by Seton, Cora
“Don’t shoot!” Holly screeched. “I’ll…I’ll do anything you say.”
Horror splashed across the man’s face. His blue-green eyes widened. “Oh, shit. I…this isn’t…sorry.” He lowered the weapon and put it by his pack. “I wake up fast. Really fast. You shouldn’t have screamed.”
Holly sat up. She was in her underwear. He’d undressed her? She grabbed the covers up around her neck. “Oh, really? What should I’ve done with a half-naked stranger in my bed? Kissed you?”
Where did those words come from? Her cheeks warmed and her darned gaze went straight to his lips. Wow, they were full. The image of those lips touching her belly sprang to mind. His strong, tanned hands rubbing circles up her thighs…I’ve lost my mind. That was it. The sexy dream had made her hot and the moose made her deranged. Her skin got even warmer, and she knew, just knew, blush splotches were spreading down her neck and across her chest.
The man grinned. “That would’ve been preferable.” He held his hand out. “I’m Ty Whitehorse.”
His teeth were white and straight, his jaw square, his abs…oh, my gosh, stop looking at his amazing body! Gripping the blankets with both hands, she said, “Holly Colton.”
“Nice to meet you. I’ll get the stove burning. I bet you’re hungry.”
Speechless, she watched his muscular frame as he collected wood for the stove. He moved like a cat. Stealthy and confident. When he squatted down to feed wood into the stove, she couldn’t help but notice how nicely he filled out his camouflage pants. His hair was thick, black as midnight, and shoulder length. She’d found tall, dark, and handsome in a hunter’s cabin? She shook her head. Happy-ever-after didn’t happen to her, or at least it hadn’t before. But she was the new trying-to-be-amazing Holly Colton. Why couldn’t good things happen to her? And why is my mind even going there? He’s a stranger for gosh sakes?
She cleared her throat. “Mr. Whitehorse?”
He glanced over his impossibly wide shoulders at her. “Yes, ma’am?”
He’d seen her in her underwear and now he was calling her ma’am? “Do you have a snowmobile? I need to get my dog to the pet hospital. She’s seriously injured.”
“Lucy’s going to be okay. She needs time to rest and heal.”
It was then she noticed the stitches across Lucy’s pink and white belly. They were made with some sort of green string and had been expertly sewn. Her back leg had been bandaged. Her front had a makeshift splint and bandage.
“You.” She blinked at the man stoking the fire. “Did this?”
“Yep. Last night while you slept.”
“Wow. I can’t think you enough.” Carefully, she ran her hand over Lucy’s fur. Her eyes welled with tears. “She’s going to be all right?”
“Yes, ma’am. Just let her rest. And no. I don’t have a snowmobile. I ran out of gas and walked several hours through the blizzard to get here.”
“Please, call me Holly.” She moved her shoulder and winced. Gingerly, she touched the sore spot. He’d bandaged her injuries too. Why couldn’t she remember what happened last night? “I’m having trouble filling in the blanks. Can you tell me how I got here?”
“I would if I could, Holly.” He rolled her name around in his mouth as if playing with it. “I don’t know how long you were out there in the blizzard. What I can tell you is that the big dog”—he pointed at Conan—“pulled you on a small sled to my door. He scratched and whined until I opened up and let you all inside.”
Conan lifted his head as if he knew they were talking about him.
“He did it? Conan has never been a lead dog before.” Of course he brought her to a stranger’s door instead of taking her home, but he had saved them.
Ty smiled. “Conan? It’s a good name. You’re a good boy, aren’t you?” He patted the dog’s big head and got a slobbery dog smile in return.
“He’s a bit dense, but strong. Hey, you said your door.”
Ty cocked his head, studying her with those amazing eyes. Blue at first, and then green, but now they were gray and as stormy as the wind whistling outside the cabin. They were like a mood ring she used to wear until it got stuck on black. Black was the color of her life.
“That one right there?” She pointed at the wood door with her pinky, careful not to drop an inch of the blanket she was hugging around her body.
“Yep.”
“Weird.” Holly narrowed her eyes. “You don’t look a thing like Uncle Bob Heinkins.”
