by Jennie Leigh
His gaze slipped to Casey and he felt a twinge of something he didn’t want to try to define. He might be at home in the city, but this was Casey’s place in life. He’d watched her during the past days and he didn’t doubt for a single moment that she was as much a part of the mountains as the trees themselves. It was in her blood and she loved it. For one fleeting instant he imagined taking her to the city and showing her the sights. They’d have dinner in his favorite five star restaurant, then see a show. Maybe they’d go out dancing until the wee hours. Then he’d take her back to his apartment and– He cut himself off right there. There was no point in going there. First, even if Casey wasn’t involved with someone else, he knew she’d never go anywhere with him. Secondly, she’d be as out of place in the city as he was here. The noise would drive her insane. And that dog of hers would never make it. No, he wouldn’t want to try to take her away from this place. Because he knew that if he did, it would break something inside her. He pulled his gaze off her and busied himself with removing his clothes and lying them out once more to dry.
It was sometime during the night when Jack woke. He’d wrapped Casey in his arms, trying to give her as much warmth as he could. She’d woken up enough earlier to take a little broth and voice a need to relieve herself. That had proved to be an almost comical exercise. She was half-conscious, burning up with fever, borderline delusional and naked. Jack still didn’t know how they’d managed it. The only thing he did know was that he prayed she was more conscious the next time her body needed to perform that particular function.
Now, he tightened his hold on her as he heard her moan. He cursed beneath his breath when he felt the heat coming off her. It was scorching even through the blankets. He got up and picked up the handkerchief he was using for a rag, and the small canteen of water he’d left near the cave’s entrance so it would be cool. He dampened the handkerchief and laid the cool cloth against her forehead. She groaned again and tried to push the cloth away.
“Easy, honey.”
She responded to his voice, reaching out to grasp his hand. He used his other hand to wipe the cloth over her face and throat. She shook her head and he tried to sooth her.
“It’s all right, Casey. I’m here.”
Her grip on his hand tightened and her eyes opened. She locked her gaze on him. Her eyes were glassy and out of focus as she spoke.
“I’m sorry, Andy.”
She’d called that name repeatedly. Whoever Andy was, it was evident that she loved him a great deal. It made Jack wonder just where her current boyfriend fit into the picture. His name was John, not Andy. She sobbed and tried to get up. Jack put a hand against her shoulder to hold her down.
“Be still, honey.”
She ignored his words and his hand.
“It’s my fault! Oh, God, please forgive me.”
Jack did his best to ignore the blanket as it slipped lower across her chest, bearing the swells of her breasts. He put more of his weight against her, trying to keep her from getting up. Finally she collapsed into sleep or unconsciousness again and Jack sighed in relief. He pulled the blanket back up to her throat, then re-dampened the cloth and laid it across her forehead once more. It was barely fifteen minutes later when she let loose a blood-curdling scream. Jack was at the back of the cave, filling the canteen with more water. He came to his feet instantly, spinning around in time to see Casey crawling out from under the blankets. The dog was on its feet and hurrying to her side.
Jack ran to her as she tried to get to her feet. He wrapped his arms around her and she screamed again. He half expected the dog to lunge at him. But the animal seemed to understand that Jack wasn’t trying to hurt her. She fought him with the desperation of a person overcome with terror. He saw it in her wide eyes, heard it in the low whimpers that came out of her throat. He finally managed to get her arms pinned to her sides and he hauled her up against his chest, trying to keep his voice calm and soothing as he assured her that she was safe.
“It’s okay, Casey. You’re safe. No one is going to hurt you. Trust me, honey.”
She eventually stopped struggling. Jack wasn’t sure if his words had gotten through to her or if she’d simply run out of strength. Whatever the case, she laid her head against his shoulder and went still. It wasn’t until that moment that Jack noticed the feel of her bare breasts pressed against his chest. She was burning up with fever, but she shivered in his arms. Her nipples were hard pebbles. He felt his body respond instantly. He closed his eyes and willed his errant hormones into submission. After a few seconds he bent and lifted her into his arms, then carried her back to the blankets. He laid her down and covered her up, then stretched out beside her and pulled her to him.
He was still aroused, still aching for something that he knew he couldn’t have. He ignored the ache, though, as he wrapped his arms around her heated body and waited for the night to end.
Jack opened up the bag that held their jerky and gave the tough meat a morose frown. He was sick to death of eating it. He glanced up at the dog who was lying right beside Casey. The animal hadn’t eaten anything since the night Casey had gotten hurt. Jack tried to feed him repeatedly, but the dog wasn’t interested. He pulled a piece of jerky from the bag and tried one more time to get the dog to eat. He held it out to the dog.
“You need to eat, pal. It’s not going to do your mistress any good if you get sick too. Besides, if you lose weight she’ll swear I starved you on purpose.”
The dog didn’t so much as sniff at the beef. Jack sighed and threw it back in the bag. “Yeah, I can’t say I blame you. I’m sick of it, too.”
