Your Wild Heart by Dena Garson Read Free Book Online Page B

been incorrect.
    The visit to George’s ranch, while unrelated to my research, was wonderful on a personal level. Once again the beauty of the land rendered me speechless. Seeing so much of it almost untouched gave me a sense of what it may have looked like hundreds of years ago. Wyatt lent personal insights to the ranch and how it came about, and he pointed out many things I may not have noticed on my own.
    The time we’ve spent together was wonderful. Unfortunately, he received a distress call from a friend and had to leave not long after we returned. But he was nice enough to take the oversized snake we found curled up under the table away with him.
    Despite spending years in the outdoors, I still don’t like snakes. I need to remember to give Wyatt a suitable reward for taking care of yet ANOTHER issue for me. God, I’m beginning to feel like a helpless woman who needs rescuing. It’s rather disturbing .
     
    Isabelle finished making her entry in the journal then logged off her computer and put it away. She packed her satchel with the supplies she needed for her morning hike. Even if she couldn’t find the wolf she had been looking for, she could still enjoy the scenery and study the animals that did inhabit the park. The weather couldn’t be better if she’d planned it.
    Her latest copy of the trail map went into the bag last.
    Maybe today her camp wouldn’t get raided by animals. Seriously. What were the odds? Five days in the park and four of them she’d had animal visitors. At least none of her equipment had been damaged. Shredded and scattered paper she could deal with, but she was getting tired of eating canned food.
    Normally, animals stayed away from her campsites.
    Perhaps the local animals were far more used to park visitors than those at home.
    She hadn’t gotten far down the trail when she noticed a boy huddled under a tree. He leaned against the trunk with his knees pulled up to his chest and his head resting on his knees. If he hadn’t been wearing a bright red windbreaker, she may not have seen him.
    Slowing her pace, she checked the surrounding area for the boy’s parents or a trail guide. Seeing no one else, she slowed and listened. Still, she couldn’t tell if anyone accompanied the boy.
    Unable to continue without knowing for sure, Isabelle headed toward him.
    She kept her movements slow to avoid spooking the child. When she got close, she called out, “Hey, sport. Are you okay?”
    He lifted his head and looked at her with heavy eyelids. As he woke, he became alarmed and leaped to his feet.
    Isabelle lifted her hands. “I only wanted to find out if you were all right.”
    The boy’s lip trembled. “No.”
    “Are you lost?”
    He nodded.
    Poor thing . She took a few more steps toward him. “You weren’t out here all night were you?”
    Again, he nodded.
    She closed the distance between them and touched his forehead. “Oh, sweetie. You must have been so scared.”
    “Uh-huh,” he said with a whimper.
    “What’s your name?”
    “Jimmie.”
    “Jimmie.” She smiled, hoping to comfort him. “Are you hungry?”
    He hesitated and then, in a small voice said, “A little.”
    She slipped her backpack off and placed it on the ground in front of her. “I have a fruit bar and some granola. You’re welcome to have them.”
    His gaze darted to her bag then up to her face again.
    Without waiting for him to answer, she fished the items out of her bag and handed them over. Next, she fished the extra bottle of water out, broke the seal on the lid, and handed it to him. Her heart ached at how fast he gulped down the first swallows. As he ate, she pulled out her phone.
    “Are you gonna call my mom and dad?” he asked.
    “No, honey. I would if I knew their phone number. I’m going to call a friend of mine. He’s a park ranger. But if you know your mom or dad’s phone number I will call them.”
    He shook his head. “Dad just got a new phone, and I haven’t learned it yet.” He