Ty didn’t say a word, but the muscles in his square jaw tensed.
“Everyone calls him Uncle Bob, although I don’t know why. He’s the man who really owns this cabin. So that makes you….what? A squatter? A wanted criminal in the lower forty-eight states? A lost lumberjack with a great big…” She studied his gigantic biceps and her eyes dipped lower before she could stop them. “…gun?”
He laughed. Wow, he had a deep, genuine laugh. She found herself smiling.
“Nope. I’m like you. I got stuck in the storm and found shelter.”
He was nothing like her. When storms hit, Holly ran fast and far. Hence the reason for settling in Alaska. They stared at each other a long silent minute.
“Is that all you’re going to say?” she asked.
“Yep.”
She huffed. “Well, Mr. Whitehorse. That’s not good enough. I need to know who you are and why you…” Stripped me, wrapped your warm, hard body around me and made me feel safer than I’ve felt in years. “Um…why you’re here. In Uncle Bob’s cabin.”
“Need to know, huh? You’re speaking my language. Before I answer, why don’t you tell me why you begged me to save Lucy?”
She blinked. “What?”
Ty rose without a single knee-pop. “You were hypothermic with a possible concussion. Another hour out in that blizzard and you would’ve been dead. You put Lucy inside the bag in the basket and strapped yourself to the runners, leaving your body exposed to the elements while Lucy was warm and dry inside the bag. You sacrificed yourself for a dog. Why?”
Holly frowned. She didn’t remember strapping herself onto the sled but did remember putting Lucy in the bag. Oh, Lord, she’d been afraid. The paralyzing fear was almost as bad as it had been back in DC. She promised herself she’d never be that scared again. But she was.
She exhaled. “Lucy could’ve died.”
“You could’ve died.”
“I didn’t.”
He nodded. “You’re one strong lady.”
She snorted. “Yeah, right.” But the compliment warmed her. Maybe she was getting stronger. The moose had scared the snot out of her, but she’d faced her fears head on and stood her ground. For a change. Funny, how she could protect Lucy but not herself. “Concussion?” She touched the lump on the side of her head. “Ow. Darn moose really got me.”
“Ah, that was it. I wondered what attacked you.” He came closer. “Let me see.”
“No! Stop. Just…just stay there.” She backed up toward the head of the bed.
He put up his hands. “Relax.”
“I’m relaxed.” Her voice careened a couple octaves too high. “Don’t I look relaxed?” Of course not. She was crawling backward up the wall, nearly hyperventilating. Her heart was hammering her chest like it was going to explode. She glanced around the cabin. Her clothes had been hung up to dry way over there, across the room. The door to escape was also across the room.
“Holly,” his voice was soft. “I’m not going to hurt you.”
Darned right he wasn’t. No man was ever going to hurt her again. But wasn’t that what she always told herself?
“I’m not going to hurt you, Holly,” Ronald would slur. “Let me see you. Come on. Give your man some sugar.”
She’d fallen for her ex-husband’s act a few times before she got smart and hid in the dark closet or behind the golf cart in the garage when he went out drinking. One time she’d waited for hours with her sweaty fingers wrapped around a golf club. When he found her… Oh, God.
�
��Step back.” She whimpered. This wasn’t supposed to happen again. She had it under control. “Please. I need a few minutes.”
Hearing desperation in Holly’s voice, Lucy raised her head and whimpered. The dog knew when Holly was about to be sucked into her ugly memories. She’d bark or nudge her master to keep her calm. Without her, Holly used to lose time and not know what happened. Used to. She was getting better; somedays it was baby steps, others giant leaps.
“It’s all right.” Ty moved back. “What do you want me to do? Leave?”
“No! Just…wait.” Petting Lucy’s fur—her touchstone to reality—Holly closed her eyes and took several calming breaths like she’d been taught to do. Ronald is not here. Ronald is not here. He can’t hurt me.
After several long minutes, she opened her eyes.
“Are you okay?” Ty’s hands were still in the air as if she had a gun on him. His handsome face was filled with concern. Moody eyes as deep and as blue-green as the Potomac River sucked her right in.
