The Zen Man Read Online Free PDF Page A

mine or coming darn near face to face with a coyote, both of which she’d experienced in the six weeks since she and Rick had moved here.
    With an indignant snuffle, Mavis finally left the warmth of the kitchen and ventured into the cool night. Zippering her jacket, Laura followed, the door closing with a sucking sound.
    It was one of those still, cloudless winter nights. The moon so big and bright, it dimmed the light from the stars. Mavis trotted ahead a few feet, then stopped abruptly, her body tense. She raised her head and sniffed the air.
    “What is it, girl?”
    With a chuffing sound, Mavis charged into the night.
    Laura stared into the darkness where the dog had bounded, trying to ignore the clenching in her stomach. Rick had told her repeatedly that mountain lions and bears rarely, if ever, showed up in this area, especially near the lights of the lodge, but she still got jumpy out here in the dark. Something moved in her peripheral vision and she jerked her gaze to her right. One of the resident bunnies flashed a white tail as it hopped into the sanctuary of a shrub.
    Blowing out a puff of breath, she continued walking. The rocks under her feet crunched as she moved along the path, lighted by strands of tiny white lights that wound up the hill toward the guest cabins and hot spring pools. To the east, she could almost make out the red sandstone hogback mountains—spiky rocks like the bumpy spine of a razorback hog—that separated Morrison from its metropolitan neighbor Denver. A popular spot for cyclists and tourists, millions of years ago that ridge—now called Dinosaur Ridge—had been a beach on a vast inland sea where dinosaurs migrated and left their footprints in the sand.
    She never thought she’d know the difference between an Iguanodon and a Stegosaurus, but now she enjoyed learning about the prehistoric history of the area. With the thousands of dinosaur enthusiasts, students, and nature aficionados who visited Dinosaur Ridge each year, it’d help her business to be able to dino-chat.
    Crocodile Rock finally ended. “Good riddance,” she muttered, wishing Elton John’s music would go the way of the dinosaur. At the rate these people were partying, it’d be the wee hours before they staggered off to their rooms. Fortunately, staff would be here at six A.M. to help clean up the dining hall and transform it into a breakfast-buffet and workshop room. She and Rick had tomorrow night off as Rocky Mountain Mobile Caterers were handling all dinner preparations and cleanup.
    Off to her left, something crashed through the bushes.
    She halted, stared at the dark bulk of land and trees. Now that definitely hadn’t been caused by a bunny.
    “Mavis?” Her voice came out like a scratchy whisper. She sucked in a breath, called louder. “Mavis! Get back here,
now
!”
    A series of short, energetic barks was followed by the thumpity thumpity of paws hitting earth. In a rush of movement, Mavis, panting, her tongue hanging out the side of her mouth, emerged.
    Laura grabbed her collar, fumbled, caught it again. She tugged the dog close, rubbed it behind its ears. In the dim light, she could see Mavis’s big doggy smile, which made her feel silly about her fears.
    “Run into a pal out there?” The neighbors had two golden labs, Vice and Versa, who roamed the area at all hours. “C’mon, let’s go back inside.”
    She straightened and turned. Stopped. The fuzzy yellow light from one of outdoor lanterns illuminated a form in a pool twenty or so feet away. Probably a partying lawyer who’d wandered outside for a soak. Laura’s jaw tightened. She’d told Rick that their posted signs warning guests to not soak alone after dark weren’t enough, and sure enough she was right. The last thing they needed was a lawsuit from somebody, especially a lawyer, slipping or worse. They needed to erect fences around the pools, keep them locked after nightfall.
    She took a few steps, pausing to listen to the bubbling water