To Thine Own Self

Carmen had forgiven Rob, but he hadn't. Thinking about what he did to Carmen brought his mind to a boil. Sometimes he imagined meeting Rob in a secluded spot and beating him to a pulp. If Carmen hadn't felt so threatened by him, she would have asked him to ride up to the mountain with her. What happened was an accident, and as Carmen had pointed out, it could have happened regardless of who was with her, but she wouldn't have been trapped for hours on a ledge. His stomach cramped at the memory of that cliff. If the ledge hadn't been there, Carmen would have been killed. As he had pointed out to Carmen, they could lose each other in an accident any time. It was something he expected her to accept, but he hadn't. This was wild country, but she had a right to ride it, with or without a companion, as he was now.

Back-tracking the elk through the brush wasn't so difficult, but trying to move through the brush on horseback wasn't a simple thing. It would be easier to walk, but he wanted the advantage of height and bulk to work on his side. Anything big enough to make a mature elk bolt was enough to concern him - including a bull elk. He finally broke into a clearing and began searching for tracks.

When he finally found a print, it made the hair on the back of his neck stand up - dogs. Where were they now? He tracked them back to the fence and found where they had dug under it. He'd have to get help and search for them. He could block the hole, but there was no way of knowing if he would be trapping them inside. It didn't look like there were more than two. Hopefully they weren't wild. Two dogs that size didn't present much of a threat to an Elk, or the wild sheep, for that matter. They did pose a threat to Carmen's goats, though. He'd have to alert her to the danger.

He followed the tracks until he lost them across some rocks. He turned Random back and headed for the camp. Too bad Sentinel was still a puppy. Of course, she was going to be a pet, but a pet that size would also provide protection to a degree. He'd like to get a stock dog like the Great Pyrenees Carmen had. Maybe he could do that soon. She could use one if she was going to run goats again. Surprisingly enough, he was looking forward to the fresh milk and cheese. If Carmen didn't hire someone soon, he'd hire someone to take care of the wildlife. It was too much for her and she knew it at this point. The safari was his dream, not hers. He had never thought of it as a money-making investment. It was more like a hobby - or maybe a collection. Obviously she enjoyed the business part of it. He had every intent of supporting her - emotionally, physically and financially.