Page 60 of Maid in Heaven

Will smiled, resting his chin against the top of her head. “I never realized how short you were until right now.”

“These boots don’t have heels,” Ava’s muffled voice muttered.

Horses clompedin the distance as Ava basked in Will’s radiant warmth like a lizard on a hot rock.

Will finally spoke, vibrating her face with his low voice. “Your carriage awaits, my lady.”

“Carriage?!” Ava echoed, prying herself from Will’s chest to see two horses approaching with adecorativewooden cart, every edge laced with faux flowers in various colors.

“Oh my God! I know where we’re going!”

“No, you don’t,”Will said incredulously.

“Yes, I do! There’sonly one reason for a cart in JacksonHole. The National Elk Refuge!”

Will was stunned that she guessed the surprise. “Ever been?”

“No!” She beamed. “I’ve always wanted to see it, though! Just never made the time.”

Will walked to the carriage and extended a hand to her, “You first, gorgeous.”

Ava’s cheeks were rosy from the excitement and cold as sheclimbed aboard. Will followed. As they took their seats, the cart took off.

“I can’t believe you did this!”

“I actually bought all the seats so we could have the carriage to ourselves.”

“Aww!”

“Thought it would be a little more romantic that way.” Will shrugged with a smile.

Ava scooted closer to him, and hewrapped his arm around her, pulling her inuntil their legs touched each other.

“Howdy folks!” hollered the coachman. His gravelly voice was that of apack-a-day smoker. “It’s acoldone today. We have blankets on the other side if you want to bundle uptogether. That wind is givin’you a realWyomin’welcome.”

Ava pulled her beanie down over her rowdy, wind-blown hairand smiled brightly.

“You folks from around here,”the man asked over his shoulder.

Will spoke up over the wind. “We both live here. Just thought it would be a fun experience. This is her first time.”

“You’ve been before?” Ava asked, scooting so close that the heat from his breath warmed her ear.

“Yeah. But it’s always a treat.”

Hopping off the paved road onto a snowy path, the cart rumbled toward a massive herd of elk. Ava watchedin wonder, mouth openin amazement at the sheer amount of four-legged creatures strewn throughout the field beyond.

Theelk barely stirred at the sight of the cart as it dipped and swayed with the uneven ground.Thewagonapproached a large herd, passingby a full cart of passengers snapping photos and excitedly chattinglike two ships on the open seas. The drivers nodded to one another.

As Will and Ava’s carriage hobbled closer,the elk turned to look at them. White puffs of steam tumbled from their nostrils as they cautiously watched the cart rumble by. The majority of theanimalsremainedunbothered, bedded down in the melting snow, hides twitching with the breeze.

“Holy cow, they aremassive!” Ava gaped over the side of the cart as the living mounds of muscle stood still and stoic beside them. In the distance,cowsbutted heads, mewling as they battled. A beastly elk with massive antlers lay down amid a cluster of females.

Settling into his role, the coachman spoke over the wind. “The females, or cows, are the ones without antlers. A group of them together iscalleda harem. Bull elks, like those two back there,can be challenged for thepossession of theirharem at any time. The males clash antlers, and if one antler gets mangledor busted, they lose their appeal andbecome less desirable to the females.”

Ava watched two cowsbutt heads in the distance.

“What about them? Those are females,right? Why are they butting heads?”

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