A scream pierced the air. Scott leapt to his feet and ran in the direction where Amber had disappeared. Adrenaline flooded his body, making his heart pump fast and his limbs become weak. A dozen scenarios of what had scared Amber raced through his mind.
It didn’t take long to spot her. She stood like a statue, staring at something on the ground. The loud, unmistakable rattling of a western diamondback cut through the air. Scott slowed to a walk. He didn’t approach. Any quick movement could cause the snake to strike.
“Don’t make any quick moves, Amber.” He spoke just loud enough for her to hear. “Back away slowly.”
“It’s going to strike. What if it follows me?” Her voice had lost all its bravado he’d come to enjoy from her.
“It’s not going to follow you. It’s just letting you know it’s there so you won’t eat it. Take a very slow step backward, then another. Keep the rest of your body as still as possible.”
“Can’t you throw something at it to make it go away?”
“No, that’ll only provoke it further. Trust me, Amber. Do what I tell you and everything will be fine.”
Scott forced his limbs to remain where he stood. Every part of him wanted to rush to her and pull her out of harm’s way. If the snake decided to strike, Amber might get her wish faster than she’d anticipated.
Several seconds passed, then she finally moved her right leg backward. She stopped, then moved the left. Scott caught a glimpse of the snake in the grass. It was a large rattler, coiled and ready to strike.
When she was at least as far as half the body length of the snake away from the reptile, he lunged forward and grabbed her around the waist. He retreated quickly, carrying her a safe distance from the snake before stopping and setting her back on her feet.
Amber’s body trembled. She reached up and threw her arms around his neck, clinging to him. Scott wrapped her in his embrace, running his hand down the back of her head and holding her close.
“It’s all right. You’re safe,” he murmured against her hair.
“I almost stepped on it,” she whispered, her voice shaky and full of fear.
“It’s easy to do. They’re hard to see sometimes, especially when you’re not looking for them.”
Amber’s chest heaved as she inhaled a long breath, then her shoulders relaxed, and the rest of her muscles followed. The irrational thought to stand there all day and hold her in his arms took hold in him, but common sense took over and he eased his arms away from her instead.
“Let’s get back to camp. Time to get your feet doctored up, then we need to see about finding some water.”
She nodded wordlessly, and slid her hand into Scott’s, letting him lead her back to their camp. She kept her eyes to the ground, glancing around warily, and stepping carefully around any tall brush.
“Have a seat, and I’ll look at your feet. Maybe you should stay here and I’ll see if I can find some water.”
Amber pulled her hand from his grip and lowered herself to the ground close to the ashes of the campfire.
“I don’t think it’s a good idea to split up.”
Scott faced away from her, and reached for the first aid kit he’d pulled from his backpack earlier. He fought to keep the smile from his face. Last night she’d told him to go on without her, that he’d get further if he left her behind. Now she’d changed her tune.
He found some bandages and the moleskin that would protect her blisters. He sat in the dirt in front of her, and reached for one of her feet, inspecting the heel. The area was rubbed raw and red. It would definitely hurt when she put her shoes back on.
Amber stiffened when he pulled her foot onto his lap, wrapping his hand around her slim ankle. Scott pushed her pant leg up to her calf to give him a better view of her foot. His fingers slid along the soft skin of her shaved legs, which weren’t quite as smooth as they would have been a few days ago. He lingered over the dainty ankle bracelet she wore, and pulled his gaze away from her painted toenails.
His pulse quickened, and perspiration formed on his forehead.
What are you doing, Kincaid?
Scott cursed under his breath, then worked quickly to apply the moleskin and wrap Amber’s ankle and foot in a bandage. Three days ago, Amber Milligan had been an annoyance. Now, all of a sudden, after the ordeal they’d endured with those outlaws, he was attracted to her. It was unexpected and completely different than what had drawn him to any of the women he’d dated in the past. He’d allowed pretty girls to turn his head, usually those who came from the same social circles as the other wealthy ranchers in the Deer Lodge Valley in Montana.
He’d gone out with Cheryl the longest, and it had turned serious enough that he’d thought about asking her to marry him. They’d been together for two years when she’d started dropping hints that she wanted more than just a boyfriend, and he’d gone along with it. She was gorgeous, and everyone agreed they made a great couple and should get married.
Amber shifted on the ground, moving her foot off his lap. Scott let go. He’d still been holding on to it. He raised his gaze to hers, looking into her expressive eyes filled with confusion and something else. The same attraction he felt for her?
“I think your foot will still fit into your boot. The bandage will help, since your socks are so thin. Let me wrap up your other one, and then we can get going.” Scott reached for another bandage.
“Thanks,” she said weakly, offering him her other foot.
He gnashed his teeth while he worked, the urge to get away from Amber mixing with the desire to pull her onto his lap and kiss her. If only she’d make some snide remark like she’d done a few days ago. Interacting with her then had been much easier.
“For someone who wants to die, you sure screamed loud enough for help a few minutes ago.” He glanced up, plastering a grin on his face.
