Bitter Wild (13 page)

No,
that wasn’t right. Andy was dead. She’d watched him die. Tears began to pour
from her eyes as she began to remember bits and pieces of that nightmare. The
scream of the horses and the roar of the monster as it charged them. She felt
herself sink to the ground as Chance barked again. She was drifting toward unconsciousness
as she heard her name called once more, closer this time.

Jack
called Casey’s name and the dog barked in answer. A moment later it suddenly
appeared in front of him. He might have been amazed by the ice that covered the
poor creature if he wasn’t too busy being horrified by the blood that stood out
in stark relief against its pale fur. It gave him a steady look, then turned
around and trotted off. Jack reached for his gun. Suddenly he found himself
wondering if the animal might have gone insane and turned on Casey. But then
why would it come to him like this? Wouldn’t it have just attacked him outright?
He took several steps forward, using the light to scan the area in front of
him. He spotted the dog again, then began to run when he caught sight of Casey
lying beside it. The dog backed away as he dropped to his knees at her side.
There was blood on her head and face as well as ice and mud and bits of leaves
and twigs in her hair. She looked like she’d been through hell. He reached out
to check her pulse and was shocked by how cold she was. He tried to wake her
but got only a groan. At least she was alive.

He
lifted her into his arms, then got to his feet. It seemed to take forever to
get back to the cave and he began to fear that he’d missed it somehow. Then he
caught sight of the small outcropping of rock that marked the entrance. He laid
Casey on the ledge then scrambled up onto it himself. The dog stayed right with
him as he put his arms around Casey’s chest so he could drag her into the cave.
The entrance was too narrow for him to carry her in.

The
moment they were inside he lifted her again and carried her to the fire. He’d
laid out their bedrolls beside it and he carefully laid her down on one of
them. Her eyelids fluttered and he said her name.

“Casey?
Can you hear me?”

She
moaned, then slipped fully into unconsciousness. He reached out to touch her
face, then began removing her clothes. She was going to die of hypothermia if
he didn’t get her warmed up quick and he had to get her dry before he could get
her warm. The clothes were nearly frozen. He wrestled with them almost
frantically. When he pulled her gloves off he took a few moments to check her
hands for evidence of frostbite. They were cold, but he didn’t think any
permanent damage had been done. He hesitated as he got down to the last layers.
The uncertainty didn’t last long, though. This was no time for modesty. He
lifted her so that he could pull the undershirt over her head. Then he froze as
he got a look at the scars that marred her right shoulder. They were large and
ugly, completely healed, though with the red puffiness that marked them as
relatively new. He stared at them for a long moment before making himself
finish. He got rid of her bra, then made a conscious effort not to look at her
as he tugged off the thermal pants she wore. He found another ugly scar hidden
beneath them. Now he knew the source of the weakness in her leg. But he was no
closer to understanding what horrible event had caused it.

He
dragged his blanket over and wrapped her in it, then moved her even closer to
the fire. That done, he began searching for the source of the blood on her head
and face. He found it just above the crown of her head. The cut was small in
proportion to the amount of blood. Jack rummaged around in her backpack and
found a first aid kit. He used a gauze pad and water to clean the wound as best
he could, then smeared it with antibacterial ointment. Then he cleaned as much
of the blood off her as he could. Once he finished that he was left with
nothing to do but sit by her side and pray that she would wake up.

Jack
eventually fell asleep with Casey nestled against his chest. She hadn’t moved
at all when he woke the next morning. He reached out and touched her forehead,
then cursed when he realized how warm she was. A fever. That’s all she needed.
He got up and added some fresh wood to the fire, then headed toward the rear of
the cave. There was a convenient source of water there in the form of a small
stream that seeped through a crack in the rocks and then disappeared through
another. The water moved with enough swiftness to keep it clean. He put some in
a pot he’d found in the cave and carried it back to the fire. He sat it down,
then met the gaze of Casey’s dog. The moment Jack had moved, the animal had
taken his place. It was stretched out beside Casey, watching Jack intently.
“Your mistress isn’t doing so good.”

The dog
didn’t even blink. Jack sat the pot on the fire, then dug out some of the
jerky. He took a piece for himself, then tossed another to the dog. It gave the
dried meat a sniff, then dropped its head back onto its paws with a sigh. Jack
nodded. “I know, I’m worried, too.”

