Snowfire

by French, Colleen

  "He never once showed it to you, never took you back to the place?"

  "When I first came back from Seattle, I almost believed there was a map, but as time passed, I realized it was just another one of his stories. That was when we really started trading to make money. I knew by the time I was fifteen that the only way that road of his was going to get built was if I earned the money to hire those loggers myself."

  Alex got to his feet and went to stand opposite Gabrielle. He placed one hand on the mantel of the fireplace, leaning toward her. "Where does Lucas Taylor come into all of this?"

  "Lucas Taylor?" She gave a snort of disgust and drained her glass. "We met Lucas Taylor in a saloon on the docks in Seattle. He started following us around, being all friendly-like with my father. Papa was so gullible, he thought the man liked him. I never liked him . . . never trusted him." She paused.

  "And . . ." Alex urged softly.

  "Taylor tried to get my father to tell him where the map was, or least what was on it. He had to have heard about it from someone else. But Papa was tight-lipped. He kept telling Taylor the map was mine, that the money belonged to me." Tears welled in her eyes. "Papa and I, we had a big argument. I was getting scared. I told him either to tell the man he lied or give him the damned map." A sob escaped her lips, and she turned away.

  "Gabrielle . . ." Alex rested a hand on her shoulder. "Tell me what happened. I can't help you if you don't tell me."

  "They were playing cards one night, just like any other night in the Full Moon Saloon. I was there, but Papa didn't know it. He didn't like me in the saloons, but if I didn't go, there was no one to drag him home when he passed out from drinking." She set her glass gently on the mantel. "I was sitting behind a curtain in another private playing room. I was watching the game. My father was a cheater at cards, but for some reason that night he was rolling high all on his own." Tears rolled freely down her cheeks. "Taylor accused him of cheating, but he wasn't—" Another sob racked her body. "He wasn't. He had three kings, an ace high. He won fair and square. But the next thing I knew, Taylor was shouting and pulling out his gun." Her voice became barely audible. "It vas a setup. Taylor searched his body for the map after he went down. Rouge LeBeau never had a chance."

  Alex turned Gabrielle around, drawing her trembling body into his arms. He didn't care if Jack saw him; he really didn't care what the man thought. All he wanted was to comfort Gabrielle, to wipe the tears from her cheeks and make her laugh again. "Oh, Gabrielle. Why was that so hard for you to tell me? That's why he's after you, isn't it? He thinks you have the map."

  Gabrielle clung to Alex, molding her body against his. "Hold me," she whispered. "Please, Alex, hold me. . . ."

  "Shhh," he hushed, smoothing her dark curls with the palm of his hand. Behind him he could hear Jack moving, putting on his parka and then leaving quietly.

  Gabrielle lifted her arms, encircling them around Alex's neck. "I'm so afraid," she murmured against his hair. "So afraid."

  "The authorities . . . didn't they—"

  "Oh, they investigated, but Taylor said it was self-defense. No one would listen to me. I think he'd paid them off . . . the sheriff, the judge, all of them. I was told it would be best if I just left, and soon." She was calmer now. It was Alex that gave her the strength to go on."I had to get him buried, then there were the supplies to be shipped, and my mother . . . God, my mother, she came around wanting to know if there was an inheritance coming to her. Seems she'd heard about the map, too."

  "Go on, what about Taylor?" Alex kissed her cheeks, her eyelids, the end of her nose.

  "He started following me." She raised her head, wanting to feel his lips on hers." He said he wanted to talk, but I knew better. It was his talk that killed my father."

  He brushed his lips against hers again and again, savoring the smell of wild flowers that clung to her hair. "That man who was chasing you when you ran into me?"

  "When he found out I was leaving soon, he cornered me in a hotel. He had his hands all over me. He said he'd kill me if I didn't give him the map. I was scheduled to leave later in the week, but I had all of my supplies transferred to the Lady Yukon because she was sailing two days sooner. I almost got away, but someone informed him of my change of plans. If it hadn't been for you . . ." She lifted her dark lashes, and her eyes met his.

  "Don't think about it. I was there. It was meant to be." Lifting her gently into his arms, he carried her across the cabin to her bed along the wall.

