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Could a bear smell fear?Could it hear her heart slamming against her ribs? The bear had lumbered out onto the road before she’d had time to turn, and now it kept staring at her, those deep, dark eyes impossible to fathom. Should she run away? Stand still? Look it in the eyes? She gripped the bike handlebars more tightly. What had that newspaper article said about bear attacks?
The bear took a step closer.
Oh, God! Help me!
Bear safety tips flickered into memory: Identify if it’s a black bear or a grizzly.
I don’t know, God! I’m an Australian. Help!
Sarah inhaled slowly. The newspaper had said Muskoka had black bears. But this one didn’t exactly look black, more a reddish color. What was she supposed to do?
The bear stretched up on its hind feet.
Oh, God!Sweat prickled her neck. Her head pounded. Getting hard to breathe…
Be brave.
She planted her feet more firmly to stop her knees shaking. Sucked in another breath. Just because a bear stood upright didn’t mean it was angry. It might only be checking her out. She bit back a hysterical laugh. Maybe she wasn’t Dan’s ideal woman, but apparently she could still attract some attention—
Stop it! Focus.The bear examined her before dropping to all fours and lumbering closer, its huffing breath thunderously loud.Oh, Lord, save me!
She vaguely heard a sound behind her but couldn’t look in case the bear decided to pounce and eat her. Was she supposed to stand still or run away?Run away!Run!
Be brave.
No. Sarah took another deep breath. If she ran away, it would chase her. She had to either scare it off or play dead. She gritted her teeth. She was a high school teacher; she could do scary. She took a step forward, clutching the bike’s handlebars in a death grip. “Rahh!”
The bear stopped. Tilted its head to one side like she was a crazy woman.
“Go away!” She took another step. “I’m warning you, don’t mess with me, mate!”
She exhaled. Yelling like this was liberating. She pinged the bike’s bell, then took another step closer. “I’ve had it up to here with try-hard tough guys, so don’t start something unless you’re gonna finish it!”
The bear stared at her, refusing to move.
“Go away! Why can’t you be like every other man on the planet and just leave!” Sarah gulped and swiped at the tears in her eyes, her voice shaking. “Please, please leave me alone.” How pathetic did that sound?Lord, I really don’t want to die now.
Gravel crunched behind her. Her heart skittered.Oh, God! Don’t let it be another bear!
BEEP! BEEP!
She jumped. The bike clattered to the ground. Groceries smashed. The bear took a step back.
BEEP! BEEP!
“Go on! Get!”
The voice sounded so far away. Sarah watched as the bear, as if in slow motion, ducked its head, growled, then backed away before slowly disappearing into the undergrowth. But was it really gone? Was she safe? Black dots wavered in front of her eyes. The world tilted—
“Sarah!”
She blinked. Dan’s face hovered above hers. His hands were on her arms. Warm hands. Cold heart. She took a shallow breath, shivering. Blood thudded in her ears.
He leaned closer. “Sarah, Sarah, look at me.”
She looked up. Brown eyes peered anxiously at her.