He
couldn’t believe he was talking to a dog. But then he’d seen Casey do it and
looking into the animal’s eyes, he could almost believe it understood his
words. He glanced at Casey and fought the sense of guilt that assailed him. He
should have stopped her. He should have done whatever it took to keep her from
leaving. He got up and went over to her, reaching out to brush the hair away
from her face. He thought about the scars that marred her body. The wounds had
been horribly traumatic. He didn’t know what had caused them, but he knew she’d
been lucky to survive. In the short time he’d known her, he’d managed to figure
out that if Casey Nolan was anything, she was a survivor. He’d known men who
didn’t have half her courage. She was strong and tough, too tough to be brought
down by a bump on the head and a little fever. Or so he prayed. He went back to
the pot and dropped a few pieces of jerky into the hot water. It wouldn’t taste
all that good, he was sure, but a bit of broth would be better than nothing. He
had to keep Casey fed if she was going to have any chance of fighting the
fever. He left the pot on the fire until the water turned a pale brown. He
poured some of the weak broth in a cup he’d found with the pan, then slipped
his arm beneath Casey and lifted her into a sitting position. He reached out to
touch her pale, damp face.

“Casey,
honey, wake up. You need to try to drink some broth.”

She
groaned and he took that as a good sign. At least she wasn’t comatose. He spoke
to her again.

“Come
on, open your eyes for me.”

She
groaned again, but her eyes fluttered open. She squinted up at him. “Andy?”

Jack
blinked. Andy? Who was Andy? He pushed the question aside. “It’s Jack.”

She
frowned, clearly confused. “Where’s Andy?”

“I
don’t know.” He reached out to pick up the broth. “You need to drink this,
Casey.”

He
brought the cup to her lips and she obediently took a sip. He wasn’t sure how
much of the liquid actually went down her throat, though. She coughed most of
it back up an instant after she tried to swallow. He set the cup down, then
froze when she wrapped her arms around him and snuggled against his chest.

“I’ve
missed you so much. Please don’t ever leave me again.”

Jack
looked down at her. Her eyes were closed again and she’d already drifted back
into a fitful sleep. Jack cradled her against him, murmuring to her as he
wrapped the blankets more tightly around her.

“I
won’t leave you, Casey. I promise.”

She
must have heard him, because she sighed and relaxed against him. He laid there,
holding her tightly as he prayed for a miracle.

Jack
tried to feed Casey some of the broth again a few hours later. Again she
coughed more up than she drank down. He knew the fever was getting worse. Her
skin was on fire. Jack had never felt so helpless in his life. He tossed more
wood on the fire, then resigned himself to the fact that he was going to have
to go outside to find more. The small pile wasn’t going to last them through
the night. He tucked Casey’s blankets tightly around her, then pulled on his
jacket. His clothes had finally dried, though the heavy jacket was still a bit
damp.

He
lifted her rifle, then headed for the cave’s entrance. He hadn’t been outside
since the night before. He was totally unprepared for the sight that greeted
him. He stood just inside the crevice and stared out at the snow-covered
landscape. There were at least five inches of the stuff blanketing everything
in sight and it was still coming down. How in the world was he supposed to find
wood in this?

Contents

CHAPTER
FIVE

Jack
considered himself resourceful. He used the rope that had saved his life the
day before to make sure he didn’t get lost. He tied it securely to a tree just
in front of the cave’s entrance, then attached the other end to his belt,
tethering himself securely to his source of shelter. It turned out that finding
wood wasn’t as difficult as he’d feared. The ice that had fallen before the
snow had brought several branches down. They were wet and a mixture of dead and
green, but he knew that as long as he kept the fire hot enough, they’d burn.
With any luck at all, most of it would dry out before he had to use it, anyway.
He lost track of how many trips he made back to the cave. He was increasingly
thankful for Casey’s experience. Along with the pot and cup and lanterns the
cave had held a hatchet. It wasn’t in the best condition, but it was sharp
enough for him to chop the wood he collected into manageable pieces. By the
time he got it all cut up and hauled into the cave twilight was falling and his
feet and legs were soaked to the skin. He dropped the last load of firewood,
then collapsed onto the cavern floor. He’d always believed he was in excellent
condition, but the past few days had taught him that he might be wise to spend
a little more time in the gym when he got home. Home. He felt a rueful smile
touch his lips as he imagined what many of his friends and colleagues would say
if they could see him now. He wasn’t known for being an outdoorsman. He’d lived
his entire life in the city and never once considered living anywhere else. Why
would he want to? The city had everything he wanted. Restaurants, theaters,
nightclubs. He loved the rhythm of the city, the fact that it never fully went
silent. There wasn’t anything that could take the place of that.

His
gaze slipped to Casey and he felt a twinge of something he didn’t want to try
to define. He might be at home in the city, but this was Casey’s place in life.
He’d watched her during the past days and he didn’t doubt for a single moment
that she was as much a part of the mountains as the trees themselves. It was in
her blood and she loved it. For one fleeting instant he imagined taking her to
the city and showing her the sights. They’d have dinner in his favorite five
star restaurant, then see a show. Maybe they’d go out dancing until the wee
hours. Then he’d take her back to his apartment and– He cut himself off right
there. There was no point in going there. First, even if Casey wasn’t involved
with someone else, he knew she’d never go anywhere with him. Secondly, she’d be
as out of place in the city as he was here. The noise would drive her insane.
And that dog of hers would never make it. No, he wouldn’t want to try to take
her away from this place. Because he knew that if he did, it would break
something inside her. He pulled his gaze off her and busied himself with
removing his clothes and lying them out once more to dry.