How to answer that? No, Mr. Whitehorse. Sorry to tell you that you are stuck in a small cabin with a raging crazy woman who gets sucked away to the dark place, her own living hell. If I were you? I’d run for my life.
But she didn’t want him to leave.
There was something about him that made her feel safe. Even though Ty Whitehorse was built like he’d been chiseled out of rock, he didn’t scare her. The gun didn’t frighten her, either. Most people in Alaska carried weapons as protection from bears and moose. Not knowing who he was or where he came from? That bothered her, it did, but not enough to make her hop on the sled in the middle of a blizzard. Most people in the community were wary of strangers. Hadn’t Ty already proved himself to be caring and gentle? He’d saved her life, for gosh sakes. And Lucy’s! The dogs weren’t wary of him at all. Which said the most about him. In her experience, dogs had a better sense of the heart of a man than people did.
So she’d trust her best friends to steer her right. She’d beg Ty to stay, if she had to, because she wanted to know him better. A miracle in itself. For years she had kept her head down and stayed away from people to hide her bruises and her shame. She had lived a lonely, scary life. Her existence in DC had eaten at her heart and soul until she became little more than a caricature of a woman—a wax-faced mannequin, neither alive nor dead. Well, those days were over. If she kept her heart open, she might be able to find her true self again, if that person still existed.
Her slowly opening heart pounded a steady plea to Ty Whitehorse—please, don’t leave.
“Holly?” The way he said her name, gently, deeply, gave her a pleasurable tingle up her spine.
She exhaled slowly through her nostrils, one final cooling breath. “I’ll be okay.” Hopefully.
His eyes bore into hers. “You can trust me. I promise, I won’t hurt you.”
She pressed her lips together and nodded.
“When you arrived here last night, you were freezing. Body heat was the best way to warm you. I meant to get up before you woke. I touched you to get you warm. That’s all.”
“That’s all?” Why did she feel deflated by his explanation? “You didn’t want to touch me for…other reasons?”
Surprisingly, his tan cheeks took on a pinkish glow. Was he blushing? “My wants don’t matter during an emergency. You were in trouble. That’s all that mattered. You first, Lucy second.”
She chewed her lip. It wasn’t a no, crazy lady, why would I want to touch you? The blush made it seem like he did. Excitement flooded through her. Her chest was probably blotchy and pink again. “You’re a doctor?”
“No. Call it EMT training.”
An emergency technician with an enormous gun? That didn’t exactly make sense. None of the ambulance technicians who came to her house had guns, did they? She decided to let it rest for now because the man intrigued her. Big time. Could the strong, handsome, fake EMT be attracted to her? Toying with the idea made her feel sort of pretty again. It had been a long time since anyone made butterflies dance inside her. Not since…her mind tried to drift off again. Stop it! Focus. Stay present, here and now. Ronald can’t take my life.
She blinked. Ty was still looking at her. Had she slipped into the dark place again? Sometimes it was hard to tell.
She cleared her throat. “Could you turn your back so I can get dressed?”
“You might need help. You could be dizzy when you stand up.”
Cocking an eyebrow, she smiled. So he did want to touch her again. “I’ve dressed myself for twenty-eight years. I’m sure I can manage.”
Why was she fighting this? The man seemed to want to stay and help her get dressed, which made her think maybe he’d be willing to help her undress. Completely. She had never had sex with a stranger before. She’d saved herself for her wedding day with Ronald. Look how well that had turned out.
“I understand, but concussions are tricky. Even minor ones. Let me help you stand.” His gaze roamed—from her eyes, to her lips, down her neck, to the swell of her breasts just outside the covers—before he brought his eyes back to hers.
When he looked at her like that…Holly felt like she’d been asleep for years and was finally waking. Coming alive. All of her nerve endings sparked, her heart pounded, and heat, lovely heat, flooded her insides. This is what it felt like to be wanted? She could barely remember. She liked it. So very much.
