by Radclyffe
and rolled over onto her side as the bag opened and Dev extricated herself.
Dev sat up and rummaged for the lantern and turned it on, then checked her
watch. “It’s midnight. If the rain doesn’t let up enough for us to chance taking
the boat out on the lake in the morning, we’ll have to try starting a Þ re to dry
out some of our gear. The tent’s holding, but the ß oor’s damp.”
• 160 •
WHEN DREAMS TREMBLE
Leslie caught Dev’s arm. “What are you going to do for the rest of the night,
Dev?”
“I’m going to hunt out whatever dryish wood I can and get it under a tarp.”
“You’re not going anywhere.” Leslie threw back the top of the sleeping bag, sat
up next to Dev, and clamped a hand on her arm.
“Besides the rain, it’s not safe out there. In case you’ve forgotten, trees are
falling like matchsticks. If one comes down on you, I’d never Þ nd you.”
“Les, I’ll be okay.”
“No.”
Dev looked away. On Leslie, anger looked a lot like arousal. And Dev was still
very close to boiling, and the pressure of Leslie’s Þ ngers digging into her arm
was as potent as a caress. If they struggled in the small space, she’d lose the last
frayed rein on the desire that was choking her. She’d be all over Leslie, and
there were only so many times she could stop. “Okay. We should both try to
get some sleep, then. I’ll put on some extra clothes and sleep on top of the bag.
I’ll be okay.”
“That’s absolutely ridiculous,” Leslie barked. “We ought to be capable of
sleeping next to one another fully clothed. We’re not teenagers, for God’s
sake.”
Dev laughed harshly. “No, we’re not. That part, I do understand.”
“Then get back into the sleeping bag.” Leslie Þ sted the front of Dev’s shirt and
pulled her down. Her expression softened as she barely resisted caressing Dev’s
stony face. “Get in, zip it back up, and turn on your side with your back to me.”
Since it made as much sense as both of them sitting up for the rest of the night,
freezing, Dev complied. It took some doing, but Þ nally she lay with Leslie
curved along her back and Leslie’s hand resting on her shoulder. As much as
she knew it was crazy, she was grateful for whatever bit of contact she could
have with Leslie for however short a time. She was too tired and wound too
tight to think much beyond that.
Leslie rested her cheek lightly against Dev’s back and closed her eyes. Truth.
Do you love her?
Yes, but never the way I loved you.
• 161 •
RADCLY fFE
v
Leslie awoke in hazy gray light, damp and stiff and aroused. She was in the
same position she had been in the night before when she’d fallen asleep, her
belly and breasts snugged against Dev’s butt and back. Her borrowed jeans
were a size too big for her, but she still felt an uncomfortable tightness in her
groin, a deep throbbing pressure that had her longing for release. She’d never
been so aware of her body, or another woman’s, or of the relentless urgency to
be touched. She inched away and felt Dev stir immediately. Dev must have been
lying awake.
“What time is it?” Leslie whispered.
“About six.”
“I don’t know what I want Þ rst. We skipped dinner and I’m hungry.
I want to brush my teeth. And I have to pee.”
Dev laughed, found the zipper, and opened the bag. She crawled out, gritting
her teeth as pain lanced down her leg, and slowly worked her way into a sitting
position. Her right hip was on Þ re. “The Þ rst two I can help you with. You’re
on your own with the last one.” She leaned over and pulled a dry bag from a
pile. “How about a protein bar to stave off starvation?”
“Let me take a quick run outside and I’ll take you up on it.” Leslie lifted one of
her ruined shoes and grimaced. “They’re a wreck. Would you mind if I wore
your boots?”
“Go ahead.”
After Leslie left the tent, Dev tried her two-way radio. The batteries were still
good, but she couldn’t raise anyone back at Lakeview. From the sounds of the
storm, the wind was still high. She dug out the rubber boots she wore for
shallow water work and followed Leslie out to take care of her own call of
nature. When she was done, she inspected the trench around the tent. Even
though nearly obliterated by the driving downpour, it had nevertheless protected
them from a great deal of runoff. With a sigh, she turned to get the shovel from
the tent to re-dig it.
“Your leg’s bothering you, isn’t it?” Leslie said, stepping from the woods into
the small clearing around the tent. “You’re limping pretty badly this morning.”
“Too much time in one position.” As sore, tired, and emotionally
• 162 •
WHEN DREAMS TREMBLE
exhausted as she was, Dev couldn’t help but smile. Leslie had rolled up the
sleeves and cuffs of Dev’s sweatshirt and jeans, both of which were a size too
big for her, and she looked as young and fresh as she had when they were kids.
“What?” Leslie asked grumpily.
“Nothing.”
Leslie cocked her head and squinted appraisingly at Dev, impatiently brushing
rain from her eyes with one hand. The torrent had subsided to a heavy, steady
deluge. “What do we need to do?”
“For now, just freshen up these trenches to keep the ß oor as dry as we can. If
we have to sleep another night out here, I don’t want the sleeping bag getting
wet.”
