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«I’ll try.»
«There will be sleet before long.»
«Hail, more than likely,» Sha
She urged Razorback to a quicker pace. The mule didn’t object much. It, too, had smelled the raw edge of ice on the wind.
Once in the meadow, Whip and Sha
But not recently.
«How did you know this was the most sheltered campsite?» Sha
«I’ve been here before.»
«When?»
«When I was looking for signs that Silent John was still in the area.»
«And?» she asked tightly, afraid that Whip might have discovered proof of Silent John’s death.
«No new sign. Not then. Not now. Near as I could tell, no one has been here but me, and I left damn few tracks.»
«Did you get up to Rifle Sight?»
«Yes.»
Sha
«Nothing fresh. A broken pickax. A tin can filled with paraffin and sporting a tail of rag for a wick. The rag hadn’t been burned at all. The charcoal had been scattered by wind. There were signs of avalanche and a rock slide old enough to have wildflowers growing in the cracks.»
Sha
«What about the Chute?» Sha
«If it’s over that ridge and off a bit to the north —» Whip began, pointing.
«It is.»
«— then it’s still buried in snow. Anyone there is buried, too. There are a few other places someone has been digging, but they’re up the north fork and don’t show any signs of recent —»
«Why didn’t you tell me?» Sha
«That I was looking for Silent John?»
Sha
«You weren’t talking to me then,» Whip said, his voice dry.
«Then why were you looking?»
«Because I don’t hold with adultery.»
The blunt words weren’t what Sha
Whip turned and faced Sha
«More than once in those first few days,» Whip said, «I tried to ride off and keep on riding. But I wanted you too much to keep my hands in my pockets.»
«You’ve done a fine job of overcoming that,» Sha
«You’re proud, period.» Whip smiled a slow, off-center smile. «I like that, Sha
Abruptly Sha
Not until camp was secure and a cold supper had been eaten did Sha
Quickly Whip pulled Sha
«Pull your knees up or else your feet will get hammered,» Whip said.
Sha
«Hang on to this,» Whip said.
With her right hand, Sha
«And this,» he said.
The fingers of her left hand closed around the second bunch of tarpaulin Whip gave her.
«Got them?» he asked.
«Yes.»
«Good. Whatever you do, don’t let go, or we’ll get the coldest bath you’ve ever taken.»
Sha
The motion knocked her hat askew. Instinctively she reached up to right the hat. A blast of ice-tipped air swept beneath the tarpaulin. Quickly she dragged her hand — and the cloth — back into place on the ground.
«Sorry,» she muttered. «My hat.»
«Come back more toward me.»
Sha
«More,» he said.
She edged back an inch or two. «How’s that?»
«Not enough. I still can’t reach your hat without letting in the storm.»
Sha
«Okay?» she asked.
Whip dragged in a slow, hidden breath. The feel of Sha
«Closer,» he said thickly.
«I can’t. There’s no room.»
«There’s lots more room. You’d be surprised how close two bodies can get if they put their minds to it.»
Sha
«Whip?»
He managed a questioning sound.
«Are you all right?» Sha
«A little cold around the edges,» he said, lying through his teeth. «How about you?»
«A lot more comfortable than I was. You’re better for warming than a campfire.»
She sensed as much as heard Whip’s amusement.
«But my hat is still halfway off,» Sha
«Sit tight. I’ll move around until I can get a hand free without freezing us.»
Before she could answer, Sha
«What are you doing?» she asked in a strained voice.
«Trying to sit on a corner of the damned tarpaulin so I can get a hand free to fix your hat. Why?»
«Nothing.»
Sha
«There,» Whip said. «That should do it.»
Sha
«Lean back against me,» he said.
«Why?»
«Do you want that hat fixed or not?»
Grumbling, Sha
«How’s that?» he asked.
«Better. But now my hair is in my face.»
«You’re more trouble than a sack full of puppies.»
Despite his complaint, Whip was smiling as he reached around Sha
«All set?» Whip asked.
«Yes. Thank you.»
«Nothing else bothering you?»
«No.»
«Good. I want you to be able to concentrate on what you’re feeling.»
«Right now I’m feeling — Whip!»
«Hang on to that tarpaulin, honey girl. The hail is damned cold.»