He tossed her his work gloves, then pulled more clothes from his bag to form a long pillow. He placed the radio close by, switching to the scanning position for updates.
Jordan settled back down beside him. “C-come here, sweetie,” she called to the dog. He wandered over, and she patted the ground.
“We’ll need to share the blanket to keep warm,” Cade said.
“Ok-k-kay.” She unwrapped the blanket. He scooted closer, and she helped smooth it over their legs. He couldn’t hold her with his injured shoulder, but his body would still generate heat.
Stifling a groan, he lowered his back to the ground. He lay flat on the uneven surface, his right arm propped on his chest. His shoulder ached worse than when the tree had crushed it, and a dull pain pressed on his skull. He hoped to God the ibuprofen worked fast.
The dog paused a few yards from Jordan and began turning in little circles. After several rotations, he plopped down and buried his nose in his tail. Then he let out a sigh.
“G-g-good d-d-dog.” She lay back and pulled the blanket to her chin.
Her concern for the stray dog touched him. He’d always admired that about her, that she really cared about others—animals, the elderly, even him. Or so he’d believed.
She shivered, and he moved closer so that their shoulders touched. The moonlight sifted through the pine trees and outlined the curve of her cheeks.
He forced his gaze away. His breathing slowed. And the fatigue he’d been fighting settled in, creeping through his heart and lowering his defenses. Rushing his mind back to the past.
God, he’d been crazy about this woman. She’d been everything he’d ever dreamed of. Gentle and tender. Warm and funny. Sexy as hell, with a passion that left him reeling.
And he’d been so sure he’d found the one woman who understood him, the one who really cared.
He’d been wrong.
But now, lying beside her and listening to her breathing softly, it was hard to hold on to the bitterness. Hard to forget the good parts of their marriage. The months in the cabin. The easy camaraderie. The trust.
He gazed up at the stars between the swaying treetops and listened to the rush of the river. And wondered for the hundredth time what had gone wrong, and why she’d left him.
His chest cramped, and for a terrible moment, he let himself relive the past. The incredulity. The disbelief. The bitter hurt and rage.
She’d hated being alone; he knew that. They’d moved from the cabin to Missoula during the fire season so she could find work and make friends.
But he’d never expected her to leave. He’d been stunned, shocked. Unable to believe that she’d gone, that something that special to him meant so little to her, and that she could toss it away. Or that he’d misjudged her so completely.
He closed his eyes and listened to her drift into sleep, just as he had years ago. So why had she left? A lost, lonely feeling weighted his heart.
Because even after all this time, he still didn’t know the answer.
Jordan woke a short time later to sounds of Cade rustling through his bag. She snuggled deeper into the blanket, relishing the heat now spreading through her body, thanks to her dry clothes and Cade.
A sudden vision popped into her mind of him removing her clothes. Her shirt and bra, her pants…Her cheeks burned. Not that he’d had much choice. She’d been too cold to do it herself. But still…
Thankfully, he’d been all business—except for that one incredible moment when their eyes had met. Her heart fluttered wildly. She’d probably imagined that scorching look. Delirium induced by the cold.
But she hadn’t imagined his naked backside. Her heart jerked, then careened off her rib cage. She hadn’t intended to look, but his struggles had caught her attention. And then she couldn’t tear her gaze away. The powerful lines of his legs, the solid muscles…
She swallowed hard. Cade was one gorgeous man. And at least she had finally warmed up!
Her nerves humming now, she moved her stiff body under the blanket. Fatigue weighted her muscles. She wanted to roll over and sleep until morning, but she knew they needed to go. That fire was dangerously close.
She forced herself to sit up. “Are we leaving now?”
He stilled, then continued rummaging in his bag. “In a minute.”
His low voice rumbled through the night, and she shivered. God, she loved that voice, that deep, husky timbre that grew even rougher when they made love.
“You want some beef jerky?” he asked.
