Daniel stroked the animal’s head. “Hey, boy.”
Griz licked Daniel’s arm, then stared up at him with a worried gaze. The dog must understand how dire this situation was.
She could feel Daniel inhale a deep breath, pressed to his side as she was.
“Let’s go.” A bit of steel had crept into his voice. Good. He’d need it for this trek.
Working together, they turned and made slow strides down the shortest path she could find to the camp.
He seemed unable to put much weight on his right leg, pressing only his toes to the ground and leaning heavily on her. Maybe she could find a walking stick that would help him as he recovered, although he wasn’t nearly ready for it yet.
His breaths came in loud rasps as they traveled, as though each step required more effort than the last. They crawled at a turtle’s pace, and he seemed to be slowing even more. Had they even gone a quarter of the distance yet?
But he needed to rest, that was clear. “Let’s stop for a minute when we reach that log.” A half dozen steps would take them there.
She helped him ease down, but with nothing to support his back, he seemed like he might topple if she moved away. So she dropped to her knees, staying with her shoulder tucked under his. He leaned against her, his head lolling so his temple rested on her hair.
God, we need your strength or we’ll never make it.
DANIEL STRUGGLED TO bring himself awake. His drowsy body fought hard to stay in the comfort of sleep, but something had aroused him. He couldn’t ignore the warning.
Darkness hung in the air when he opened his eyes. His head still pounded, but he was learning how to push through the fierce ache. His efforts didn’t seem to be helping his memory, but at least he was better able to focus on the sounds around him.
The woman’s steady breathing drifted from the other side of their little shelter. She’d been stronger than he expected today, getting him to this camp, then handling the fire and nightly chores, not to mention tending his sorry hide.
Apparently, he was supposed to be watching over her, but she was getting the raw end of this agreement. Although why he’d agreed to bring a woman like her all the way up to the Canadian territories and through some of the most treacherous mountains he traveled, he couldn’t fathom. It didn’t make a lick of sense. Maybe he’d known her already when he agreed. Perhaps he’d already seen this force of will she possessed that would help her endure anything set before her.
At least, he hoped she was that strong. Because she’d have more than a storm and an injured guide to deal with before they reached Canada.
A rustle in the grass sounded from the other side of the oilskin stretched behind him. The fine hairs at the back of his neck raised, and he rolled as quietly as he could to peek under the barrier. Maybe it was just the dog, but that wouldn’t have troubled his instincts like this.
Something was out there.
He ducked below the stretched oilskin and peered into the darkness. A few trees separated him from the more open side of the mountain, although there appeared to be boulders and occasional scrubby trees scattered up the incline.
One of the shadows he’d thought was a larger rock moved. A deer? No, larger than that. From the shape, it had to be an elk.
“What is it, Daniel?” The whisper behind him startled more than it should have.
He tilted his head so his response carried back to her instead of out where the elk might hear him. “Female elk.”
A rustle sounded behind him. Not loud, but with his senses overly tuned to noise, it seemed to echo in his aching head.
The woman—Noelle—crept beside him. Her presence seemed to wrap around him every time she neared, an aroma both fresh and soft, if those two things could be smelled.
He forced himself back to watch the animal outside. There must be others nearby, because female elk rarely traveled alone. Perhaps she had a calf ready for weaning, too.
“Daniel, we’re low on food. Is this an opportunity?” Noelle’s warm breath brushed his ear.
He glanced at what she held out. A rifle. “If we need the meat.” He reached for the gun, but the moment its weight touched his burned hand, pain seared through his palm and up his arm. He clamped his jaw against a moan as he dropped the gun.
“I’m sorry.” Her whisper sounded stricken, but he was too focused on silencing the pain that radiated through his hand to worry about her. “I’ll shoot the elk. Should I aim behind the front leg?”
Her words penetrated his fog, forcing his focus to what she was saying. “Have you shot a rifle before?” Two more elk ambled into view, stopping to graze behind the first one. All females.
“I should be able to. I’ve shot a pistol.” She shifted into a sitting position, then ducked down so she could aim under the oilskin.
“Wait.” If she’d never used a rifle, she could cause more harm than good. He forced himself upright, dragging his throbbing leg as he positioned himself so he could help her with his uninjured left hand. That meant he sat right behind her, leaning forward over her left shoulder.
He forced himself not to let her nearness, her warmth, or any other part of her, affect him. Not the soft tendrils of her hair that brushed his face. Not the scent that made him want to pull in a deep breath. He had to focus on teaching her to shoot. “Whose gun is this?” His voice came out gruffer than he meant, but maybe that was for the best.
“Yours.”
He squinted at the barrel. In the dark, it didn’t look familiar, but then again, nothing seemed right today. “Is it loaded?”
“Yes.” She raised the firearm and fit it into her shoulder. Her hands seemed to shake, although it was hard to tell if the gun was too heavy or if she was nervous. She had it positioned mostly right, though.
He reached for the stock and tucked it tighter into the crook of her arm. “Now squeeze this back trigger and let it go.”
She peered at the set trigger where he pointed, then obliged.