It was
sometime during the night when Jack woke. He’d wrapped Casey in his arms,
trying to give her as much warmth as he could. She’d woken up enough earlier to
take a little broth and voice a need to relieve herself. That had proved to be
an almost comical exercise. She was half-conscious, burning up with fever,
borderline delusional and naked. Jack still didn’t know how they’d managed it.
The only thing he did know was that he prayed she was more conscious the next
time her body needed to perform that particular function.

Now, he
tightened his hold on her as he heard her moan. He cursed beneath his breath
when he felt the heat coming off her. It was scorching even through the
blankets. He got up and picked up the handkerchief he was using for a rag, and
the small canteen of water he’d left near the cave’s entrance so it would be
cool. He dampened the handkerchief and laid the cool cloth against her
forehead. She groaned again and tried to push the cloth away.

“Easy,
honey.”

She
responded to his voice, reaching out to grasp his hand. He used his other hand
to wipe the cloth over her face and throat. She shook her head and he tried to
sooth her.

“It’s
all right, Casey. I’m here.”

Her
grip on his hand tightened and her eyes opened. She locked her gaze on him. Her
eyes were glassy and out of focus as she spoke.

“I’m
sorry, Andy.”

She’d
called that name repeatedly. Whoever Andy was, it was evident that she loved
him a great deal. It made Jack wonder just where her current boyfriend fit into
the picture. His name was John, not Andy. She sobbed and tried to get up. Jack
put a hand against her shoulder to hold her down.

“Be
still, honey.”

She
ignored his words and his hand.

“It’s
my fault! Oh, God, please forgive me.”

Jack
did his best to ignore the blanket as it slipped lower across her chest,
bearing the swells of her breasts. He put more of his weight against her,
trying to keep her from getting up. Finally she collapsed into sleep or
unconsciousness again and Jack sighed in relief. He pulled the blanket back up to
her throat, then re-dampened the cloth and laid it across her forehead once
more. It was barely fifteen minutes later when she let loose a blood-curdling
scream. Jack was at the back of the cave, filling the canteen with more water.
He came to his feet instantly, spinning around in time to see Casey crawling
out from under the blankets. The dog was on its feet and hurrying to her side.

Jack
ran to her as she tried to get to her feet. He wrapped his arms around her and
she screamed again. He half expected the dog to lunge at him. But the animal
seemed to understand that Jack wasn’t trying to hurt her. She fought him with
the desperation of a person overcome with terror. He saw it in her wide eyes,
heard it in the low whimpers that came out of her throat. He finally managed to
get her arms pinned to her sides and he hauled her up against his chest, trying
to keep his voice calm and soothing as he assured her that she was safe.

“It’s
okay, Casey. You’re safe. No one is going to hurt you. Trust me, honey.”

She eventually
stopped struggling. Jack wasn’t sure if his words had gotten through to her or
if she’d simply run out of strength. Whatever the case, she laid her head
against his shoulder and went still. It wasn’t until that moment that Jack
noticed the feel of her bare breasts pressed against his chest. She was burning
up with fever, but she shivered in his arms. Her nipples were hard pebbles. He
felt his body respond instantly. He closed his eyes and willed his errant
hormones into submission. After a few seconds he bent and lifted her into his
arms, then carried her back to the blankets. He laid her down and covered her
up, then stretched out beside her and pulled her to him.

He was
still aroused, still aching for something that he knew he couldn’t have. He ignored
the ache, though, as he wrapped his arms around her heated body and waited for
the night to end.

Jack
opened up the bag that held their jerky and gave the tough meat a morose frown.
He was sick to death of eating it. He glanced up at the dog who was lying right
beside Casey. The animal hadn’t eaten anything since the night Casey had gotten
hurt. Jack tried to feed him repeatedly, but the dog wasn’t interested. He
pulled a piece of jerky from the bag and tried one more time to get the dog to
eat. He held it out to the dog.

“You
need to eat, pal. It’s not going to do your mistress any good if you get sick
too. Besides, if you lose weight she’ll swear I starved you on purpose.”

The dog
didn’t so much as sniff at the beef. Jack sighed and threw it back in the bag.
“Yeah, I can’t say I blame you. I’m sick of it, too.”

Jack
sat the bag aside, then got up to go wash himself in the pool of frigid water
at the back of the cave. When he turned around, the dog was gone. Jack shook
his head. He’d never get used to the silence of the animal. He checked on the
status of his clothes and sighed with relief when he found they were dry. The
cave was surprisingly warm, but he couldn’t quite be comfortable wandering
around in nothing but his long-johns. He pulled on his jeans and socks, then
nearly jumped out of his skin when he heard a soft woof behind him. He swung
around to find the dog standing there. Lying on the cave floor right in front
of him was a rabbit.

