by Jane Toombs
“It’ll be a first.”
“Get ready for the thrill of a lifetime.” She scooted to the end of the couch to give him room to swing his feet up into her lap.
“We start here,” she told him, sliding her thumb and two fingers to either side of his left big toe. “Each toe on each foot has its turn before we go on to the ball of the foot, then the arch, then the heel.”
“Who’s this ‘we’?”
“It’s the nurse ‘we,’ which I really hate, but use once in a while just the same.” She continued her massage as she spoke, smiling when she saw him close his eyes.
After a time he murmured, “If this goes on, you’re going to put me to sleep and that’s not quite what I had in mind.”
“Really?”
In answer he swung his feet down to the floor, rose and pulled her up with him. Sliding an arm around her waist, he led her into the bedroom.
“You’re leaving the lamps on,” she said.
“Right. That’s so I get to see what you look like for a change.”
Without asking whose turn it was, he unzipped her jeans and slid them down her legs, easing her part way onto the bed so he could pull them all the way off. Before she could move, he ran his fingers up her bare legs until he reached the barrier of her panties, then caressed her through the silky cloth. By the time he let her stand up, she was thoroughly aroused.
She undid his belt buckle and, leaving the ends dangling, unzipped his fly, noting with anticipation the telltale bulge she had to ease over. When he tried to help her get the jeans off, she swatted him.
“No fair.” As she spoke. she let her fingers brush against his arousal.
When his jeans were down around his ankles, she pushed him backward so that he fell partly onto the bed, in much the same position she’d been in. After yanking off the jeans, she slid her hand under the bottom of his shorts and caressed him until he groaned. He reached for her hand, moved it away and stood.
“Keep that up and we’ll have a quick, one-sided trip,” he said huskily.
He reached for her shirt and pulled it over her head and off before cupping her breasts in his hands. “You’re so beautiful, Victoria,” he murmured as he bent to taste them.
The feel of his tongue circling her nipples made her arch to him as waves of pure sensation rippled through her.
“My turn,” she managed to gasp.
He lifted his head and she tugged at his shirt until it was off. Pressing her palms to his chest, she felt for his tiny male nipples and rubbed them between her thumbs and forefingers.
His arms wrapped around her, gripping her tightly as he found her mouth in a devastating kiss that rocked her to the soles of her feet. She needed this man in a way she’d never expected to need any man. She ached for him, longed for him, wanted him.
She loved him. Whether he was the right man for her or not, he was the one she’d chosen without understanding that’s what she was doing. And now it was too late to draw back.
But not too late to Lose herself in his embrace, to savor each caress, to make this passionate journey with him into blissful forgetfulness...
Steve hadn’t meant to fall into a deep sleep. On the job he’d trained himself to take quick naps, sleeping so lightly the slightest sound had him on his feet, gun in hand. But after the monumental lovemaking. with Victoria, he’d dropped into oblivion so quickly, he hadn’t realized it was happening.
Since, even at his most relaxed, he was never a heavy sleeper, he woke at Joker’s first bark and was on his feet, adrenaline pumping, grabbing for his gun before the dog got really cranked up.
Since the noise was clearly coming from the front—Joker’d gotten loose again—Steve doused the two kerosene lamps and hurried to the front door. The waning moon showed just enough light for him to see through the window a magnificent buck staring at the dog, who was evidently smack up against the door, because he was out of sight
The deer turned and, tail high, trotted down the trail. Joker gave a few more halfhearted barks and subsided, making no move to follow the buck.
By now Victoria was standing next to him. “Was that a deer?” she asked.
“Yeah. Joker doesn’t balk at attacking a man with a gun but he didn’t much care for the looks of that buck.” Steve opened the door and the dog slipped inside, trailing his rope.
“I thought...” Her words trailed off.
“You weren’t alone.”
Steve bent to pat Joker and tell him he’d done a good job before leading him through the cabin and out the back door where he tied him again.
“I don’t think I can go to sleep after that,” Victoria said when he came back in.
