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“You’re an intriguing woman,” he admitted, earning a sharp look from Miranda, but he shrugged, emboldened by the privacy of the mountains. “Tell me why you’re so unlike any woman I’ve ever met?”
“Not sure how to answer that,” she murmured, glancing away but not before he caught the sudden flush in her cheeks. “Are you asking about my passion for my job or my personal life?”
“Maybe a little of both but I suppose we should stick to the job. I’d be a liar, though, if I didn’t admit that I’m drawn to the woman behind the uniform. In my experience people don’t just spring out of the mud as complex as you unless life has thrown them a few hardballs.”
“I’m complex? I never considered myself particularly hard to figure out.”
“You want to know what you remind me of?”
She hesitated but curiosity won out. “Sure.”
“Nothing bad so wipe that look off your face. You remind me of one of those thousand-piece puzzles.”
“A puzzle?”
“Yeah, because most people get halfway into the puzzle and realize there are too many pieces and give up. However, those who don’t give up and actually finish the puzzle discover something pretty worthwhile for their effort.” The pink in her cheeks deepened and she seemed at a loss for words. Jeremiah had to pull himself back from the ledge he was tottering too close to before he tumbled over. “All I’m saying is, I’m guessing when people don’t give up on you, good things happen, but I suspect plenty of people have, which is why you keep people at a distance.”
At that Miranda stiffened. Either he’d hit the nail on the head or he’d completely insulted her. “As entertaining as your philosophies about me are, I’d rather we keep our conversation to those appropriate to our jobs. Okay?”
“Right. I’m sorry,” he said, biting back a sigh. Way to go. But even as he knew he should’ve kept his mouth shut, he couldn’t let go of the feeling that he’d been correct in his theory about her. Not that being right gave him any leverage—if anything, the knowledge may serve to deepen the chasm between them as Miranda scrambled to keep him at arm’s length at any cost.
Miranda placed her hands on her hips, surveying the land, her breath pluming before her. “You say I’m complex? But really, I’m not. I care deeply for the land, my family and the animals. What fries me is that poachers don’t care about anything or anyone but themselves. They certainly didn’t care if anyone came across the carcass because no attempt was made to bury the evidence. What if a kid had come across the bloody, eviscerated mess they’d left behind? It’s not only disgusting but horrifying.”
“Were the other carcasses found in the same general area?”
“No, there’s a twenty-mile radius. But they were definitely tracking the migration from the higher elevation knowing that the bears were going to follow the food and water source. These poachers are seasoned hunters.”
“Have you checked the local hunting tags? Maybe it’s someone who’s pretending to abide by the law so as to avoid notice.”
“I did a check on the tags but it’s really difficult to run down every single tag purchase because we have so many out-of-state tourists who purchase big-game tags when they come up here.”
“How many big-game outfits are operating in Homer?”
“Just one, but in the state of Alaska? Plenty more. There’s no guarantee the poachers are from Homer. I’d like to think that they aren’t but I can’t ignore the possibility.”
“True. Have you talked to the local owners of the big-game outfit?”
“Yes, Rhett Fowler has been running Big Game Trophy for as long as I can remember and he runs a decent operation. I’d be willing to stake my livelihood on the belief that he’s not a part of the poaching ring. Besides, he makes plenty of money with his business, so he doesn’t need to supplement his income with black-market goods.”
“Someone infected with greed doesn’t have to be starving—in fact, usually, it’s the opposite. Even when people have enough, they still want more.”
She nodded, a frown marring her face. “I’ll do another round of checking and asking questions.” Miranda regarded him with a dubious expression. “Do you want to keep going? It’s going to be dark soon, and if you think it’s difficult terrain now, wait until you can’t see what’s in front of you.”
“This is sufficient. I just wanted to get a feel for the area so I have a visual in my mind.”