Her eyes narrowed. “I screamed because the snake startled me.” She dropped her gaze and reached for her socks and shoes. “Thanks for the bandages.”
Scott stood, then reached for her hand to help her off the ground. When he pulled her to standing, she was far too close, staring up at him. He needed to put some distance between them, grab his backpack and lead the way to the river, but his feet had grown roots. His hand lifted to her cheek, his thumb grazing along her chin, and he leaned forward.
His lips had barely touched hers when Amber stiffened, then pulled away. She shook her head, still staring up at him with wide and confused eyes.
“Don’t get any ideas that being with a hot guy out in the middle of nowhere will fulfill my dying wish.” Her sarcasm sounded forced. She moved around him, but he reached out and stopped her with his hand on her arm.
“Am I your dying wish?”
Scott grinned broadly to cover the turmoil inside him. He cursed again. Sarcasm or not, she was right. This was the worst time to explore the feelings rushing through him, or what he read in her eyes.
Instead of figuring out the best course of action to get them safely back to town, and from there, back to where they both belonged, all he could think about was kissing Amber and holding her the way he’d held her when she’d been scared of the snake. He grabbed his backpack and tossed it over his shoulder, then led the way south.
“How did your family react to your news?” he asked to break the silence between them that followed.
She scoffed. “I was scared to tell anyone.”
Scott glanced at her, cocking an eyebrow. “And now you’re scared to keep on living?”
Amber glared at him from the side. She kept right on walking. If her feet hurt, and there was a better than good chance they did, she didn’t let on. Her determination contradicted everything she was saying about wanting to die.
“I wasn’t a nice person after I got my diagnosis. I was angry at first, then scared, and I lashed out at everyone.”
“And then you came up with the brilliant plan to take your own life?”
She glared at him. “I’m going to die on my terms, not
in a hospital with my hair falling out. When I heard about this time travel thing, I thought coming to the past was the ideal solution. Disappear and no one would bother me.”
Scott frowned. His head tilted to look at her. “How much treatment have you had, Amber? And what kind of cancer is this?”
Scott kept his voice even to keep her from reacting defensively. If he was going to figure out how to help her, he needed more information. He ran his fingers through his hair, keeping his eyes on the landscape up ahead, searching for possible areas where there might be water, while his mind was completely in tune with the girl walking tirelessly next to him.
This is different than what you went through.
She didn’t say anything for several minutes. He wasn’t going to press. If he wanted answers, forcing them from her wasn’t the way to go about it. It was best to let her talk on her terms.
“I thought I was pregnant.” Her words were a mere whisper. Scott leaned in to hear better.
“The doctor at the clinic did a blood test and told me I was.” She shook her head. “I didn’t know what to do. I wasn’t ready for a baby. I knew Chris wasn’t ready. He was in medical school, and my scholarship money was running out. I lost my job, and I had to drop out of school.” She paused, then stuffed her hands in the pockets of her pants before she continued.
“When I went back to the clinic, they couldn’t find a fetus on the ultrasound, so they did another blood test. My hormones came back high for pregnancy each time. They told me it could only mean I had this rare cancer, and I needed to see a specialist, that this cancer was highly aggressive if it wasn’t treated right away.”
Scott stared off into the distance, his hands clenched at his sides. She wouldn’t be receptive to having an arm around her for comfort. Helplessness washed over him. He had to find a way back to town fast, and out of this century, for Amber’s sake.
“What did the specialist say?”
Amber laughed softly. “I panicked. I couldn’t afford to go to a specialist, and certainly not get cancer treatment. I started drinking and I tried to escape by taking drugs. Chris and I started fighting more.”
“Did Chris know? Or is that why you need to find him?” Scott glanced sideways at her. He held his breath, waiting for her answer.
Amber shook her head. “I never told him. I finally decided it wasn’t fair to him to be stuck with me, so I broke off our relationship. I lied, telling him I was pregnant. Later, I told him I miscarried, blaming a night of drinking and getting high.” She sniffed, wiping her arm under her nose. “I told him one lie after the other, but couldn’t tell him the truth. So that’s why I want to see him again. I need him to know the truth, to clear my conscience.”
Scott remained silent, digesting what she’d told him. He focused on the things she hadn’t said. She hadn’t uttered a word whether this cancer was curable or not. If money was her only concern, her worries were over. Trouble was, Amber would fight him tooth and nail if he offered to get her treatment.
For whatever reason, she’d convinced herself that her life was useless. It was time to help her change her mind. However long it took, he was going to show her that life was worth living. Just because she’d given up on herself, he wasn’t going to give up on her.
Chapter 11
Amber sat by the fire. The crackling and popping was a soothing sound, something that had calmed her nerves for the last three evenings since getting away from those looney whiskey thieves. She hugged her arms around herself, rocking back and forth to ward off the chill in the air.
She stared off into the distance. The glow of the setting sun painted red streaks of various hues across the horizon, the colors a brilliant display to the closing of another day.
She sighed. Another day of being lost in the wilderness, surrounded by uncertainty if they would find their way back to town. Even if they did, would that lead them back to the twenty-first century?
