THIRTEEN

REV

As we started our journey back through the woods, Annabel remained quiet and contemplative. Of course, there was already a noticeable difference in her—a peace that she hadn’t shown before she had gone into the water. I was sure she was trying to sort through her feelings. Even as a kid, I remember being overwhelmed by what I had experienced. Children seemed to be able to appreciate the unexplainable better than adults. I was sure that as a person of science Annabel was struggling very hard to find a rational explanation for what she was feeling.

Out of nowhere, a keening animal’s cry broke through the silence. It came from somewhere to the left of us. “What is that?” Annabel whispered.

“Sounds like a fawn.”

“Why would it cry like that?”

“It’s probably trying to find its mother.”

When the pitiful cry continued, Annabel shook her head and then started tramping through the brush toward the sound.

“Annabel, wait!” I called after her quickly disappearing form. While I wanted to argue with her that she shouldn’t be running, there was also another pressing matter. “The mother won’t come around as long as we’re close to it.”

My decision to follow her was made when she ignored me and kept running. But I soon caught up with her. She stopped so abruptly that I didn’t have time to anticipate her movements, and I ended up running into her. “Sorry.” It was then that a smell invaded my nose—the sickeningly sweet smell of rotting flesh.

My gaze went to the same spot where Annabel’s eyes were drawn. About a foot from us was the badly mauled body of a doe. A coyote or other animal had attacked and killed her. “Poor thing,” Annabel murmured.

The cry came again, louder now that we were closer. “It must be her baby,” Annabel reasoned as she started toward the cries. I fell in step behind her. When Annabel gasped, I knew she had found it.

Like all does are prone to do when they give birth, the mother had concealed her baby in the brush. Annabel turned back to me. “We can’t leave it alone to die out here or get eaten by predators.”

Crossing my arms over my chest, I asked, “You want to take it back with us?”

She nodded. “I’ve taken care of motherless kittens before. It can’t be much different.”

“But this is a wild animal, not a domesticated cat,” I reasoned.

“Just what would you suggest, then?” When I didn’t immediately reply, she snapped, “Why don’t you go get your gun and shoot it? Then at least it’ll be out of its misery quicker than having to starve to death or be mauled.”

I knew then there was no way in hell we were leaving the woods without that deer. “Okay. Let me get it, though. You don’t need to be carrying anything.”

Her eyes, which had been narrowed at me, brightened. “Thank you! I promise I’ll do all the work. You won’t even realize it’s there.”

I snorted. “I think a baby deer living in my house will be hard not to notice.” With slow steps, I approached the bush where the fawn was hidden. I didn’t want to do anything to scare it and make it run away. I reached inside the foliage and gently picked it up, which caused the animal to frantically start kicking its legs. Its screams of panic almost deafened me until out of nowhere it stopped.

With all the noise from the deer, I hadn’t noticed that Annabel had come over next to me. She had the tiny fawn’s head in her hands, and she was staring straight into its dark eyes. Something about her presence had calmed the deer. “What did you just do?” I asked, in awe of the sudden silence.

She smiled. “I have this weird thing with frightened animals. Back at my old job, I was always able to calm them down.” She stroked the top of the fawn’s tiny head. “I’m just so thankful I haven’t lost my touch.”

I was thankful, too. Not only because I didn’t think I could have taken having to hear the fawn’s screams all the way home, but because after all she had lost at the hands of Mendoza, he hadn’t managed to take that from her.

“Come on. Let’s get home before you catch a chill and I get kicked to death by this crazy thing,” I suggested.

With an almost girlish giggle, Annabel released the deer, and we started walking side by side out of the woods. From time to time, she would glance over at me cradling the deer and smile. It was the most beautiful and genuine smile I had ever seen. And I realized then that she was finding real happiness again. She might’ve saved the fawn, but it was certainly going to save her as well.

I had hoped we could make it to my house without getting ambushed by anyone asking questions. I wasn’t so lucky. Deacon, Alexandra, and Willow were leaving Mama Beth’s when we stepped out of the woods. They all three stopped to stare at us as if we had suddenly grown two or three heads.

“How on earth did you two get wet?” Alexandra asked.

“Is that a baby deer?” Willow questioned excitedly as she bounded over to us.

I stared pointedly at Deacon and Alexandra. “We went swimming at tohi a-ma.”

“Oh,” they both murmured at the same time. I knew that Deacon often visited the waters, and after Alexandra had gone through such a horrible time after killing one of the Raiders’ rivals, and the man who killed her parents, Deacon had taken her there as well.

“This fawn is orphaned, so we’re going to take care of it.”

Deacon glanced from me to Annabel and back. “You are?” he questioned rather skeptically.

I rolled my eyes. “Yes, we are. Apparently Annabel knows what to do.”

Once again, she giggled infectiously. “I think Rev is having second thoughts about taking me into the woods. But some of my veterinary training dealt with livestock and wild animals. It’ll be good to be back in the swing of things after these last few months.” She looked at Willow. “Of course, I’m going to need some help. Would you want to help me?”

I don’t know why Annabel bothered to ask. Willow loved animals, so helping out with a baby deer was right up her alley. “Yes, I would.”

“Is that okay with you two?” Annabel asked Deacon and Alexandra.

Deacon smiled. “Yeah, it’s okay. It’ll get her out of our hair for a while.”

We all laughed at the perturbed scowl that crossed Willow’s face at her father’s remark. She peered up at the deer in my arms. “What are you going to name it?”

Annabel pursed her lips thoughtfully. “Actually, we hadn’t gotten that far yet.”

Bringing her hands to her hips, Willow said, “Well, it needs a name.”

“Probably something unisex since we don’t know what it is,” I mused.

Annabel cocked her head. “How about Poe?”

“Like ‘Poe a deer’ instead of ‘Doe a deer’?” I questioned with a teasing smile.

“I’m not even going to ask how you know a song from The Sound of Music.”

I laughed and jerked my chin at Willow. “Ask Miss Show Tunes over there.”

“I meant for Edgar Allen Poe.”

With a wink, I said, “I figured as much.”

“So it’s Poe?” Willow asked.

I glanced down at the deer. “Yep, Mr. or Miss Poe.”

“A very distinguished name,” Alexandra said with a grin.

“Now that Poe has a name, we need to work on getting some food into him or her.” Annabel turned to me. “I’m going to need some things from a pet store. I can make you a list.”

“I’ll be happy to go get them for you. Especially a pen.”

“Oh, but I planned on letting it sleep with me,” Annabel teased.

“Think again.”

Her smile once again reached her eyes, and in that moment, I would’ve let the damn deer sleep with her if I could see that much happiness on her face again. I had thought she was beautiful before, but when she truly smiled, she was breathtaking. And while I welcomed her newfound joy, I also knew I was in deep, deep trouble.