Night of the Cougar Read Online Free

against her windshield and slowing her trip up the mountain road. To add to her misery, big gusts of snow rocked her Jeep, forcing her to grip the wheel so tightly her hands ached. Flexing her fingers one hand at a time, she focused on avoiding the worst patches of ice and snow on the logging road leading up to Galen’s.
    It took over an hour to go the short distance, thanks to the messy road conditions. By the time she reached the iron and stone gate that marked the start of Galen’s property, the snow that had been falling all day only got heavier. Big, thick, lacy flakes were coming down with ever increasing frequency in the fading light of dusk.
    Damn, she thought as she pulled her Jeep in front of the gate and walked up to the intercom. She pushed the button to call Galen, but there was no response.
    A vicious gust of wind cut through her clothing and nearly yanked her ski cap off her head. She jammed it back on and looked up toward the lodge looming high on the mountainside. It was at least a mile up the long, winding road to Galen’s home, and with the snow and darkness falling, she wasn’t looking forward to the hike. But returning to town wasn’t a good idea either. The logging road had been perilous enough when she could see the ruts and dangerous patches of ice and snow from a previous storm.
    With the snow coming down as fast it was, the road would be obscured quickly, making driving even more treacherous.
    Sucking in a cold, bracing breath, she returned to the Jeep to grab her knapsack and lock up the car, not that anyone would be out in this weather to steal it. She slung the knapsack over her shoulders and clambered around the narrow rock wall to one side of the stone gate. Then she slid down through the rocks and brush on the other side to reach the road leading up to Galen’s lodge.
    As she walked, the wind kicked up more viciously, driving the snow into her face, forcing her to squint to see only a few feet ahead of her.
    Darkness seemed to arrive quickly, and it was all she could do to stay on the road, head bent against the wind and snow. Her muscles protested the slow incline. Her mind chastised her for her stupidity.
    She should never have started the drive up with night and a storm on the way. Not to mention that the locals had warned her that since Galen’s accident no one ventured onto his property alone. The bellhop who had taken up her bag had said that even the deliverymen taking him the groceries he ordered and assorted mail and packages never ventured farther than the front gate. According to innkeeper and her assistant behind the desk as she checked in, weird things had been happening on the mountain ever since Galen’s misfortune.
    She was about a quarter mile away from his home when the hackles along the back of her neck rose in warning. Pausing, she examined the area all around. The snow had already covered the brush and undergrowth along the edges of the road and dusted the ground beneath the denser canopy of pine trees in the adjacent forest.
    It was deathly still. Not the peaceful kind of quiet that nature wrought. This was the serial-killer-is-about-to-stab-you, horror-movie kind of quiet.
    Not a sound came through the biting cold air until she heard the rustle of brush from a distance. Turning, she peered into the darkness, but could see nothing. Then she heard something more regular. Heavier, like a large animal in motion.
    Galen? she wondered. A low snarl sounded, and from far down the road the glow of yellow-green eyes pierced the night.
    She took off in a run, her knapsack slapping against her back as she raced toward the lodge. A dangerous growl chased her, as well as the now very obvious sounds of an immense animal loping up the mountain road.
    Turning the bend on the final approach to Galen’s, she realized not one light was on in the building. She prayed he would be there to open the door before whatever was racing up the mountain reached her.
    Running as fast as she