Cole zipped the jacket to my chin. “You seem rather attached to this.”
“It smells good.” Like spice and all things nice. On my tiptoes, I kissed him. I just couldn’t help myself. “I’m looking forward to getting the sweater though. I promise.”
“You are the worst liar.” Grumbling, he guided our horse away. Silas followed with his and Hope’s mounts.
“Come on.” Hope led the way toward the gear. “I hate it how they can sense every lie we speak, but still, I think you’ve got Cole sorted.”
“Hardly. Sorted would be him, ah, leaving.” Although did I really want him to leave? It would be for the best when he’d only get hurt by staying with me. I flapped out the bedrolls while Hope foraged through the food and set snacks and a bottle of water on each.
“You don’t sound so sure. If you ask me, he looks both frustrated and smitten. I don’t think he’s leaving anytime soon.” Hope sat on her makeshift bed. She kicked off her boots and eased her jean-clad legs out “Which means, totally sorted.”
“Being mated to the enemy is asking for trouble.” I removed my sword belt and Stetson then set them beside my bed. “It’s best I not go there.”
“Or you can accept it might be for the best. Just try not to overthink it, and give yourself time. You wanna make the right decision.”
Except we didn’t have time on our side. He’d be gone the moment the fires were under control. Great. I was going to make myself crazy with all the what-ifs if I didn’t let this rest. I picked up one of the snacks, a plastic wrapped chocolate cookie. There was nothing quite like chocolate to bump my mood. A morale-booster if ever I needed one.
“You’re supposed to eat the sandwich first.” Hope picked up hers then her cookie and looked from one to the other as if weighing her choices.
“I would, but there’s chocolate. Go for the cookie.” I flopped onto my back, munched and stared at the array of stars. Nature at its most beautiful, even with the threat of fires so close.
Silas jogged toward us, unstrapped his sword and plunked down next to Hope. “Move over, love.”
“You’ve got your own bedroll.” She nudged his shoulder. “Over there.”
“I don’t think so.” He tipped up her chin and kissed her. “Mmm, chocolate. Hope, why are you eating the cookie first?”
“Because Lieska is, and she’s a bad influence.”
Cole strode in, tucked his sword near his bedroll then settled in beside me. “What’s this about chocolate cookies? I’m certainly aware my mate’s a bad influence.”
“I’m not nearly as bad as you, and you’re on my bed.” I should enforce more space. I shoved his shoulder, his immoveable shoulder. “Are you going to move?”
“Maybe later. You look like you need a little company.” He heaved his bedding closer. “What’s on your mind?”
“Nothing.”
“Come on. Did you miss the soul-bond lesson on thou cannot lie? Because you suck at speaking the truth.”
“Okay, everything’s wrong then. Is that better?” Sheesh. Were his thoughts as tangled as mine?
“Right, where shall we start then?” With his snacks and water in hand, he relaxed on his side and smiled at me. “I’m listening. Tell me what you need.”
“I need you to zap home, so I can stop overthinking everything. You’ve got the image for this place now. You could drop back and pester me at any time. Think of the excitement and danger with that.”
“Wrong answer. And I prefer to pester you now, which I’m getting rather good at.” He unwrapped his sandwich and bit into it. “You want a sandwich?”
“No. But feel free to give me your chocolate cookie.” I shot a look at Hope, hoping to give her a signal that I could use some help, but she and Silas were quietly talking, their heads bent together. She truly needed some serious wing-woman lessons.
“Here you go.” He handed his cookie over.
“You’re really giving me this?” Damn. How adorable was that?
“It’s all yours, for some information. I want to know more about you. How much time do you spend here?” He passed me my water flask. “I mean as compared to Dralion.”
“About half.” I took a couple of sips and set it aside. “Why?”
“I’m curious. Where do you usually—”
“No. Don’t ask.”
“—sleep?”
I almost bopped the cookie over his head, but it would be a terrible waste. I couldn’t do that to the cookie. “You don’t want to know, Cole. You really don’t.”
