Over the moon by Zachariah’s decision to stop for a while, Holly wanted to do a jig for joy, but instead settled for a relieved smile. The dogs, fed, watered, and bedded down on piles of straw, instantly fell asleep. Chores done, that left the two of them free to make their own meal and take a well-earned breather. Leaving Holly to heat the stew, Zachariah disappeared back to the checkpoint cabin. Mysteriously, on his return he made no mention of what he had been up to, and although eaten up by curiosity Holly held her tongue. Contenting herself with a haughty look, which made Zachariah smile, she made a big deal out of dishing up their meal.
It was three hours later and Holly was busy packing up whilst Zachariah refilled their water containers with fresh water. The dogs were on their feet eager and raring to go, a sentiment Holly herself was not exactly feeling. But, in spite of this she couldn’t help but feel a certain amount of excitement, as finally they were about to leave the wide open expanses of the Yukon for the next leg of the journey, that to Unalakleet.
* * * *
On a straight trail leading to the coastal mountains Holly gave a silent groan on the realization that they had another eighty-odd miles to travel before they reached Unalakeet. Ten to fifteen hours of trail, bad weather and who knows what else, had Holly’s already dampened spirits sinking even further. With any hope of winning now a thing of the past, Holly considered that there was little point in pushing themselves to exhaustion, so with that in mind she hoped Zachariah was amenable to quite a few stops along the way.
Trails travelled, ruts, holes and debris acrobatically negotiated, Holly eventually took the time to take in the scenery, which was in fact quite beautiful. Snow covered everything as far as the eyes could see, and with darkness beginning to fall the moon cast a silvery glow over everything. The moon’s radiance caressed the tops of trees like magic dust from a fairy’s wand, the air was crisp and clean, and the tall dark shadowy forms of the mountains at a distance were reminiscent of a painted scene from a moon landing her father had back home.
Holding tightly onto her sanity as she worked through extreme tiredness and the crippling cramp of standing for so long, Holly was more than thankful when Zachariah some hours later indicated they were going to stop at Tripod Flats cabin. Muttering uncomplimentary things about men who thought they were superman, Holly almost fell off her runners in her eagerness to take a rest. Pulling a stool from the basket she quickly sat down before she fell down and waited with some degree of anger as Zachariah, raising an enquiring eyebrow, strode toward her.
“If he asks what I think I’m doing, so help me I’m going to brain him,” she muttered to herself, feeling her face setting into lines of discontent.
“Holly…”
“What?” she retorted rudely before he could say anything else.
Zachariah’s raking glance took in her aggressive body language and he remained silent.
She shifted uncomfortably on the miniature stool as the silence stretched. Why didn’t he say something?
“Well, what do you want?” she finally snapped, having grown uncomfortable under his silent gaze. Knowing she was behaving badly Holly was unable to stop the train wreck that was her rage. She was tired, irritable, and hungry and she wanted to take it out on someone.
“What I want,” he said with utmost patience. “Is to know whether you wish to sort out the dogs or make us a meal?”
Rage that he was being so patient in the face of her boorish behavior made her ruder still.
“Neither! I don’t want to do anything.” She glared up at him, standing so tall, rugged and alert, and felt unreasonably angrier than ever. He should have stopped earlier.
“I’m exhausted, stiff, hungry and really, really, really fed up, and you ask me what I want to do, are you bloody superhuman or what? Don’t you feel tiredness like the rest of us mortals?”
His patience almost exhausted. Zachariah, knowing she was worn out and probably regretting continuing with the race, replied with infinite patience.
“Okay, Holly, you just sit there and get your breath and humor back, and I’ll sort out my dogs—and yours.”
“Well, it won’t hurt you, will it? After all, you were the one that kept on going. my opinion, not that you care one way or another about my opinion, is that if you had stopped some time back we—I, wouldn’t be so exhausted now. So basically, this is all your fault.”
