then the world seemed to stop, as if binding them together one last time.
And suddenly, he needed to kiss her, to touch her. To feel that soothing warmth deep in his soul.
As if reading his mind, she inched closer. He angled his head as she closed her eyes, and he slid his lips over hers. He tasted her sultry heat, her delicate sweetness, and felt her gentle breath mingle with his, just as he had a thousand times before and wanted to again.
She trembled against him and her quiet sigh called to his heart. To the part in him that yearned for her comfort, her love.
He cupped her smooth jaw with his good hand and tilted her head up to his. Then he deepened the kiss, moving past comfort into need. Surrendering to the male instincts that pulsed in his blood.
She lifted her hand to his neck, and her gentleness made his heart swell. God, he’d missed her. He’d burned for her, ached for her, during all those lonely nights.
She was sweet and warm, and the sexiest woman he’d ever known. One look, one touch, and urgency ripped through his veins.
She’d clawed so deep into his heart that even after all these years, he couldn’t let her go.
But he had to. They had to get moving. Reluctantly, he broke the kiss, then watched as her eyes inched open and her smoldering gaze lifted to his. Desire blurred her eyes, and something more. His heart jerked in recognition.
“Cade,” she said, her voice wobbling. She swallowed and her throat muscles moved. “I…I’m glad you’re here.”
“Yeah.” So was he. And he’d figure that out later.
“And I need to tell you, about when I left. I should have told you before, but I-”
“Hey.” He smoothed a strand of hair from her cheek. “We’ll talk about it later, okay? After we get on that chopper.”
“But…” Her luminous eyes searched his. “We might not…What if we don’t-”
“We’ll make it,” he said. He kept his gaze steady on hers. “I promise.”
Her forehead creased, and her eyes clouded. She opened her mouth, as if she intended to argue, but then she closed it again. “All right. But you need to know. No matter what you think, I never meant to hurt you.”
Her eyes pulled at him, urging him to trust her, and he felt his final resistance slip. His lungs swelled tight. His breath jammed up. And God help him, but he believed her. No matter what she’d done in the past, he knew she was telling the truth.
The dog darted between their legs just then, and she looked down, breaking the spell. Cade sucked in the smoky air and stepped back. “Are you ready?”
“Yes.” She managed a tremulous smile, and his heart puffed up. And for the first time, he let himself hope. For what, he didn’t know. But suddenly, he had more reasons than just the fire to hurry to that clearing.
Please don’t stop, Jordan pleaded silently. She tugged on the leash to get the dog moving again, then scrambled up the slope behind Cade. It was bad enough that she was slowing them down with her bad ankle. If Cade discovered that the dog kept balking, he’d insist that she let him go.
Not that she blamed Dusty for wanting to rest. She’d passed exhaustion miles ago. She plodded along, dazed and dizzy, her muscles trembling, planting one blistered foot in front of the other, stumbling over rocks and branches, just praying that she would stay upright.
And her ankle! A wild moan rose in her throat. She’d managed to hide it from Cade, but the fierce pain roiled through her nerves, making her clammy and nauseous. Leaning on the stick helped her foot, but the pressure had worked her palm raw. She didn’t know how she could make it to that clearing.
But she had to. Anxiety pulsed at the base of her skull, threatening to overwhelm her. She’d seen Cade’s expression back at the ridge. He’d covered it with his soothing tone, but she knew his nuances well.
He doubted that they would make it.
Because she was slowing them down.
Determined to move even faster, she ignored the punishing pain, and hobbled over a rotting log. Smoke snaked through the trees like a sinister fog, heightening the tension twisting her nerves. And the blasted dog kept lunging and jerking against the leash, trying to bolt downhill.
She yanked hard on the belt to keep him going, then straightened when Cade turned back. He tilted his head and watched her, those blue eyes shrewd beneath his hard hat. “How are you holding up?”
“Great.” She flashed her teeth and sucked in her breath, struggling not to limp.
Those sharp eyes narrowed. “Let me know if you need to stop.”
“Right.” As if they could spare the time.
“It shouldn’t be far,” he added. “The trees are starting to thin, which means we’re near the top.” He continued to study her, and she feared he’d insist that she rest. But then a breath of smoke drifted past, and he flattened his lips and turned back.
He hiked several feet ahead of her, his hard hat swiveling as he scanned the terrain. He paused occasionally to pick up some sticks, then resumed his relentless trek.
Jordan trudged along, her gaze focused on Cade’s rugged frame, and the guilt she’d been battling surged back. Not just because he was working so hard, and her slow pace could cost them their lives.
No, her remorse struck deeper, darker, to those long, guilty years she’d stayed silent. To the truth that he needed to know. She should have told him about the baby back at the ridge. So what if they hadn’t had time? She could have blurted it out.
But she’d been selfish. She’d wanted time to defend herself, to explain. And, just maybe, to forge a relationship for the future.
Could they try again? He turned slightly to look up the mountain, and she studied the hard planes of his face. She loved him; she realized that now. She had never stopped.
But even if he forgave her, could she tolerate his lifestyle? Could she cope with him always being gone? Or would they only argue again?
Because she sure couldn’t change who he was.
Anxiety churned through her chest, along with a deep sense of doom. Oh, God. She couldn’t think about it. Not now. She hissed in a shaky breath.
Ahead of her, Cade paused and consulted his compass, then angled higher uphill. The trees were sparser now, with dry brush and grass covering the exposed slope. And it seemed quieter suddenly, more still. Or maybe the blood surging in her ears drowned the noises out.
Suddenly, Dusty stopped again. Shaken from her reflections, Jordan stumbled, staggered to regain her balance, and jerked on the leash. But this time, the dog wouldn’t follow. Instead, he turned and tried to run downhill.
“Stop!” Gasping against the pain lashing her ankle, she planted her feet and leaned back. He lunged, and she widened her stance. “Stop!” she cried again. She wasn’t losing him this time. She gritted her teeth and hung on.
“What’s the matter?” Cade called back.
“I don’t know.” Dusty looked frantic now, thrashing and twisting to get free. “He’s trying to go back downhill.”
“Oh, hell. Stay here.”
“What?” Still fighting for control of the leash, she swiveled to look at Cade. He sprinted ahead and disappeared, and a sudden fear lashed her heart. He wasn’t abandoning her. Cade would never do that. She couldn’t imagine him running away.
But then, where was he going? What was wrong? She turned her gaze back to the dog.
Behind her, a wind sprang up, ruffling her neck and standing her hair on edge. A sound rose from around the mountain, a muffled rumbling, like the distant sound of a train. It grew louder, closer. Every nerve in her body tensed.
And suddenly, she understood.
Her knees trembled violently. Panic surged, and a loud throbbing pulsed in her head like an earthquake rocking her brain. She dithered, shuffling back and forth, her muscles stalled, not knowing which way to go. Raw fear clawed at her throat.
