Ursa Major (11 page)

“Where are we going?” Sarah asked. Now that they were in motion, she decided it was silly to act like a scared mouse. After all, hadn’t she faced down not one, but two bears.

“A nearby drilling site.” Liam didn’t offer any more information.

Sarah glanced at Cameron. He focused on the road and didn’t add anything further to Liam’s answer. She wished she knew how far they were going. Her notebook was tucked in her pack down by her feet. The ride to Coldfoot wasn’t that far, and she figured about the time she pulled out her stuff and started taking notes they’d be there. Then, she’d hold them up as she tried to put everything back again. No, better to sit tight, if a bit frustrated with the pace.

“What do you expect to do?” She glanced at the gun. An image of Liam wielding the weapon, firing at a bear filled her mind. She wrapped her arms around herself, not liking that mental picture of him. “You’re not going to shoot the bear, are you?”

“Not if I can help it,” Liam replied, his jaw tense.

You’re not going to shoot people either, right?
The question hovered at the tip of her tongue. She’d kissed him, nearly had sex with him, how could she think he was capable of killing people? Maybe it was the remote location. Maybe it was being close to the top of the world. Something about this place skewed her worldview and made her think things she never would have thought just a few short months ago. Since coming here, she’d broken off her engagement and realized her sister had to take care of her own problems. It was like this place honed her, made her stronger than she had been before.

The truck stopped. Cameron and Liam opened the doors and stepped out. Sarah followed suit, feeling like a third wheel. A helicopter waited, its blades already turning. Liam snagged her hand, and bent over, led her toward the waiting chopper. He helped her inside, then tossed his gear in. With a nod to the pilot, the chopper took off, leaving Cameron with the truck. She guessed someone would have to come and get them when they returned. Apparently Liam’s younger brother drew the chauffeur straw.

She didn’t have too much time to think because the helicopter swooped low over trees, then rose as it headed for the oil field. Liam wore a headset, conversing with the pilot, and she couldn’t hear what they were saying over the roar. Ear protection kept most of the noise out, but it also kept out their conversation and she wanted to know what was happening.

Liam frowned. Whatever it was, it didn’t look good. Then, the helicopter swooped toward the ground, and she knew, in moments she’d find out.

As soon as the chopper’s doors opened Liam gathered his belongings and rushed out. Sarah followed, gluing herself to his side. In this unfamiliar environment, he was her lifeline. A tall man, graying with a slight paunch, met them at the gate.

“Butch,” Liam said with a nod.

“He’s this way. We got him cornered.” Butch didn’t acknowledge her. He rolled back the chain link gate to admit them, then took off at a jog.

Liam followed.

Sarah stretched her legs to keep up, quickly realizing she was the only woman at the entire drilling site. Normally that wouldn’t bother her. In the good old boys world of
Washington
she was used to being seen for her legs or her breasts, rather than her intelligence. Out here, in a rugged world so far removed from her own, she hated the fluttering of her stomach and the prickling stare of too many eyes looking in her direction.

Butch stopped at another tall chain link fence. “He’s in there,” he said as he reached for the heavy lock securing the gate.

An angry roar vibrated through the air.

“Stay here,” he barked.

As if Sarah would be willing to step in a locked pen with a wounded bear. “Not going anywhere,” she muttered.

Liam gave her an odd look and dashed through the open gate. The bear roared again. Butch slammed the gate closed, locking it.

“What are you doing?” Sarah reached for him and curled her gloved fingers around his. “You can’t lock him in there.”

“Liam knows what he’s doing.” Butch slammed the padlock closed with a clang.

The bear roared again a brown blur visible just beyond her vision.

Sarah curled her fingers into the chain link fence, a part of her thinking that probably wasn’t the smartest thing to do and watched. Her heart hammered in her chest. She saw Liam, his rifle butted against his shoulder, held at the ready. He said he wasn’t going to shoot the bear! Her heart leapt into her throat. He’d lied.

The bear ducked and turned, racing away from the fence. Liam lowered the rifle and ran. Sarah willed the bear to flee, even as she wondered where he’d go. The locked pen tilted the odds in favor of Liam. He said he wasn’t going to shot the bear unless he had to. Locking him in the pen didn’t give him much choice, and she feared the bear would lose.

~* * *~

Sarah’s glare burned holes in his jacket as Liam darted after the bear. Damn it, she needed to see this. Needed to see the harsh realities of what happened when bear and man collided. He wished he hadn’t said a single word about the gun. It was loaded with tranquilizers. Relocating a bear was preferable to killing, even if many returned because of their good memories. The dumpsters, one lid propped open, and the sloppy management procedures at the site had probably called the bear here. They’d been lucky enough to drive it into this fenced off space.

