They both looked her way.
“It was worth a try,” Julia said with a shrug.
“Ready?” Gage asked Aurora.
“As I’ll ever be,” she replied.
“Ladies first.”
“Keep in mind that the only bear growls I’ve heard before have been on TV or my computer.”
“She’s stalling,” Julia whispered to her brother.
“Clearly. How about I go first?” he asked.
Aurora nodded. “Please.”
Gage shook his head. “Here goes.” Opening his mouth, he let out a ferocious growl that echoed through the trees.
“Wow,” Aurora said. “That’s impressive.”
“I know, right?” Julia replied.
“Your turn,” Gage told her.
How had she managed to get herself into a growl-off of all things? Aurora took a deep breath and opened her mouth, but the growl that filtered through the trees around them was not hers. She instinctively jumped toward Gage.
Julia gasped and froze in place.
Gage went on immediate alert, his gaze searching the thicket of trees in the direction the sound had come from. “It’s not close, but that could change,” he said calmly. “Head back to the lodge,” he instructed. “And don’t run.”
Heart pounding, Aurora turned to follow Julia. Gage brought up the rear.
They were almost to the front porch of the lodge when another ferocious growl erupted behind them. Aurora and Julia shrieked. Gage spun about, fists going up. “Run!” he hollered in a tone that brooked no argument. Then his eyes widened.
Reed burst into a fit of laughter.
“Reed,” Gage snarled.
“Were you really going to duke it out with a bear?” he asked in amusement.
“Not funny,” Gage grumbled. “And yes, I would have if it kept the bear from getting to Aurora and our sister while they made their getaway.”
“Very realistic growl,” Aurora said, but what was playing through her mind was the fact that Gage was prepared to endanger his own life to keep her safe.
“Winner,” Julia announced. “Even if that was a dirty trick to play on us.”
Reed’s guffaws slowed to a few muffled snorts. “Sorry,” he replied. “I was on my way out to get some firewood for game night and heard you guys on the path talking. I couldn’t resist joining in.”
This was exactly the kind of distraction Aurora needed. Her mind wasn’t dwelling on the honeymoon she should have been going on in Alaska instead of a job assignment. While she didn’t regret the decision she had made, she did mourn the loss of the future she’d been planning for so long. One very like the life Jade was living in Oregon. A husband who loved her. A house of their own. A dog. Well, to be honest, the longing for a dog only came about after she’d called off her wedding. The first time she met Mac, that furry little addition to her sister’s family, Aurora was smitten.
“We should probably head back into the lodge now,” Julia stated. “The sun is setting fast.”
Reed nodded.
After his siblings walked away, Gage turned to Aurora. “Sorry my brother scared you like that. Sometimes he forgets he’s thirty.”
She laughed. “It’s alright. I think the heart needs a good adrenaline-pumping every so often.”
