I raised the rifle again. "Besides, rabbits are an invasive species. We're doing the land a favor."
"I know you're right." She grabbed my arm. "I do. It’s just..."
"Did you feel the same way about that big dinosaur eating Banjo?"
She slapped my arm. "Very funny." A grin swept across her face, and my chest tightened. Holy hell, she's gorgeous.
Her stomach grumbled so loud we both looked down.
"Want me to solve those hunger pains?" I asked, raising my eyebrows.
She nodded slowly. "I just... I can't watch."
"Then don't. Turn around."
She hesitated, then turned her back to the rabbits, squeezed her eyes shut, and stuck her fingers in her ears.
I raised the rifle, took aim, and pulled the trigger. The shot cracked across the empty landscape, and all but one rabbit scattered.
Charlie flinched but didn't move.
"It's done," I said. "And it was quick. He didn't suffer." I turned my back to her. "Get on."
"What?"
"Hop on. I'll carry you."
"Mitch, I'm not?—"
"You planning to argue, or you planning to eat? Because that rabbit's not coming to us."
A sound of frustration thrummed in her throat, then she gripped my shoulders and jumped. I caught her bare thighs, hoisting her up. Her arms wrapped around my neck, and as she pressed her breasts into my back, a wave of heat shot through me.
"Better?" I asked, my voice rougher than I meant it to be.
"Yes. Thanks." Her breath was warm against my ear. "Giddyup, cowboy." She wriggled against me, and every drop of blood in my body went straight to my damn groin. I tightened my grip on the smooth skin of her thighs and forced myself to keep walking.
"When was the last time you gave someone a piggyback ride?" she asked.
"Don't know. Decades, I guess. When my sis sprained her ankle."
"And here I thought chivalry was dead."
"This isn't chivalry. This is pure survival strategy. You walk too slowly, and I'm hungry."
She laughed, and the sound vibrated against my back.
At the trees, I set the rifle against the tree trunk and lowered her down in the shade. "What should I do?" She straightened her shirt, and my damn gaze settled on the swell of her breasts beneath the cotton.
She blinked at me.
Shit. She’d caught me looking.
"We need a fire," I said. "Can you gather some small branches? Nothing green."
"Sure." A sassy smile touched her lips before she limped toward the scattered scrub.
I watched her for a moment, impressed by the determined set of her shoulders. The way her ass looked in those tiny shorts.