by E. E. Burke
She rubbed her arms. “I need to move, or I’ll freeze.”
He shook his head like he disapproved, but then he gestured to the rockslide. “Don’t lift anything bigger than your fist.”
“Do you believe me to be a weakling?” Penny bent and slipped her hands beneath a stone roughly the size of her head, and to prove a point she lifted it. Oh dear, it was heavier than she thought. But if she dropped it, that would just prove his point. “See? It’s not that heavy.”
Beneath the hat brim, Charlie’s frown deepened. “Be careful.”
After barking the warning, he went back to work.
Barely able to hold onto the rock, Penny shuffled toward the edge. Not too near, just close enough to toss it over. Having snowshoes would have made this much easier, but when they’d started on this journey, she hadn’t thought she’d be walking around. She slid one foot forward and then the other.
The snow suddenly gave way. There was nothing beneath it.
Her heart slammed against her chest. With a terrified shriek, she let go of the rock and tried to step backwards, flailing her arms in a windmill motion, which instead of helping, sent her feet sliding forward, following the rock down the mountain.
Charlie dropped the rock he was holding and twisted around at the blood-curdling scream.
The back of Penny’s hood vanished over the edge, and his heart stopped for a split second. Then he raced to where the snow had collapsed, taking her with it. “No, no, no,” he chanted, and dropped to his knees.
The rockslide had torn away part of the road, and the snow must’ve drifted into a crevice, Penny hadn’t noticed.
His insides knotted as he stretched out to look down.
Snow blanketed an avalanche of rocks that had tumbled down the slope. Perhaps fifteen feet below where he knelt, Penny lay sprawled on her back, having pin-wheeled through the drifts.
Charlie let out the painful breath he’d been holding. The rocks had halted her fall, which was good, but she was too still, like a porcelain doll a child had dropped.
“Penny? Can you hear me?” His voice came out hoarse, as if he’d been screaming for hours. “Penny?” he yelled louder.
She didn’t open her eyes, didn’t even flinch.
Dread squeezed his heart. “Penny! Wake up!”
Stop yelling and go get her. She hadn’t fallen so far he couldn’t reach her with rope. He scrambled backwards and got to his feet, forcing his mind to the task and not the sight of her lying there.
“She’s not dead.” He tried to pray as he ran to the wagon, but he ended up cursing. Where had God been when Penny ventured too near the edge? Forget God, where had he been? He should’ve been watching her. He shouldn’t have let her pick up rocks. He had promised to protect her.
From a toolbox in the wagon bed, he retrieved a thick coil of rope, along with a pulley, which was used at the mine to lift heavy buckets. He guided the mules until the wagon was positioned as close to the edge as he dared, and then carried the largest rocks he could manage and heaved them into the back. There. Now the runners wouldn’t slip and the wagon wouldn’t tip over.
After hobbling the mules so they wouldn’t be tempted to wander, he attached the pulley to one of the iron rods holding the runners in place. Once he got to Penny, he could pull her up and then haul himself up. Hopefully, she was just stunned, or maybe she’d hit her head and it knocked her out. She would be all right. She had to be all right.
Charlie held his fear in check as he let himself down the steep slope. The closer he came to her, the more worried he became. He moved carefully, so as not to dislodge the rocks beneath them, as he knelt and grasped her arm, then tugged her glove down so he could press his fingers to the inside of her wrist. He shook so hard he could barely keep his fingers over the delicate veins beneath her skin.
A pulse beat, steady and strong.
Pent-up fear rushed out in one great sigh. “Thank God.”
Her lashes fluttered and she opened her eyes, staring at him with a vacant look that showed she had no idea where she was or how she’d gotten there. “Charlie?”
She knew him! She hadn’t been knocked senseless. He wanted to scoop her into his arms and drag her against him, both laughing and weeping with relief. Without knowing how badly she was hurt, that would be foolish. He also didn’t want to frighten her. She might not realize how far she’d fallen, or how precarious their position. If these rocks shifted, they could both tumble down the mountain.