“Don’t dare me. Leaving me guessing will only backfire on you.” He rolled me in under his shoulder. “Spill. Curb my curiosity.”
“You don’t fight fair, but you’re also lucky I understand.” I rested my cheek on his chest and snuggled. “I have a room on the homestead’s second floor. A perfectly safe room. In Dralion, I have my own quarters in the barracks. And when I manage to pop in to see my parents, I catch a few winks in the sleep-out next to their cottage. That’s provided there’s a spare bunk. It kind of gets overrun by my three younger brothers, so I just go with the flow. All I’ve ever really needed is a pillow and a warm blanket. I even love sleeping out on the range when we’re mustering.”
He caressed the back of my neck, his fingers warm as he grazed them back and forth against my skin. I almost purred. “See, that wasn’t so bad.”
No, not bad at all. I liked being with him. “I’m glad you’re here, Cole.”
“So am I,” he whispered. “So am I.”
His statement rang with truth, as mine had.
Trouble, big trouble.
The breeze picked up, and I breathed deep, testing it with my heightened senses. Thankfully it was still perfectly clear of even the smallest taint of smoke.
“Lieska, it’s Goldie.” She fired up our link.
“Hey, Goldie, we’ve still got clear air at the river.” Goodness, what was she going to say about Cole?
“Good. I want you to remain alert though. You know the drill.” I sure did. Bushfires could rage for days or weeks, and smoke could drift some distance from the heart of the blaze. New fires often spread through the ash in the air. “Lieska, and about being alert. Hope told me about Cole. Give me the run down.”
“Um…well…ah…”
“Spit it out. Are you two together? Or is there still a chance I can harm him and you won’t get angry?”
“He’s helping out. He’ll be gone once the fires are out, and no, you can’t hurt him.” I’d never let her touch him. He was my mate, and I’d keep him safe.
“As long as he’ll be gone, that’s music to my ears. I knew you’d be sensible about this. Hope and Faith are a lost cause, but you, no. I can trust you to do the right thing.”
“Your tone is far too gleeful.” I rubbed my chest, hating the ache that the thought of his leaving brought.
“Lieska, having Davio Loveria and Silas Carver around means two protectors too many. Who on earth would want to be soul-bound to the enemy? Not me. Hey, if you need a pep talk, call out. I’ll set you back on the straight and narrow in no time. I’ll chat to you later, okay? I’ve got cattle on the move.”
“Yep, later.” The straight and narrow was looking less straight and narrow by the second.
“Who are you talking to?” Cole flipped his bedroll over top of us, cocooning us in its warmth. Well, he clearly wasn’t moving. And now I didn’t care to fight him on it. Each hour that passed, was another hour closer to when he’d be gone, and I didn’t want to miss a moment of the time we had left.
I stroked his chest, calming at the solid feel of him. “Goldie. She said to remain alert. Between the four of us, we should take a two-hour shift each and keep an eye out.”
“Close your eyes and rest. I’ll take the first shift. Silas.” He called out to him over my head. “I’ll wake you for the second shift.”
“Great. You do that.” He and Hope had bedded down much the same as us.
I hooked my thumb through the bel
t hoop of Cole’s jeans and played my fingers over his hip. “Are you sure you want to go first? I don’t—”
“I’ll go first.” He kissed the tip of my nose. “Sleep well, my mate.”
I closed my eyes and relaxed.
So peaceful.
His mate, yes, even though not for much longer.
Chapter 4
Warm breath fluttered across my cheek and Cole’s arms banded tightly about me. I stretched my legs and rubbed my feet over his. Each time during the night when I’d stirred, he’d urged me back to sleep. He and Silas had continued taking shifts, one after the other and neither would be denied. Stubborn times two. The night was almost over though, a hint of light along the horizon giving evidence sunrise was close.
I edged up on one elbow and peeked at him. He lay awake, his golden-brown hair a rumpled mess and his chin sharp with a razz of stubble. So cute. Why did he have to be a protector? My soul ached for more. “You’re going to be too tired if you don’t catch a few more winks.”