Jack
blinked. A rabbit. The dog had gone out and caught a rabbit. Jack lifted his
gaze from the dead ball of fluff to the dog standing over it, watching him
expectantly.

“You’ve
got to be kidding. What do you expect me to do with that?”

Jack
nearly jumped out of his skin a second time when he got an answer.

“He expects
you to cook it.”

He spun
around and met Casey’s gaze. The dog went to her immediately, his tail wagging
with more enthusiasm than Jack had ever seen him display before. Casey wrapped
her arm around the dog, enduring a number of licks to the face before pushing
the animal away. Jack went to her, bending to help her as she struggled to sit
up. He laid his palm against her forehead and sighed with relief.

“The
fever’s broken.”

Casey
felt like hell. Her shoulder and back were aching and her head felt like it was
ready to split open. On top of that she felt grimy and was desperate to go to
the bathroom. She frowned up Jack.

“What
happened?”

He
shook his head. “I don’t know. I found you a few yards away from the cave
entrance with a gash on your head. You were half frozen and delirious.”

Casey
frowned as she tried to remember how she’d gotten hurt. She remembered the cold
and worrying about hypothermia. The ice was starting to coat even her. The ice,
that was it.

“A tree
limb fell and pinned me.”

Jack
had guessed as much. He nodded. “I figured it had to be something like that.”
He reached out to touch her again, making sure the fever had truly broken.
“You’ve been out of it for about thirty-six hours. I don’t mind telling you
that you had me scared to death.”

Casey
glanced at the pile of firewood lying a few feet away, then down at the pot of
broth sitting by the fire. She brought her gaze back to his.

“You
didn’t panic, though. That’s all that matters.”

He
shook his head. “Oh, I panicked all right. I just managed to get it under
control in a hurry. So how are you feeling?”

“Like
I’ve been bashed over the head by a log. And like I’ve been sitting in a sauna
for days.” She glanced toward the stream at the back of the cave. “I think I’d
feel a lot better if I was clean.”

Jack
nodded. “Your wish is my command.” Before she could offer a protest he scooped
her up into his arms, blanket and all, and carried her to the back of the cave.
He put her down right beside the stream, then straightened. He turned away,
crossing back to the small pile of gear he’d kept in reasonable order. He came
back a moment later with her clothes. He set them down beside her, then met her
gaze.

“I, uh,
had to undress you. You were soaked to the skin.”

Casey
felt a blush creep into her face, but didn’t acknowledge it. “I know. You did
the right thing. It probably saved my life.”

He
smiled. “Well, I guess that makes us even.”

Casey
couldn’t help returning the smile. “I guess it does.”

They
held each other’s gaze for a moment, then Jack straightened once more. “I’ll
leave you to it, then. I’ll just go right outside. If you need me, call.”

She
nodded, then called out to him before he’d gone more than a couple of steps.
“You’d better bring me that rabbit and my knife. There’s no reason to let it go
to waste after Chance went to the trouble of catching it for us.”

Jack
retrieved the knife from the pile of gear, then moved to the rabbit. He was
surprised by the aversion he felt as he considered picking the animal up. It
was just a dead rabbit. But he’d never seen one up close. In fact, he’d never
eaten a rabbit in his life. He wasn’t entirely sure he’d be able to now. He
bent to take hold of the animal’s ears. Then he carried it to Casey, laying it
down as quickly as he could. He glanced up and caught the grin on her face.

“I
never said I wasn’t a city boy.”

Her
smile widened, but she didn’t say a word. He turned and left her, grabbing his
jacket on his way out of the cave. Outside the snow had finally stopped. It had
started petering out sometime during the night and now it appeared to be over.
There was about eight inches on the ground. It was beautiful, no doubt about
it. But Jack knew he’d never look at snow the same way again. It had nearly
cost Casey her life.

Casey
cleaned herself as best she could. It wasn’t easy. The fever had left her weak.
By the time she finished washing she was so exhausted that she nearly called
Jack in to help her dress. But she couldn’t quite imagine how she’d get through
it. The fact that she knew he’d already seen her naked was hard enough to
handle. Not that she thought he’d taken advantage. She knew he wasn’t that kind
of man. He was a man, though and it wouldn’t be fair to either of them to put
them through more of an ordeal than they’d already endured. She managed to get
herself dressed, then had to take a while to catch her breath. She called out
to Jack, not wanting him to spend any more time standing out in the cold than
he had to. He came back into the cave and shrugged out of his jacket. When he
realized she still hadn’t dressed the rabbit he made a deliberate effort to
avoid looking at the animal.