“You gave me quite a scare.” He tried to smile, but suspected it looked more like a grimace based on her alarmed expression. “Are you in pain?”
She winced as she propped herself up on her elbows. “A little.”
“Don’t get up.” He caught her arm to prevent further movement. “Just tell me where you’re hurt.”
“What happened?” She looked around, and her confused expression shifted to stark terror. “Oh my God. I fell!”
He caught her as she jerked upwards and held her firmly against him so she wouldn’t disturb the rocks. “Calm down, I’ve got you. You’re safe. Just don’t move around too much. Let me get this rope on you.”
He hurriedly untied the rope from around his waist and secured it around her. “Here now, I’m going to pull you up. It’ll be easy as pie.”
She tightened her arms around his neck, squeezing so tight he could hardly breath.
“Good, your arms aren’t broken,” he rasped.
She loosened her choking grip and he sucked in air.
“I’m s-sorry.” Her whole body trembled.
“Nothing to be sorry about, it’ll be all right.” He stroked her back, longing to soothe her fears. There would be time for that later, after they got to safe ground.
“Penny, honey. Let me go so I can pull you up. Soon as you’re safe, untie the rope and throw it down to me. I’ll come up and join you.” He spoke in a calm, even voice, despite the palsy affecting his insides. If he showed fear, she might panic, and then they would be in big trouble.
Penny held her breath until Charlie pulled himself up the side of the mountain. Then he was beside her, untying the rope she’d thrown down to him after he’d hoisted her to safety. By the time he tossed the rope and pulley into the workbox, she knew they would be all right, but she couldn’t stop shivering.
Besides being miserably cold, she hurt like someone had taken a stick and beat her all over. Still, thanks to Charlie she hadn’t frozen and died on the side of that mountain.
“We have to get you somewhere warm.” Charlie moved the larger rocks out of the wagon bed, pushed others aside and helped her up. He grabbed the blankets on the seat and wrapped them around her.
“Y-you need a b-blanket, too.”
“My teeth aren’t chattering.” He crawled over her and onto the seat. “I can’t turn around. We’ll head for that bend. Hold on; I’ll get you home.”
Penny hugged the blankets around her, resting her head on one of the folded quilts and curling up in a ball, trying to stay warm. Each bump sent pain shooting through her bruised body. The cold went bone deep, and she was tired, so very tired. She struggled to keep her eyes open so she could tell him not to return her to Noelle.
“No…d-don’t go b-back… The train station.”
Chapter 5
Penny? Penny?
She could hear him calling, but she couldn’t see him. Snow blew into a whirling maelstrom, blinding her. Oddly, the blizzard made everything black, not white. Her heart hammered in her chest as she groped in the darkness, seeking safety. “Charlie?”
Her foot sank in snow, the ground vanished and she fell, screaming.
“No!” Penny flailed in a blind panic as she fought to open her eyes. Someone caught her arms, but not before she struck them. She heard a pain-filled grunt. Whoever it was though, was strong and wrestled her onto her back, trapping her hands over her head. Large fingers laced with hers.
“Penny, wake up.”
She wrenched her eyes open. As her
vision adjusted to the dim light, she could make out Charlie’s worried frown. She shifted, but didn’t feel rocks beneath her, rather, a soft mattress. Why would Charlie be sleeping beside her? No, he wasn’t beside her, he was half on top of her and pinning her hands.
She became achingly aware of his body…hard, long, and heavy. Worried, she tried to remember how she’d come to be underneath him, and—she glanced down at exposed skin—in just her underclothes. Licking her dry lips, she swallowed to moisten her mouth and tried to speak, but her voice came out breathless. “Wh-where am I?”
“Good. You’re awake.” His frown eased, as did his tight grip on her hands. “I brought you to my place and put you to bed. You were sound asleep when I carried you inside.”
Ah, so he must’ve removed her jacket and skirt and most of her petticoats, and all the while she’d been senseless.