  As they made the short distance, Gabrielle leaned her head against his hard, muscular chest, listening to the comforting pound of his heart. I love you, her inner self cried out. Don't leave me . . . please don't ever leave me. But she refused to let the thoughts surface. Those were words that could never be spoken. He would leave. He had to go home to his daughter, and she had to stay here where she was safe from Taylor. He could never find her here, not this far north. Jack said so himself.

  "Oh, Gabrielle," Alex sighed. He held her in his arms, stroking her trembling body. "You've been through too much for a girl your age, more than some people go through in a lifetime. You deserve better."

  "It's all right." She sniffed, suddenly feeling a little silly. "It's just the whiskey talking. I've been through the worst. Things can only get better, right?" She managed a weak smile. "I have you, don't I?"

  "Yes, you have me, here in your heart forever." He tapped her left breast lightly.

  "Jack left?"

  "And without killing me." Alex slipped his hand beneath her sweater, cupping the fullness of one breast, and she leaned in toward him in encouragement.

  "Actually, I think he likes you a little." She rolled closer, wanting to feel his hard, lean body pressed against hers. "It was all a setup you know."

  "Was it?" he teased softly. He rained silken kisses over her face, inhaling the sweet smell of femininity that clung to her dewy skin.

  "Uh huh." Her nimble fingers made quick work of the buttons on his corduroy shirt. "You plied me with hard whiskey and then made me sing." She laughed, her voice raspy with rising desire.

  Alex groaned as her hands caressed the hardened muscles of his chest, her fingers lingering over his budding nipples. She liked the feel of his short, crisp hair beneath her hand and the smell of his bare skin. Leaning into him, she lifted her head to kiss him full on the lips, her tongue darting out to tease. "You taste like whiskey."

  "So do you." He raised his hands, tucking them beneath his head. "Do what you will with me, sweet. I'm all yours."

  Gabrielle giggled, climbing astride him. First she removed his shirt, then slowly pulled her own sweater over her head. She took her time, watching him watch her.

  "You're so beautiful," he said hoarsely. Unable to resist, he sat up to take one bud of her breast in his mouth, stroking it with the tip of his tongue.

  She arched her back, moaning softly as she threaded her fingers through his thick auburn locks. "Are you the devil to make me feel this way, Alex? Is this the way it's supposed to be?"

  "It's the way it's supposed to be," he returned, burying his face in the sweeping valley between her breasts, ". . . when two people were meant for each other." He was pressing hot, wet kisses to her face and breasts now, caressing the long fluid line of her back with his fingers.

  "But how can that be, Alex? Our lives are too different." She took his head in her hands, forcing him to look at her. His blue-grey eyes were stormy with passion.

  "I don't know, love. I just don't know." With a sudden movement, he rolled her over on her back, tugging at her pants. Take these off before I rip them off." He slid them easily down her silken thighs, kissing the bare skin he uncovered.

  Gabrielle laced her fingers through his hair, innocently guiding his head to the soft skin between her inner thighs. "Oh, Alex," she cried out, lifting her hips rhythmically. Waves of molten pleasure washed over her as a heavy-limbed aching filled her being. Finally, consumed by fire, she beckoned him. "Please, I need you," she cried out.

/>   Sitting up, Alex pulled off his pants and laid down beside her, enfolding her in his arms. Her breath was hard and unsteady, her pale skin covered with a sheen of moisture. She quivered in his arms, accepting his mouth hungrily. "You're teasing me," she moaned. "I need you; I need to feel you in me."

  "All right, love," he whispered in her ear. Pressing another kiss to her lips, he straddled her, taking her with one long, hard thrust. She cried out in ecstasy, lifting her hips and rejoicing in response. As he moved, he filled her with pulsating shimmers of light, drawing her closer to the bright sun of fulfillment.

  Caressing the hard, lean muscles of his buttocks, she cried out, writhing against him. He called her name, his voice strained and throaty as both of them peaked, clutching each other as they glided home.

  Gabrielle's laughter filled the cabin, her voice soft and lilting, and Alex raised his head to take in her dark, laughing eyes. "What's so funny?" He couldn't resist a smile.

  "Nothing." She brushed at a tendril of his hair. "I'm just happy."

  He slid off her, coming to rest beside her. "I'm glad you're happy. I'm glad I can make you happy. I haven't been able to do that for many in my lifetime."

