Rachel Lee: Rocky Mountain Lawman

“You should always be careful alone in the woods.”

Something about the way he said it caused another chill to snake through her. “You’re really worried.”

“I haven’t exactly reached REDCON Three yet, but I’m heading that way.”

She knew exactly what he meant. Half his attention would now be on Buddy’s activities, alert for anything that might pose a threat. “Then I’ll just observe REDCON Three myself. I should be fine.”

“Your call.” He pulled the cards together and tucked them back into the battered box. “I’ve got a spare radio you can use. No cell reception in these mountains, but the radio uses a COMSAT link, so you won’t have any trouble getting in touch with me or the office. It also has a GPS Nav system.”

“Are you sure that’s necessary?”

“Maybe not, but I’m going to insist on it. I need to do some poking around. The water flow in the valley creek has dried up some and I need to find out if any of the feeder streams are blocked. And while I’m out there looking for that, I’m going to put a better eye on Buddy. Something about his place is making me uneasy.”

That sounded odd coming from a man who created a first impression of self-contained serenity. She supposed that she ought to take that as a serious warning.

But for right now, she was just relieved that she’d made a decision, that she was out of her private cave. That made her aware that she owed this man something.

“Thanks for what you did earlier. Bringing me out here.”

His smile was enough to make her melt. “You’d have done the same. Sorry this isn’t the Waldorf.”

“This is perfect. It’s a helluva lot better than a tent in a sandstorm.”

That drew a huge laugh from him, one that caused his eyes to sparkle and tipped his head back. “God, I’ll be happy if I never have to deal with that grit again. Give me dirt any day.”

He brought in two sleeping bags from the truck. “I keep a spare handy in case. I haven’t used this one so you don’t have to worry. Sorry there are no cots.”

“Hey, the ground is great. A floor is even better.”

“Yeah, at least there isn’t a rock in exactly the wrong place.” He spread out both sleeping bags. “No pillows,” he apologized.

“That’s what I have a jacket for.”

“If you want, I’ll take you into town for clothes in the morning. I didn’t even think of stopping to get you a change. Hell, I didn’t even think that you’ll want your car if you decide to stay out here.”

He was nice, she thought as she climbed into the sleeping bag and zipped it up. Very nice. “What about your shower?”

“It can wait. I don’t think I stink too much yet.”

He didn’t stink at all. He smelled like pine and fresh air, with a hint of wood smoke. All of it good.

Their sleeping bags were necessarily close in the tiny cabin, but soon Sky was comfortable, having punched her jacket into the right shape for her head. Firelight seeped out of the stove, casting dancing shadows around the darkened interior of the cabin.

Much nicer than a tent in a sandstorm, she thought. In fact, it would have suited her well for a long time.

She felt peace creeping into her, the serenity she had sensed around him at their first meeting, and she wondered if it was contagious, or if it was just the surroundings.

Everything seemed awfully far away right now, but not the kind of far away she’d experienced earlier. This was ever so much better.

She turned her head and looked at him. Firelight reflected from his eyes, telling her he was staring at the ceiling, his head propped on his saddle.

“Craig?”

“Hmm?

“You mentioned your brother.”

“Yeah.” The fire crackled, and for just a second or two the room grew a little brighter. “I was a marine. He joined up two years after me. I got out just before stop-loss started. He didn’t.”

“I’m sorry.”

“He wanted to make it a career. He would have stayed anyway. But it got to be too much for him. He was at war for an awful long time, Sky.”

“Too many were.” She knew the toll that had taken, too. She’d worked with men who’d spent the better part of six or eight years in combat zones. Unimaginable. “Is he getting better?”

“He’s gone.”

She sucked a sharp breath. Words wouldn’t come as her heart started to crack.

“I’m sure he’s better now,” Craig said. Then he turned on his side, giving her his back.

Sky stared at that back for a long time before sleep finally snuck up on her.

* * *

Morning arrived with watery light pouring through the cabin’s one dusty window and the smell of perking coffee. Stirring, feeling really good, Sky allowed herself the luxury of stretching and slowly waking up.

The cabin was empty, and for a moment she wondered if Craig had left. He had a job after all. But no, he’d said he’d take her into town this morning for clothes and her car.

Then the door opened and he walked in. For an instant he was framed against the brighter morning outside and the towering pines. In that instant he looked almost mythical, so tall and strong, and clad in his forestry uniform.

And so damn sexy. That sexiness didn’t just come from his good looks and powerful build either. She was drawn to that serenity, that inner strength he seemed to have. He felt like an emotional oasis in the midst of a stressful world.

She sighed, telling herself to quit being fanciful, and pushed up on one elbow, tossing her hair back from her face.

“Sorry if I woke you. I was out taking care of Dusty.”

“Dusty’s your horse?”

“None other.”

“Well, you didn’t wake me. I woke all by myself. That coffee smells good.”

“It smells about ready, too. Want me to bring you a mug there?”

“Actually, I need to get up and move. But thanks.” She pulled the zipper down on the sleeping bag and stood up, padding in her socks over to the table.

He looked so pressed and creased this morning that she felt grungy by comparison. Same clothes as yesterday, and worse, spattered by paint. Maybe she carried the individualistic artist thing a bit too far. But then, honestly, she couldn’t seem to keep clothes for long without getting paint on them.

“I look like a hag,” she announced.

“That’s not possible.” He joined her at the table. “I could lend you a hairbrush if you’re desperate and don’t think that’s icky.”

“After four years in the army, little seems icky anymore.”

He smiled. “Ain’t that the truth. Cereal for breakfast, I’m afraid.”

“That sounds so good. I’m ravenous. Something about fresh air.”

“The air’s fresher outside,” he joked. “It might make you even hungrier.” But he didn’t jump up immediately to get breakfast and she was grateful for that. She wanted her coffee first, and then maybe she’d be capable of helping him.

Feeling around in her pocket, she found a scrunchy and pulled her hair back from her face into a loose ponytail.

“I’m sorry it’s chilly in here, but I let the fire go out overnight.”

“We wouldn’t want a forest fire.”

“Exactly.”

“I’m fine, really.” She looked down at the arms of her shirt. “You must wonder why I’m always covered in paint.”

“Actually no. You’re an artist. Why, do you get asked a lot?”

“It annoyed my ex-boyfriend. Somehow that little black dress I tried to keep in the closet for important occasions always managed to get messed up like everything else. I joke that the paint jumps out of the tubes at me. Maybe I’m just sloppy.”

“Well, I’ve painted some. Not oil painting but other kinds. The funny thing about paint is that it seems to go everywhere, and you don’t notice it on your elbow, or the sole of your shoe, or wherever, until you’ve messed up something else.”