How long he had been asleep, he did not know, but what he did know was that his senses were now on full alert as he lay there on the couch, eyes open and listening. Something was wrong, but what, he did not know.

Everything was quiet, to quiet, as he slowly lowered his hand into his backpack and wrapped his hand and fingers around the butt of his pistol, and waited. Every nerve in his body on edge, his muscles bunched and tight, ready to spring, and his ears listening for the slightest noise out of place. He did not have long to wait.

Suddenly he could hear the horses raising hell and the unmistakable roar of a bear. He moved with a speed and fluid motion of years of training as he ran out of the house and headed toward the barn. There under the light of the full moon, he saw it, a huge black bear clawing and pounding on the door to the barn, doing everything it could to get inside.

Liam yelled at it with all he had, trying to distract it. Then without warning, the bear turn and charged him. He knew that the bear would cover the short distance and be on him in no time, but he was not going down without a fight. He took his stance and began firing. The sound of the 50 cal. Desert Eagle erupting sounded like a bomb going off in the small valley. He knew that each shot was making contact with the oncoming bear. He could only hope that it would kill the bear before it reached him. Then he placed his last shot directly into the opened mouth of the bear and it was upon him hitting him full force. As he felt its jaws close upon his shoulder they went flying through the air and onto the ground. He lay there on the ground with the bear on top of him. His shoulder hurting like hell as he felt the blood running from his wounds. He started cussing as he began to try and get from under the bear.

"GET OFF ME, YOU SON OF A BITCH," he yelled. Finally he stood up and looked down at the bear. It was truly dead as he looked at his pistol. The slid was open and he realized that he had emptied the magazine into it. He guessed that the bear weighted around four hundred pounds and would have done some real damage if it had gotten to the horses.

"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON," he heard Connie yell, and then silence. He turned his head toward her and saw her standing on the porch with a rifle in one hand and a flashlight in the other. The only other thing she had on her was the bra and panties he had left on her before he had covered her up in her bed. She stood there for a bit, her flashlight on the bear, just looking at it. Then yelled out," THE HORSES," and ran toward the barn.

Liam looked at her as she ran toward the barn, not saying a word. Then headed back to the house, grabbed his backpack, went back outside and setting on the porch, pulled out his first aid kit and began working on his shoulder.

Connie came out of the barn spitting nails. "Dam it Liam, everything was nice and peaceful around here till you showed up. I want you out of here," then she froze in her tracks, looking at him, blood running down his arm and chest as he tried to clean himself up.

He looked at her his eyes cold and dark and not saying a word, puts a fresh clip into the 50 cal. Chambers a round, walks over to the bear and put a round through the bears head. Then he looks at her stating in no uncertain terms, "I'll be gone within the hour." Then he walks or staggers back to the porch and begins working on his wounds.

She stood there, mouth hanging open, not saying a word as she stared at him, shaking her head back and forth. Suddenly she dropped her rifle and ran inside the house. A few moments later she came out carrying a large first aid kit and sat down beside him. He said not a word as she moved his hand away and took over cleaning his wounds. As she works on him, she tells him that he is going to need stiches. He reaches into his bag pulling out a medical suture kit and set it down next to her. He says not a word as she cleans his wounds nor as she sews him up. She knows perfectly well that he has to hurt, but somehow keeps it contained. The she notices his back, covered with scars that looked like bullet holes and long tears that had healed. Finally she finishes and begins putting her supplies away. Liam stands up, wincing as he does. He steps inside, gathers the rest of his things and heads out the door without saying a word heading for the woods.

Connie stands there for a moment before calling out to him. "Liam, please don't go, I'm sorry and didn't mean it." He stops and looks at her, still not saying a word. "Liam, I mean it, I'm sorry. I know I can be a mule headed bitch. It's just been so long since I've been around anyone and now you show up and save my life. I just don't know how to handle it. Please come back in at least till you heal a bit more. I don't want to find you dead from loss of blood or any other reason. Please."

