seams of his black T-shirt, the long, hard cords of his arms, the powerful thighs encased in dusty green pants, and down to his lug-soled boots.
And knew she was lying to herself. Cade’s kiss had been anything but ordinary.
And if she’d learned anything from that miscarriage years ago, it was to face reality. She no longer hid behind the fantasies she’d clung to as a child.
And the truth was that she’d never reacted like that to Phil. Never. Kissing Phil had felt pleasant, comfortable, even mildly arousing.
But she’d never experienced that molten heat, that instant, carnal desire. That total insanity that, years ago, had made her elope with a man she’d just met-and even after all this time, even knowing the pain it would cause, tempted her to do it again.
Cade lifted their bags and stood in one smooth movement. He strode toward her, and another truth rocked her world. She’d thought she’d exaggerated her memories of Cade. That the passion she remembered was an illusion embellished with the passage of time.
But Cade’s kiss had just blasted that theory. That passion was as real as this mountain. And it had nothing to do with her faulty memory. It had everything to do with this man.
She gave the dog a final scratch and rose. She struggled to compose herself as Cade drew closer, to act as if nothing had changed.
But then the seriousness of his expression caught her attention, and she shoved aside thoughts of the kiss. Something was wrong. Something to do with the fire. Alarm blazed through her nerves.
“What happened?” she asked.
His gaze met hers, and he stopped. The corners of his eyes tensed, and her foreboding grew. “They can land a helicopter in that clearing the next mountain over,” he said. “I told them we’d head there instead of the road.”
“Why?” He wouldn’t change directions without good reason.
“The wind shifted. We’ll be safer heading that way.”
Oh, God. The fire was coming straight at them. She jerked her gaze to the sky.
“We’ve got time,” he continued, his voice even. “We’ll take a break and eat before we start hiking.”
Her gaze swiveled back to his. “But, if the fire’s near-”
“It’s not that close yet. We’ve got time to rest.”
She opened her mouth to argue, but he turned and strode back toward the trail.
Still, doubts nagged at her as she followed him around the boulders and away from the rock slide. If they were fine, then why did he look so worried? And why wouldn’t he share his concerns? What was he protecting her from?
She gnawed at her bottom lip. She was tempted to pretend she believed him and indulge in a much-needed break. Hunger drilled a hole in her stomach. Her knee ached from the fall in the road, her ankle throbbed where the rock had struck it, and blisters had chafed her heels raw.
And God, she was exhausted. Her head pounded like an off-balance washing machine, and even her leg muscles shook. She wanted desperately to curl up and sleep.
But she knew they needed to hurry. If Cade wanted off this mountain, the situation had to be bad. He wasn’t the type to overreact.
And although he’d never admit it, this mess was completely her fault. She’d made them stop to rescue the dog. She’d gotten chilled in that river. She’d dropped the leash and spent the morning crawling across that rock slide.
Without her, Cade would be safe in Missoula right now.
Which meant it was up to her to keep them moving. She couldn’t endanger him more.
A few yards down the path, he dropped their bags in a patch of grass. She hobbled to a stop behind him. “Cade, listen. I’m not that hungry. Why don’t we take a break later?”
He swiveled around and faced her. “I’d rather eat now.”
“But I don’t think we-”
“And I told you we’ve got enough time.” His blue eyes narrowed on hers. “Look, I wouldn’t go that way if I didn’t think that we could make it.”
She scanned the hard line of his jaw, the implacable set to his shoulders, and realized she couldn’t convince him. He was determined to protect her, even at his own expense.
She huffed out her breath. “Fine.” So she would bolt down some food and act refreshed so they could get back on the trail. And then somehow, she would hike like a maniac to that clearing.
Cade lowered himself to the grass in front of a rock, his face tightening when he jostled his arm. Jordan joined him, careful to keep the dog between them, particularly with the memory of that kiss so fresh.
She pulled the remaining cheese and salami from her bag, then considered the orange. “How long will it take us to get there?”
“We’ll make it by nightfall.”
The finality in his voice plucked at her nerves. What happened if they hiked too slowly? She tightened her grip on the orange. “So we don’t have to make this food last?”
“Probably not, but we’ll save a can of tuna just in case.” He pulled the other can from his PG bag, along with his canteen.
She scanned what remained of their food. “You want the rest of the sandwich?”
“Go ahead. I’ll eat the tuna.”
The distance in his voice made her frown. Was he that worried about the fire, or just determined to ignore the kiss?
Either way, she should be grateful. Better to treat it as a moment of insanity and forget it.
She reached over and popped the pull-top on the can of tuna. “Why don’t I put the tuna on bread? It’ll be easier for you to eat that way.”
“All right.” He leaned against the rock and closed his eyes. Fatigue hardened the planes of his face, along with deep lines of tension.
Just how close was that fire?
Her nerves drumming, she split the remaining bread into quarters. Glad to have an activity to distract her, she heaped the tuna on one piece and made a sandwich for Cade, then piled the cheese and salami on her own. Despite her intentions, her thoughts kept sliding from the fire to that kiss, and her nerves wound even higher.
She tossed the dog a chunk of salami. “Do you mind if I give Dusty your beef jerky?”
“Go ahead.” He opened his eyes and took the sandwich. His gaze landed on the dog, and his expression turned thoughtful. “You know,” he said, “that mutt was damned lucky. That cat could have torn him apart.”
“I know.” A spasm clenched her throat at the memory. She’d been terrified that she couldn’t save him. And when that cat had prepared to leap…
Her hand trembling, she reached out to the dog and stroked the soft gray fur between his ears. His golden eyes lifted to hers, and she felt the tug to her heart. “It was close, wasn’t it, Dusty?” Far too close. She never wanted to feel that fear again.
She gave him a final pat, filled his water bowl and fed him the jerky. Then she settled back against the rock to eat her sandwich. The stale bread had the texture of tree bark, but she devoured it anyway.
“Jordan.” Cade’s low tone pricked at her nerves. She met his gaze, and dread trickled into her gut. She’d never seen him look so serious.
“I meant what I said back there. It could get dangerous up on that mountain. Fire behavior can get extreme. And if it blows up, it happens fast. The conditions can change in seconds.” His blue eyes stayed steady on hers. “So if I tell you to do something, I need to know that you’ll listen. Even if it means leaving the dog.”
She made an anguished sound. Leave the dog? And let him die? Her gaze fell to his furry face and her heart cramped even tighter. No way. She could never leave him behind.
Not even if it cost them their lives?
Her stomach balled in a surge of panic. Cade didn’t know what he was asking. She pulled Dusty to her lap and hugged him, and buried her face in his fur. She couldn’t fail this dog. He trusted her. He depended on her to get him to safety.
But she’d seen that blaze up close-the roiling smoke, the thundering flames. Fire streaming and exploding through trees.
