'I don't know. I'm trying to figure out where they found the
strength.
I'm too tired to eat.'
'Me too.' S JuLie fanwood Jessica was walking back to camp when she
spotted Cole coming toward her. He wasn't smiling now, but looked
terribly serious, and when he reached her, he didn't say a word. He
simply caught her hand in his and kept walking. She either had to
follow him or fall down.
'What are you doing? ' 'You need to work the stiffness out of your
muscles.'
'I'm too exhausted to walk.'
'Walking isn't what I had in mind.' Her heart felt as though it had
just skipped a beat. 'Oh, no . . . you can't think . . . ' 'I can if
you'll let me.' She tried to tug her hand away, but it was a
halfhearted attempt, and when he tightened his hold, she gave in. He
continued on until they were well away from camp, then turned to her.
In the moonlight, his face was golden. She stared into his amazingly
beautiful blue eyes, and she thought he was surely the most handsome
man in the whole world. How could he possibly love her? She was so
ordinary and plain, and he could have any woman he wanted. Why had he
chosen her?
'Do you still love me? ' He couldn't believe she had to ask. 'Do you
think I would change my mind so swiftly? No, don't answer that, ' he
cautioned, ''cause then I'll get mad. Yes, I do still love you. '
'Why? ' She was genuinely perplexed. Cole was astonished and realized
then that she had absolutely no idea of her appeal. Hadn't anyone ever
told her how perfect she was?
'Jessie, when you were a little girl, didn't your mother or father ever
tell you that you were smart and clever and sweet and good-hearted
andt' He would have gone on and on if she hadn't interrupted him. 'My
father left when I was very young. I don't remember much about him
except that I had to stay away from him when he was drinking, and it
seemed he was always holding a glass in one hand and a bottle in the
other.'
'What about your mother? ' 'I think his leaving changed her, but I
can't be certain. She dried up inside. She used to tell me she had to
be hard on me so I wouldn't make the same mistakes she made.'
'Did she ever praise you? ' 'I don't remember, ' she said. 'I loved
my mother, but I don't want to be like her, and I'm afraid that maybe
