Tough Enough by Jayne Ann Krentz

Author:Jayne Ann Krentz [Krentz, Jayne Ann & McKenna, Lindsay & Daniels, B. J.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction, Romance, Western
ISBN: 9780373776603
Barnesnoble:
Goodreads: 13057632
Publisher: HQN Books
Published: 2012-03-20T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER NINE

BEFORE Rachel could answer, both horses suddenly snorted and started violently. Jim and Rachel jumped to their feet and turned toward the fir tree, where the horses were firmly tied and standing frozen, their attention drawn deeper into the canyon.

Rachel’s eyes widened enormously and her heart thudded hard in her chest. There, no more than a hundred feet away on the wall of the canyon next to the cave, stood a huge, stocky jaguar. The cat switched its tail, watching them.

Jim moved in front of her, as if to protect her. She could feel the fine tension in his body, and she gasped. The jaguar was real! Though the cat was a hundred feet above them and unable to leap toward them, her emotions were screaming in fear.

“Don’t move,” Jim rasped. His eyes narrowed as he slowly turned and fully faced the jaguar. For some reason, he sensed it was a female, just as in Rachel’s dream. The cat was positively huge! He’d seen photos and films of jaguars, but never one in the wild. They were a lot stockier than the lithe cougar and weighed a helluva lot more. The cat’s gold-and-black fur looked magnificent against the white limestone cliff. Between her jaws was a limp jackrabbit she’d obviously brought back to her lair to enjoy.

The snort of the horses echoed warningly down the canyon walls and Jim automatically put his arm out, as if to stop Rachel from any forward movement. He felt her hand on the back of his shoulder.

Rachel was mesmerized by the stark beauty of the jaguar as the cat lowered her broad, massive head and gently placed the dead rabbit at her feet. Looking down at them as if she were queen of all she surveyed and they mere subjects within her domain.

“She’s beautiful!” Rachel whispered excitedly. “Look at her!”

Jim barely nodded. He was concerned she would attack. Fortunately, both horses were trained for hunting and were able to stand their ground rather than tear at their reins to get away—which any horse in its right mind would have done under the present circumstances. He estimated how long it would take to reach his gelding, unsnap the leather scabbard, pull out the rifle, load it and aim it. The odds weren’t in his favor.

“She’s not going to harm us,” Rachel whispered. Moving closer to Jim, their bodies nearly touching as she dug her fingers into his broad shoulder. “This is so odd, Jim. I feel like she’s trying to communicate with us. Look at her!”

He couldn’t deny what Rachel had voiced. The cat lazily switched her tail, but showed no sign of alarm at being so near to them. Instead, she eased to the ground, the rabbit between her massive front paws. Sniffing the morsel, she raised her head and viewed them again.

“Listen to me, Rachel,” Jim said in a very low voice, keeping his eyes on the jaguar. “I want you to slowly back away from me. Mount your horse and, as quietly as you can, walk it out of the canyon.

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