Amber combed her fingers through her hair, then threw another piece of wood onto the fire, sending up orange embers that danced into the sky. It added another dimension to the natural splendor taking shape around her.
Her brilliant idea wasn’t so brilliant anymore. She’d had it planned out so well for months. The thought of going back in time had been the answer to everything less than a week ago, but with every day she spent in Scott’s company, the further her mind wandered away from what she’d wanted to do.
After the doctor at the clinic had told her the news of her condition, she’d ignored it at first. She’d fed her denial with plenty of alcohol. She’d started smoking cigarettes, which eventually led to trying other drugs. Oddly enough, despite her jumbled nerves, she didn’t miss any of those things.
Fear of being sick and the agony of cancer treatment had led her to formulate her plan to end it before it came to that point. There was no guarantee she’d survive. The doctor had said she’d need aggressive treatment. She might die anyway. Besides, she had no insurance, her bad choices had driven her boyfriend away, caused someone’s death, and she had no family other than Ashley.
Amber reached for the water canteen. Among the sounds of evening was the chirping of crickets that grew louder by the minute, and the soft trickle of a creek. Scott had found water the evening of their second day wandering through the Texas wilderness. He’d laughed and triumphantly proclaimed that all they had to do was follow the creek.
“It’ll take us to the river Vin was talking about, and from there, back to Heartsbridge.”
The wide, confident grin on his face haunted her in her restless sleep each night. How could someone be so confident and optimistic, when the odds were stacked so heavily against them? No matter what obstacle got tossed in their way, he tackled it head-on and with an enthusiastic smile on his face.
Scott had first noticed the creek flowing at the bottom of a steep, rocky gully, and it had looked impossible to reach.
“We’ll take it nice and slow. This is nothing compared to the kind of mountain climbing I used to do,” Scott had assured her.
“Your optimism is wearing on me,” she’d grumbled, which had elicited a bright smile.
“That’s my goal, Amber. I plan to wear you down until you have nothing left to do but smile, too.”
He’d reached for her hand, right after winking and shooting her that irritating grin, then led the way, always supporting her when her boots threatened to slip out from under her. Gritting her teeth, she’d ignored the pain in her feet, and swallowed the fear of falling and breaking every bone in her body. It had been the thirst that had brought out her false bravery, not Scott’s continued encouragement and positive attitude. At least that’s what she’d told herself.
Scott had grabbed her around the waist and set her on even ground once they reached the bottom. His smile and the sparkle of admiration in his eyes had dissolved the last vestiges of surliness in her, and she’d returned his smile.
For the first time in a long time, a true sense of accomplishment had filled her as she’d stared up the steep wall of rock and gravel she’d descended without so much as a stumble. And it had all been because of the guy holding her, refusing to allow her to give in to her despair.
His hands had lingered, but she’d pulled away, turning to the rushing creek. It was written plainly in his eyes that he’d wanted to kiss her. It wouldn’t do to lead him on. There was no future for her, or for them.
You’re putting the cart before the horse, Amber.
Amber inhaled deeply of the smell of wood smoke in the air. Peace filled her, the images of her accomplishments over the last few days fresh in her mind. Her hand went to her back pocket. The plastic bag with the pills was still there. Several times since coming to the past, she’d pulled it out and stared at it.
Whenever she was away from Scott, she’d tried to convince herself that now would be a good time to take them. Her ordeal would be over, and Scott could move faster without her to get back to town. Like the coward she was, she’d stuffed them back
into her pocket each time.
Her mind filled with memories of the previous days and the irony of how energizing this exhausting journey had been. Scott didn’t deserve to watch her die. She’d wanted to do this on her own, not with anyone there to see her take her final breath. The reason she was doing this in the first place was to no longer be a burden on anyone. Amber laughed. He’d be mad as hell if she did this in his company.
“What’s so funny?”
Amber turned her head to the sound of Scott’s cheerful voice. He strode into camp, a wide smile on his face. He held up a limp rabbit by the back legs. Her stomach growled.
“I brought dinner,” he added, not waiting for an answer to his question. “Tonight, I’m taking you out for a gourmet meal.”
His smile was infectious. “Will that include the usual side dish of cactus and whatever else those plant things were you offered me to eat the past few days?”
“Of course. I wouldn’t want my hot date to go hungry.” He winked. “Give me a few minutes to skin and gut our little friend, and we’ll have a nice barbeque in no time.”
Thankfully, Scott left the immediate area to dress the rabbit so she wouldn’t have to watch, and brought it back skewered and looking nothing like a cute little bunny. It would be easier to eat, not having really seen it before. As the days had worn on, her hunger had steadily increased to the point that if Scott had brought back a lizard, she probably would have eaten it without any complaint.
While Scott worked to cook the meat, Amber’s eyes lingered on him against the backdrop of the setting sun. The glow inside her matched the brilliant colors of the sky. She blinked and shook her head. Scott Kincaid was doing something to her, something that scared and exhilarated her at the same time. Other than the occasional look of attraction in his eyes, he hadn’t made another move to kiss her.
Timeless Bond (Timeless Hearts Book 8) Page 8
