Opening his eyes, Reece stared up at the woman leaning over him fiercely tugging on his jacket sleeve. What the hell was she trying to do, undress him? Was it possible that she was actually trying to help him? Well, he didn't want her help; he didn't want anybody's help. He'd learned long ago not to trust people, especially those who pretended they wanted to help you.
Reece grabbed the woman by the neck, shoving aside the thick, long braid of dark hair that hung down her back. Gasping, she stared at him, her big blue eyes filled with surprise. Then he heard the animal at her side growl as it lowered its head and bared its fangs, its hackles bristling in warning.
'Let go of me.' Elizabeth kept her voice soft, even and as unemotional as possible.
'And if I don't?' Lying on his side, Reece pulled her face down next to his. There was a smell of woman about her, sweet and clean but slightly musky. He could sense that she was just a little bit afraid of him and trying her damnedest not to show it.
'MacDatho could rip out your throat if I gave him the order.' She was so close to this man, only a breath away, their mouths and noses almost touching. Warmth spread through her body, a result of fear, uncertainty and sexual awareness. Some deep-seated yearning within her urged her to taste his lips, to warm their cool surface with the heat of her mouth.
Reece reached up with his other hand, encompassing her neck completely with both hands. 'And I could snap your soft, silky neck like a twig.' Glancing at the woman's huge dog, he wondered if the animal would attack with or without his mistress's command.
Reece felt the woman's pulse beating rapidly in her neck. No doubt about it, she was afraid of him. Good. He needed her scared so she wouldn't do anything stupid. If he could control her, he could control her animal. But the moment he glanced from the dog back to her face, he almost regretted having threatened her. There was a wounded look in her eyes.
MacDatho growled deeply, raising his tail, his teeth still bared.
'No, Mac. I'm all right.' Trying to convince herself as much as MacDatho, Elizabeth sent a message to Mac that this stranger was their friend, a friend in need of their help.
MacDatho eyed the stranger, then lowered his tail, but his hackles remained raised and his teeth partially bared in a snarl.
'You've got that animal trained pretty good, haven't you?' Keeping a tight hold on the woman, Reece raised himself up off the floor. Every bone, every muscle, every fiber of his being ached. The warmth inside the cabin sent pinpricks of pain through his body, the frigid numbness slowly replaced by nearly unbearable feeling.
'We're going to get up off the floor,' Reece said, shoving himself against the soft solidity of the woman's body.
Elizabeth followed his orders, struggling to stand when he forced himself to his feet. He kept a stranglehold on her neck with one hand, the other hand biting into her shoulder. Once on his feet, he swayed. Elizabeth slipped her arm around his waist, instinctively trying to help him. He jerked away from her touch, momentarily releasing his hold on her.
She had never known anyone so afraid of human contact, so distrustful of another person's offer of help. 'You need to get out of those wet clothes. You need to get warm.'
Reece grabbed her by the arm. MacDatho growled again. Elizabeth sent Mac a silent message to stay calm, but she could sense his intention to attack Reece-and soon.
Elizabeth had only one choice. When she was on her feet again, she bowed her head, concentrating completely on stopping Mac from acting on his animal instincts to protect her.
'I don't want to hurt you,' Reece heard himself saying and wondered why he felt such a strong need to reassure this woman. He pulled her close to his side, forcing her to walk beside him to the enormous rock fireplace.
Shivers racked his body. His hands trembled, and for a moment he wasn't sure he would be able to continue standing. When he shoved Elizabeth away from him, she almost lost her balance, but she caught hold of the wooden rocker near the wood stack on the wide hearth. MacDatho approached Reece with slow, deliberate strides.
Mac stopped dead still, eyeing Elizabeth as if questioning her, then he looked at Reece, dropped his tail, cringed low on his hind legs and began making licking movements with his tongue.
'What the hell's wrong with him?' The damned dog acted as if he'd suddenly become deathly afraid of Reece, and his actions didn't make any sense.
'It's Mac's way of accepting you, of letting you know he wants to be your friend.' No need to explain to this stranger that she had convinced MacDatho that another male animal was the dominant one. He probably wouldn't understand, anyway.
'I don't want his friendship, or yours, either.' The pain in Reece's head intensified, the tormenting aches in his body blazing to life as the numbness faded. 'I'm hungry. I need some food. And some aspirin.'
'If you'll come into the kitchen, I'll fix you something. Or if you want to rest in here, I'll bring out something on a tray.'
'You're not going anywhere without me.' Reece glanced around, looking for all the exits from the huge room. No matter what she said or how sweetly she acted, he couldn't trust this woman. He didn't dare.
He wouldn't hurt her. Hell, he wouldn't even hurt her damn, crazy dog. But he couldn't let her know that she had nothing to fear from him or she might destroy his only chance of escaping a prison sentence and proving himself an innocent man.
'Come into the kitchen. I have some leftover chicken stew from supper.'
Elizabeth glanced back at the stranger as he followed her toward the kitchen. He walked on unsteady legs, his movements slow paced and lethargic. If he made it to the kitchen it would be a miracle. The man was dead on his feet.
Reece felt the dark, sinking nausea hit him. His knees buckled. He grabbed at thin air, trying to steady himself.
'Please, let me help you. You need to lie down.' Elizabeth reached out to him, trying to touch him.
Irrational panic seized Reece. The woman was lying to him, trying to catch him off guard. She didn't know him. Why would she want to help him? He couldn't trust her.
'Stay away from me!' Clutching the gun in his right hand, he pulled it out of his coat pocket, then shoved her away, pointing the weapon directly at her.
He swayed toward the wall, his shoulder hitting the wooden surface with a resounding thud. Blackness encompassed him.
Elizabeth watched, feeling totally helpless as the stranger slid down the wall, falling onto his side. Rushing to him, she knelt beside him and realized two things. He was still alive. And he held the gun in his hand with a death grip.
'Come on, Mac. We've got to take care of him. He's probably suffering from hypothermia and Lord knows what else.' Elizabeth wished her abilities extended to healing. Unfortunately, she didn't have the magic touch, only a basic knowledge of herbs and the power of the mind to restore one's health.
'I don't know how we'll ever move him. He's such a big man.' After prizing the gun from his tenacious grasp, Elizabeth proceeded to remove the stranger's coat, then his shoes and socks. When she saw the county jail identification stamped on the dark blue coveralls he wore, she realized that this man, this stranger who had invaded her mind and her heart months ago, was an escaped convict.
Her trembling hands hovered over his body. Her mind raced through the thoughts and images that had been bombarding her for months. She tried to sort through her feelings, to separate her emotions from logic. This man posed a threat to her. That was a certainty. But not physically. She sensed he would never harm her, that he did not have the soul of a killer.
But he was dangerous.
'If only he'd regain consciousness.' Elizabeth spoke more to herself than MacDatho, although the wolf-dog listened intently. 'He's too heavy for us to move, and he needs to be in a warm bed. He could have a concussion. Look at the dried blood on his forehead and the swelling right here.' Her fingers grazed the knot on his head,