Spinning back toward her, now just thoroughly fed up with her attitude, Zachariah hauled her into his arms and kissed her, a hard, punishing kiss that stopped the quarrelsome words in her throat. Taken by surprise Holly opened her mouth in protest, whereby Zachariah took full advantage, masterfully deepening the kiss and subduing her attitude. Kiss finally completed and mission accomplished, he finally put her from him. And as she sank back down onto the stool, a dazed and uncomprehending expression on her face, he grinned in genuine amusement as her mouth opened and closed like a goldfish.
Leaving her sitting in sullen silence, Zachariah fed the dogs and made sure they were bedded down before searching in the supplies for a quick meal. His intention had been to only stay for thirty to forty minutes before pushing on, but with Holly acting the way she was he reconsidered his plan. If he were to do as he first intended, he knew that considering the frame of mind she was in, she would urge him to go on alone. However, he wasn’t prepared to leave her, not now, not at this stage. She was shattered, injured and belligerent and that was a deadly cocktail when competing in the Iditarod.
Belligerently watching as he first dealt with the dogs and then went into the cabin she had been too exhausted to go into, Holly, trying to forget that kiss, began to feel slightly guilty at her attitude. It wasn’t Zachariah’s fault that she was here, it was all down to her at the end of the day. She was the one that had insisted on competing, and poor Zachariah was the one that was suffering the consequences of her stubbornness, and now here she was making life doubly hard. And why? Because she was all kinds of fool, that’s why, and she should be thoroughly ashamed of herself. But how to put things back on an even keel? Apologize, that’s how!
Finally finding the courage from somewhere she followed him into the cabin and stood hesitantly watching as he poured two mugs of tea. Accepting the drink she wondered how to start. Apologize, apologize, apologize! she thought, but the words just wouldn’t come.
Tea drunk and a plate of mac and cheese accepted rather grudgingly on her part, the insidious thoughts came back. Apologize, apologize, apologize!
“Sorry!” burst forth from her unwilling lips.
Zachariah looked up in surprise.
Heat rushed into her cheeks and she lowered her eyes to her plate.
“I’m really, really sorry, Zachariah.”
“Don’t sweat it, Holly, we all have bad days.”
His gracious acceptance of her apology brought tears to Holly’s eyes and she blinked rapidly, it wouldn’t do for Zachariah to see just how stupidly pathetic she had become.
“Thank you, it’s kind of you to say.”
“Eat your food before it gets cold, we’ll have a bit more of a rest here and leave in a couple of hours.”
“K,” Holly replied, applying herself to her meal and feeling more than slightly subdued.
* * * *
Snuggling down in the sleeping bag beside Zachariah, Holly finally relaxed, and the heaviness of his arm across her middle as he spooned into her was comforting. Feeling ashamed of her earlier behavior, she was thankful that Zachariah wasn’t one to hold a grudge.
Squirming against his hard form, Holly tried to sleep. A moment ago she didn’t think she’d be able to keep her eyes open but now, with Zachariah pressing up behind her, she suddenly felt wide awake and—something more.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Turning to face Zachariah, Holly reached up a small hand and gently touched the side of his face.
Capturing her hand, Zachariah looked deep into her eyes. “Holly?”
“Zachariah?” she responded, and sti
ll holding his gaze let her fingers wander down to his chest then, hesitating briefly, trailed her hand down, down to the rising bulge in his pants.
Undoing the zip she slipped her hand inside and, pushing her fingers between the button-up flies of his long underwear, tenderly caressed the long, silken warmth of his cock.
A rumble started deep in Zachariah’s chest which, as her hand moved faster, became a growl. Urging him on to a climax, she rubbed and caressed, but before this was attained, his hard hand closed over her wrist and pulled her hand free. Pouting prettily she looked coyly up into his face as he rolled her under him. A bit of maneuvering and soon Holly was kicking free of her clothes and opening her legs.
Zachariah, feeling the slick wetness of her pussy against his fingers, pushed his cock in deep, deep within her. Crying out in pleasure at his entry caused his cock to jerk in response and soon he was thrusting hard and fast. The softness of her breasts, the caressing feel of her tender thighs against his hips, and the plumpness of her mound against the wiry hair of his pubes created a buildup of sensations. That, combined with her guttural gasps of pleasure, brought him to his ultimate goal, that of an orgasm.