“I’m good. I slept half the night.” He tucked me back against him. “I like having you close.”
“Me too.” Boy did I like it.
I glanced behind me toward Hope. She was stirring while Silas sat watching her with a smile. He leaned forward and dropped a kiss on her forehead. He murmured to her, so softly I hadn’t a chance of catching the words. Half our people were mated. It was what I wished for too, but…
I faced Cole, and then got lost in his beautiful eyes.
“Tell me what you’re thinking. I need to know, Lieska.”
“I—I—” My throat dried and my eyes misted. I ducked my head under his chin so he wouldn’t see my threatening tears. He was going to leave soon, and I was stronger than this. I wasn’t going to cry. I could deal with the decision we’d made.
“Hey, morning you guys,” Hope called out.
Oh thank heavens. I blinked rapidly then rolled toward her, beyond glad for the diversion. “Hey back at ya. Did you sleep all right?”
“You know me. I always sleep like a dream when I’m out under the stars.” She eased to her feet, tucked one loose violet shirttail into her jeans and stared toward the western bush line. “Hmm, it’s hard to tell from this distance what’s going on over there.” Hand to her forehead, she searched the area south toward the homestead. “And it seems even hazier in that direction. Strange. I wonder what’s going on toward home.”
I cranked around to look. Why would there be so much smoke near the homestead?
“Silas. Up you get.” Hope pulled on her riding boots. “I need you to ’port me into town. Fire Department. Let’s go check in with local enforcement and get an update.”
“Gotcha.” He shoved his boots on then held onto her. The two shimmered and disappeared.
Checking things out was a good idea. I eyed Cole. “I’ll do the same. I’ll whip home and take a look around, get changed and stuff. Can you hold the fort here while I do?” I wriggled up then found myself flat on my back, Cole above me.
“I can, but let’s get one thing straight.” The gold flecks in his hunter eyes flared. “If you don’t want to end our bond then tell me.”
I cupped his face, rubbed his cheeks with my fingertips. “Has anyone ever told you your morning manner needs some improvement? You’re far too demanding.”
“No one’s mentioned it yet, but thanks for the up.” He lowered his mouth to mine and kissed me, one very hot morning kiss. My heartbeat thumped out of rhythm. I kissed him back, overwhelmed by the new emotions stirring within me. Oh, why did he have to kiss like a dream? Too soon he pulled away, heaved himself to his feet and lifted me to mine. “I expect you back here in ten minutes.”
“Ten minutes? You can’t be serious?”
“Very serious.”
I grabbed my boots, Stetson and sword. Not prepared to argue further, I ’ported, fast. I needed a break from him. It might clear my head.
I arrived in my room, one Hope and Goldie had insisted I have near theirs instead of outside in the barracks. I adored this space, well, except for the snowy white carpet since I was always getting endless red dust on it. I tramped across it in my socks and tossed my gear onto my queen-sized bed, which took pride of place against one wall. I slipped Cole’s jacket off and folded it neatly next to my sword on the golden bedcovers. Goodness, I really liked his jacket. I wasn’t looking forward to getting the sweater at all.
At the window, I eased the white lace nets aside. A copse of gum trees near the corral, more brown than green, swayed in the wind. And the smoke. Shoot, it was so thick. It clogged the air. That’s why there’d been such a haze in this direction. There had to be fires burning close to here. I shoved open my link to Goldie. “Hey, I’m at the homestead and—”
“Great. I need someone there. Hope and Silas just gave me an update. The state firefighters are close to you. They brought teams in a couple of hours ago. They began back-burning in an attempt to snuff this fire out. I wasn’t aware of it, but it might mean more smoke your way as their operation spreads back to the west.”
“The smoke is thicker. Are you sure the back-burning is heading in the opposite direction?”
“Positive, but as a precautionary measure I want you to ’port the horses to the river. We don’t need them suffering from any fumes. Keep your hunter senses covered up too. I don’t want you breathing in anything toxic.”
“Okay, gotcha. I’ve got this covered.”
