Holly stiffened at the sound of Zachariah’s voice. “Obviously, seeing as I’m here.”
Grabbing her arm, he spun her around to face him.
“Cut the attitude, Holly, and try to accept my concern for you with some modicum of grace, difficult for you I know, but try. Anyway.” He looked at the mutinous expression on her face. “As I can see you’ve got here safely I’ll be on my way, but…” He held up a warning hand as she made to interrupt. “I suggest you forget any idea you have of pushing on in the dark, the trail from here to Rainy Pass is treacherous especially at night, even for the most seasoned of us, and for a rookie it would be almost impossible. I suggest you stay here, get something to eat and rest, you look all in.” Reaching out a hand he tenderly drew his knuckles down her pale cheek. “Killing yourself will not prove anything to anyone.”
Holly’s eyes closed at the first stroke of his hand, but almost immediately she pulled back from his touch.
“Now look here, Zachariah, I don’t need you or anyone else to look out for me. I can take care of myself. And as to getting some rest, well, that will be my decision and mine alone—get it?”
“Oh, foolishness, thy name is Holly,” he murmured, grabbing hold of her and pulling her struggling into his arms. Bending his head, he kissed her, a hard, masterful kiss that punished even whilst it intoxicated.
Holly floundered in Zachariah’s embrace. Barely aware of anything but his mobile mouth as it caressed her lips, she became liquid at his touch. Heat suffused throughout her body and her heartbeat quickened, and as she began to surrender, he was already releasing her.
Staring up at him in bemusement Holly had hardly caught her breath before he, grinning widely, was striding away from her.
“Well, really,” she whispered, touching a gloved hand to her swollen lips and gazing in bemusement at his receding back.
Finger Lake was for her a short pit stop in order to check in and feed the dogs a high calorific mash. Each dog needed ten thousand calories a day to keep up the punishing schedule and the food had been shipped to different checkpoints along the trail. As to rest for her, any thoughts she had of taking a short sleep were now disregarded. If she stayed Zachariah would think she’d done it because he had ordered her to, and there was no way she was going to give him that kind of satisfaction. So, with a quick check of their paws and a change of the bootees that protected their feet the dogs were ready.
Soon she was leaving the relative security of Finger Pass behind her. Shaking off a sudden sense of loneliness Holly concentrated instead on the slight feeling of rejuvenation that filled her soul, a consequence of thumbing her nose at Zachariah she supposed. However, the euphoria didn’t last, instead the loneliness came back tenfold. What was she doing behaving so abysmally when all he did was show concern for her? Her eyes filled with emotional tears as she looked out at her team of dogs. Really, she consoled herself, she wasn’t truly alone as long as they were with her. Watching their power and strength as they hauled the sleigh, she realized they were family, these dogs of hers, a big part of her life, and most of all they had been a huge part of her father’s. Blinking rapidly, she smiled at her sentimentality and concentrated on getting herself and her team safely to the next checkpoint at Rainy Pass.
Chapter Six
Exhaustion sat heavily on Holly’s shoulders and not for the first time in the last hour did she wish she had done as Zachariah suggested and stopped over for a rest at Finger Lake. It had started to snow again, thick and heavy, and the difficult trail was becoming even more dangerous. After climbing the steep ridge to Red Lake, she swung relatively easily past ravines and swamps. However, the drop down to Happy River had been terrifying. Her dogs had behaved remarkably. They were sure footed and they had kept her sleigh straight and steady. However, even trusting her dogs as she did her heart had been in her mouth on more than one occasion. Pressing on, albeit at a slower pace and using the brake to the maximum, she slowly ate up the miles.
Zachariah reached Rainy Pass in excellent time and, stopping at the checkpoint on the lake, he checked in before seeing to his team. The dogs were hardy and well seasoned but the trail had still been difficult, and with the freak weather worsening he had on more than one occasion prayed for divine assistance. Absently watching his dogs plough through their food his thoughts turned to Holly, wondering at her whereabouts, and whether she had indeed taken his advice and stayed put for the night? Unfortunately, knowing Holly as he did, he feared her pride would stand in the way of her common sense. The trail was risky in daylight and good weather, but tonight, he looked skyward at the thickening snow, tonight it would be near impossible. He was worried. Holly was foolhardy, always jumping in without thinking of the consequences. Fleetingly he thought back to that memorable night last year.