Feeling the goose bumps on Zachariah’s skin and the spasmodic jerk of his thick cock inside her sent Holly spinning into a climax. The blood coursed through her veins like molten lava, burning, scorching, electrifying, and as his seed was ejaculated into her womb she cried out, digging her nails into his smooth hard back. As Holly spun out of control, her breathing erratic and her limbs trembling, Zachariah’s arms pulled her close and seconds later she thought she felt the whisper of a kiss against her forehead.
* * * *
“Mush!”
Holly shouted to her dogs and slowly she began to follow in Zachariah’s wake. Two hours of rest and she still was unrefreshed. She smiled. Maybe one of the reasons for that was the completely and utterly wonderful hours of lovemaking with Zachariah. Briefly she wondered whether things would be the same between them when they were back in the normal world, and sadly, she felt that probably not, they would be as before. However, putting those melancholy thoughts to one side, she attempted to cheer herself up by thinking about the things she was looking forward to upon her return to civilization. The list was endless and included an inordinate amount of chocolate, but mainly it was things like a good hot meal, a soak in a scented bubble bath and a long, very long sleep in a comfortable bed with clean cotton sheets. Utter bliss!
Hours later the trail was climbing up through wooded areas made hairy by the narrowness of the course and the extraordinary size of the trees. It was darker amongst the trees, their sheer size blocking out the hazy rays of sunlight that filtered through the thick branches, causing a dappled effect on the snow. The chill wind blew the powdery snowflakes around, swirling and eddying in front of her, making vision difficult. However, peering through the whirlwind of flakes Holly noticed the flat top of Old Woman Mountain in the distance, a sight that happily indicated it wouldn’t be long before they reached the old plywood cabin and maybe a break.
“I don’t believe it, I just don’t. Of all the…” Holly bit back the explicit which formed on her lips. Zachariah wasn’t going to stop! They had sailed past the plywood cabin as if it didn’t exist.
What was it with him? Didn’t he need the rest? And didn’t he want to make love to her again? Holly’s thoughts were chaotic. She wanted Zachariah badly, and she’d thought that even if he didn’t love her, he would want to make love to her, but it seemed not! At any opportunity she would have thrown herself into his arms and begged him to make love to her, but not Zachariah, oh no, he obviously could resist her charms, such as they were. Well, that’s it, she thought angrily, she’d stay celibate for the rest of her life, never again would she let him make lov… No, call it as it is, Holly, she told herself. Never, but never, let him have sex with you again.
Miles on, the BLM, Bureau of Land Management sign for the new Old Woman Cabin came into view and Holly held her breath. Would he? Wouldn’t he? It was growing dark so surely…Suddenly Zachariah’s sled veered off to the right and her pent-up breath exploded with a whoosh, and she grinned. Yes, he was going to stop. Food she thought. Not just a snack, but real food. Stew or maybe, mac and cheese, she didn’t care what it was as long as she had something to eat. Her insides were rumbling like the underground. Hopefully as well as food they would be stopping long enough to get an hour or two of sleep, but that of course depended on Zachariah. However, mixed up in the blissful thought of food and sleep, she remembered her vow. No way was she going to let Zachariah touch her again. No way, no how!
Pulling up outside the cabin Holly wasted no time in jumping off her runners and reaching for the dog food. Ignoring Zachariah as he went in the cabin to light the stove, she filled a pan with snow to melt for the dogs’ mash.
Silently and with a quick look at Zachariah’s inscrutable face she shoved the pan on the stove and waited with her back turned to him for it to melt. She was still so angry. It was unreasonable she supposed, but he should have stopped at the first cabin. He should have wanted to stop, wanted to spend time with her.