In the faint illumination shining in the window from the moon, he could see she was still naked, and his groin tightened reflexively. Everything about her was made for love. For him to love.
But not anymore tonight. He’d gotten too wired from Joker’s warning to make any more assumptions about them being safe. He didn’t dare to lose himself making love with Victoria; he needed to stay alert.
“We can stay up and talk,” she said, wrapping herself in the afghan from the couch and sitting down.
“We’ve pretty well told each other everything,” he said, instinctively backtracking. “Besides, I make it a rule never to talk while naked.”
“The last I saw, your new pajama bottoms were hanging on a bedpost. I’m perfectly willing to wait while you retrieve them.”
He came out of the bedroom with the bottoms on and relit one of the lamps, turning it down low before he sat across from her in a chair. “Might wake Heidi up if we keep on talking,” he said.
“She slept through Joker’s barking.”
True. There was no sidetracking this woman once she had her mind set on something. “Want a list of my favorite foods?” he asked.
“I already know a lot of them. I’d rather hear what you have planned for Heidi once we’re safely off this mountain.”
“I wish I could be sure.” He spoke from the heart. Unfortunately Malengo had a legal right to Kim’s daughter, since he was the father, as blood tests and DNA samples would undoubtedly prove.
Victoria frowned. “You mean you’re not going to keep her?”
“If I can, I will. It may depend on whether or not the agency can intercept what’s being shipped from Khoh with the Arabian horses and then link Malengo to the operation. If that happens, he won’t have a hope of getting custody.”
“You said you’d never let him get his hands on Heidi.”
“I won’t. Not unless a judge rules otherwise. Which, in the worst scenario, could happen.”
“To hell with legality!”
He half smiled. “With that attitude, I may recruit you for the agency.”
She shook her head. “I’m not the type.”
No, she wasn’t. Victoria was far too open and trusting to make a good agent. At the moment, she was driving him wild since the damn afghan had little holes in the decorative squares, giving him enticing glimpses of bits of her bare skin here and there.
He stood and crossed the few feet to the couch, easing down beside her. Unable to resist the temptation, he poked a finger through one of the afghan holes and touched her nipple.
“No fair,” she said.
“All’s fair—” He didn’t finish the quote, realizing in time where that would take him.
Just because he couldn’t keep his hands off her didn’t mean love had to be brought into the equation. Or would it be a mathematical proposition? If thus and thus is true, then the result has to be—what?
Okay, so it was more than last—he did care for her. But love? He couldn’t connect to that word. People said it all the time and didn’t mean it. They didn’t have a clue what love meant. Easy to say, difficult to live up to.
“What about you?” he asked, forcing himself to stop touching her. “Going back to the ER to work?”
She nodded.
At least he knew where she’d be if he wanted to find her once
this was all over with.
“But maybe not for long,” she said. “I’ve been thinking about heading west-California or Oregon—and taking a job out there. I feel it’s time for a change.”
Putting a continent between them didn’t appeal to him at all.
“Do you like being a nurse?” he asked.
She raised her eyebrows at him. “I’d hardly do it otherwise. How about you? Do you enjoy your work?”
Not always. But mostly he did. Mimicking her, he said, “I’d hardly do it otherwise.”
She made a face. “Okay, you’re one up.”
“With you, that’s not easy. Did anyone ever tell you you’re too acute for your own good?”
With an exaggerated simper, she said, “I prefer to think of myself as just plain cute.”
He grinned. “That, too.” Plus sexy as hell. If he sat next to her much longer, he’d be tossing caution under the couch and making love with her on top of it.
Given the present situation, that could get them both killed.
Hearing Bevins begin to meow pitifully, Steve got to his feet, trying to ignore his rampant arousal, and headed for the shed door to let the kitten into the room.
Heidi took that as a cue to start whimpering. Victoria rose and went into the bedroom with the afghan trailing after her, returned with her sleep-T on and picked up the baby.
By the time Heidi was cleaned, fed and burped, the eerie glow of false dawn lightened the night sky.
