Where Heaven Begins by Rosanne Bittner

Author:Rosanne Bittner [Bittner, Rosanne]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi, pdf
Publisher: Steeple Hill
Published: 2004-06-29T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twenty-Five

Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor the arrow that flieth by day…for He will give His angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.

—Psalms 91:5 & 11

Clint spent most of the early evening gutting the moose he’d shot. He carved chunks of meat from the carcass while Elizabeth watched, sometimes crinkling her nose. The work was tough, but Clint worked diligently and adeptly, complaining that there was not time to truly preserve every part of the animal, including the hide.

“Indians would cringe if they knew what we’re leaving behind,” he told her. “They make use of every part of an animal, even most of the innards.”

Elizabeth could not imagine using any of the matter Clint threw on the ground.

“We can only carry so much,” he continued. “What we do take could save our lives later, even if we have to eat it raw.”

“Raw!”

“You do what you have to do to stay alive sometimes, Liz. It’s just a shame to leave so much of this poor animal to the wolves, which is why we came so far away from camp to clean it. If wolves decide to make a meal of this thing, I don’t want them close to our camp. Even this is a little too close. I’m worried about the horses. What we take we’ll have to hang high in a tree till morning. We just have to hope this carcass and innards keep them occupied tonight.”

“We haven’t even encountered wolves yet. Why are you so sure we will tonight?”

He threw another chunk of meat into a frozen puddle of water at his left side, where other pieces lay chilling. “Ten to one a wolf pack is already skirting around us. They can smell fresh blood for miles, and winter is coming on. They know darn well that it’s time to start burying meat for the lean times.”

The thought of wolves skulking about, sight unseen, was disconcerting. “What can I do to help, Clint?”

“Go back and build up the fire. I’ll skin off as much hide as I can and use it to carry back the raw meat. You can go ahead and heat up some coffee and a fry pan. I’ll cut off a few thin slices to cook tonight.” He stopped and turned to rinse his hands in one end of the frozen puddle. “Wait a minute,” he told her before she left. He shook off the water and wiped his hands on his denim pants, then took his six-gun from its holster, handing it to her butt first. “Take this with you.”

She looked wide-eyed at the shooter. “What on earth for?”

He sighed with obvious impatience. “What did I just tell you about wolves? With fresh blood all over the place, this isn’t a good time to be walking about alone without some kind of protection.”

She put her hands on her hips. “I’ve never shot a gun in my life! I’ve never even held one!”

“Will you just do as I ask? And be careful.

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