“Now line up your sights down here, so you can see the elk at the end of the line. Aim just behind its front shoulder, about a hand’s breadth above the line of the belly.” The elk was grazing with its side facing them, so she’d have easy aim if she could hold the gun still. “Hold the rifle steady as you pull that front trigger. Be prepared for the kick.”
She held the gun motionless as she aimed. He held his breath.
Yet she didn’t shoot. An entire minute must have passed as he waited. The elk meandered forward a step.
“Shoot soon or you might lose her.” This woman would go hungry if she were hunting deer.
Her shot lit the night sky, resounding like an avalanche in his pounding head. Even though he pressed his eyes closed to still the flashes of light in his mind, the acrid smell of gunpowder clogged his senses.
Noises sounded around him, but he couldn’t focus on anything save the pain ricocheting inside him. He felt himself falling and reached for something to keep him upright.
“Easy, Daniel. Lie still.” Her voice broke through his chaos, and he tried to obey, lying back against the ground. Her hands touched him, one on his shoulder, the other on his cheek. Her touch held a comfort he’d never experienced before.
At least not that he remembered. Maybe his mother’s touch had been like that, but he’d only been five when she died, slain by the bitter mountain winter.
“There, there.” Noelle’s murmurings slipped through him, a lyrical melody soothing his anguish, one strand at a time. Her fingers slid through his hair, caressing. Numbing his pain.
A niggle slipped in, reminding him there was something he must do. Something that needed tending. At last, his mind regained the thought, and he reached for Noelle’s arm. “The elk. Did it fall?”
She shifted, but he dared not open his eyes and bring back the shooting pain. “I think so. There’s a dark lump where she was. The others are gone.”
He had to get up. They couldn’t leave the body out where the carcass would draw every bear, w
olf, and mountain lion for miles. And the sooner they cooled the meat, the better it would be. Forcing his eyes open, he rolled onto his side.
“What are—? No, lie down.” Noelle tried to push his shoulder, but he barreled through it.
Clenching his jaw, he lifted up on his good hand and both knees. He had to squeeze his eyes shut again to still the spinning. With the fingers on his burnt hand, he reached to see if his hunting knife was still secure in its sheath. The holder was there, but no blade. “Where’s my knife?”
“Here. I was using it to cut tender for the fire.” The sounds of her scrambling, then a tugging at his waistband.
He reached for the sheath again, and his fingers brushed the smooth boning of the knife’s handle. “All right.” He let out a long breath, steadying himself for the effort ahead.
“I’ll help you walk out there, but then you sit down and tell me what to do.”
A rush of irritation swirled in his chest, but he took another breath to squash it. Not many fragile white women would agree to what she just offered. Although maybe she didn’t know what her words entailed.
He pushed to his feet, trying not to show his relief when she slipped herself under his arm. She fit so well there. Her body clinging to his. Or maybe he was the one clinging.
Either way, after she helped him to the ground near the elk’s body, she stepped away from him, and it was hard to keep from calling her back.
NOELLE GRITTED HER teeth as she sliced the last of the meat from under the elk’s spine, behind its ribs. Daniel said this was the tastiest cut on the entire elk, but the piece had been hard enough to find that she’d have been happy to do without that particular steak.
With the slab of raw meat in her hand, she straightened to look at Daniel over the carcass. He looked as weary as she felt, and almost as bloodstained.
She tried for a smile but couldn’t muster it. “Please tell me that’s everything.” If she had it to do over again, she’d have thought twice before offering to shoot the elk. Sure, they needed the food, but who’d have thought it would be so much work to slice off the meat?
“Almost.” His shoulders sagged, his right side more than his left. “Need to hang the meat where the animals can’t get it. They’ll surely come for this.” He motioned toward the carcass. “We have to move camp.”
Somehow, she’d heard his last statement wrong. “We have to move what?”
Even in the dim gray light of early dawn, she could see the way his eyes drooped. “Camp. We’ll be an easy meal for the bears and cougars that smell the blood.” The right side of his face seemed to sag more than the left. He needed rest before they moved anything anywhere.
“Will you be all right if I take this food and hang it near the creek? After that, I’ll keep watch while you get some sleep. Then, we’ll move the camp.” Or rather, she would. He didn’t look able to walk under his own strength, much less carry anything.
He gave a single weary nod. “Go.” He must really be spent to accede so easily.
After taking down one of the oilcloths, she wrapped all the meat in a tight bundle, then gathered the rope Daniel had used to tie the waterproof skin to the trees. “Here’s the rifle if you need it. I’ll take the knife with me.” She could rinse the blood from the tool when she cleaned herself up.
Summoning what felt like the last of her strength, she hoisted the pack over her shoulder and started toward the woods that led to the creek.
But as she paused to look back at Daniel one last time, the sight of his weary silhouette draped over the rifle nearly brought her back to him.
Could she keep them alive long enough for him to recover? So much she didn’t know. And everything took so much effort, she barely had the strength to put one foot in front of another.
Lord God, strengthen us. Without your help, neither of us will make it to Canada.
Chapter Fourteen
What have I done? It seems I can no longer trust myself.
