“Funny you said that. The Wizard of Oz is my favorite film. I’ve watched it thirteen times, part of which was a twenty-four-hour marathon.”
“I don’t understand you.” He shook his head with a wry smile. “How can you watch the same film over and over when you already know what’s going to happen?”
“Because every time I watch it I focus on a different character and try to experience the events through his or her eyes. It’s all about the journey, not the destination.”
“Which character do you best identify with?” he asked.
“Well, usually it’s Dorothy, given that we’re both country girls and my experience in L.A. was all too much like hers in Oz, but I have to admit that tonight I’m identifying a lot more with the cowardly lion.”
“If that’s so, I have something that might help.” He reached beneath his shirt for a leather cord that he pulled over his head.
“What is it?” she asked, fingering the object that hung from the necklace.
“A grizzly tooth. It was my boo-ha-gant.” He slipped it over her head. “Now it’s yours.” He smiled into her eyes. “It will give you courage, but you must keep it secret, or it’ll lose its powers.”
“Courage? So this is really how you killed that snake? Won’t you lose your superpowers without it?”
“No.” He stroked a finger along her collarbone above where the tooth lay nestled between her breasts. “For the record, you have yet to know my true superpowers. We were interrupted before I could demonstrate them to you.”
Her face flushed. “You do think a lot of yourself, don’t you?”
He brought his finger back up to her mouth to trace her lips. “Let’s just say I wouldn’t have disappointed you.”
But disappointment reflected in her eyes. “Well, I guess we’ll never know now, will we?”
“No,” he replied, regretfully. “We never will.” He wasn’t likely ever to see her again, but in their short time together he’d opened up more with her than he had with anyone else in years. “Are you sorry you came?” he asked.
She exhaled a soft sigh. “No. Even with all that happened, I’m still glad I came.”
Maybe her answer shouldn’t have surprised him, but it did. This day had put her mettle to the test, revealing a strength she probably didn’t even know she possessed. She still had so much to learn about herself. He would have enjoyed the chance to watch her journey, but it wasn’t meant to be. There was no point in dwelling on it. The opportunity was lost. Tomorrow they’d find the missing horses and part ways.
He pulled her head onto his chest and stroked her hair. “Sleep now, Aiwattsi. I’ll keep you safe.”
Chapter 11
Surprised that she’d ever shut her eyes, Miranda awoke to find herself alone beside a barely smoldering fire. Where was Keith? His rifle was gone and the campsite packed up, all but the canvas bedroll she’d slept on. She sat up, rubbing her bleary eyes with panic blooming in her chest as the events of last night replayed in her mind. She reached up to touch the bear tooth necklace and felt instantly at ease. Was it a psychosomatic response, or did her new talisman really have some kind of supernatural power?
Laughing at herself, she reached for her boots, but then remembered Keith’s warning to check them first. She shook them upside down and shrieked at the two scorpions that tumbled out. She frantically smashed one with her boot heel but the other managed to scurry away. Her cry must have alerted Keith. He appeared a moment later, a frown etching his brow.
“I heard a scream. Are you okay?”
“Yes.” She gave an embarrassed laugh. “Just scorpions.”
“You didn’t get stung, did you?”
“No. I’m fine,” she replied. His show of concern warmed her.
“Good,” he replied, the lines of apprehension slowly easing from his face. “That would be the last thing we need right now.”
“Yes,” she reassured him. “Where were you? I was afraid you’d left me.”
“I was looking for the horses and gathering breakfast.”
“Breakfast?” She glanced down to notice his hands full of something she didn’t recognize. They were elongated, almost pear shape, and reddish in color, somewhat resembling mangos but with spines. “What are they?”
“You’re kidding right? You’ve never had them?”
“No. I don’t even know what they are.”
“Prickly pear fruit. It’s really good,” he insisted.
She eyed them suspiciously. “If I recall, that’s what you said about the rattlesnake.”
“C’mon,” he cajoled. “Have an open mind.” His black eyes glittered with mocking humor. “Here’s your chance to be adventurous, Miranda.”
Accepting the challenge, she snatched one from his hands, only to be pricked by a spine. “Ouch!” She dropped the fruit with a curse to examine her injury. “Damn it! You didn’t tell me they were dangerous.”
“It’s how they protect themselves,” he replied. “The prickliest ones are always the sweetest. One must proceed with caution, but it’s usually worth it in the end.”