He planned to give Butch a piece of his mind. Somewhere the perimeter fence was broken or deliberately cut. He’d seen it before, anti-bear factions luring the creatures in closer so they had to be shot. A dark scrape along the bear’s shoulder leaked blood. Probably got the wound when he tried to break through the fence. The bear roared. He limped, occasionally hobbling a few strides on three legs. If nothing else, the animal needed the wound cleaned, maybe even a few stitches.

Had he been on his own property or out in the woods he would have shifted, perhaps even cajoled the bear into a safer area. Here, with the drillers gawking at him even as they were supposed to be working, he had to do this the human way. The hard way.
I’m sorry, buddy.
He hoped the bear understood the sentiment, if not the words.

What Sarah must think of him. Even now, when all his attention should have been focused on the bear, he thought back to her pressed against the gate. She’d curled her fingers into the mesh, her defiant defense of him echoing in his ears. Butch knew the score. They’d done this several times before. Let Liam have his chance. If he didn’t come out, and he always did, then Butch would send his men in with the deadly weapons.

Don’t think about that.
Just do your job.
Easier said than done. The bear rose onto his hind legs. He yawned, his great teeth clacking together. A sign of nervousness. Liam didn’t like it.

Dropping to all fours, the bear charged.

Liam ducked to the side. He leveled his rifle and squeezed off a shot.

The tranquilizer dart went wide, burying itself in the ground.

The bear loomed closer.

This was not how he wanted things to end. Sarah. He’d brought her here, left her in the middle of a drilling field with a bunch of hardened men who hadn’t seen a woman for months. Surely Butch would keep her safe. Except that was supposed to have been his job.

He aimed again.

The bear brushed past, so close his musky aroma wrapped around Liam. He stepped back, not wanting the bear to scent he was anything other than human. Whirling, he aimed again, but the bear bounded over the rise back towards the fence. With a snarl, Liam followed.

Sarah squeaked as the bear charged over the rise straight toward the fence. Releasing the fence, she skittered backward. A big hand on her back stopped her and she looked at Butch. “Liam, is he—?”

Butch pointed behind the bear where Liam raced, the rifle held in both hands. “Watch. Liam’s the best.”

The best at what, Sarah wanted to scream. She didn’t. Instead, she did as Butch told her and turned her attention back to the enclosure. The bear lurched against the fence, rattling the chain link mesh. Blood smeared from his cut onto the metal. Sarah stared at the bear’s blood.
If we weren’t here, it wouldn’t be wounded.
She exhaled.

The bear rose onto its hind feet. Sarah scurried backwards. Separated from the creature by only a thin fence, she looked around for something more secure. Not finding it, she waited, hoping that Liam would keep the creature from bursting through the fence. Butch certainly wasn’t. He stood next to her, a wide grin on his face. Had she not been there, Sarah suspected he would whoop and holler like a rodeo cowboy at the interaction between man and bear.

Neanderthal.
Sarah kept her mouth closed, not wanting to tell Butch that she suspected he wouldn’t do half as good in the enclosure with the bear.

Liam raised his rifle. He sighted down the barrel.

Don’t shoot.
Sarah curled her fingers into fists, digging her nails into her palms even through her gloves. He’d promised he wouldn’t shoot the bear.

Liam squeezed the trigger.

Sarah flinched at the loud pop.

Something flew from the end of the rifle, too large to be a bullet. It hit the bear square in the upper shoulder, a small tag hanging out from it. A tranquilizer dart? Was that what he meant when he said he wouldn’t shoot the bear unless he had to? He wouldn’t tranquilize the bear? Sarah shook her head and raced to the fence. She curled her fingers into the mesh, not caring anymore that the bear was less than five feet away.

The bear swung its head.

“Sarah, get back!” Liam yelled.

She released the fence, but didn’t move.

The great beast wobbled, sweeping its muzzle from side to side. It lifted a massive paw. Sarah stared at it, the claws at least six inches long and not that far away from her. Swiping it, the bear stumbled. It fell, hitting the ground so hard that it shook beneath her boots.

The bear roared.

Sarah’s heart bled for the creature. It struggled against the drug taking effect in its system. The end of the tranquilizer dart protruding from its shoulder waved like a surrender flag. This massive creature had been laid low, all because it blundered into human-controlled territory. Her stomach churned to think that on countless days, countless bears went through this same process. Whether they entered drilling areas or came too close to a camp site or someone’s backyard, it probably didn’t matter. Not to the bears and not to the humans who simply wanted them gone.

