Free Heart of the Wild by Rita Hestand Page B

Dear God, what a horrific noise!
    "Make you a deal, I'll leave you alone, if you'll do the same for me."
    He roared again, this time making eye contact with her, and eye contact with a bear could be very unsettling, she soon discovered. First and last time she wanted any contact with a bear!
    Clowns, people had often labeled them. Well, he didn't look like a clown. She'd certainly never laugh at him. No, instead he looked miserable, as though he needed some sort of understanding. Lord, now she was analyzing bears.
    The bear's natural instincts seemed to be guiding him straight for the cellar. Exactly where Amory had dressed out the game this morning. Of course, he had smelled the food and come running.
    "You can't do that," she protested aloud.
    She couldn't just stand by and watch him undo all of the repairs Amory had made. More than likely Amory would blame her for it, not the bear.
    Glancing frantically about the cabin, Kasie searched for a weapon of some kind. Any kind. Not that she'd use a gun if she had one, but she might just have to.
    The gun, she suddenly remembered was back on the trail where she had dropped it when Amory pulled his little stunt. At least Amory wasn't here to witness her cowardice.
    Ole Blue looked more hungry than angry, and she only wanted to reassure herself she wasn't on his menu.
    While she grabbed the butcher knife Amory had left on the kitchen counter, Ole Blue busied himself, trying to knock down the lean-to door. She heard his thundering paw banging against it, and the creaking of the door he made with each slam.
    If this was some kind of scare tactic on his part, it was working!
    Kasie felt her knees shaking, and tried to calm herself. Still, if she let this bear destroy the lean-to, they would be out of food, in the middle of a winter storm. She opened the refrigerator, and took out a slab of bacon. She threw it out the window, closing it quickly.
    Ole Blue glanced at the bacon, then her. For a minute it looked as though he might ignore the offering, then he lunged for it. Pawing and pulling with a roar, he devoured it like an appetizer.
    Kasie gulped hard, feeling the knot in the back of her throat. There had to be at least a pound of bacon there, and it was gone in one big gulp. Now what? As he devoured the last tidbit, he roared again, as if to say, "Where's the rest?"
    "Pig!" He continued gorging himself. He seemed perfectly content to let her feed him, but the food supply was quickly running low. Panic began to grip Kasie, like a tight hand around her throat. Her heart began to pound in her ears; her lips beaded with sweat. What if it wasn't enough? Why hadn't she remembered all those signs along the road coming up," Don't feed the bears!"
    When every morsel was gone, Ole Blue eyed her once more. Kasie's stomach knotted till it pained her, and sweat trickled from her forehead. She couldn't keep the memory of all those bear movies out of her head.
    "Dear God, don't they bury their victims till they get hungry again? Bury them alive! Well, not without one helluva fight, he won't."
    She grabbed the big butcher knife from the sink, and gripped it tightly with one hand.
    Ole Blue took a couple of steps toward the cabin, then a shot rang out. He let out a yelp, and scampered away like a whipped pup. It all happened so fast, Kasie had to wipe her eyes to make sure she hadn't imagined it.
    Leaning against the kitchen wall, Kasie clutched her chest. She couldn't move. She hadn't realized just how scared she was until now. Her legs suddenly went to jelly. She hadn't fully recovered when the door flew open, and Amory walked in, stomping the snow from his big boots at the door, bigger than life itself.
    Without regard, Kasie threw her arms around his neck, the knife dangling from one hand, and flung herself solidly against him. He was hard as a rock, and she felt suddenly so protected.
    What a cocoon he offered, as his arms came around her. It was tempting to stay there forever. What was she