Taking one look at Holly’s set face and ramrod-straight back, Zachariah decided that the best thing to do would be to leave her to get over whatever was bothering her on her own. Frowning he tried to think what he had done. They had left the last stop on good terms—he grinned remembering the time spent in each other’s arms—very good terms in fact. So what could have gone wrong between then and now? Racking his brains he couldn’t come up with anything. “Women!” he muttered, completely flummoxed.
The dogs fed and their bootees changed, Holly followed Zachariah’s example and pulled out handfuls of straw to bed them down. She breathed a thankful sigh of relief. So obviously he did intend to stop, if only for a few hours. Silently she followed him into the cabin and watched as he prepared food for them both. Remaining silent, she accepted the bowl of steaming soup with a slight incline of her head and resolutely kept her attention on the meal. The soup finished, the sleeping bag was placed on the groundsheet and, with a lift of an eyebrow and a flick of a hand, Zachariah indicated for her to scramble in. Wordlessly climbing in, she turned from him and lay stiff and unmoving as Zachariah scooted in beside her.
She couldn’t believe it! Zachariah was snoring, snoring! He was asleep and yet she was here, right beside him and he hadn’t touched her, not once. What was that all about? Shifting impatiently she resolutely closed her eyes. Was she bothered? No, cause she wasn’t! He could snore his fat head off for all she’d care, and anyway, even if he had tried to kiss her, she would have refused him, yes that’s what she would have done. She would have stayed cool, calm, and collected and told him in no uncertain terms that she was off limits. With that straight in her mind she turned on her side and closed her eyes.
An hour later and Holly still couldn’t sleep. It was all Zachariah’s fault. She had been so determined to reject him and yet he hadn’t given her the chance. The beast. She fumed, completely agitated. She knew she should be sleeping, wanted to sleep in fact, but his behavior was continually playing on her mind. First he hadn’t wanted her along, then he’d taken the time to help her, then he’d made love to her, and yet at other times, he was so cool it was almost as if she was nothing to him. And perhaps she wasn’t, she considered. Perhaps she was just a quick shag, an inch he could scratch, or a roll in the hay, because to be honest, she hadn’t exactly played hard to get had she? Fool, she maligned herself. Why hadn’t she been more discerning and, do as her grandmother had said—kept her hand on her ha’penny.
“Can’t sleep?”
“No.” Holly sighed. Now he’d made her talk to him, she’d have to watch his cunning questions.
“Something on your mind?”
She tutted. “No.”
“One-word answers, Holly?”
“Yes.”
“Ahh, a different answer, now I’m getting excited.”
Unable to help it, Holl
y chuckled, a quickly stifled one, but a chuckle for all that.
“So?”
“So?” she mimicked, puzzled.
“Oh no, not back to one word answers are we?”
“What is it you want, Zachariah?”
“Well, at least I have a proper sentence this time. I don’t want anything except some sleep but you’re wriggling around like a worm in my bed.”
“Charming.”
“Holly?”
“It’s nothing except…”
“Except?”
“No, it’s nothing. I’m tired and want to sleep.”
“Okay but I’m a good listener if ever you want to tell me.”
“K.” Holly snuggled further down in the sleeping bag.
Silence ensued and Holly lay awake in the dark listening to the wind howling around the cabin but she couldn’t rest. She needed to get it off her chest.
“It’s just, why didn’t you stop at the last cabin?”
“For crying out loud, is that what this is all about? You know we needed to make up some time. We have after all had more rest stops than anybody in the history of this race, and I don’t know about you, but I want to get home, I’ve a hankering for my own bed.”
“Is that it? Is that the only reason?”
“Yes, why? Oh, I get it, you wanted to know why I didn’t want to stop and make mad passionate love to you?”
“No, no, of course I didn’t. That’s absurd.” She snorted, anger stirring in her heart. “Well, yes, why didn’t you? I mean…”
“I know perfectly well what you mean, Holly, and whilst making love to you is an…enjoyable pastime, the situation we are in isn’t exactly conductive to comfort or romance. So even though I understand your sensibilities, at this moment in time I’m more focused on getting us home safely.”
Sleigh Ride to Love Page 13