The intensity between them helped to unfuzz her concussed head. She glanced at his long, strong fingers and suddenly remembered how good they’d felt on her belly. Wait. It hadn’t been a dream? He had taken her clothes off and rubbed her thighs while they were in bed. Not in a doctor, or fake EMT way, either. A sexy, sexy way that had made her wiggle closer and press herself into him. She hadn’t been touched like that in…okay, never. Ronald had been far too rough and demanding in bed. But Ty had sensual, gentle hands that knew how to make her girly parts tingle. No one had done that for her before. And no one had made her feel safe ever. She hadn’t wanted to run.
She had wanted more, lots more, even if she’d thought it was only a dream/fantasy man at the time. Would he touch her like that again? It would be so tempting to wrap her arms around his broad shoulders, sway into his hard, muscular chest, press her skin to his…Good gravy, get a hold of yourself, Holly. You are rusty and may be reading this all wrong.
She blinked. “I’ll be fine.”
“Be careful with your toes. They might hurt when you walk. You’re going to have blisters on them if you don’t already.”
My toes? She’d check them out in a minute, but first, she needed to get Mr. Whitehorse to turn around before she did something crazy, like drop the sheet and let him get a good long look. “Kind of you. But I’ve got this.”
He shrugged. “Suit yourself. Take it slow.”
He was still watching her with those eyes. What were they…sky blue now? “Well?”
Ty cocked a dark eyebrow as if he didn’t understand.
“Are you going to turn around?”
“Oh. Right. I’ll take the dogs outside to do their business. Come on, girl.” Gently, he picked up Lucy. She didn’t even yelp. The man really had a gentle touch with dogs, which turned her on all the more. Dogs always knew. Lucy had hated Ronald.
Ty must have carried her in his strong arms last night. If only she’d been awake then. “Be careful with Lucy.”
“Don’t worry. I’ve got her.” Ty pressed a kiss to Lucy’s head. “I’m sorry this happened to you, girl. But you’re going to be okay. I’ll take care of you. I promise.”
Lucy licked his nose.
Holly’s heart melted. “Aww. She likes you.”
“I like her.” Ty winked. “And the big lug too. Come on, Conan.”
Conan followed closely behind.
Ty turned back around. “And just between you, me, and the dogs? I’m a Navy SEAL. I’m here in Uncle Bob’s cabin on a secret mission. Don’t tell anyone.”
When the door closed, Holly fell back on the
pillow and willed the room to stop spinning. It wasn’t just the lump on her head playing havoc with her equilibrium. She suspected the image of Ty Whitehorse carrying her beloved dog in his tanned muscular arms would keep her off-balanced for quite a while. For the first time in her life she fantasized about dragging a stranger to bed. The deprived sex kitten inside her was suddenly clawing for her rights. She sighed. Ty seemed like the kind of stranger who could satisfy her in that department. The man was mesmerizing and full of talents, which apparently included fibbing through his straight white teeth.
They were in northern Alaska for gosh sakes, far away from naval bases and dangerous espionage. As far as she knew, the last of the Navy sailors had left the area when HFAFR was closed down. Why would SEALs come here?
The biggest crime around here was when Nick Picklin stole Lana Lee’s moonshine from her cellar. The dogs were brought out for that adventure. Everyone in town tracked Nick through the backwoods all the way to his cabin. The same cabin all the locals knew he lived in. There was a huge party which included fresh salmon cooked on the barbeque on his porch. Lana’s moonshine was passed around until many of the locals passed out in Nick’s front yard. With a hangover of his own, the sheriff finally broke up the party, fined Nick fifty bucks, and ordered he return what was left in the kegs. Big crime. People talked about the theft for weeks. It was a small community. Someone would have known if the Navy had sailed back into town.
“Navy SEAL, my fanny,” she said aloud. She couldn’t make love to a man who lied. Wasn’t that how she ended up an abused wife?
Slowly, she crawled out of bed.
Chapter Seven
‡
The snow-covered sled blocked the exit. Ty gave it a big shove with his boot to let the dogs out. Closing the door behind him, he put Lucy down in the shallow snow near the sled and she gingerly stepped away to do her business. Conan took off leaping and loping through the snow. He snapped up mouthfuls of the cold stuff as if it was candy. Goofball.