“I’m not sleeping out here another night.”
“Don’t worry, we’ll be okay. Once we have a Þ re going, we can get things
reasonably dry.”
“Where’s the shovel?” Leslie walked to the tent and yanked down the zipper on
the ß ap. It wasn’t about sleeping wet. She didn’t care if she had to sleep under
the trees in a monsoon. She couldn’t spend another night next to Dev, not
without imploding or attacking her. She couldn’t even look at her without
starting to ache. Dev had circles under her eyes, her wet hair clung in disheveled
strands to her neck, and her work shirt and jeans were mud streaked. And she
was absolutely gorgeous.
“I’ll take care of it,” Dev said.
Leslie turned abruptly and found Dev inches from her. She balled her Þ sts so
she wouldn’t slide her hands into Dev’s hair. “You won’t.
You’ll get in that tent and lie down. You can hardly walk.”
Dev’s jaw tightened. Even in the rain and shadowy light, Leslie’s eyes blazed.
Dev wanted to kiss her. She wanted more than that. She wanted Leslie under
her, naked and open and wet.
“Get in the tent, Dev,” Leslie said, watching the hunger rise in Dev’s face. No
one had ever looked at her like that before, and she craved it now like nothing
she had ever known. Her voice dropped to a whisper. “Please.”
“Leslie—”
“Glad to see you two are still in one piece!” Natalie called as she materialized
out of the woods.
Dev jerked and stepped back a pace. Leslie took a long breath and settled
hersel
f before turning to face the ranger. Natalie stood with
• 163 •
RADCLY fFE
her hands on her hips observing them with a curious expression on her face. She
looked tired but disgustingly dry in a rain poncho, nylon rain pants, and boots.
Leslie tried not to snarl.
“Sorry I couldn’t get here sooner,” Natalie said. “How about I give you two a
ride back to land?”
“I’ll take my own boat back,” Leslie said.
“I’m staying here with my equipment,” Dev said.
Slowly shaking her head, Natalie slid her hands through the slits in the poncho
and into her pants pockets. “Sorry, no to both of those ideas. We’re evacuating
all the campsites, so you need to pack up whatever critical items you have,
Dev.” She regarded Leslie pointedly.
“You were lucky to make it here at all, Ms. Harris. The lake is still far too rough
for your craft. You’ll be riding with me.”
Leslie didn’t like being given an ultimatum, but she needed to get back to the
mainland. She needed enough space from Dev to be able to draw a breath that
wasn’t Þ lled with need. “I want to be sure my boat is secure.”
“I’ll help you with that while Dev gets her stuff together.”
Natalie turned and walked back into the woods, leaving Leslie no choice but to
follow. When Natalie stopped on the lake bank, Leslie came up beside her and
studied her boat rocking hard in the churning water. Natalie’s larger, heavier
departmental craft was anchored nearby.
One of them would have to climb down the bank into the water to get more
lines on her boat or it was going to break free. “We’re going to get wet doing
this.”
“I’ll get extra lines from my boat.”
“I couldn’t get much wetter,” Leslie said when Natalie returned with the ropes.
“I’ll go. You stay up here to secure them.”
When Leslie started down the steep, muddy bank, Natalie wrapped an arm
around a tree that canted out over the water, leaned out as far as she could, and
held out her hand.
“Here, grab on so you don’t fall.”
“Thanks.” When Leslie took Natalie’s hand their eyes met.
Natalie’s were dark and considering.
“That was pretty risky, coming out here yesterday,” Natalie said
conversationally.
“She was out here alone,” Leslie said. “You would have done the same.”
• 164 •
WHEN DREAMS TREMBLE
“I wanted to.”
“I can imagine.”
Natalie smiled faintly. “Can you?”
“Yes,” Leslie said softly, “I can.”
• 165 •
• 166 •
WHEN DREAMS TREMBLE
CHAPTER NINETEEN
While Natalie stood at the wheel in the cockpit, her legs braced wide apart for
balance in the buffeting wind and rain, Leslie huddled on the bench across from
Dev. The sky was a muddy brown, the water an angry gray, and both suited her
mood. She hated being rescued, even though she knew it was the wisest course.
The swells were higher than she’d ever seen them on the lake, and even in the
larger, heavier park service craft, the ride was harrowing. In her boat it would
have been impossible. Conversation was impossible, too, but even if she’d
wanted to talk to Dev, Dev clearly didn’t want to talk to her. Dev sat with her
body angled forward toward Natalie, her face impassive.
Leslie wondered what she was thinking. They hadn’t had any time to talk since
Natalie showed up at the campsite, but then Leslie wasn’t sure what she would
say to her. What could she say? I’m sorry?
That hardly seemed to cover how many wrong turns she’d taken with Dev,
starting when they’d been seventeen. Last night, though, might just have been
her crowning moment. They weren’t impulsive kids anymore, but she hadn’t
been able to keep her hands to herself or her mouth shut. She’d been in the
midst of seducing Dev—Leslie cringed inwardly but there was no other word
for it—she’d told Dev she wanted to make love, for God’s sake. And then in
the next breath she’d said no.