“Sure.” Their gazes met, and his eyes, dark in the silvery moonlight, burned into hers. Her heart stopped. Oh, God. She hadn’t imagined that look after all.
But then he turned his head, pulled a bag of jerky from his PG bag and set it down between them. “I’ve got some tuna and coffee we can have later, once we climb that next ridge.”
She sucked air into her lungs. “I can make sandwiches, too.” She removed Cade’s leather work gloves, took a strip of jerky from the bag and tossed it to the dog. He grabbed it and trotted away.
And she fought to regain her composure. So she still felt attracted to Cade. And why shouldn’t she be? He was a wildly exciting man.
Her heart fluttered. Exciting didn’t begin to describe him. Her pulse drummed and leaped at the memories. That shocking hunger, the desperate need…
She bit off a piece of jerky, determined not to go down that treacherous trail. Thanks to Cade, she knew about thrilling men. The pleasure might be exquisite, but the price of that rapture was pain.
And she had to keep her priorities straight. She wanted stability when she married again, a man who came home every night. A man who cared more about her than his job. Not just passion, no matter how exhilarating it felt.
Determined to keep her mind on track, she finished the jerky and rose. She folded the blanket and stuffed it into her bag, then pulled out the plastic bowl. “Do you mind if I give some of your water to the dog?”
“Help yourself. You should probably drink some, too.”
“I’m okay.” She handed the bowl to Cade. He filled it and she set it down a few feet away. “Come on, sweetie,” she called to the dog. When he trotted over, she smiled. “We need to give you a name.”
She needed to get him on a leash, too. She couldn’t risk him wandering off. But they’d cut off that rope in the river.
She eyed the belt Cade had tossed beside his bag. “Can I borrow your belt to make a leash for the dog? I can tie a sock to one end and hook it to his collar.”
“Go ahead.”
While the dog drank, she busied herself with the makeshift leash. The result wasn’t pretty, but she thought it would hold. With that done, she collected her wet clothes and stuck them in her bag. Then she stepped from Cade’s view to take care of necessities and put on a bra.
When she returned, Cade was tapping pills into his mouth. He chased them down with a swallow of water.
And suddenly, she felt guilty. He’d done so much for her, and she hadn’t helped him one bit. “I can lace your boots now,” she said.
“All right.”
He rose to his feet in one movement, and she couldn’t help but admire his strength. And his energy. He had to be more tired than she was, yet it didn’t slow him down. Of course, his stamina had always impressed her….
He stepped into his wet leather boots. Her face flaming, she knelt in front of him and began lacing. “Can you hold the pants out of the way?”
He pulled up his pant leg, and she secured the knot. “Is that tight enough?”
“Yeah.”
She tugged his pants over the top of the high-topped boot, then started on the other. The smokejumping boots brought back other memories, of Cade replacing the laces and oiling the leather, her shock at learning how much they cost. “I hope the river didn’t ruin your boots,” she said.
“They’ll be fine. They’ve been wet before.”
She secured the second knot and stood. “How about that sling for your arm?”
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“All right.”
She grabbed the towel she’d used to dry her hair. “This is still damp, but it’s probably long enough for a sling.”
He slanted his head. “We need to bandage my collarbone first, to keep it in position.”
“How do we do that?”
He knelt and pulled two long triangular pieces of cotton from his first aid kit. “Here. Roll these cravats lengthwise, then tie the ends together.”
She knelt beside him and started rolling. “Like this?”
“Yeah, that’s good.”
When she’d rolled both pieces, she tied them together to form a long rope. “Now what?”
“Now we put it on.” He rose. “But I need to take off this shirt.”
She knew he had a T-shirt underneath, but the night air was still cool. “Won’t you be cold?”
“Not once we start hiking. It’s mostly uphill.” He fumbled to undo the buttons with one hand.
She stood. “Here, let me.” At five-nine, she was tall, but he topped her by a good six inches, even more with his lug-soled boots on. She reached up to unbutton his shirt.
