Page 134 of Happily Never After

The back of Claire’s neck prickled as Brad knelt. Something was wrong. She cast a glance over the scene, but everything was perfectly in place. So what was it? Her phone buzzed, and she glanced at it. A text from her mom.

Alice:Everything okay, Clairebear? Something feels off tonight. Love you xoxo

Shivers ran down Claire’s spine. The hair stood up on her arms. She surveyed the area while Brad launched into his proposal speech. The caterers poured glasses of champagne. With the exception of the twins, who were still clutching their tablets as if their lives depended on them, the family members were watching Brad with tears in their eyes. No one was choking or suffering a medical emergency. So what the hell was it? The danger was so clear to her that she could almost taste it.

“Mindy?” Claire hissed into the headset.

“What? You’re interrupting the speech,” Mindy hissed into the headset.

“Something’s wrong. Do you see anything off?”

Mindy rotated in a full circle next to the tent. “Everything’s fine, Claire. What are you talking about?”

The horses rustled in their stalls. One of them snorted and pawed at the ground. Something was going on. Were they on an active volcano? Was there an earthquake coming? She hadn’t prepared for being on a hillside in the earthquake. What if there was a landslide?Shit shit shit.

Something low to the ground slinked around the edge of the clearing. Her heart leapt into her throat. Her hands clenched into fists at her side. Was it a person? ESA? Or an animal of some sort? Hankhadmentioned feral pigs. How dangerous were they?

“Mindy, I see something. I’m going to investigate.”

Mindy glanced in her direction. She shook her head fervently, but Claire had no choice. Brad was still speaking. As long as she moved quietly, she shouldn’t disturb anything. She picked her way across the inclined slope downhill from the clearing. She skirted the edge of the site and headed back toward the trailhead. Every cell in her body screamed at her as goosebumps trailed up and down her arms. She dug around in her purse and pulled out her pepper spray.

Brad’s voice was still audible, but quieter now. He was a boisterous talker, which at least helped cover the noise of her tramping through the dirt. Maybe she had imagined seeing something slinking along the clearing. It was sunset. The light could have played tricks on her eyes.

She tripped and caught herself on the rocky embankment. Her hand stung, but there was no time to check for blood. If there was something that could impact this perfect moment, itneeded to be dealt with immediately. She crossed the trailhead and peeked around the cluster of trees. Her heart jolted.

There, a mere ten yards from the arbor where Brad was proposing, was a full-grown mountain lion.

Claire froze. The cat’s massive head shifted and locked eyes with her. Her mind spun. Primal fear gripped her entire body. What was that around its neck? Was that…a red bow? The edges of her vision went dark. Adrenaline punched through her veins.

Brad and Karen were in danger. If they were mauled to death by a mountain lion seconds after getting engaged, Claire would never forgive herself. That would be the exact opposite of a Happily Ever After. The lion needed to be dealt with. Her mind raced. She had done a whole segment on mountain lions during their safety meeting.

“There’s a mountain lion,” she whispered into the comms. “Brad’s four o’clock.”

“A what?” Mindy whisper-shouted. She beelined for a ranch hand.

Luke’s head popped up from behind the camera. He locked eyes with Claire. The mountain lion took a step toward her. A twig cracked under one of its massive feet. His shoulders rippled with pure predator strength.

Her heart was in her throat. “Make yourself big,” she muttered to herself. “Shout and make noise and wave your arms. If that doesn’t work, throw things at its feet.”

She pulled her metal water bottle out of her purse and located a nice-sized rock on the slope next to her.

Cheers and applause broke out. Brad must have finished his five-page proposal.

“Mindy, I need you to lead a very loud rendition of ‘Jolly Good Fellow.’ Right now,” Claire said firmly.

“What?”

“For he’s a jolly good fellow,” a strong female voice boomed out, but it wasn’t Mindy’s. Between the trees, Claire spotted Heather singing. She took directions immediately without asking questions. Another good sign.

The family members glanced around, confused, but joined in. Claire leapt on the opportunity. She put her arms out at her side and shouted.

“Get out of here, you big furry asshole!” she yelled at the mountain lion while banging her water bottle against a rock.

The lion flinched and hunched down. The sliver of pupil narrowed. Oh no. Shouting wasn’t working. She needed to escalate.

“Don’t approach it, don’t crouch, don’t turn your back,” she muttered to herself. Without taking her eyes off the animal, she clapped her hands and yelled at it again. It took one step back but didn’t retreat.

Why the hell was it wearing a bow? This wasn’t an accident. Was it ESA? How was that even possible? Did they have evil zookeepers on their staff?