Jack sat the bag aside, then got up to go wash himself in the pool of frigid water at the back of the cave. When he turned around, the dog was gone. Jack shook his head. He’d never get used to the silence of the animal. He checked on the status of his clothes and sighed with relief when he found they were dry. The cave was surprisingly warm, but he couldn’t quite be comfortable wandering around in nothing but his long-johns. He pulled on his jeans and socks, then nearly jumped out of his skin when he heard a soft woof behind him. He swung around to find the dog standing there. Lying on the cave floor right in front of him was a rabbit.
Jack blinked. A rabbit. The dog had gone out and caught a rabbit. Jack lifted his gaze from the dead ball of fluff to the dog standing over it, watching him expectantly.
“You’ve got to be kidding. What do you expect me to do with that?”
Jack nearly jumped out of his skin a second time when he got an answer.
“He expects you to cook it.”
He spun around and met Casey’s gaze. The dog went to her immediately, his tail wagging with more enthusiasm than Jack had ever seen him display before. Casey wrapped her arm around the dog, enduring a number of licks to the face before pushing the animal away. Jack went to her, bending to help her as she struggled to sit up. He laid his palm against her forehead and sighed with relief.
“The fever’s broken.”
Casey felt like hell. Her shoulder and back were aching and her head felt like it was ready to split open. On top of that she felt grimy and was desperate to go to the bathroom. She frowned up Jack.
“What happened?”
He shook his head. “I don’t know. I found you a few yards away from the cave entrance with a gash on your head. You were half frozen and delirious.”
Casey frowned as she tried to remember how she’d gotten hurt. She remembered the cold and worrying about hypothermia. The ice was starting to coat even her. The ice, that was it.
“A tree limb fell and pinned me.”
Jack had guessed as much. He nodded. “I figured it had to be something like that.” He reached out to touch her again, making sure the fever had truly broken. “You’ve been out of it for about thirty-six hours. I don’t mind telling you that you had me scared to death.”
Casey glanced at the pile of firewood lying a few feet away, then down at the pot of broth sitting by the fire. She brought her gaze back
to his.
“You didn’t panic, though. That’s all that matters.”
He shook his head. “Oh, I panicked all right. I just managed to get it under control in a hurry. So how are you feeling?”
“Like I’ve been bashed over the head by a log. And like I’ve been sitting in a sauna for days.” She glanced toward the stream at the back of the cave. “I think I’d feel a lot better if I was clean.”
Jack nodded. “Your wish is my command.” Before she could offer a protest he scooped her up into his arms, blanket and all, and carried her to the back of the cave. He put her down right beside the stream, then straightened. He turned away, crossing back to the small pile of gear he’d kept in reasonable order. He came back a moment later with her clothes. He set them down beside her, then met her gaze.
“I, uh, had to undress you. You were soaked to the skin.”
Casey felt a blush creep into her face, but didn’t acknowledge it. “I know. You did the right thing. It probably saved my life.”
He smiled. “Well, I guess that makes us even.”
Casey couldn’t help returning the smile. “I guess it does.”
They held each other’s gaze for a moment, then Jack straightened once more. “I’ll leave you to it, then. I’ll just go right outside. If you need me, call.”
She nodded, then called out to him before he’d gone more than a couple of steps. “You’d better bring me that rabbit and my knife. There’s no reason to let it go to waste after Chance went to the trouble of catching it for us.”
Jack retrieved the knife from the pile of gear, then moved to the rabbit. He was surprised by the aversion he felt as he considered picking the animal up. It was just a dead rabbit. But he’d never seen one up close. In fact, he’d never eaten a rabbit in his life. He wasn’t entirely sure he’d be able to now. He bent to take hold of the animal’s ears. Then he carried it to Casey, laying it down as quickly as he could. He glanced up and caught the grin on her face.
“I never said I wasn’t a city boy.”
Her smile widened, but she didn’t say a word. He turned and left her, grabbing his jacket on his way out of the cave. Outside the snow had finally stopped. It had started petering out sometime during the night and now it appeared to be over. There was about eight inches on the ground. It was beautiful, no doubt about it. But Jack knew he’d never look at snow the same way again. It had nearly cost Casey her life.
Casey cleaned herself as best she could. It wasn’t easy. The fever had left her weak. By the time she finished washing she was so exhausted that she nearly called Jack in to help her dress. But she couldn’t quite imagine how she’d get through it. The fact that she knew he’d already seen her naked was hard enough to handle. Not that she thought he’d taken advantage. She knew he wasn’t that kind of man. He was a man, though and it wouldn’t be fair to either of them to put them through more of an ordeal than they’d already endured. She managed to get herself dressed, then had to take a while to catch her breath. She called out to Jack, not wanting him to spend any more time standing out in the cold than he had to. He came back into the cave and shrugged out of his jacket. When he realized she still hadn’t dressed the rabbit he made a deliberate effort to avoid looking at the animal.
