His pants always hung loose during the season, thanks to the weight he dropped fighting fire, so he pulled them on without problems. He secured the zipper and button, and turned around. He’d have to go without the belt.
He sat back down and grabbed a pair of dry socks from his bag. “Any chance you can help with these?”
“Sure.” Still wrapped in the blanket, she rose to her knees. Her hands trembled as she picked up his socks and unrolled them. He noticed her gaze didn’t quite meet his.
He dusted the pine needles from the soles of his feet. “Are you any warmer?”
“A l-l-little.” Her dark head bent over as she pulled the first sock over his foot.
He flinched. “Your hands are still cold.”
“S-s-sorry.” Still not meeting his gaze, she adjusted the sock.
“You can wear my gloves,” he said. “They’re dirty, but they might keep your hands warm.”
“Okay.” Her wet hair swung forward as she started on the other foot. He frowned. Aside from his hard hat, he didn’t have anything to warm her head. And they couldn’t risk building a campfire.
She finished pulling up his sock and sat back.
“Thanks,” he said. “I’ll put my boots on later.” Maybe she’d be warm enough by then to help him lace them.
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.
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.
