Page 14 of Christmas at the Ranch
“I was wondering what a wolf looks like,” she said hurriedly.
“Like a coyote but larger,” the guide said.
“I’ve never seen a coyote either,” Samantha ventured.
“Oh, you’ll see coyotes too. They love to come right up to the sleigh. Just make sure you don’t feed them,” the guide said cheerfully. “We don’t want the coyotes to think they can have an easy lunch.”
Samantha tried all her calming tricks: She counted to a hundred and imagined she was sitting in a warm bath of lavender-scented bubbles. She even visualized her goals: getting a movie deal, making enough money to support an animal shelter so all stray dogs would always have a home. Nothing worked. Reluctantly she picked up the binoculars and took in her surroundings.
Then it happened. An elk came into view. He was close enough for Samantha to admire him, but far enough for her not to be afraid. And he was the most beautiful animal she had ever seen.
For a moment, Samantha forgot everything. The voice of the tour guide was muted, and the other guests disappeared. It was just Samantha and the elk gazing at each other across the snowy field.
“Oh, he’s amazing,” Samantha said out loud.
“I told you.” Drew’s voice seemed to come from far away. “The elk are the kings of the plains. And they’re so graceful. They can run forty miles per hour even though they have to carry their antlers.”
At that moment, another animal came into view. Samantha recognized it from her mother’s description. It was a bison and it was headed straight for the elk. The elk kept looking at Samantha as ifit was asking what to do. Samantha opened her mouth as the elk reared on its hind legs. Its hooves stomped the ground and it hurtled toward the sleigh.
Her binoculars dropped onto the bench. The other passengers shifted in their seats but she was too terrified to move. She kept waiting for the elk to change direction. The closer it came, the more determined it seemed to reach the sleigh.
At the last minute, when she could practically smell the elk’s fur, it stopped. Its ears pricked up and it tipped its head. Then it made a bugling sound and moved off to join the herd.
The hushed silence broke. Samantha heard the sound of a camera clicking and one guest nervously opened a bag of mints.
“Wasn’t that exciting. You’d almost think it was staged. Don’t worry, it was completely real,” the guide said in her high-pitched voice. Her eyes shone as if they’d just witnessed the tennis finals at Wimbledon. “If that doesn’t guarantee a five-star Yelp review, I don’t know what would!”
The sleigh let them off at the entrance to the refuge. Samantha couldn’t wait to climb back in the car. Her teeth chattered and she could feel her pulse racing.
They drove to the center of Jackson Hole, where they were all going to have lunch. The moment the car parked, she set off on her own.
“Samantha, wait,” Drew called after her.
Samantha was already halfway down Main Street. She was so shaken; she didn’t want to talk to anyone. Especially not Drew.
“What’s wrong?” he said, catching up with her. “You haven’t said anything since we left the refuge.”
“You’re asking what’s wrong?” she demanded, turning around. Her cheeks were flushed and she couldn’t stop trembling. “I toldyou that I’m afraid of everything. Then you gave me binoculars and made me sit up front.”
“I thought you’d enjoy seeing the elk through binoculars,” Drew said, perplexed. “It was perfectly safe. My father would never arrange an outing that put anyone in danger.”
“Well, I didn’t feel safe,” Samantha retorted. “I felt as if any minute, I’d be skewered by the elk’s horns like a roasted marshmallow. I thought you were listening to me on the plane, but you’re just like everyone else. You don’t really hear anything someone is saying to you.”
Samantha didn’t wait for Drew to reply. She strode down the sidewalk and ducked into a shop.
“Can I help you?” the woman behind the counter asked.
Samantha turned around. She hadn’t even noticed what kind of store it was. The counter was strewn with souvenirs. There was a snow globe with a miniature version of Main Street, and a rack of postcards that read WELCOME TOJACKSONHOLE. Sweatshirts were decorated with pictures of bison and there was a row of après-ski boots and fake fur slippers.
“I’m just looking, thank you,” Samantha answered.
“You’d be surprised how many people haven’t finished their Christmas shopping,” the woman said, smiling. “Some years, people bang on the door after we’ve closed, even on Christmas Eve. I don’t mind. I’d rather stand in a warm shop during the Christmas holidays than sit home alone.”
“Is this your store?” Samantha inquired.
The woman shook her head.
“I manage it during the winter. In the summer, I work at a horse ranch.” She paused. “Everyone does that sort of thing in JacksonHole. People who have lived here for years do anything so they don’t have to leave.”