~ Daniel
They made it through that day, although the effort to move camp used up the last of Noelle’s energy. The very last.
Daniel agreed to keep watch for her while she slept an hour, although he refused to agree to wake her if he sensed trouble. He wouldn’t be able to shoot with his injured hand though, so she tried to sleep lightly enough she would wake to any unusual sounds.
Those were her intentions, but when she came back to consciousness, the sun had long crested and accomplished much of its descent. The time must be late afternoon, at least. With the setting sun had come a bite of cold she’d not felt in over a week. A drop in temperature was the last thing they needed.
She sat up and looked around, brushing the hair out of her face. Daniel sat a few feet away, leaning against a tree, watching her. His gaze held a softness she’d not seen from him before, and it started a flutter through her stomach and a yearning in her chest. If only she could crawl over to him and tuck herself under his arm, snuggle in and let him wrap his strength around her.
Yet was she thinking? She didn’t really want that. Did she?
He raised his brows. “Sleep good?”
Lord, don’t let my thoughts show on my face. She nodded, pressing a hand over her hair to make sure it lay flat. “Did anything happen?” Pulling her gaze from him, she scanned the woods around their camp. She’d chosen a place close to the creek so they’d have water, but a good distance from where she’d hung the meat, in case it drew visitors.
“Nice and peaceful.” Daniel’s voice had a smooth, languid quality that drew her focus back to him.
She tried for a smile, despite the way her pulse trotted faster through her chest. With the scruff shadowing his jaw and that dark gaze of his, the man was way too alluring for his own good. Or rather...for her good.
Especially since she still hadn’t asked him if he was married. She needed to ask him.
Forcing her gaze away, she scrambled for what should be done next. “We need to put more ointment on your burns, then I really should wrap them. I meant to do it last night, but... Well, it was probably best we didn’t. I’d be scrubbing elk blood from the bandages.”
“After that, I’ll start a fire and see about cooking a stew for tonight. Doesn’t that sound homey? A nice warm stew?” She was babbling, but the thought of tending Daniel’s wounds again, of being so near him...
“Sounds nice.” His tone was so relaxed, with his head still resting against that tree. Too attractive.
She had to do something to keep her emotions at bay. She dropped her gaze to her hands. “Is there someone who will be missing you? I mean...a wife?” She was making a mess of this. Looking up at him, she let out a breath. “I mean, do you have a wife I should find who would want to be here to care for you?”
His brow furrowed, but he took no longer than a breath before his answer. “No. Of course not. Why would you think that?”
A bit of tension eased from her muscles. “I don’t know, I just...wondered.” Now she couldn’t bring herself to meet his gaze. So she turned her focus to gathering material for bandages. When she had enough clean fabric to wrap his hand and foot, she crawled over to him. Best start on the injury farthest away from those dark eyes that still called her.
“I can do that.” Daniel’s deep voice almost made her jump, which just proved how tightly wound she’d become.
She forced out a long breath. “No, this would be too hard for you to reach.” Without a great deal of pain anyway.
By turning so her back almost faced Daniel and imagining she was working on her father’s foot, she made it through that part reasonably well. His moccasin fit snuggly with the cloth around his burn, but that would also help keep him warm.
After finishing the laces, she moved to his hand without making eye contact. He extended the limb, turning his palm upward to give her access. The burns didn’t seem to have changed—no better or worse. Maybe it was too soon to expect healing. But at least there was no sign of infection.
She finished wr
apping the bandage and tied the ends to hold it in place, then sat back on her heels. “There.” She stole a glance at his face.
His gaze was liquid, so dark she could drown in those inky depths. Something fluttered in her middle, and her chest squeezed impossibly tight, as though an invisible rope had been tied around her, pulling her closer to him. Drawing her nearer.
His hand cupped her elbow. He was close enough that his breath brushed her face, the lightest of touches. Those eyes drew her. Held her. His fingers settled on her jaw, caressing. Their heat sending a shiver all the way down her spine.
Her eyelids drifted shut as she relished the sensation. His breath drew warmer, nearer. His face almost close enough to touch.
Then his lips brushed hers, their warm deliciousness sliding all the way through her. His touch was gentle yet held a strength that urged a response from her she couldn’t seem to control.
How could a kiss feel this...consuming?
HE WAS PLAYING WITH fire. Yet for this moment, the fire could take him.
Daniel drew Noelle closer, inhaling her sweetness. The need in her touch spread through him, igniting his own yearning. Threatening his control. This woman had a power over him he’d never released to anyone. He couldn’t seem to withstand her.
With every ounce of strength he had left, he softened his kiss. Tasting the luxury of her mouth one final time. Then he pulled away. Not far, just enough for her forehead to rest on his, their breath mingling in a heated swirl.
He struggled to rein in his pulse. He’d never been so consumed by a kiss. He’d have to be careful with this one. The last thing he wanted...the very last thing...was to let his heart attach to a woman. Especially a woman who likely wouldn’t survive a handful of winters in this country.
He let his hands drop away from her. “I’m sorry.”
This Courageous Journey Page 10