Deadly Safari. Lisa Harris

about her father always brought with it turmoil from the past. And the handsome cowboy in front of her wasn’t helping.

      She drew in a deep breath and tried to relax. Something wasn’t right. “Do you smell that?”

      “What?”

      “Cigarette smoke again.”

      She’d always been sensitive to smells, making her certain this was the same scent she’d noticed earlier today. The same brand the poachers had left. They were out here somewhere. Planning. Tracking. Preparing for another strike. She was certain of it.

      The roar of an engine jerked her from her thoughts. She turned toward the noise and felt her breath catch.

      “Poachers.”

      “Who’s being paranoid now?” He nudged her with his shoulder. “It’s probably just your friends coming to pick you up.”

      “Maybe.” She pulled them off the trail and into the cover of the bush, waiting for the vehicle to emerge. He was probably right, but if not... “My paranoia stems from reality. There was something I didn’t mention earlier.”

      “What’s that?”

      “The last person who got in the poachers’ way was murdered.”

      THREE

      Meghan let her lungs release the air they’d been holding as soon as the familiar form of Samuel appeared in the disappearing light, driving one of the lodge’s vehicles. Relief spread through her. She’d been wrong. Which meant no more worrying tonight about poachers, wild predators...or needing Alex’s help.

      She stepped back onto the trail as Kate jumped from the Jeep and threw her arms around Meghan’s neck.

      “Whoa, careful.” Pain shot through Meghan’s knee as she fought to keep her balance. Alex grabbed her shoulders from behind to steady her, but she managed to hobble away from both of them to lean against the front bumper of the Jeep.

      “What in the world happened to you?” Kate began. “I’ve been worried sick. I saw you jump into the other vehicle. I thought you were behind us, but by the time we circled around to check on you, you’d vanished.” Kate’s gaze shifted from Meghan’s bruised leg to Alex. “And who are you?”

      “Kate, Samuel,” Meghan began. “Meet Alex Markham. He’s our new production assistant. Kate works with photography and editing, and Samuel’s one of the best trackers you’ll find in southern Africa.”

      “Assistant?” Kate’s gaze narrowed.

      “I am sorry about what happened earlier. I certainly didn’t mean to cause such a commotion.” Alex shot Kate a smile, then held out his hand. “It’s nice to meet you, Kate. Samuel.”

      Any traces of frustration on Kate’s face disappeared. “It’s nice to meet you, too, Mr. Markham.”

      “Call me Alex.”

      “Okay...Alex.”

      Meghan caught Kate’s gaze taking in Mr. Lone Star’s Stetson, boots, belt buckle and all his charm. She was actually fawning over the man.

      Meghan shook her head. He was smooth. She’d give him credit for that. And attractive, if you liked the cowboy type. But the last thing she needed was another complication in her life.

      “Yes, Kate, he’ll be picking up the slack for Jared.”

      Her grin had yet to diminish. “Sounds good to me.”

      “I am glad the two of you are safe, but what about your vehicle?” Samuel didn’t seem to notice Kate’s gawking stare. “I am assuming that since you are out on foot in the middle of the bush at dusk that something happened to it.”

      “The brakes on the Jeep gave out,” Meghan told him.

      “Is that when you hurt your leg?” Kate asked.

      “Yes, I smashed it against the dash, but it’s nothing. Really.”

      “I’m not sure about that.” Kate studied the bruise in what little light remained. “It’s already turning purple.”

      “It’s nothing that a bag of ice and a couple pain pills can’t fix.”

      “And the vehicle?” Samuel asked. “What is the damage there?”

      “The front end’s banged up pretty badly. It’s wrapped around the base of a tree trunk.”

      Samuel’s gaze narrowed. “You know Ian is not going to be happy about another big expense, but at least both of you are okay. That is what really matters.”

      Meghan caught the concern in Samuel’s eyes.

      “Meghan tends to be a bit accident-prone,” Kate began.

      “What kind of accidents?” Alex asked.

      “In case you didn’t notice, I can hear you both.” Meghan frowned as she set her camera down and climbed into the front passenger seat.

      Kate slid into the backseat beside Alex. “It is true, Meghan. Either you’re accident-prone or maybe you’ve just had a string of bad luck lately—”

      “It was nothing,” Meghan countered.

      “What kinds of accidents?” Alex repeated.

      “For one,” Kate began, “two days ago, the side of a hide collapsed while Meghan was inside studying our lion family. All joking aside, it actually could have been very dangerous.”

      “It collapsed?”

      Meghan caught the concern in Alex’s voice. “Kate. You shouldn’t have brought that up.”

      “Why not?”

      “Because our new assistant has a tendency to worry. He even implied that the brakes on the Jeep went out due to sabotage.” The guy was clearly a worrywart. She’d only added to the mess by mentioning the poachers to him. The idea that the poachers might come after her seemed stupid now. The man who’d been killed had been in the wrong place at the wrong time. The chances of it happening again were pretty much zilch.

      “Sabotage?” Samuel headed back toward the lodge. “That does not seem very likely. It is far more probable that the owners are cutting back on costs and missed the vehicle’s last scheduled maintenance.”

      “The owner’s facing financial issues?” Alex asked.

      “No more than any other lodge when the world economy is down.”

      “It’s one of the reasons he agreed to help with the documentary we’re working on,” Meghan added. “He’s hoping the added exposure will bring in more tourists. Kate and I blog, and post on Facebook and Twitter, everything we do, complete with videos and photos. People love it.”

      “Have there been any other accidents?” Alex clearly wasn’t ready to drop the subject.

      “Kate, I’m warning you. Say nothing. Because, Mr. Lone Star, as much as you seem to want there to be, there is no conspiracy going on here. In fact, our days are far less glamorous than most people think, and certainly not dangerous unless you count an occasional encounter with a pack of wild dogs or—like today—a run-in with a rhino. Most of our time is spent out in the bush waiting. No saboteurs, no encounters with poachers, no bad guys waiting in the wings.”

      A moment later, the lights of the lodge came into view, hopefully putting an end to the conversation for good. Because all Meghan wanted now was a hot shower and a good night’s sleep.

      She stood up and slid out of the Jeep before Alex or the others could react. “Thanks for the ride, Samuel. I appreciate your coming back for us.”

      “Where are you going?” Kate asked.

      “Back to my chalet. Once I get ahold of a bag of ice and some pain medicine,