“Meaning?”
“Down to avoid any holes and snakes. Up to check for any unwelcome predators.”
She felt the muscles in his arm tense and suppressed a chuckle. She had no idea where her boss had found this guy, but cowboy or not, he seemed better qualified to lead a hoedown than a trek through the bush.
“Sounds like good advice.”
Moments later, she stopped at a rise in the terrain, where forest opened up into a narrow grassland. Even after eight months of working here, she’d yet to tire of the ever-changing landscape and animals that filled its terrain.
“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” she said.
“Incredibly.”
The sun began to drop in the distance, painting the sky brilliant shades of orange and pink. Acacia trees, with their flat, green tops, sprinkled the horizon. Half a dozen giraffes walked gracefully across the far edge of the open veld.
She pointed toward the left. “Look down there, at the water hole.”
A family of elephants had gathered at the water’s edge, mamas and babies with their bulky forms casting gray shadows across the tall grasses. This was the one place in the world where she felt safe, alive and whole.
“Do you believe in God?”
He nodded at her question. “‘The heavens declare the glory of God and the skies his handiwork.’ It’s hard not to believe when you see things like this.”
She’d always felt the same way. Cell phones, the internet and email always managed to pull her in a million different directions. But standing here, in the quiet stillness of God’s creation, everything seemed to move back into perspective.
“Wait a bit longer until darkness settles in and the stars come out. There’s nothing like seeing the Milky Way and the Southern Cross light up the sky.”
They started walking again. “Do all of the assistants on your project get such personalized attention?”
She didn’t quiet her laugh this time as she looked up at him, wondering how he’d become the distraction that had almost erased the pain in her knee. “I can’t say that I’ve ever escorted a cowboy through the bush.”
Arm snug around her waist, those dark eyes with a hint of amusement in their depths, this particular cowboy looked incredibly appealing. But she brushed the thought aside. There was no way she was falling for this stranger. There was no way she was falling for anyone, because she’d yet to meet a man who made her feel worthy of being loved. Relationships weren’t for her, and that was that.
She dismissed the ridiculous train of thought. They continued walking. Twenty more minutes, thirty tops, and they’d be back at the lodge. In a couple more weeks, the job would be over, and she could send him back to Texas. Which was why, for now, it was time to change the subject.
“Have you ever been to South Africa before?”
“I visited once. Many years ago. My mother was from here.”
“So, coming here was more than just a job?”
“You could say that. I’ve always wanted a reason to return to my mother’s homeland.”
“You’ve piqued my interest.” She adjusted the grip of her hand around his waist. The fact that they had something in common surprised her. Her father had grown up in Kenya, the son of a missionary, so she’d learned early on the mysterious lure of the the African continent. “Tell me about yourself.”
“Me?”
“If we’re going to work together,” she said, “we might as well get to know each other. Where is your family from?”
“My father owns a ranch in West Texas, but many years ago, shortly after he passed the bar, his father arranged a hunting trip for him north of here near the Zimbabwe border. My mother’s father owned the game farm where they hunted. And as they say, the rest is history. They fell in love, had a whirlwind romance, and eventually they married and she followed him to the United States.”
“Romantic.”
“It was, but she died when I was twelve.”
“Do you miss her?”
“Every day.”
“Any sisters or brothers?”
“Three older sisters. My father never remarried. I don’t think he ever got over losing her. I think it’s your turn now. What about you?”
Meghan had realized the moment she’d asked him the first question she’d opened up a can of worms she’d prefer left closed. She loved her father, but their relationship had always been strained. It had been weeks since they’d talked and even longer since they’d seen each other. Explaining that to strangers was difficult.
“My story’s a bit more complicated.”
“Isn’t family always?”
She laughed. She liked him, which bothered her. And he was clearly worried and protective over her safety.
But none of that mattered beyond the short term. They had been nearly finished with their filming when Jared, her asssistant, came down with a life-threatening case of malaria. Once the filming was wrapped up and the edits finished, she’d never see Alex again.
She switched her mind back to his question. “I’m an only child. Boarding schools for junior high and high school, summers and vacations with my aunt in Southern California. There really isn’t much exciting about my life unless you want to start comparing who’s visited the most countries or eaten the weirdest food.”
“Deep-fried cantaloupe pie at the county fair is about all I have to offer.”
She wrinkled her nose. “I think I’d opt for a bag of barbecued Mopani worms before trying a slice of that.”
Alex laughed. Maybe the man was actually beginning to relax.
“You mentioned a lot of traveling. Where’s home?” he probed.
“I don’t really have one. My father’s an ambassador. I see him a couple times a year. I love him, but after my mother left him when I was fourteen, things changed between us. It wasn’t his fault, though. I don’t know a man alive who’d know how to deal with a moody teen while trying to save his part of the world.”
Meghan pressed her lips together, wondering why she was baring her heart to a man she’d just met. Even Kate didn’t know the details of her relationship with her father, and they’d known each other for months. “The lodge is just over the next ridge. We should be able to see the lights any moment now.”
“Tell me about this assignment you’ve been working on. I was given some details, but still would like to know more.”
She let out a sigh, thankful for the change in subject. “For starters, this is my first big assignment. As you probably already know, it’s a documentary in connection with the lodge and the reserve’s conservation program, the Chizoba Predator Project. For eight months, we’ve been tracking a lion family and documenting the dynamics within the pride. Now we’re waiting to take the final footage we need, when Kibibi introduces her cubs to their father. It should happen in the next couple weeks.”
Meghan stepped into a shallow hole along the path and felt her sore knee twist. She stumbled against him.
“You okay?”
“Yeah. I just need to be careful.” She tried to find her balance, then pulled back slightly from his steady grip. “The ground isn’t even, and the last thing I need is to sprain something else.”
“Make sure you look both up and down.”
“Very funny.”
He winked at her, only managing to intensify the