I raced to my dressing room, changed into a pair of skinny red jeans and a bright red blouse. Best to remain a beacon of color with all this smoke about. I added a red and black checked neck-cloth, lugged on my boots, and strapped on my sword belt.
I flashed to the kitchen, dropped bread into the toaster and poured a glass of orange juice. I’d need sustenance to get through today.
“You’re a minute late.” Cole’s deep voice bounced inside my head. “Don’t make me hunt you down.”
“I’m grabbing a bite to eat, but hunt me down if you want.” I couldn’t keep the longing from my voice. Let the hunter hunt.
“Hope and Silas have returned. They mentioned the back-burning.”
“Goldie just told me about it too. I’ve got to ’port the horses to the river. You keep those cattle in line over there. I’ll be back soon enough.”
“Silas and Hope can look after the cattle here. Hold on. I won’t be a moment.”
My toast popped and I slathered it in chocolate spread.
“I’m back in Peacio.”
What? He couldn’t be. That was a surprise. “Um, if you’ve got other things to do, I understand.”
“The only thing I have to do is change then lasso you into line.”
“Well, I hate to break it to you, but the lassoing isn’t going to happen.”
“I’m on my way back.”
“Good for you.”
“Don’t be cheeky.”
“Ha. Not possible.” I took a bite of my toast then peered out the wooden square-cut window. Along the dusty path from the stables, Cole stormed toward me. Wow. He cut an impressive figure in dark leathers and belted side-sword. The hem of his white shirt fluttered loose under his tan leather vest.
His gaze clashed with mine through the glass. “Where’s the door?” he yelled out.
“Follow the path to the front porch. There’s a wide-open foyer. Take the first door on your—”
He leaned against the window pane, got the image and flashed inside.
“Or you could just do that. Impatient much?”
“Like you wouldn’t believe.” Hands on the metal sink either side of me, he leaned in and breathed deep. If he came any closer, I’d kiss him. “More chocolate. I am going to form an addiction myself if I hang around you much longer.”
“Hey, don’t sass the chocolate.” I ducked under his arm and set more bread in the toaster. After it popped, I spread both pieces with extra chocolate spread and passed him a slice. “You want juice too?”
“Yes, please.”
I poured then nudged the glass across the countertop toward him. Outside, the smoke continued to thicken. “That back-burning is certainly close. It better be working.”
“Hope said the firefighters know their stuff, and I’m ready to move those horses when you are.”
“You’re almost ready.” I pulled a toweling cloth out of the drawer, draped it over his nose and tied it in place at the back of his head. “Thank you for all your help.”
“I wouldn’t be anywhere else.” He lifted my red and black checked neck-cloth over my nose. “Right. We’re all set to go. What’s the drill?”
“We have over two-hundred breeding mares, plus foals, and they all need to be moved.”
“How do you intend to contain them at the river?”
“Leads. There’s a fence line down there, so we’ll tie them to the posts. That should work.” I flashed us to the stables. Smoke swirled through the air of the wide central holding room, obliterating the grassy scent of the hay bales stacked to the ceiling. “Use whatever you need from in here. There’s plenty of tack hooked on the back wall and tons of rope in the side room.” I pointed toward the back door. “Out that way are the fenced yards where we keep the mares and foals.”
He caught my hand and squeezed it. “Promise me you’ll be careful.”
“I will, and you too. No getting hurt on my turf. You take the outside area and I’ll move the mares close to birthing from down these corridors. That’ll be about half each. Go.” I nudged him toward the back door.
“You stay safe, or else we’ll be having words.” He backed up, his fired gaze on me, and then slowly he turned and disappeared through the door.
Staying safe would be letting him go and living his life, but I couldn’t keep denying the strength of our bond. What would it be like if we accepted it as Hope and Silas had done? What was between us would only develop and grow. I closed my eyes as longing swept through me. Damn, I was falling, and fast.
Horses whinnied. Argh, I needed to get them out. I raced to the first stall.
I ’ported each mare, taking extra care to secure them farther away from where Cole tied the mares.
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