Page 50 of Sheltering Instinct

And then dead.

No one knew whether Tess’s circumstances were life-threatening, inconvenient, or somewhere along the length of the spectrum. It was always best, she’d found, to err on the side of caution—to stand in the shade under a tree rather than sunbathe on a dune when water wasn’t available.

A crisis? Maybe or maybe not. In the end, it was not. That didn’t mean the chances of an emergency weren’t there.

Don’t tempt fate.

And wasn’t that an interesting phrase to run through her head, Tess thought, just as she opened the door to climb in next to Levi and head back to the vineyard?

Her lips quivered as she found her seat. So she rolled them in and greeted him with a nod. Pain oozed from her pores. She knew she reeked of distress and wondered if Levi could smell it, too.

Levi didn’t seem to mind her silence. In fact, he seemed relieved by it.

They were almost to the vineyard before he cleared his throat. “Look, I’m in a new job. I brought my boss and colleague halfway around the world to see a dog based on my belief in Enrico’s training methods. I have a lot at stake here. Picking the right K9 can mean mission success and lives saved down the line. I need to make sure I pick the right dog for a dedicated and trusting relationship.”

He wasn’t the kind of guy to hit below the belt. Hadn’t been. He seemed to realize what he’d just said.

“I didn’t mean that as a jab.”

“Right.” Her lips dragged into a deep frown, and she hid it by turning to look out the side window.

The vast emptiness of Namibia stretched out under the pre-dawn sky.

Tess felt like, after yesterday’s forced proximity, Levi was trying to gain a little space. She could respect that. It was probably best for both of them.

“Look, we're gonna be here together.” Levi’s voice was gruff. “I'm in a new professional capacity. How about we act like we get along and give everyone a break from the drama? I don’t want our past to be a thing here. Also, not a jab.”

“Agreed.”

“Sunrises at seven.”

She had nothing to say to that. She sat in the dark cab, and they drove in silence the rest of the way.

She could play-act in front of the Metz family and Levi’s team. It would only be a matter of days. He’d head back to the U.S., and she’d keep moving through her life, taking one day at a time.

“Good?” he asked as he turned off the highway onto the long stretch of the private road leading to the vineyard.

“Yes, thank you.”

The trees stood black against the brightening sky. Their leafless limbs tangled the trees together. It had an other-worldly feel to it.

“Eerie,” she said, then sucked in a gasp.

An enormous animal was sailing over their hood. With horns slicing backward like curving sabers, it turned its head toward them, peeling its eyelids back until the whole whites of its eyeballs were visible.

Levi came to a screeching halt as, mid-leap, the beast twisted its body all the way around and landed its feet at the side of their vehicle.

Tess’s hands pressed into her cheeks, then lowered to her chest.

With another bound, it was back out of sight.

They turned to each other with startled faces, then broke out in peals of laughter, a relief after the stress of sitting side by side for the last hour.

She gulped. “That was terrifying,”

“I know what can happen if you hit a deer, and they put their hoof through your windshield, but I have no idea what could have happened there. Nothing pretty,” Levi said, starting them back down the drive at a crawl, his head turning this way and that, probably looking for the next wild adventure. “Was that an oryx?”

“It was.” Tess’s heart was still thundering in her chest. “I had no idea they were so big. I've only seen pictures. Whew!”

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