On the ground, the bear gave a huge, shuddering breath. Its eyelids dropped. A back paw twitched, almost as if in its drug-induced sleep it was still trying to run. Then, it lay still.

Liam’s gaze locked with hers over the bear’s prone body. His dark eyes held sadness, a bone-deep sorrow that told her that what he had done affected him as much as hers. He dropped his gaze to the bear and hurried forward.

Butch muscled between her and the fence. Now, he unlocked it, rolling the gate back and motioning for several men to carry a large sling in. If they were prepared for such an eventuality, then why did they call Liam? Sarah frowned.

She watched the men surround the bear, comments about how large he was, or the size of his paws sounding far too jovial. “Wouldn’t like to meet him in the woods,” one of the men laughed. Liam scowled.

The men rolled the bear onto the sling. With three on each side, they lifted the bear, grunting with the effort, and carried it out. Sarah moved aside as the men passed through the gate. She watched, the bear close enough to touch. She could have, and she suspected none of the men would have cared. Somehow, even a light caress of the bear’s fur seemed like blasphemy.

She hurried to Liam’s side. “What’s going to happen now?” The men set the sling down on the ground.

“A team from the park service should be arriving about…” Liam tilted his head and listened. The faintest clatter of wheels could be heard. “Now.”

A big truck roared up, a large cage on the back. It made a u-turn and stopped, the engine running. Two men, bundled from head to toe in heavy parkas, emerged from the truck. One opened the back doors and grabbed a large back. They hurried to the bear.

“How come we had to fly if they just drove here?” Sarah asked. Not that she didn’t mind the helicopters. Flying above the ground always exhilarated her.

“National Forest is just over that hill. In fact, go beyond these fences and its forest land. They’re going to take the bear and release him.”

“Won’t he come back?” Sarah’s research had told her bears returned to what they perceived as good hunting grounds.

Liam shrugged. “It’s possible. The idea though is that the process of being tranquilized and moved is so traumatic they don’t return.”

“But if they do they’re killed.” She frowned. “You lied to me, Liam. You said you weren’t going to shoot. You made me believe you were going to kill that bear!” Her voice rose. Distantly, she was aware of several heads turning in her direction.

“Keep quiet,” Liam hissed. “You didn’t ask what kind of ammunition I was using, and whether it was I still didn’t want to shoot. This is the last resort. Removing bears isn’t a game. It’s a matter of life or death for them.” He turned on his heel and strode to the two men kneeling down by the unconscious bear.

Sarah watched as they drew a blood sample from the bear and placed a radio collar around its neck. Bile rose. She swallowed it down. Managing human-bear interactions was part of the picture. She sighed and watched as they completed their measurements. The bear remained motionless. If it weren’t for the shallow rising and falling of its chest, she would have thought it was dead. The image spooked her.

Finally, the men were done. Once again, people surrounded the sling and lifted the bear. They carried it to the back of the truck where they slid it into a large, metal cage. The door clanged shut.

Liam touched her arm.

Sarah squeaked. She turned to face him, not liking how jumpy she was.

“Sorry, I just wanted to let you know that we’re going to release the bear and you’re welcome to come with us. Otherwise you can stay here, and I’ll pick you back up when we return,” he said. His fingers lingered.

Sarah stared at where he touched her. Even through the layers, she felt heat radiating from him. Though this might be a routine happening for him, for her it was a shock. She exhaled, not comfortable with the idea of staying here. She figured Butch would keep anything from happening to her, but she looked like she was the only woman here. And Butch wasn’t Liam. She knew he could protect her.

“I’ll go,” she said with a nod, hoping her voice sounded more confident than she felt.

“Good.” Liam smiled. “I’m really proud of you. This isn’t easy to do, let alone to watch. But it’s an important part of the process. And it’ll be over soon.”

“What’ll happen to the bear?” She’d seen nature shows and knew that they re-released the animals.

“We’re going to take him into the national park and hope he stays there. Come on.” His caress slid down her arm, almost as if he was going to tangle their fingers together. At the last minute, he pulled away and turned toward the truck.

Sarah watched his back and she hurried to catch up with him. Her stomach fluttered, partially from watching them release a bear, and partially from sharing the back seat of the truck with him. In close quarters she couldn’t help but smell his woodsy scent, an almost natural musk for him. His heat radiated from him, making her parka and layers of clothing quite toasty.

