Its ears went back.

Oh, good, she was getting somewhere. It’d heard her. Now it would move.

Head down, it stared at her, licking its lips.

Eff-it-all, this was ridiculous. It was just a big deer, right? Stepping out onto the two-step landing, she jumped up and down, waving her arms, and yelling, “Get out of here.”

The hair on its back went up, and it charged. Right at her!

She jumped back inside so fast, she tripped and landed on her butt. Frantically, she kicked the door shut. “Oh God, oh God, oh God.”

The moose hit the doorframe so hard the entire cabin shook, and she heard a cracking sound.

She screamed then clapped her hands over her mouth. Don’t make it angrier. Her heart pounded like crazy. What if it knocked the door in?

Get away from the door! She scrambled to her feet and moved to the center of the room, dancing on tiptoes so she could run.

Run where?

Nothing hit the door again. Was it still there? Had it left?

She rushed over to the small window that faced the road.

Gripping the windowsill, she stared. Her hands shook as she watched the moose move away from her cabin.

Her knees buckled, and she dropped to the floor. Cold sweat dampened her shoulders, and she was panting like a bellows.

Oh God, that had been horrible.

Belatedly, she remembered Gabe had said something about half-a-ton of irritable. No kidding.

And people came here to see the wildlife?

They were insane.

She watched as the animal reached the next cabin. Keep going, please.

Conscious of the minutes passing, she waited and waited. Then, after easing out the front door, she paused. It was near the last cabin in the line.

She darted to her car and jumped in.

Even as she turned the key, the moose swung its big head to look, then took a step toward her.

Oh, God, it would totally win an encounter with her tiny car. She turned the key and stomped on the gas. As her car spat gravel behind her, she glanced in the rearview mirror.

Not accepting the challenge, the moose had resumed its stroll down toward the lake.

Her fingers were still trembling. She pulled in a breath and glared at it in the rear view mirror. “You big bastard.” Her voice came out hoarse.

A few minutes later, she walked into Bull’s, saw how packed it was, and almost cried in relief. She’d never realized how wonderful a crowd of people could be.

Both Bull and the new bartender were behind the bar. An old Gordon Lightfoot song was playing. The slow ballad smoothed her jangled nerves, and she pulled her shoulders back. Okay, she could do this.

After locking up her purse and donning an apron, she swung by the bar to let her boss know she’d arrived.