  Gabrielle ran her fingers over his lips, and he pursed them, kissing her fingertips. "I love you," she whispered in his ear, snuggling close to him.

  "I love you," he answered, his voice hushed. Sitting up, he reached for a blanket to pull over them and drew her into his arms, tucking them both in. "Good night."

  "Good night" came her sleepy voice as she curled up, her head resting on his chest.

  Long after Gabrielle was sleeping soundly, Alex lay awake mulling over the past day's events. It was difficult for him to believe a man would kill for something so elusive as a map, but he knew Gabrielle was telling the truth. She was the most honest person he'd ever known. He exhaled sharply, glaring up at the rafters above his head. His chest ached for the pain of Gabrielle's loss and for the terror Taylor had put her through. Alex's fists instinctively tightened at his sides at the thought of someone threatening his Gabrielle.

  He laughed aloud in the darkness of the cabin. His Gabrielle? What right did he have to call her his own? What right did he have to love her or expect to be loved in return? She was right and he knew it. There could be no future in this love. His eyes grew damp at the thought of leaving her, but then images of his daughter flashed through his mind. "Alexis . . . what are you doing right now?" he whispered. "Papa misses you, misses you so much. . . ."

  Alex swallowed the lump in his throat, wrapping his arms tightly around Gabrielle's sleeping form. His heart ached with the pain of the choices he knew he had to make. He had to make that trek north for gold in the spring, he had to return to Richmond, and he had to leave his Gabrielle behind. Letting his eyes drift shut, Alex forced those thoughts from his head. He would live for today, just as Gabrielle did. It was the only way to accept the heartaches in life. Rolling onto his side, he held her tightly, drifting off to sleep.

  Chapter Twelve

  "Alex, if you say one more word about that blasted map, I'm going to put a hole in your head!" Gabrielle shook the disassembled rifle she held in her hands at him. They had picked this morning to clean her firearms because it was snowing too hard outside to do much else. Alex had her Colt 45 pistol in pieces on a blanket on the floor, while she reassembled her Winchester. Two more rifles stood propped against the wall awaiting their attention.

  "I'm sorry, but I can't get it out of my mind, Gabrielle. The map has got to be here somewhere. It could make you rich." He laid a hand on Leopold, who slept contented at his feet. Since Alex had doctored the dog on the trail, they had become constant companions. When Alex took Gabrielle's small sled out, it was Leopold who acted as his lead dog.

  Gabrielle wrapped a wad of clean cotton on the end of a metal rod and plunged it into the barrel of the rifle. "I've been telling you for weeks now, there is no map, and even if there was, I don't want to be rich."

  "What about that road you want to build? If we found the gold this spring, you could have the loggers in by June."

  "I'm telling you, there is no map, but even if there was, you'd not find me digging in the dirt." She shook her head. "I'm not a miner. I haven't got the fever."

  Alex let out an exasperated sigh. "What would you do with the map if you did find it?" He took aim and pulled the trigger on the pistol, checking to be sure the hammer glided smoothly.

  "I'd give it to you." She got up to toss another log on the fire. It was Christmas Eve, and the snow had been flying on and off for a week, keeping them in the cabin most of the time.

  Alex looked up at her. "Would you?"

  "It's yours." She put up her hands in absolution. "You find the map, and you can have it."

  "I thought you said there was no map." He laid the Colt on the blanket on the floor and got to his feet.

  "I don't think there is, but if it exists, I don't want it. It killed my father." She caught his hand with hers, entwining his fingers. "Besides, if there was a map, don't you think I would have found it by now, after all of these years?"

  Alex brushed a lock of chestnut hair off her cheek. "I don't know. I guess so."

  "It's becoming an obsession with you. Just forget the map, all right?" Gabrielle beckoned softly.

  Alex gave a nod. "All right. I won't ask you any more about it." He wrapped her in his arms, kissing her soundly on the lips.

  Gabrielle leaned into him, lifting her chin to accept his warm mouth. That familiar shiver of desire ran through her, and she sighed, resting her cheek on the broad expanse of his chest. "Wanna make love?" she asked, her voice throaty.

  Just then Leopold leaped to his feet and stuck his long muzzle between them, whining.