What had she been thinking? Nothing, obviously.
When she looked back on her relationship with Dev, it was littered with regret.
The only good thing to come of the entire visit had been that she and Dev had Þ
nally talked about what had happened between them the night of the accident.
Of course, that conversation had nearly
• 167 •
RADCLY fFE
ended with them mindlessly screwing on the shore. Maybe it was better if they
didn’t talk. Leslie stared at Dev and her heart raced. No, it was better if they
weren’t anywhere near one another.
With a sigh, Leslie closed her eyes. Her father was home from the hospital and
headed toward recovery, her mother had hired a temporary cook and part-time
handyman, and she had even gotten the medical tests she was supposed to
have. God knew, she’d certainly had enough rest and relaxation. Any more, and
she would lose her mind. She’d stay to help her mother with the July Fourth
bash, and then she was going back to Manhattan. Back to the orderly, satisfying
life she had chosen, the one that suited her.
“You okay?” Dev shouted over the wind.
Leslie opened her eyes, her pulse racing when her eyes met Dev’s.
“Yes! You?”
Dev grinned ruefully and shrugged.
Even though relieved at the imminent prospect of heading back toward sanity,
Leslie couldn’t ignore the pang at knowing she wouldn’t see Dev again. And
with the heat of Dev’s body still alive in her mind, Leslie feared it would take
more than distance to extinguish the memory.
When the sound of the motor revving down caught Leslie’s attention, she
looked away from Dev with both sorrow and relief.
Natalie was guiding the boat up to the wide, rain-slicked dock alongside
Lakeview’s boathouse. It was deserted, as were the grounds.
Many of the cars that had been in the parking lot were gone, and Leslie
expected that a fair number of people had cut short their vacations when the
weather turned bad. In a way, that wasn’t such a bad thing, because it would
give her mother a break before the inß ux of new guests for the long weekend.
Natalie throttled down, eased the boat against the side of the dock, and called
over her shoulder, “Someone want to climb out and grab the lines?”
Leslie was closer to the dock side and hurriedly clambered out, dragging the
stern line with her. She pulled the craft against the cushioned bumpers attached
to the side of the dock and wrapped a line around a cleat while Natalie jumped
from the bow and did the same.
“Thanks,” Natalie called, hunching her shoulders in the wind.
“No problem.” Out of the corner of her eye, Leslie saw Dev stumble as she
climbed from the boat onto the dock, a grimace of pain on her face. “Dev!”
• 168 •
WHEN DREAMS TREMBLE
Leslie lunged for her, but Natalie was closer.
“Hey there,” Natalie cried, grasping Dev around the waist and steadying her so
she didn’t fall. Her face concerned, she smoothed her free ha
nd over Dev’s
chest. “Your leg’s taking a pretty good hit in this weather, isn’t it?”
“Some,” Dev said tightly, wrapping her arm around Natalie’s shoulders for
balance.
Leslie pulled up short, recognizing that her help wasn’t needed and also aware
that although smaller, Natalie was holding Dev up. It was also obvious that
Natalie knew about the old injury to Dev’s leg.
Clearly, Dev had told her about the accident, and Leslie wondered how much
else Natalie knew about that night. Not that it mattered.
“Come on, let’s get the both of you up to the lodge and dried out.”
Natalie kept her arm around Dev as the three of them negotiated the wet slope
up to the lodge. Once on the porch, Natalie said, “I’ll let you know when you
can go back out to the island for your gear, Dev. I don’t imagine you’ll be taking
any more samples for a while.”
“Not until the effects of the storm settle down. Probably a week or so.” Dev
eased out of Natalie’s grasp and carefully put weight on her leg. “Thanks.”
“My pleasure.” Natalie smiled softly at Dev. “I may be busy all day, but I’ll talk
to you later.” She turned to Leslie. “I’ll give you a ride out to your boat
tomorrow if the weather breaks.”
“I appreciate it,” Leslie said, trying to inject some warmth into her voice.
“Okay then. Take care. Get dry,” Natalie said.
When Natalie turned to go back down the stairs to the path, Leslie stopped her
with a hand on her arm. The woman had just motored over two hours in ugly
weather to bring them home. “Come inside for coffee.
I imagine you’re going to have a long day.”
Natalie’s eyes ß ickered with surprise, then she nodded. “Thanks.
Maybe your mother made some of those biscuits again.”
Leslie smiled, Þ nding it hard not to like her. And after all, there was no reason
not to. So Natalie was involved with Dev and didn’t bother to hide it. Why
should she? Dev was…well, Dev was Dev, and what woman wouldn’t be
attracted to her? Leslie clenched her jaws, angry at herself for even thinking
about whatever was going on between Dev and Natalie. She turned and walked
resolutely inside.
They took their rain gear off and hung it on hooks by the door.
• 169 •
RADCLY fFE
A few guests clustered around the Þ replace in the great room, reading
newspapers or books, or watching the Weather Channel on TV. Leslie led