“The snow has finally stopped. There’s a good eight inches on the ground.”
Casey nodded as she bent to prepare the meal Chance had provided them with. “That’s good. With any luck at all, the front will pass as quickly as it came and the temperature will start rising again.”
“It’s still pretty bitter out there.”
“It’s spring. The weather changes fast this time of year. Although the good news is that the snow is holding everyone up, including Jester.” She lifted her gaze to focus on Jack. “It’s entirely possible that he got caught in the storm and froze to death.”
“I can’t say I would be disappointed if we found him dead.”
She shrugged. “It’s just as possible that he found some shelter of his own. Even if he did, though, he can’t move in this any more than we can. He’s too smart to risk leaving his shelter and getting caught in a secondary front. Which means he’s not gaining any distance on us. John and the others will have access to weather reports. That means they’ll get a jump on all of us.” She turned back to the rabbit and finally finished cleaning the animal. She turned and called out to Jack. “I’m done, you can bring me the pot although I’m afraid you’re going to have to do the cooking.”
Jack heard the strain in her voice and cursed himself for not thinking about how weak she must be. He’d been so busy trying to avoid the rabbit that he never even thought about what it was costing her to stay upright for this long. He was on his feet in an instant and at her side a moment later. He bent to set the pot down and waited until she’d put the meat inside it and washed her hands. Then he swept her up in his arms again and carried her back to the fire. She shot him a frown as he sat her down.
“You don’t have to keep doing that, you know. I’m sure I can walk with a little help.”
“I’m sure you could, too. And even if you couldn’t, you’d never let it show.”
She arched a brow at him. “What is that supposed to mean?”
He answered as he turned around to go get the pot. “It means that you’re the most independent woman I’ve ever known.” He came back with the meat. “And the most stubborn.” He sat the pot down and met her gaze. “What you did was insane. It nearly got you killed.”
Casey opened her mouth to argue with him, then snapped it closed again. He was right. She’d been thinking the same thing before she got knocked out. The trail had to be marked, but she should have done it as soon as she was certain Jester had doubled back to the second trail. She’d known the rain would start freezing. But she’d underestimated the weakness in her leg. It had slowed her down far more than she’d expected. That, coupled with the frigid temperatures and the sleet falling from the sky had turned what should have been an hour long hike into nearly three. She held Jack’s gaze as she nodded.
“You’re right. I should have waited. I was tired and my leg was hurting and I should have known it would take me longer than usual to make the hike. I’m sorry for putting you through all this.”
Jack stared at her in surprise. He hadn’t expected her to agree with him. He was quickly learning, though, to never expect her to do anything. She was never going to be that easy to categorize. He cleared his throat.
“I don’t need an apology, Casey. I just want you to understand that you aren’t alone. I know I’m not experienced at survival. I’ve never set foot in the woods until now. But I’m not a complete idiot.” He shot her an alarming smile. “At least not most of the time. I have been known to stick my big foot in my mouth once or twice, though.”
Casey couldn’t quite manage to feel comfortable with this side of him. From the moment she’d met him she’d felt as if she had to constantly be on guard. Now she considered that her vision of him might have been shaped as much by her own insecurities as by the things he’d said when they first met. He’d proved that he trusted and respected her. He wasn’t an arrogant chauvinist. He was just a man trying to make the best of an awkward situation. She returned his smile. “Yeah, well, you aren’t the only one who suffers from that particular affliction. I’ve been known to let my rampant feminism get the better of me on occasion.”
He shot her a look of mock surprise. “You’re a feminist? I’d never have guessed!”
They both laughed, then he glanced down at the pot of meat. His face drew up into an uncertain expression. “So what am I supposed to do with this, exactly?” He lifted his gaze to hers once more. “I’m not a particularly spectacular cook even when I have access to all the modern conveniences.”
Casey shook her head. “There’s not a whole lot you can do. Our options are a bit limited. You can try to make a stew, though without any vegetables I don’t know how much of a stew it would turn out to be. Or you can grill it right over
the open flame.”
He didn’t hesitate. “Grilled. I’ve been feeding you jerky flavored water and I’m not remotely interested in going for the same thing with a little different flavor.”
Casey watched as he repositioned the grate over the fire, then laid the pieces of meat along the edge where they’d be close enough to the heat to cook, but far enough away to not burn into instant charcoal. She closed her eyes. She was impressed by the way he’d handled himself during their crisis. In fact, she had to admit she was pretty much impressed with how he’d handled himself through this entire trip. With the exception of that first day when he’d tried to follow her into the woods and nearly gotten himself chewed up by the big cat, he’d taken everything they’d faced in stride. He might not have been born to the mountains the way she had been, but he was adjusting remarkably well. With a little time and experience she believed he would become someone she wouldn’t hesitate to rely on out here.