  Gabrielle and Alex burst into laughter. "You see that," she chided. "I told you, you were spoiling that dog. He doesn't belong in the cabin, Alex. You'll make him soft."

  Alex let go of Gabrielle with one hand to scratch behind the husky's ragged ear. Somehow, when the moose attacked him, a piece of his ear had been torn off. But his body had healed, and except for a few neat pink scars, he was as healthy and strong as he'd ever been.

  "I know, you told me I shouldn't bring him in, but when he looks at me with those sad blue eyes, I can't tell him no. Isn't that right, boy?" Alex crooned.

  Gabrielle shook her head, breaking away. "You're getting to be a real dog man, Alex. First you beat me in that sled race the other day, and now you're talking to that mutt like he's a person!" She clucked between her teeth.

  "I think Leo makes nearly as good a lead dog as Tristan." Alex caught the dog by his collar and started pulling him toward the door. "Don't you?"

  "There's no dog this side of Tanana as good as Tristan." She walked across the room, pulling her sweater over her head.

  Alex watched the material slip over her creamy skin, and his pulse quickened at the sight of the arched fullness of her breasts. "Sorry boy," he murmured as he urged the dog out the door. "But this is where you and I part." He slid the bolt of the cabin door home and turned to watch Gabrielle slip out of her wool pants and lay down on her bed.

  "You coming?" she asked, putting out a hand for him.

  "I am," he breathed, unable to take his eyes off her as he made his way to the bed. Her hair had grown long enough now to frame her delicate oval face in a halo of chestnut ringlets. She was more feminine than he ever could have imagined she could be. "When did you say everyone would be arriving for the Christmas party?" he asked huskily.

  She took his hand, pressing her lips to his palm. "Tomorrow." Her dark eyes met his sea of blue. "Sometime in the afternoon."

  Her sultry voice lured his mouth to hers, and Alex's eyes drifted shut as he tasted the honey of her lips. "That should be enough time."

  "And if it's not," she whispered, "then they'll just have to wait, won't they?"

  Gabrielle's cabin rang with laughter as Alex threw open the door to greet her final guests. They were all here now: Peg, his wo
man Lily, Beans Magee, and now Jack and his wife and daughter.

  "Afternoon to you, Jack," Alex called, holding open the door to let his wife pass.

  Jack gave a nod. "This is Mya." He rested his hand on the shoulder of the short, plump Indian. "And this—" he caught the small girl around the waist and swung her into the air—"is my little dove, Mary."

  The child dissolved into laughter, speaking to her father in their own tongue. Jack gave her a pat on the backside and shoved her in the door. Mya grinned, entering the cabin with a parcel tucked beneath each arm.

  "Mya!" Gabrielle shouted across the cabin. "I'm so glad you came!"

  Mya pushed back the hood of her parka, blushing profusely. "It is good you ask us. We bring food, dry fish, berries, also presents." Her pitch black eyes sparkled enthusiastically.

  "You know you didn't have to do that, Mya." Gabrielle took the hide-wrapped bundles from her. "I told Jack to tell you no presents."

  The native woman caught her daughter by the arm and tugged off the child's seal-skin parka, then her own. "It's Christmas! I would not come if I could not bring presents to you."

  Gabrielle turned to Alex as he came in the door carrying another bundle off Jack's sled. "This is Alex, Mya." She felt her own cheeks flush with color.

  Alex gave a nod, his smile genuine. "It's nice to meet you finally, Mya. Gabrielle talks often of you and your family."

  Mya grinned, baring two broken front teeth. "Gabrielle is our family." She winked in Gabrielle's direction. "She is a sister to my Jack and me. Always will be."

  "Come and sit down, Mya." Gabrielle gestured with a hand. "You know Peg and his Lily." She pointed to the two of them seated at the table. Lily was a native too, small and round, just like Mya. "And of course this here is Beans Magee himself." She wrapped her arm around the tall, blond-haired man with the ragged beard, giving him a hug.

  Alex took all of this in as he carried Jack's bundles and deposited them against the far wall. He suddenly felt like an intruder. These people had been friends for years. They knew the land; they knew each other. He wondered what had ever made him think Gabrielle needed him. These friends had been here before he came to the territory. They would be here long after he left.