He had still been grieving the loss of his wife some months previously, and Holly had been beautiful and sexy and interested in him. Calmly and quietly she had sat through a boring evening of conversation between himself and her father, unaware that he could see the quick furtive glances she cast his way. However, when the evening had drawn to a close and her father had gone to his room she had looked frankly at him, and the look had spoken volumes. It had been the look of a woman who wanted him, who was ripe for the picking and he’d been turned on by her. She was young yet so feminine, subtly flirting, testing her wiles on him, but that had been no excuse for his behaviour, he should have said no. However, his willpower wasn’t what it used to be, and it had been sometime since he’d had a woman under him. A woman to sink himself into, a woman who could make him forget at least for a little while, and he admitted it, he had been selfish. He should have refused what was on offer, walked away and left her with her innocence intact. And he remembered with ignominy that he’d not handled the fact she had been a virgin very well. Arrogantly, the alpha male in him had been elated that he’d been the first man in her bed and in her body, but he’d also felt shame at taking her virginity, taking it and then walking away. But, he’d been no good for her then, still grieving Ellen he’d been no good for any woman. But now…
Turning back toward the lodge he quickly finished his coffee. Throwing the dregs onto the ground he watched in a distracted fashion the black grounds melting the snow.
“Line out!”
The team moved into position and he began to quickly clip each dog into place. It was time he was moving.
Nerves racked Holly’s small frame. She had zigzagged through woodlands, followed narrow tracks where at times she’d balanced the sleigh on only one runner, and dodged fallen timber and the strain was making itself felt. Frequently, too frequently she’d had to climb off the runners and, trotting behind as the dogs pulled, she’d had to push the sleigh. Fighting against exhaustion, she experienced the peculiar feeling of floatation. She’d heard the wild tales of mushers hallucinating with fatigue but she had never imagined it would happen to her. Now, about nine miles from Rainy Pass, concentrating as if her life depended on it, she started to slow down. Utmost control of her dogs was what she needed from here on in. The trail started to dip and the track grew narrower, and as she swung her team through big timber, huge trees as old as time itself, she felt as if her nerves were unravelling. Catching her breath as she narrowly missed hitting a gigantic tree, her hands tightened with desperation on the handrail.
“Get with it,” she muttered to herself, “this is not the time to daydream.”
Noticing one of the Iditarod’s famous diamond hazard signs, Holly quickly leaned on the brake and began to move forward rather more cautiously. Plunging down a steep hill, another warning sign came into view and right there in front of her appeared to be the edge of a cliff. Experiencing the heart-in-your-mouth phenomenon, Holly braked for all she was worth, and gently and carefully directed her team over and down the sheer face. The sleigh teetering on the edge as the dogs moved warily downward, she experienced sheer terror, convincing herself that she was going to topple off the verge and plunge to her death. However, when it did
n’t happen, she could hardly believe it. Had she experienced a hallucination? Had the death-defying feat been just that, an illusion? Shaking herself out of the terror-stricken stupor that had held her in its deadly grip, she concentrated on what was to come. A worn rut proved to be accommodating, and she kept her sled glued to it like paste to wallpaper whilst balancing on one runner. There followed one sharp drop after another and her already shattered nerves were frayed to bits. Exhausted before, now at the final hurdle before the next checkpoint she was almost beyond coherent thought.
Surviving the drops and with her dogs and herself still in one piece, Holly then plunged down to the Happy River canyon. Bringing the team to a halt, Holly took time to gather her wits and reassemble her nerves. Giving her dogs a snack she filched some trail mix, but her hands were shaking so much she could hardly open the packet. Boiling a pan of water on her alcohol stove, she made a cup of very strong, very bitter coffee, all the time trying incredibly hard not to cry. It was just nerves, she told herself, but deep down inside she knew it was more than that, it was fear. Thirty minutes later, her dogs’ snow bootees changed, she, by the sheer power of will, set off for the last leg of her journey to Rainy Pass.
