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Bennett cupped her cheek and drew her back into his periphery where everything felt right, no matter the other ways life had tried to thwart her happiness.
“Can I kiss you, Maggie?”
She gave half a nod when a crash in the creek to their left startled them. She jumped back as the noise amplified and sounded like it was getting closer. Bennett put out a hand to shield her behind him.
“What is that?” Maggie asked. She couldn’t be sure whether her racing pulse was a result of the words of encouragement from her conscience, the near-kiss, or the persistently closer rustling that clearly wasn’t a squirrel or other small animal.
“Get back, Maggie. It’s the mama bear.”
*
Bennett backed away from the riverbank slowly, careful to keep Maggie behind him as he did. It took a moment for his eyes to adjust to the jet-black mass of fur pawing at the small patch of rapids, but when they did, his stomach dropped.
The bear was awfully close to town. And she was agitated.
“Why is she here?” Maggie asked.
Her voice rode the edge of panic and Bennett understood. The bear lumbering toward them, huffing and shaking her head, was at least twice his weight, and if she stood on her hind legs, as tall as him.
“She’s mad, and since I don’t see her cubs, I’ll bet she’s looking for them.”
“But why is she this far away from the canyon?” Maggie’s hands were pressed to the small of Bennett’s back and as unnerved as he was about the bear, her presence calmed him.
“Probably the drought. The water’s enough for the cattle downstream, but not for fish. She needs to hunt and forage for her cubs, and there wasn’t anything besides us that far into the canyon.”
“Have things ever been this bad? With the lack of rainfall, I mean?”
“No. Not in years. It’s worse because the past two winters we didn’t get any precipitation up north, either. So, no runoff, no new water. Nothing.”
“Poor girl,” Maggie said. “She must be so scared. Is there anything we can do to help?”
“Not besides calling Cal and getting his team down here.”
Maggie peeked out from behind him, and in any other situation he would have laughed. But he wasn’t in the habit of finding a rogue, desperate, hungry animal as big as him funny.
“As in Cal the mayor?”
“The same. He manages the fish and game side of Travis County, too.”
“I remember Deer Creek being small, but this is almost comedic.” As if to point it out, she let loose a giggle.
Bennett took out his phone, one eye on the bear while he dialed Cal. He reached around and pulled Maggie into a side-embrace, rubbing her arms while he did.
“You nervous?” he asked while the phone rang on the other end.
“A little.”
“I’ve got you, Maggie.” The line opened and music blared through the speaker.
“Hey, Cal.”
“Bennett Marshall. Saw you with Ms. Newman tonight. She’s quite the gem, isn’t she? I’m sure glad she’s back in Deer Creek.”
“Uh, yeah, same here. Listen, are you at Boot and Barrel?”
“Sure am. Needed dinner since Tracy’s got bunco at Sue’s house.”
Bennett decided not to point out that Cal could, if he were so inclined, cook his own dinner. “Okay, well, could you come on down to the creek just below Mitch’s property? We’re probably half a mile from you so drive to his medic barn and park there. And hurry.”