The intimacy of the act made her face burn, and she kept her gaze averted. He’d completely undressed her, for goodness’ sake. Surely she could take off his shirt without falling apart.
Gathering her composure, she undid the last button and gently peeled back the shirt. The biceps bulging beneath his short-sleeved T-shirt caught her off guard. He’d always been strong, but years of wielding a chain saw had built real bulk.
But this wasn’t the time to admire his muscles. She set his fire shirt on his PG bag, picked up the rolled cloth and cleared her throat. “Okay, what now?”
“Now you tie that around my chest to hold my shoulder in place. Make a figure eight.”
“You’ll have to kneel down so I can reach your shoulder.”
He lowered himself to one knee, then helped her wind the cloth under one arm and over the other until they’d formed a figure eight. The resulting harness pulled his shoulder straight back. “How does that feel?”
“About right. Go ahead and tie it.”
“So, how did you get hurt?” she asked as she fastened the ends together.
She thought at first he wouldn’t answer, but then his head turned and his gaze met hers. “A snag fell—it was burning—and the rookie froze. So I pushed him out of the way.”
She paused to picture that, and her heart skipped. “You saved his life.”
He tilted his head, as if saving the man’s life were nothing, and shifted his gaze away. And once again, she glimpsed that part of him she’d never acknowledged, even though she’d always sensed it was there. His enormous courage. His loyalty to his men. And she knew without a doubt that he’d do anything to help them, just as he had for her.
Except the one thing she’d asked him to do—stop smokejumping.
A tight feeling gathered in her chest. “So, the tree fell on you instead?”
“Not directly. The branches just glanced off my shoulder.”
And nearly killed him, she suspected. “I see.” Her throat thick, she lifted the towel and caught it under his arm. So he’d nearly died saving his buddy.
Their gazes met again, and for a moment, she was lost in those vibrant eyes. And she saw the need in him, the desire to save and protect. But who watched over him? Who helped him in return? Even a hero needed someone to lean on, someone to give him comfort.
Someone like her.
Seconds ticked by. She inhaled his masculine scent, felt the heat from his body rise.
And a yearning swelled inside her, a fierce desire to caress him. To soothe the tension in that hard jaw and ease his pain.
But he wasn’t her husband anymore—because she’d left him. Feeling guilty, she straightened and pulled the ends of the towel to his shoulder. And felt the enormous strength of those muscles as she tied the knot on the sling.
He was tough, all right, and he was willing to bear the weight of the world. Including her.
But the one thing he’d asked in return—that she wait for him—was the only thing she couldn’t do.
And she still needed to tell him why.
Feeling raw, she stepped away and grabbed the leash. “I guess we’d better go.”
Chapter 6
T he old mining road crisscrossed the mountain in a series of switchbacks as it inched its way toward the ridge. Cade led the way up the rocky trail, his headlamp carving a narrow path through the darkness. Breathing heavily, Jordan straggled a few yards behind him.
After listening to the chatter on the radio all night, he knew they needed to hurry. Come daybreak, the wind would kick up, and all hell would break loose on the mountain. He didn’t want to be here when it did.
But Jordan couldn’t hike any faster. He stopped and waited for her to catch up. Panting loudly, she staggered to a halt beside him, then braced her hands on her knees and gasped for air.
“How are you doing?” He clicked off his headlamp to preserve the batteries, then blinked to adjust his eyes to the moonlight.
“Fine.” Still breathing hard, she straightened. “But I can’t believe how steep this is. Every time the road turns, I think it’ll level out, but it just keeps going up.” She wiped the sweat from her face with her sleeve. “And I thought I was in shape.”
He didn’t want to think about her shape. He’d struggled to erase the image of her naked body from his mind all night. “At least we’ve got a road to follow. You should try hiking through the brush like we do on a packout. And that’s with a hundred pounds on our backs.”
“Your equipment weighs that much?”
“Usually more.” He’d once lugged a hundred and twenty pounds for twelve miles over steep terrain. But at least he’d been wearing good boots. He glanced down at her canvas shoes. “How are your feet holding up?”
