are you from, Jade?”
“Tennessee.”
“No accent.”
I shook my head. “I grew up in upstate New York. What about you?”
“Wyoming. I grew up in a little town about an hour from here.”
“Do you come here often?”
“Not as much as I’d like.” He pulled in a deep breath, his chest expanding as he drew in the clean air and held it in his lungs.
“This is my first trip.”
“No,” he feigned surprise.
“Shocking, right?” I laughed, taking in the view. “We got in a little over our heads today, but this is truly a magnificent place.”
“Pure beauty.”
I looked up, expecting his eyes to be on the mountains, but his gaze was aimed at me.
A flush crept into my cheeks.
I was the furthest thing from a beauty today. My black hair was a wreck because I hadn’t washed it in days, not since Everly had helped me dye it in our bathroom before we’d left Nashville. The thick locks were roped in a sloppy braid that hung down the middle of my back and my red cap covered the greasy roots. The only makeup I’d put on my face this morning had been tinted sunscreen.
Maybe Duke was just flirting or being nice, but it was still the best compliment I’d had from a man in years.
Because it came honestly and without expectation.
We walked for a while without talking. Duke’s strides were longer than mine, but he held back, slowing so Everly and I could keep up.
I sneaked a glance at his profile every few steps, studying the color of his eyes and how perfectly it matched the blue, cloudless sky. His toffee-colored hair curled at the nape of his neck where it escaped the confines of his hat.
“So you’re a sheriff,” I said. “I don’t know if I’ve ever met a sheriff before. Do you enjoy it?”
“For the most part. I’m not crazy about the politics, but I’m lucky. Most people in my county think I’m doing a good job, which means I get to keep doing it.”
“How long have you been a cop?”
“Since I was eighteen. I hired on as a deputy for my predecessor. Then was elected sheriff two years ago.”
“Impressive.”
Duke shrugged. “At the time, there were some who thought I was too young for the job, but no one else would step up to take it. We’ll see if they re-elect me when my term is up. I’m only thirty-three and sheriffs in larger counties are generally older and have more experience. But I live in a small community.”
“Something tells me you prefer it that way.”
“You’d
be right.”
“Do you want to be re-elected?”
“Yes and no,” he admitted. “Some days, I love my job. Others, it’s a pain in the ass. Guess you could say that about any job though, right?”
“Yes.” I’d had the job most girls could only dream of. But dreams weren’t always what you imagined them to be, and when there were more bad days than good, it was time to walk away. “What would you do if you weren’t a cop?”
“Be a cop.” He laughed. “I can’t imagine doing anything else.”
For his sake, I hoped that didn’t change.
Because turning your back on your dream, giving it up, was heartbreaking.
We rounded a curve and the trail narrowed, forcing us closer. I slowed to get behind him, but Duke slowed too, keeping by my side. The roped muscles of his arm brushed against my bare skin. The back of his hand grazed mine and I forgot to breathe.
When I looked up, those blue eyes were waiting.
Damn it, I should have picked Wyoming for my new home.
There was a spark between us. A connection to a man I hadn’t felt in ages. Duke might just be that something unexpected I’d been wishing for.
But our time together was up.
Before I was ready to part ways with this handsome and kind stranger, a wooden sign greeted us on the trail with an arrow pointing toward the parking lot where we’d left my car—a black Range Rover I’d purchased the day Everly and I had arrived in Jackson, Wyoming.
I’d driven it through Yellowstone while she’d followed in her rental car. We’d left the rental car at the trailhead where we’d started today’s adventure. Our plan was to camp out tonight and cross into Montana tomorrow.
Then Everly would head to the airport in Bozeman where she’d catch a flight home to Nashville.
And I’d continue on to Calamity, Montana and start this next chapter of my life.
There were only a few vehicles in the parking lot as we emerged from the trail. The moment Everly spotted my SUV, she sighed. “We made it. Let’s never hike again. Though I am kind of sad I didn’t get to use my bear spray.”
Duke chuckled. “I’ve been pepper sprayed twice, once at the police academy and another time for a training exercise. Trust me when I say you don’t want to use those cans unless absolutely necessary.”
One More Step Page 35
