Rocky Mountain Hideaway (To Love Again Book 2) by Kate Fargo Page A

and do nothing. Piece after piece, she slowly covered one side of the tree, and then started on the other side.
    Her mind was playing tricks on her. She was sliding into a dark place. What if this had been Tray’s plan all along? What if he was some twisted psychopath who would just get some kind of sick kick out of leaving her alone on the side of this mountain?
    She shook her head. She knew that didn’t fit with who she thought he was. He was the one who had saved her in the bar, after all. He was out there somewhere, and he wouldn’t put her in harm’s way on purpose.
    But what about by chance? She reminded herself that she had entrusted her well-being to him. And, that he was, after all, only a boy. He said he knew a lot about the mountains and about the woods - and clearly, he knew a lot more than she did - but maybe he was just talking a good game. Most men she knew never wanted to admit when they were wrong or in over their heads.
    Was Tray in over his head? He hadn’t known about the storm. Shouldn’t he have checked the forecast before taking her up the mountain? If he had so much experience in the outdoors, why had he put her in this situation?
    Isabel’s heart pounded and she knew she needed to somehow calm down. She simply had to remain calm in order to deal with whatever was coming next.
    Suddenly, she heard branches snapping behind her. Turning, she peered through the snow. There was definitely someone moving toward her.
    “Tray?” she called. “Tray?”
    Just as she called again, the wind shifted and through the snow she could make out a large dark figure looming towards her - much larger than Tray. Coming out of the snow was an enormous elk. She took several steps backward, stumbling in her haste, and fighting to keep her balance. The animal saw her and stood stock still, staring right at her. Isabel’s heart threatened to pound its way out through her mouth. She stayed as still as possible - she didn’t dare move a muscle.
    She knew elk would charge if they needed to protect their young, but by the antlers, she could see this was a bull. Bulls could be extremely dangerous during rutting season, but Tray had mentioned that rutting season was over, and this was a lone bull.
    And then, as quickly as he’d appeared, the elk snorted into the air, slowly turned his large head, and ambled off in the opposite direction, favoring his left hind leg. In no time, he’d disappeared into the swirling snow.
    Isabel started sobbing, gulping in big mouthfuls of air, and realized she’d been holding her breath. Her legs gave out beneath her and she sank to the ground, tears running freely.
    Clearly, she had no choice but to stay right where she was. She’d wanted to start down the hill, but aside from getting lost and possibly freezing to death on the mountain side, the thought of running into more wild animals terrified her. She knew there were also bighorned sheep, mountain goats, cougars and even bears - both black and grizzly bears.
    “Lions and tigers and bears … oh my!” she whispered, trying to lighten her mood. She must, she thought, she absolutely must calm down, otherwise she’d dissolve into hysterics and that would make things even worse. She was strong, she’d raised two children, she had her own practice, she’d survived a horrible marriage and an even worse divorce. She could do this. She would keep her head and she would do this.
    What if Tray was hurt and needed help? She couldn’t deny her growing feelings for him, and the thought of losing him so soon after finding him - well, it was too much.
    She couldn’t even go looking for him. He’d made her promise to not leave this spot, and with the snow driving in sheets around her, she knew her only choice was to stay put. All she could do was hope and pray that he was okay and would find his way back to her.
    Kneeling at the opening of the lean-to, she dug some snow out with her hands to make a space for herself. She pushed the backpack