“Once we get dressed and load what’s left, it’ll be light enough to take off,” Steve said.
After he had his clothes on, he made a grab for Bevins, planning to put him in the carrier. The kitten eluded him, obviously thinking running and hiding was a fun game. Once he finally cornered Bevins and popped him into the camer he’d made, Victoria emerged from the bedroom fully dressed, carrying a small bag.
“You might want to come back up here when you can and take care of the dirty towels and linen,” she said.
“When I can,” he echoed, realizing how empty the cabin would feel without her and the baby. Even if he did get custody of Heidi, it wouldn’t be the same without Victoria.
“I wish we could take the cradle,” she said. “It’s Heidi’s first real bed.” She shook her head. “Why do I feel like I’m leaving home?”
He understood exactly what she meant, but didn’t care to pursue the emotion. “Look at that brat cat working on the catch to the carrier door,” he said. “Bevins is too clever for his own good.”
“Don’t forget Willa told us he was named after a banker.” Her smile faded. “Oh, Steve, I’m going to miss her, rattlesnakes and all.”
Will you miss me, too? he wondered.
Enough of this. Picking up the cat carrier he headed for the door. Once outside, he set it behind the back seat, carefully wedging it in between boxes with the mesh door side out so Bevins could get air.
Heidi’s car carrier was already attached to the back seat, but he checked the connections to be on the safe side. Victoria’s bag and his own could go on the floor. Joker would be penned way in the back, behind a barrier so he couldn’t go leaping around in the van.
Everything seemed ready for takeoff once they loaded in the last few items, buckled Heidi in the carrier and themselves in the front seats. There was no choice; they had to go. He’d never found it particularly hard to leave any place he’d ever been, not until now.
Victoria came toward him, carrying Heidi. She handed him the kangaroo pouch, saying, “Put this up in front so it’ll be handy when I need it.”
He did as she asked, then went inside, collected the two bags and the last box and set them on the floor of the back seat. Heidi, now in her carrier, eyed him solemnly.
“We’re going on a trip, little girl,” he told her.
Why he should feel a lump in his throat was beyond him. They were all still together, weren’t they?
All except Joker. Time to lock the cabin, collect the dog and be on their way.
“Just be a minute,” he told Victoria, who was standing beside the van, looking about herself in the dim light, as if trying to memorize her surroundings.
Skirting the cabin, Steve went around to the back to untie the dog. Joker wasn’t there; he’d gotten loose again. Damn, he should have checked on him earlier.
He called the dog, long and loud, with no response.
They couldn’t wait any longer; they’d have to leave without him. No doubt Joker would head for Willa’s once he found them gone. Might be there now. He’d be fine; she’d take care of him, but it hurt to go without Joker along.
Victoria came around the side of the cabin. “I heard you calling the dog,” she said. “Where is he?”
Steve shrugged. “The escape artist did it again.”
“He must have gone to visit Willa. I’ll go find him.” Before he could protest, she turned and ran off, heading for the trail to Willa’s.
“Wait!” he called. “Come back!”
She either didn’t hear or chose not to listen. He watched her disappear around a turn, the trees hiding her from his view. Not the blue jay’s, though. The bird’s harsh cry told him the jay was following her.
“Damn,” he muttered as he returned to the van. He checked on the baby and the cat and cursed again. Heidi was fine, but Bevins had managed to work the latch loose and open the carrier. He was nowhere in sight. Since the door to the back of the van was open, chances were Bevins was hiding somewhere in the brush.
He’d always prided himself on his ability to keep everything in order, exactly the way he wanted it. No longer. Babies, cats, dogs and Victoria had turned his well-ordered life into chaos.
Slamming the back door shut, he started to walk around to the front of the van when suddenly he stopped, listening. Very faintly he heard the sound of an engine—someone coming up his road. He waited a moment, hoping for the prearranged signal that meant it was an agency vehicle. None came. Which meant trouble was already on the way.
