The Horseman

“…town…” he heard her say as the wind fractured and beat between them. “Please?”

God, she was killing him. But he swallowed the pain, pushed aside the wound of her rejection. If only she hadn’t said “please” like that, with so much naked grief and need that not even the storm could lessen it. Tenderness seeded in his chest, a thin growing warmth that left him helpless.

Tears were freezing on her exposed cheeks when he took the end of her scarf and gently tucked it back into place around her mouth and nose. He swiped at the tears, rubbing them before they burned her delicate skin.

His eyes had adjusted to the whiteout conditions and he could distinguish the almond shape of her eyes, visible between the scarf and the woolen cap she wore over her head. He felt the unspoken plea as if she’d whispered it to his soul.

“C’mon.” He held her arm tight, shielding her from the brunt of the wind with his body the best he could, and led her to the waiting mare. He placed her hand on the animal’s warm flank and leaned close to her ear. The ice- flecked wool scratched at his jaw. “Can you ride?”

“I won’t go back. I won’t.” She was as fierce as the wind.

“Fine. Let me help you.”

“I don’t need help.”

“Yes, you do.”

Katelyn didn’t want him, but could she trust him? Struggling through the snowdrifts and fighting to keep her sense of direction in the confusing swirl of snow and wind was more difficult than she’d imagined.

“You’ll truly help me?” she asked, daring to lean close to speak against his ear. “You won’t trick me?”

“I’m not that kind of man.”

She didn’t know what manner of man he was. But she needed help. She could follow the fence line only so far. Could she find the road to town? Every landmark was shrouded in snow and the storm was impenetrable.

She couldn’t see the horseman, as close to her as he was, although apparently he could see her as his hand found her elbow and steadied her.

He was offering to help her into his sleigh. She couldn’t see the vehicle-sudden pain slammed into her knee-the sleigh. Awkward with exhaustion and cold, she lifted one foot while Hennessey held her steady. She slipped into the seat with a grateful sigh.

Snow pummeled her face like a thousand icy shards driven on a violent wind, but the horseman shielded her with a bundle of blankets. She caught a brief glimpse of him, hat and profile, and the storm closed around her, draping him from her sight. She felt alone in a vast, cold world. Every inch of her ached from the cold. She clenched her teeth to keep them from chattering.

Then he was climbing in beside her. She felt the iron of his thigh and the hard bone of his elbow as he gathered the reins.

She belonged to him now. She could feel it. She didn’t have to turn around to see there were no prized Arabian mares tied to the back of the sleigh. She didn’t need to ask if he’d accepted the diamonds and gold as payment. He’d taken her.

Miserable from the cold, hurting from the inside out, she felt hopeless. What would her future hold?

But no shelter from the storm rose out of the night. Only the endless howling of the blizzard and the beat of wind-driven snow against her back. Time stretched forever, an eternity of enduring the ice creeping from skin to muscle to bone.

Exhaustion settled in like a heavy steel weight in her midsection, dragging her down. She was too tired to worry about what would happen next. Tucked safe against the horseman, her eyes drifted shut and the welcoming darkness claimed her.

Chapter Seven

Dillon watched her thick curling eyelashes drift shut. Katelyn’s breathing relaxed into a quiet cadence. Her fingers slackened on the edge of the robe.

Asleep, she didn’t look wounded or wary. She was an angel, the worry and pain gone from her face. It’s all right, darlin’, I’m going to take good care of you. It was a promise he meant to keep.

He nosed the team of horses into the storm. The winds had waned and the snow was less heavy, but it was hazardous traveling like this with nothing but the wide, lonesome prairie to keep him company. With any luck he’d be coming across town by nightfall. His house wasn’t far from his hometown of Bluebonnet, so that meant he could be sleeping at home tonight.

Home. Maybe it would be with Katelyn there. Maybe, when she saw the place, she’d want to stay. He had horses there, and a brother he was missing something fierce. In all, maybe he finally had a reason to stay put.

And he was looking at her. She stirred in her sleep, making the softest sound. It moved through him like poetry, the feel of her warmth next to him, the lean curve of her thigh, the line of her arm, the dearness of her cheek as she shifted, her head rolling into place against his shoulder.

Tenderness took root in his heart. He took his time simply watching her. Listening to the sweet rhythm of her breathing. Memorizing the dip in the center of her lush upper lip. Wondering what her kiss would be like. Rose-petal soft, he wagered.

Would she be his? It was a risk to think she would be. She’d made her feelings about him pretty clear. But a woman in her condition, and alone with no one to help her, might need a friend. Or a place to call home.

Anything was possible, wasn’t it?

That meant it was his job to protect her. To take care of her. He was a man who took his job seriously. Concerned about her, he yanked off his glove and carefully slipped his fingers beneath the icy glove on her closest hand.

Her skin was soft, cool, but not deathly cold. A good sign. He’d make sure she was safe while she slept. It was intimate watching her. Seeing the tiny blue veins beneath the delicate skin on her eyelids. Tracing the straight line of her nose. Smelling her faint lilac scent. His chest swelled up tight from watching her.

Was there any chance she could be his? Was there something he could do to change her mind? He sure hoped so.

He brushed the ice from her cap and cloak because he wanted to take care of her. Tenderness warmed him clear through, from top to toes. He had to make sure she was warm enough in these extreme temperatures, so he untucked his end of the buffalo robe around her and left the flannel blankets beneath to shield him from the cold.

He wasn’t what mattered. She was. He tucked the robe over her body and beneath her chin. His knuckles accidentally grazed the underside of her jaw. Too bad he was wearing gloves. He’d wager that her skin was the softest thing he’d ever felt.

She’s awful fine. A mighty aching swept through him, a forceful tenderness he’d never felt before. He reached out to push a few escaped tendrils into place beneath her cap.

Was this as close as he’d ever get to her? Only time would tell.

While she slept, safe and warm, he shivered, counting the miles.

Katelyn woke with the squealing of the sleigh’s runners. It was dark. Where were they? She straightened in the seat, hissing at the sudden shock of pain clamped tight in every muscle of her aching body. The robe slid off her shoulders and onto her lap.

“The storm’s too mean to go farther.” Hennessey leaned to speak in her ear, and the wind was so strong, she struggled to hear him. “We’ll stay here tonight. Fine by you?”

She nodded. Whatever he wanted. She’d never been so cold and stiff. The sleigh bucked, caught in a patch of loose snow. They were in a town, she realized. Not the one she’d expected to wake up in.

This town was smaller. False-fronted buildings framed the long street on either side. Friendly and tidy, lamplight glowed in the store windows. Snow-draped hitching posts and steps onto the boardwalks. No one was walking or out driving in this storm.

The horses slowed to a stop in front of a cozy three-story building on a corner. A sign above the door read