He looks at her before saying anything. "I agree with you on one thing, YOU are a mule headed bitch. But at least for now we can take care of each other till we are both healed or you kick me out again. The other thing is that it's going to take both of us to skin that bastard.

Watching him walk back to where she is standing, she burst out laughing. Noticing a look of consternation on his pain ridden face she puts her hands on her hips and looking into his eyes says. "Liam, Aren't we a couple of real fine 'mountain men'! I was injured by stupidity trying to catch whoever was snooping around my land and you had to be a hero wrestling a black bear. That strikes me as rather hilarious here in the Twenty-first century.

As he draws near his eyes dancing with a mixture of pain and mirth laughter erupts echoing across the mountains, "Well, now that you put it that way." Still holding his backpack as they walk toward the porch she retrieves her first aid kit as they enter the house a tinge of gray heralds the early dawn--- that quiet period of the day when the nocturnal animals ravaging the night crawl into their dens; that is except one, a four hundred pound black bear that will roam no more. And in the still gray dawn one hears the gentle flutter of wings as the small birds of the forest slowly wake to the glow of pale yellow creeping above the mountain peaks greeting the day with their melodious songs.

Standing at the cabinet Connie puts her first aid kit away, pickups the canister holding the coffee, filling the pot puts it on the burner to boil adding an egg shell to it as she prepares to scramble some eggs and fry bacon.

Liam returns from the living room where he left his pack but as Connie turns she sees his gun is stuck in his pants. With a hint of irony she asks, "You gonna shoot me now?"

With a solemn look on his continence he jokes, "Naw, You're not on my hit list." Immediately, he sees sheer panic spread across Connie's face and her body stiffen. She quickly turns back to the stove where bacon is sizzling. What the hell did I say? She actually turned pale.

Connie feels her panic rising and struggles to quell the memories racing to the forefront of her mind; memories she thought had died the last four years of solitude here in her haven. Would she never be rid of the fear of being found and having to run again? Where else could she hide?

Even the Feds couldn't keep her safe. Will she ever be truly free? Questions after questions race through her mind with no answers. She takes a deep breath as slowly sanity returns. No, if he were here to kill me he would have left me lying in the rain and mud to die.

As she turns to face Liam he notices some color has come back into her features, "Liam, how do you like your eggs?"

His lips open in a grin that doesn't quite reach his eyes, "After eating jerky for the past two weeks I'm not real particular, just cooked." He listens to her trying to put an air of levity in her voice and failing miserably. "That bacon sure smells good."

"Sit down Liam, breakfast is almost ready." Placing a plate of food on the table in front of him she pours two cups of coffee handing one to him she takes her plate and sits across from him.

Digging into the food he manages to say between bites, "Sure taste good."
Smiling she agrees, but when he looks across the table he sees that she isn't really eating just moving the food around on the plate and sipping her coffee. After a few minutes, she gets up places her plate in the sink, "I'm gonna check on the horses."

Rising from the chair he says, "Whoa there, Connie, not without me you aren't. That damned bear might have a mate." Placing his plate in the sink he takes his cup of coffee with him and follows her to the barn.

Approaching the barn she hears Diablo stomping and snorting. As she enters the building she coos to him laying her hand first on his flanks then moving slowly up his back until she feels the quivers subside. Laying her face against his neck feeling his silk mane on her cheek, she feels a calm seep through her body. Whispering in his ear, "Oh Diablo, you are my baby, my very special baby. I love you so." When he is calm, she moves to Paddy with her usual quiet unperturbed nature. "Paddy, love, you never let much bother you. You are truly my lady."

All the time she is seeing to her animals Liam observes the love between her and the horses. It's as if they are the only friends she has.

Putting feed and hay in the stalls for them, she closes the barn door. Walking a few feet from the building she stands looking at the black furry monster lying in her yard. Turning to Liam she asks, "Now, what the hell do we do with a dead bear?"