He flung open the front door, grabbed the kangaroo pouch and donned it, then lifted Heidi from the carrier and deposited her in the pouch. Supporting the pouch with one hand, he took off at a dead run, heading for Willa’s.
As he raced along the trail, the sun rose, sending slanting rays through the pines. He tried to decide what was best for the baby. Leave her at Willa’s? No, Malengo’s men would find her there and might harm the old lady. He didn’t dare keep Heidi with him; he needed to be free to shoot if he had to. Best to pass her on to Victoria when they met up and send them off ahead, down to the village. Once there, Victoria could call the cops.
He’d cover the back trail, making sure she and Heidi got away safely. No one was going to hurt his woman or his child. No one.
Ever.
How many men had Malengo brought along? Would he split them up—some taking the trail straight down the mountain from the cabin, the others taking this trail to Willa’s? Steve nodded. They’d have to, without a clue to which way their quarry had gone....
Wait a damn minute. He’d had the keys to the van in his hand when he took off. Not now. He didn’t recall ramming them into his pocket. He checked. No keys. Which meant he’d dropped them. When? A ways along the trail? Or sooner? No way to tell. Which meant Malengo might have a clue.
He’d better figure most, if not all, of the pursuers would be on this trail. Since Malengo had had to come through Aylestown to reach the road to the cabin, had he thought to send a man around to Hanksville to stand guard?
I would have, Steve decided. So Malengo did. Victoria had to be warned.
At that moment, Joker bounded around a turn in the trail, startling him. That meant Victoria must be coming. He slowed his pace slightly. As he rounded the turn, Joker now at his heels, Steve saw her.
She started to smile, then sobered. “What’s wrong?” she said as they neared one another.
“You take Heidi,” he said, stopping beside her. As they made the transfer, he added, “Malengo’s here. We have
to get to Hanksville. You go first. When you get to the village, watch for a lookout man. What you’re going to try to do is take the baby into the general store and call the police.”
“What about you?”
“Don’t worry, I’ll he somewhere behind you.” He leaned to her, gave her a quick kiss and said, “Get going.”
Joker stared uncertainly from him to Victoria, now heading back toward Willa’s. Steve pointed and ordered, “Go.” The dog took off after Victoria and Steve followed, loping now to let her get ahead.
As Victoria ran, she did her best to keep from jostling the baby too much. She’d never been much for praying except for an occasional plea that her sister was all right, wherever she was. Now she sent up a prayer for Heidi’s safety.
Though she worried about Steve, she knew he was armed and could take care of himself—the baby was helpless. She and Joker would do their best to protect her, but they might not be enough.
When she neared Willa’s, the old woman was standing beside the trail, waiting. Victoria stopped to catch her breath and let her know what was going on.
“Steve’s enemies are after us,” she said, condensing the story. “They’re bad people with guns and they mustn’t get their hands on Heidi. Steve’s behind me. Please show me the trail down to Hanksville from here.”
Willa pointed to her right. “Leave it to me. I’ll slow ’em down.”
Victoria hurried on, wondering how on earth Willa thought anything she could do would have an effect on men with guns. She hoped the old woman wouldn’t be hurt in the process.
When Steve loped up, he found Willa at the door of the snake house. “Trouble coming,” he warned “Armed men.”
“Victoria told me.” She gestured toward the cages. “I figure my friends here might help your cause. You and your woman take care of that baby—hear?”
As Steve Jogged off, Willa’s words went with him. Your woman. No more than the truth. His woman, his baby.
Whatever Willa planned to do with her rattlers, he hoped it worked, but he didn’t count on anything. He could only count on himself.
He tried to figure how long it would take Malengo or any of his men to reach the Y where Willa’s trail connected with the one from his cabin. It was a shorter distance from his cabin to the Y than it was from his cabin to Willa’s cabin and then down her trail to the Y. On the other hand, Victoria had a good head start coming this way and so ought to get there first. Should he wait at the Y to head off any pursuers coming down from his cabin? If only he had some idea of the number of men Malengo had brought with him.