She thought about Eric. She had no doubt he would try to find her. She was certain he could track the horses, but she’d been on foot for the past three hours. That would make it far more difficult, if not impossible. And even if he could do it, it would certainly slow him down considerably. He’d be at least two hours behind, perhaps three or four.

Nicole sighed, telling herself to get up and race the night and the man coming after her, but her body rebelled, and she decided that she had a right to pamper it for once. She closed her eyes again and thought only of how good the sunshine and the cool water felt.

Nicole awoke with a start and lifted her head, looking around wildly until her eyes focused on the river and she remembered where she was. She sat up with a jerk, and her hands flew to her cheeks, feeling the hot, sunburned skin. She squinted up at the sun and gave a cry of dismay. It was noticeably lower. Perhaps an hour, maybe an hour and a half, had passed since she had lain down.

Berating herself for her stupidity, she reached for her shoes and socks, but her hand froze in midair. A loud crash in the underbrush off to her right was clear and distinct, and with a start she realized that that was the sound that had awakened her. She scurried the few feet to the nearest clump of brush and dove into the foliage, her heart pounding furiously.

For a moment she heard only a curious shuffling sound, then the distinct noise of something heavy moving through the brush. Suddenly she went deathly still. It was not Eric. From around a thick clump of mountain-currant bushes, a massive brown shape lumbered into view, sniffing at the ground. Though it was still nearly forty or fifty yards upstream, the golden-tipped fur, the jutting front shoulders, and the square snout were clearly visible. It was not just a bear—it was a grizzly!

Not daring to move, Nicole watched in horror as the animal stopped and stripped several branches of their berries, then pried up a rock as big as a bread box with ease, looking for grubs. If it smelled her—she shuddered. For the moment the wind was blowing downriver, carrying her scent away from the grizzly, but in a few more yards the animal would be close enough to catch her scent no matter how the wind blew. It splashed into the river, looking for fish, and turned its back on Nicole’s hiding place. Gently and with infinite care she backed out the other side of the bush, giving her shoes and socks one last longing glance.