Страница 25 из 74
Then common sense returned in a cold rush. No matter how angry and unsettled she was, it would be plain foolish to bait a man as dangerous as Whip, especially after she had received the clearest kind of warning about the state of his temper.
With a stifled curse Sha
«Two,» Whip said.
He hesitated for a time before he spoke the next number. Motionless, he listened. He heard no sounds of Sha
«Three.»
Whip opened his eyes and discovered that Sha
Damn.
I was hoping she’d lose her temper and sling that pan of water at me. It would have been fun using every stitch of her clothing to dry myself off.
It would have been even more fun getting her wet in return.
Whip took a deep breath and let it out slowly, trying to release the aggressive, coiled hunger of his body.
It’s better this way. She’s too naive.
Whip kept repeating that bit of wisdom all the way to the pan of water, but it didn’t convince him worth a damn. He still wanted Sha
He plunged his hands into the hot water, hoping pain would take his mind off the hunger that was knotting his guts.
It didn’t.
Swearing, Whip began to work soap into the ragged cuts on his hands. As he did, he remembered what Jessi, Wolfe’s wife, had told him about keeping wounds clean so that they would heal quickly.
Silently he wondered if soap would wash away desire as well as blood and dirt.
Somehow, I doubt it, Whip thought sourly.
He was right.
8
For the rest of the day, Whip and Sha
The subject of passion and naive little eggs never came up. Nor was there any discussion of death and Silent John or of widows and safety.
The weather was a favorite topic for what little conversation Whip and Sha
Prettyface was the only creature in the cabin that was fully at ease. He begged scraps from Whip and Sha
Sha
The following morning Sha
«Good,» Sha
Sensual memories licked through Sha
Oh, no. Why won’t it go away?
Sha
But it wasn’t the bed. It was her body.
No wonder Whip is giving the wood such a going over. He must feel as edgy-achey-strange as I do.
Hurriedly Sha
A glance told her that Whip had split an impressive amount of stove wood since she had first heard him at work shortly after dawn. She had meant to get up then, but instead had rolled over and slid back into the subtly fevered dreams that had claimed her for most of the night.
With a hunger Sha
«At this rate, I’m going to be buried alive in wood,» Sha
When she realized that watching Whip was only increasing the restless fever of her body, she turned her back on the open window.
«His hands will never heal if he keeps that up.»
Sha
To the weather, of course.
Both of them agreed it was just lovely, from sleet to sunshine and back again.
Sha
Without warning, Sha
«What do you think, Prettyface? Is Whip’s temper going to give out before the logs do?»
Prettyface yawned.
«You’re right. His surly mood will outlast the whole blasted forest.»
«Count on it.»
Sha
Whip was standing with his forearms crossed on the windowsill, smiling at her. Then he laughed.
Sha
Honey girl, don’t smile at me like that. All my good intentions will burn to ash.
«Does this mean you’ve forgiven me?» Whip asked softly, knowing he shouldn’t, unable to stop himself.
«Forgiven you? For what?»
«Teaching Prettyface a few ma
«I wasn’t angry about Prettyface.»
«Could have fooled me. I saw you holding a fully loaded, fully cocked shotgun on me.»
At first Sha
«I was going to shoot Prettyface,» she said starkly.
Whip looked shocked. «What?»
«I thought he was killing you. You weren’t moving and there was blood and it looked like his jaws were locked on your throat.»
The horror of that moment came back all too forcefully. Sha
«So I got down the shotgun,» she said distinctly.
«To save my life?»
«You needn’t sound so shocked,» Sha
But Whip was shocked. He knew how much Sha
Yet she had been ready to kill Prettyface in order to save a man who had made no promises to her.
Not one.
«I see,» Whip said.
«Do you? That would be a first.»
The irritability in her own voice surprised Sha
«Sorry,» she muttered. «I don’t know why I’m so touchy lately.»
«I do. It comes from wanting someone and going to bed aching and alone.»
«Then it’s a pure blue wonder that couples survive courtship,» Sha
Whip tried not to laugh. He didn’t succeed.
He tried not to touch the buried fire in Sha