“They’ll survive.”
He hoped so. Hiking on these rocks with thin shoes had to hurt. “Are you thirsty?”
“Not yet.” Her breathing still labored, she lifted her thick, wavy hair and bared her neck to the moonlight. Without warning, that image blazed hot in his mind, of her naked back, her long, slender legs, the provocative curve of breasts. His body went instantly hard.
Still connected to his makeshift leash, the dog lay down in the dirt beside her. Jordan let down her hair and bent to scratch him. “You’re such a good dog,” she cooed.
Her sultry voice plucked at his nerves. And more memories surfaced, of her whispering to him in the darkness. The heat as she moved against him. The feel of her soft lips on his.
She’d been an amazing lover. Sensual. Demanding. Hell, she’d been so damn hot that he still fantasized about her after all these years.
And that ticked him off. Scowling, he jerked his mind back to business—getting them off this mountain. He impatiently glanced at his watch. “The sun will come up in another hour. If you can last that long, we’ll wait and eat then.”
“I’m fine.”
She straightened, and he eyed the bag on her shoulder. “I can carry that.”
“That’s okay. I’ve got it.”
“It’s just going to tire you out.”
“Not that much. Besides, you’re injured.”
His stomach clenched at the reminder. Even after a handful of ibuprofen, his collarbone and ribs ached like hell—far more than they should for a minor injury. “A couple of lightweight bags won’t do me in.”
Her chin rose. “And I can do my part.”
He studied the stubborn set to her jaw. Her feet had to be killing her, but she intended to pull her weight. And no matter what she’d done in the past, that determination impressed him.
“All right. Just let me know when you’re tired.” He clicked on his headlamp. “Are you ready?”
“Yes.”
He continued hiking uphill, keeping his pace slow for her sake. She was a trooper, all right. But then, she’d always struck him that way.
W
hich had surprised him at first, considering how she’d grown up. The only child of a Coast Guard admiral, she’d lived in upscale communities in the nicest parts of the country, or in stately homes on base, whereas his family had eked out a hard-scrabble existence in the driest part of Montana, spending every cent they earned on the ranch.
And yet, despite her sheltered background, she had chipped right in, stacking wood and washing clothes at the cabin. She’d never made demands, never complained, at least not about the rough work.
The road switched back again, and he paused for her to catch up. “I’m fine,” she wheezed, anticipating his question.
He checked his watch and glanced at the patch of sky visible through the trees. It still looked dark but most of the stars had disappeared. “It’s almost sunrise. We’ll look for a place to rest.”
Knowing she was nearing her limit, he slowed his pace. A quarter mile later, he spotted a long, low boulder on the downhill side of the road overlooking the still-darkened valley. “This looks good.”
“Great.” Panting heavily, she staggered through the weeds to the boulder and sat. Still tethered to the leash, the dog plopped down in the grass beside her.
Cade followed and settled next to her on the rock. He swung the bags off his shoulder and handed her his canteen.
“Thanks.” She dragged in another breath, then tipped her head back and drank.
He turned his attention to the valley below them. He couldn’t make out any shapes yet; in the predawn light, the trees blurred together in an inky smear. But in the east, a finger of fire crept into view. Deep orange and red, it shimmered in the fading darkness. He stared at it, mesmerized by the sight.
“The fire’s beautiful, isn’t it?” Jordan said.
“Yeah. It’s something to watch.” But it could turn deadly, especially when the winds whipped it up.
He shifted his gaze to the sky as the minutes passed, and watched it gradually brighten to blue. Smoke streaked the emerging horizon and mixed with the pink of dawn. Time ticked away, and the dense pines turned from black to dusky green.
And suddenly, he realized that it felt good sitting here in the forest, watching the sunrise with Jordan. They hadn’t talked, hadn’t needed to say one word. But even after all this time, being with her still felt right, like the natural place to be.
Feisty Firefighters Bundle Page 38