“Why did you undress me?” Her heart quivered. Did he intend to molest her?
“Your clothing was damp. I was about to go for the doc when you started screaming.”
“How did I get wet?” Memories interspersed her wandering thoughts, and her breath caught. “Oh! I fell down the mountain in the snow, and you came after me.”
“After I let you nearly get killed. Those rocks tore away part of the road, but the snow was piled up and it looked solid. I should’ve warned you. No, I shouldn’t have taken you up there in the first place.” His features grew strained, and he searched her face like he was looking for…she didn’t know what.
“Forgive me.”
She didn’t agree that it was his fault. He couldn’t have known the ground was gone beneath all that snow. But with him being so close, she was incapable of putting her thoughts into words.
She craned her neck and took notice of her surroundings: chinked log walls, a flannel blanket nailed up as a curtain over a window…which might explain why it seemed like nighttime, but not why he’d brought her to his—
She jerked her gaze to him, shocked. “This is your bed?”
“The only bed in the house.” His lips twisted in a rueful smile, and he was so close she could see through the brown stubble covering the lower half of his face except for the area around a pale, thin scar marring his cheek. Up close, he looked dangerous.
Undressed, in bed with a man she didn’t know well, she should’ve been terrified. Instead, she felt, while not exactly safe, protected. Other feelings he stirred, she didn’t dare explore.
He shifted his weight, which only served to bring their bodies into closer contact. “How do you feel?”
“Sore, but alive.” Oh yes, she was very much alive. The blood rushed through her veins like an unchecked flood. She curled her fingers, and he responded in kind, locking their hands together in an unspoken promise.
He won’t let go. He’ll keep me safe.
His valiant rescue would be proof enough, yet it wasn’t the only reason for her certainty. Even before she fell, she knew she could trust him, and the knowledge gave her a sense of security she hadn’t felt in so long.
He’d been looking into her eyes, but now he seemed to be staring at her mouth.
Oh yes. Please.
Had she asked aloud or only thought about kissing him?
Her heart thundered as he lowered his head. As he slanted his mouth over hers, her lips parted. She drew in the breath he exhaled.
Penny couldn’t move, couldn’t think! She could only feel…the lush pressure of his lips, his fingers flexing, holding her hands. His touch diffused a kind of healing warmth, which spread through every sore muscle, while pleasurable shivers raced across her skin. Fears fell away, her aches forgotten, as she lost herself in the kiss.
Unlacing their fingers, he moved his hands to her hair, threading his fingers through the loose strands and using his thumbs to stroke her face and trace her ears. He broke the kiss, only to forge a trail across her cheek to a surprisingly sensitive earlobe.
“Penny.” Her name, whispered in his rough Texas drawl, sent another burst of shivers cascading over her skin. “So sweet.”
She’d never known kissing could be so pleasurable. In her past marriages, sex had always been a perfunctory act. Charlie was teaching her differently. But he was giving, not taking, and in turn, it made her want to give him the same pleasure. Slipping her fingers beneath his suspenders, she traced the hard planes of his back.
He came back to her mouth and this time the kiss was more demanding, but she was ready and answered with her own demands. She wanted him with a fierceness that surprised and almost frightened her. Only a few hours ago, she’d been ready to commit to being a spinster, but that was before she knew how it felt to truly ache for someone.
“Do you have any idea how desirable you are?” he whispered against her neck.
No, she’d had no idea at all, not until he’d showed her.
She cradled his head as he kissed down to the scooped neck of her camisole.
“Beautiful,” he murmured.
“Am I?” She wasn’t aware she’d spoken the thought aloud until he lifted his head to look at her, disbelief etched on his features. Warmth flooded her cheeks. Oh, what he must think of her, begging for compliments.
“Lady, you are a vision.” He emphasized his effusive praise with another scattering of kisses across her collarbone. “Let me show you.” His whisper tickled her skin as he untied the ribbon closure.