I wanted this. I wanted to see how bears and man interacted and what additional drilling would mean.
In spite of her mental reassurances, she battled a flutter in her stomach. This was Liam’s world, as harsh and untamed as hers was civilized. She held back a smile, doubting anyone could call politics civilized.

The two Department of Natural Resources officers climbed into the front seat. They started the truck, keeping up a conversation with Liam about bear activity this year. Sarah listed, mentally taking notes. The men discussed territories and regular routes, hibernation, and number of cubs they’d seen. More bear sightings near people this year, and Sarah worried for the fate of the creature in the back of the truck. If he couldn’t stay away from people, he’d die.

The scenery rapidly changed, the road going from something akin to gravel to just a track through low grasses. Trees grew on either side of the path, thick pines and hardy conifers. In the distance, mountains rose, creating a vista that would put a postcard to shame. The truck stopped in a clear area ringed by trees and high, rocky outcroppings.

The bear banged his paw against the side of the metal cage.

“He’s waking up,” Liam said. “We’ve got to get him out of there. Stay back by the truck and if the bear doesn’t cooperate, get inside, okay?”

He waited for her nod before opening the door. Sarah followed, scrambling out, not wanting to miss a moment of it.

The two officers hurried to the back. Flipping the huge pin securing the door, they opened it. The hinges creaked.

The bear clanged in the cage as he turned around. He gave almost a woof, then with low grunts, jumped down. At the base of the truck, he stopped. Turning his head, he sniffed the air. A few more grunts, then he took off running. His massive body rippled as he loped across the clearing and into the forest.

Tears gathered at the corner of Sarah’s eyes. Now, with a radio collar around the bear’s neck and a bright orange mark between his shoulder blades, he showed the world that he’d been touched by humans. She dashed them away, but not before Liam turned to look at her.

“Looks like he’s heading away,” one of the officers said. “Good work today. We’ll take you back and you can catch your helicopter back wherever you need to go. Thanks for your help, Liam.”

“Anytime. Just glad to see one get back to the wild,” he replied.

Sarah followed mutely to the truck. She said nothing as they returned back, trying to process. Liam acted as if he worked with these guys as some kind of bear expert. He’d certainly been able to get her close enough to grizzlies, probably far closer than safety dictated. Who was he? What was he? The more she stayed around him the more she realized he was far more than just a tour guide.

The helicopter ride back to the lodge passed in a blur. Her mind whirled with thoughts about the bear, Liam, her report, her sister. She rubbed the back of her eyes, more tired than she felt from the mental jumble. She helped Liam carry his gear inside and stowed her jacket and a few layers back in her room.

She found Liam downstairs in the living room. He stood at a large window overlooking the front of the lodge. With his hands in his pockets, and a frown on his face, he appeared lost in thought.

She stopped next to him.

“You did well out there.” He didn’t move.

Not that she expected him to and she shoved her hands in her own pockets to keep from reaching out to him. “Thank you,” she replied, unsure of what else to say. Swallowing hard, she remained next to him. Inside her pocket, her fingers curled. Her lips tingled. Deep in her gut she longed to reach out to him, to kiss him, to fully explore whatever this was between them. Because when she went back to
Washington
, she doubted she’d ever come back here again. At least not for several months, and the thought of leaving without knowing exactly what sparked between them left her with a melancholy ache.

“Sarah.”

“Liam.” They had spoken at the same time, and as he turned to face her, she saw a smile forming on his lips. “You first,” she said, finally pulling her hand from her pocket and laying it on his arm. It felt good to rest her fingers on the strong muscles beneath his sleeve. To know that he was more than capable of protecting her. Maybe it was some sort of feminine response to a strong, alpha male. Maybe it was that she was just so sick and tired of taking care of everyone else and the thought of someone caring for her was so damn refreshing.

“I suppose you have enough information to write your report now. You’ve seen the best of what nature offers and the worst.” His gaze dropped to her lips and he moved closer.

Kiss me.
She swayed against him, her lips parted in invitation. Desire stirred low in her abdomen. This close to him, she thought only of how his lips would feel against hers. The fact that Cameron could come in at any moment barely crossed her mind. “Probably,” she admitted. “But I don’t have to go back yet.”

She should. With her sister’s job in jeopardy and something strange happening at her firm, she should hightail it back to
Washington
without a backwards thought. This close to Liam she only thought about him and this beautiful, wondrous place that needed her help.

He cupped her chin.

Sarah shivered.