Page 32 of Sheltering Instinct

“Even puff adders at night?” Tess tucked her chin to remind her friend that that teasing on the save-Mandy hunt wasn’t funny.

“You know what?” Gwen held up a set of keys, then pointed toward a pickup truck. “I’m purposefully and decidedly not a Namibian snake expert.”

“Same. But I have that snake bite app as a backup.”

Gwen turned to Tess. “I remember you mentioning that when we rescued Mandy. But I was too sleepy to care what you said about it.” Gwen turned her head to watch her mother approach. “You know, if I were to go through my contacts andpick out the single person most likely to have that app on their phone. I’d pick you.”

“I have other apps, too. I have one that will assess you on the trail and help you make choices about going on or turning back. If you’re in range, you can tap the button, and it will put you in touch with a doctor who specializes in wilderness medicine. Basically, how to MacGyver an exit. Probably not a good resource for baboon bites, though.”

“Maybe not. Like I’ve said many times before, it’s like you scan for every tiny thing that can go wrong, and you build plans and contingency plans, and contingency plans for your contingency plans. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not calling you out by saying that. Your vigilance serves our team well.”

Tess knew her behavior was sometimes off-putting. But compared to how she once had lived, Tess felt she maintained a reasonable and responsible level of vigilance. There was a time when Gwen was right; all Tess did was scan the horizon for the next big and bad to race her way. “It’s probably exhausting to deal with.”

“Nah. It’s kind of interesting to learn all the ways I can meet my doom. Also, as I said at Big Daddy, one of us needs to be prepared, and I prefer it to be you. Never change.”

“There you are.” Walking toward them, Iris was drying her hands on a dish towel. “Did you get yourselves settled in?”

“The room is lovely, thank you,” Tess said warmly. “We’ve been sleeping on the ground and sleeping in vehicles, so this will be a luxury.”

“Sleeping in vehicles?” Iris swung her head toward Gwen. “What on Earth?”

“It’s a whole story, Mom. I’ll tell you tonight at dinner so Dad can hear it, too. It has to do with a vineyard, so I think you’ll get a kick out of it.”

“Oh,” Iris reached out to tap Gwen’s arm, “that’s right. I wanted to tell you two that we’re having dinner on the veranda around eight.” She turned to Tess. “We get up early to eat while watching the sunrise. Early to bed, early to rise … ” She smiled. “So eight tonight instead of seven. I want you to meet the team from the U.S. who are working with Enrico.” Iris turned to Gwen. “Our sweet Hailey works with them.”

“Hailey? Wow. It’s been a while since I talked to her,” Tess said. “After she left WorldCares, it hasn’t been as easy to stay in touch. I need to reach out.”

“If Hailey sent them, this would be an Iniquus team,” Gwen said. “What are they doing over here? Seems odd.”

“They’re looking at one of Enrico’s dogs to buy. Mojo is the dog’s name. Beautiful. Powerful. Just a magnificent dog. I always enjoyed him when he was here with Enrico, but this morning, I got to see a bit of him in action.” She put a hand on her stomach. “It was intimidating, I’ll give you that. Anyway,” Iris lifted her brow, “I thought you might like to meet them, so I’m arranging a little welcome party.”

Gwen turned to Tess with a laugh. “You can hear it in Mom’s voice. She’s matchmaking.”

Iris shrugged, “You never know when the right guy will walk into view. I’m just saying there’s worse to be had than a retired SEAL.”

Gwen quirked a lip toward Tess. “SEALs are Mom’s type, but she married a lab rat, so there’s that. Right, Mom?”

“Well, Gwen, you know, same as I do, that most men you’ve been dating don’t like it that you go into the field for so long and so often. Seems to me that a man in that line of work is in the same boat. If you got along, it might be a happy coincidence that you’re here at the same time.”

“Okay, Mom, thank you,” Gwen said dryly.

Iris smiled at Tess. “Gwen doesn’t like it when I interfere.” She turned back to her daughter. “But honestly, Gwen, there’s one I have my eye on for you. I’m not going to say which because I know how you are. But once you meet him, you’ll see what I see in the man. He’s solid and steady. Adventuresome and gentlemanly. Someone brought that man up right. It’s not always easy to find someone like that in the wilds of greater Washington D.C.”

“Well, not one that doesn’t come with an ego, that’s for sure.” Gwen laughed. “Maybe Tess will like him.”

“Tess was already married. She doesn’t need a push.”

“Off a cliff?” Gwen muttered.

“Oh hush,” Iris laughed at the face Gwen made. “At any rate, you’ll meet him tonight. Now, let’s see here, boots and packs. Where are you two headed off to?” Iris asked.

Gwen lifted her strap and adjusted it on her shoulder. “I told Tess about the observation deck Dad built at the top of the hill. We have time to go up, take a look around, and get down before dinner.”

“Once you get to the base of the hill, it’s forty-five minutes up and an hour to get down. A half hour or so on the deck? That should work,” Iris said, scratching the side of her head. “But I’d like it if you girls didn’t take much longer than that, so you have time to clean up and put on something pretty. This is a family meal, but it’s a guest-family meal. We don’t want to show up looking feral. Right, dear?”

Gwen kissed Iris on the cheek. “We’ll take the pickup to the trailhead to chop off some of the walk time, so you don’t worry about me lookingferal.”

As they started off for the pickup truck, Gwen said, “Tomorrow, Tess and I want to go into Etosha at dawn, as soon as they open, to see the animals drinking at the springs. Just toset your expectations about us at your party tonight, I plan to get to bed right after we eat.”

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