She drew in a deep breath, which cleared her mind, at least enough to realize he intended to undress her and complete his lesson in passion. If she allowed it, he could soothe this deep hunger, a hunger she might never have discovered had he not brought her to back his cabin to tend to her, just as he’d promised he would.
“We can’t turn around, it’ll take too long… Hold on. I’ll get you home.”
Something struck her that she hadn’t realized before, having been too shaken to pick up on the unwitting clue he’d dropped. The road they’d taken that led up that treacherous path didn’t go to the train depot. It circled the mountain.
She tightened her fingers in his hair. “The road you took, it led back here.”
“What road?” he murmured.
The sly dog. He’d known all along where he was going. Back home.
“Charlie, stop,” She tugged at his hair.
He didn’t pause in his progress with unlacing her camisole, a kiss at a time, eliciting a quivering response. He’d misled her in the worst possible way, and now he took advantage of her weak state. Flushed desire heated into anger, and she gave a hard yank.
“Ow!” He lifted his head and regarded her with hooded eyes and a half-smile. “All right, darlin’, I’ll hurry. You don’t have to—”
Furious, she drew back and delivered a hard slap.
He jerked upward with astonishment.
“Get off!” She pushed at his shoulders and arched her back, trying to unseat him.
“Easy now, calm down.”
She wasn’t an anxious mare that needed to be soothed before it was ridden. As he shifted to lift his weight, she gathered as much strength as her sore muscles could muster and shoved him, sending him off the bed.
At the hard thud, she winced. If he’d landed on his head, it was nothing more than he deserved.
Penny scrambled into a sitting position and with shaking hands began to retie her camisole. She couldn’t believe she’d so easily fallen prey to this smooth-talking predator. “You…you despicable scoundrel!”
He popped up from the floor, his hair in wild disarray from her fingers plowing through it. Oh dear Lord, she had truly lost her wits.
He frowned at her. “What are you talking about? I didn’t do anything you didn’t allow.”
She blushed hotter than a boiling teapot and snatched up the rumpled quilt to cover her exposed décolletage. “A gentleman wouldn’t have attempted to seduce me and lie like you did.”
“What did I lie about?” He propped his hands on his hips, where his shirt hung half out from her efforts to remove it.
>
She still longed to undress him, a realization that only fueled her shame. Her voice shook as she struggled to regain her calm. “Earlier you asked for my forgiveness, which at the time I didn’t understand. But now it makes perfect sense. You told me you would take me to the train station, but then you took that road to bring me back to Noelle.”
He threaded his fingers through his hair and released a heavy sigh. “I can explain.”
“Don’t bother. I won’t believe a word you say.”
His lips thinned into a tight line. Wisely, he made no further attempt to excuse his deplorable behavior. Instead, he ran his hand up his arm. A nervous gesture, perhaps? Or did it have something to do with that tear in his shirtsleeve? He might’ve hurt himself coming down that rockslide to rescue her.
Recalling the risk he’d taken to retrieve her dampened the flames of anger that burned against him. She felt a twinge of guilt for pushing him to the floor, though not near enough to apologize. He was the one who should be begging her pardon for being so underhanded. What hurt worse was how he’d pried open her heart, making her think he cared about her, convincing her she was special.
Tears stung her eyes. Embarrassed, she dashed them away with the back of her hand. “Why? Why did you do it?”
He looked to the door of the cabin, as if seeking an escape route, but then dropped his hands to his sides, his expression regretful. “For Noelle.”
Noelle. The town he’d named after his beloved child. He would do anything for this mining camp that bore his daughter’s name, even lie to a gullible woman.
Shattered illusions cut into her heart like shards of glass.
She glanced at the covered window. “What time is it?”
He retrieved his vest from a chair that he must’ve pulled up next to the bed to sit beside her. Even if he had treated her tenderly, she refused to feel a bit guilty for being angry about his deceit. He fished into the pocket, retrieving a fob and gold pocket timepiece. “By my watch, shortly after five.”
