Fallen Angel by Mona Ingram

Author:Mona Ingram [Mona Ingram]
Language: eng
Format: epub, azw3
Amazon: B006GEQ1AC
Goodreads: 13390506
Published: 2011-11-28T13:00:00+00:00

Chapter Eleven

Laura hiked steadily for the first half hour. The route she had chosen was still in shade so she decided to take advantage of that fact. Once the sun crested the hill, the temperature would rise precipitously.

She paused and looked back down. From this vantage point, Raptor Ridge was just one of many vineyards carpeting the valley bottom. It didn’t take a horticulture graduate to see the effect of irrigation on this arid valley. The contrast between the lush green of the vineyards and the dun-coloured hills was readily visible from this height. She had reached the treed area now and she stopped under a Ponderosa pine, brushed the pinecones aside and sat down. The tree scented the still morning air and she breathed in deeply, relishing her newly regained health. She saw the faces of the men from last night, flushed and irresponsible from drink. She shuddered to think what might have happened if she hadn’t been there and they’d continued to treat their friend’s condition as nothing serious. And yet just a few months ago she’d been little better...who was she to judge them now?

She took a long drink of water and stood up, eager to get on and leave her negative thoughts behind. Setting out again, she recalled the route as she’d mapped it out on the computer. To her right, an old creek bed had scoured the hillside and she planned to stay parallel to it on her climb. It was easy to spot; she reasoned that there must still be some residual moisture there, supporting the growth of deciduous trees. She walked steadily, disturbing grasshoppers and the odd magpie, but little else.

Head down, she was unaware that she was approaching the huge rock formation she’d spotted on Google Earth. On the computer screen she’d studied it from various angles, and had decided to skirt it on the left. It loomed ahead now, a dark, lichen-covered mass. Beyond it, if she was correct, the climb became fairly simple, with several levelled-off areas. She paused to take another drink and the sun came bursting over the hills, heralding another beautiful day.

Reinvigorated, she moved ahead. Loose rock lay around the base of the huge obstacle and she kept her distance, mindful that rattlesnakes were in the area they would have sought the warmth of the rocks for the night. She had no fear of snakes, but caution was better than anti-venom any day.

Her instincts had been right. Once past the rocks, the climb eased considerably. Grateful for the respite, she was aware of the heat of the sun. At this higher altitude the temperatures might be cooler, but it was also possible to get sunburned in no time.

She climbed over a small rise and gasped with delight. Tucked into a narrow valley, a small lake shimmered like a gem. The far shore was rocky and studded with pines, but the side closest to her sloped gently down from her present position. At water’s edge, erosion had left a narrow sandy beach.

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