* * * *
Since leaving Rainy Pass, Zachariah had been pushing his dogs as fast and as hard as he was able without compromising their well-being. He was bone-wearily tired. Having next to no sleep and lacking in calories he felt his energy fading. It was about thirty-two miles to Rohn from Rainy Pass and desperately in need of rest and food, Rohn was like a welcoming beacon in the wilderness. The sun was rising, making the spectacular scenery even more magnificent, and with the coming of daylight the next part of the trail would be that much easier to traverse. Taking the time to enjoy the view Zachariah looked around. White covered everything in sight, snow-topped hills and mountains appeared like tall peaks of sugar-frosted meringues, whilst the spruce trees with their light dusting of snow looked like a Christmas wonderland. Running westward would soon take him to the open plains, but a wind was rising and he was worried that with the wind more severe blizzard conditions would follow. With his gaze trained on his team stretched out in front, Zachariah began peddling. Keeping one foot on the ground and the other on the runner, he executed some tight turns and controlled his dogs through some worrisome scrub. However, his thoughts still wandered to Holly, speculating as to how she was faring and wondering if she had taken time to eat and rest. Never good at taking advice, she had probably disregarded all he had said, and was most likely struggling not only with fatigue but with nerves as well.
* * * *
Holly finally reached the checkpoint at Rainy Pass, and after checking in she collected water from a hole in the lake ice and, settling her dogs, decided to take a short rest. Entering the checkers cabin, Holly stopped on the threshold. Astrid was sitting on the bench, her legs stretched out in front of her, drinking coffee, her head back and eyes closed.
“Well, don’t just stand there, dammit, you’re letting the cold in,” Astrid snapped, opening her eyes. Noticing that it was Holly standing in the doorway she sniggered cynically.
“Well, well, well, so you made it after all? Well, at least this far.”
“No reason why I shouldn’t have is there?” Holly, feeling defensive, made a concerted effort to stop from rushing out the cabin. “After all, if you can do it, so can I.”
“Ha! There’s a huge of difference between the two of us. You, Holly James, are inexperienced and…” She looked Holly up and down. “Ridiculously pathetic, whereas I am a consummate professional, experienced, well trained and well tested. You do the math. I will finish the race no matter what the cost to me or my dogs, whereas you, a pathetic bleeding heart will withdraw at the slightest obstacle.” She stood up, and, flamboyantly sweeping her gloves from the bench, she marched past Holly, slamming the door behind her.
Sitting shakily down on the bench, Holly drew off her gloves, pushed back her hood and took a few deep breaths. Her hands were trembling and even though the temperature was below zero, sweat ran in relentless trickles down her spine. Leaning back she closed her eyes, reliving the terrifying journey, and the stress of meeting Astrid again. Briefly she speculated as to whether Zachariah had found the trail between Finger Lake and Rainy Pass as difficult as she had, and also wondered if he had given any thought to her? Gulping down some water, she no longer felt like melting snow for coffee. She drew back on her gloves. As much as she would have liked to spend the night, she had to get moving, time was of the essence. Next stop, Rohn.
Chapter Seven
Rohn! Thank goodness! The end of the stretch was in sight. The journey from Rainy Pass had at times been arduous, visibility had been poor, and the ground blizzards had made the trail even more difficult to follow. Zigzagging in and out of tall willow, Holly had a couple of near misses with caribou and more than once her heart had been in her mouth. And it was with mixed feelings she passed the Watch your Ass sign, and started the two-hundred-foot drop down toward Dalzell Gorge.
Concentrating on driving her sled, Holly began peddling. She hadn’t the time to think about Zachariah although not to do so took a herculean amount of willpower. The wind was in her face, bitingly cold, making the already poor visibility worse. It was dark but the moon was out making the landscape delicately lovely, its silvery sheen lighting her path and haloing the treetops. Although the silvery trail stretched beckoningly before her, she was now unable to see the dogs in front, an unsettling phenomenon. But they were sure of foot and she trusted their instincts.
