Free Starcrossed: Perigee - A paranormal romance trilogy by Tracey Lee Campbell Page A

to oust the old dogs."
    I tried again. "It's going to be pretty cold tonight - wouldn't you rather be inside by the fire?"
    Uncle Tom laughed. "So what you're really saying is that us old geezers need to put our feet up and take it easy?"
    "There's also that game on tonight... you don't want to miss that." Aric seemed to hit on the persuading point.
    "Well, he's right enough about that," said Gus. Tom shrugged and handed the reins to Aric. "He's all yours. I'll fix the fence. Lucy, I doubt if they've got as far as the valley, but if they have, you'll have to sleep rough and take up the search in the morning. Maybe you'll make it to the cabin by nightfall, but if you don't, we've packed the sleeping bags."
    "What about food?" I asked. They'd forgotten it, and I raced inside to make up some ham sandwiches and a large thermos of coffee. After getting warm jackets and replacing my cell phone battery with a charged spare, we headed for Turner's Ridge.
    We followed the trail of cloven hoof prints up the path which skirted Carson's Creek. The trail rose from the sparse woodland near the flats to the rockier slopes at the approach to the Ridge. The cattle had broken through the fence a few times before, and had always headed for Shadow Valley. I had no idea why - the grass there didn't seem any different to the lush pasture of the ranch.
    We rode in companionable silence for a while. Occasionally I would point out a landmark, and two thirds up the ridge we stopped to watch the setting sun cast its golden glow across the valley. It was worth the ride up here just to see that view, but we had a way to go before we reached the cabin at Turner's Ridge. It looked as if we'd be spending the night on the mountain, but I was secretly pleased. It was a nice change, and I loved the company.
    Aric led the way up the trail, and I spent my time marveling at how the sun transformed his dark blond hair into a shining golden halo. His hair was long enough to cover his ears, and one piece in particular flopped over his forehead and fell into his eyes. I had an urge to push it aside as it seemed a shame to cover such a beautiful face. I wondered what it would be like to run my fingers through his hair, and then I wanted to smack myself - I sounded like a love-sick moron from a romance novel. I watched him ride up a particularly rocky and steep part of the trail. He stuck to the saddle easily, his denim clad thighs expertly guiding his mount around the obstacles. I couldn't look away as he urged his horse into a trot and he rose in the saddle. He had a cute behind. I wondered what he'd think if he knew my mind wasn't on finding cattle...
    The sun had almost set by the time we reached the small cabin on Turner's Ridge. The only sign of the cattle had been a few stray tracks among the pine needles littering the path. I was glad we hadn't found them - we could spend the night on the mountain.
    We checked out the cabin. It was built for hikers and forestry workers for temporary shelter. It was sparsely furnished with a couple of rusting, uninviting camp beds and a rickety table. A box with some matches and an old lantern lay on the web-covered window sill. Despite the spider webs, the cabin was fairly clean, and the rough hewn timber walls were solid and kept the cold mountain air at bay. Rejecting the squeaky camp beds, I set up our bivouacs on the cabin floor, while Aric headed out side to make us a camp fire.

    * * * * *

    Aric's campfire was blazing cheerfully when I left the cabin. I found him hunched on a log, poking a stray branch back into the mound of glowing firewood. He motioned for me to sit on another log he'd pulled closer to the fire. I wished we'd brought along something to cook, but all we had were the sandwiches I'd quickly put together. We sat in silence for a while, munching on our bread and ham and gazing into the flames.
    A few sparks escaped the fire and sailed up into the night. Aric's gaze followed them.
    "This is nice. Those cows