* * * *
Zachariah, safely in Rohn, had quickly fed his dogs and changed their bootees. The trail from Rainy Pass had been arduous and the ground tough, especially on the dogs’ paws. Sipping his coffee, he stared at the misty moon, it was still dark but sunrise wasn’t far off and he’d soon need to be on the trail again. But what of Holly? The next part of the journey would be a long grueling exercise in endurance, and it was best if she travelled with a fellow musher.
He’d been in Rohn several hours, time if he was honest he could ill afford to waste, but he wanted to make sure Holly had a reliable travelling companion for the next stretch, and the only way to do that was to be that man. Several mushers had been and gone, including Astrid, and he’d refused their offers of companionship, much to Astrid’s annoyance. But he’d been hoping with every musher that drew up that Holly’s would be the next to arrive. He sighed. Although knowing Holly, she wouldn’t thank him for his concern. He grinned. Accusations would fly. She’d accuse him of not trusting her, of not believing in her abilities, and for seeing her as not a fellow musher but a helpless woman.
Closing his eyes he settled back into his seat, remembering what it was like to have her under him, how it felt when he buried his cock inside her, feeling her womanly softness sheathing his power. She’d been eager, wanting him as much as he’d wanted her. He recalled the silky length of her legs as they wrapped around his hips, the feel of her yielding breasts as they pushed up against his chest and her soft, sweet breath as she’d breathed words of love at the height of her climax. He shifted restlessly at the sensations his thoughts were conjuring up, feelings he’d long since forgotten and he groaned quietly. However, his thoughts wouldn’t be denied. He recalled holding her as she’d reached the heights, her gentle sounds of satisfaction as he’d fucked her, the sweet wetness of her desire and the tortured groans as he’d slowed her climax down.
Throwing his coffee dregs into a nearby bush, he rose angrily to his feet, trying to ignore the painful tenting of his jeans. God he was hard! What was he doing, torturing himself like this?
He’d been through the wringer many times before, thinking and rethinking the past, questioning whether he’d done the right thing in letting her go? Wondering if he should have tried to make it work? But no, he realized he’d been too angry then, too raw at the loss of his wife to have more than a passing fling. And with Holly he was ashamed to admit he’d sought release and only that, a
nd God help him, although Holly had been willing she had also been an innocent. So what did that make him?
His head lifted. Someone was coming. Stepping into the light he waited, and sure enough the first of the dogs appeared around the corner. It was Holly, at last!
Unbelievable! Totally unbelievable! Holly set her lips. She couldn’t believe Zachariah was here, and probably waiting for her. What was it about this man, that she could hardly make a move without him being there? In her face, in her life, and in her dreams!
“Whoa!” Holly stomped heavily and angrily on the brake as she brought her team to a halt. Stepping off the runner, she lifted her goggles and pulled down the scarf that covered the bottom half of her face.
“Zachariah,” she murmured angrily as he walked toward her. “What can I do for you?”
“Holly.” Zachariah nodded in greeting. “I’ve been waiting for you.”
She bent to the task of feeding her dogs. “Why?”
Zachariah sighed impatiently. “Use your head, Holly. It’s a long stretch from here to Nikolai, approximately seventy-five miles of long, hazardous terrain, the kind of terrain when you need a companion to watch your back.”
Holly swung angrily around. “So what? So you thought you’d be the hero and watch out for little ol’ me? Take me under your wing, help me, the feeble woman, to get through, hold my hand when the going gets tough?” She poked him hard in the chest. “Well, let me tell you, Zachariah Black, I don’t need a man to get me through, I don’t need a man to hold my hand, and I certainly don’t need a man to watch my back, or any part of me for that matter. And most and more importantly of all, I don’t need you!”
Staring down into her red, angry face, Zachariah’s fingers closed around her upper arms and he pulled her into his embrace. Lowering his head, he found her lips in a searing, skillful kiss that stopped the angry words in her throat. Bending her further over his arm, his kisses became more demanding. Caressing her lips with his, he forced his tongue into the warm moistness of her mouth methodically and completely erasing all thoughts of resistance.
Sleigh Ride to Love Page 4