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When Sha
Breath hissed through Whip’s teeth at the touch of the water. Though he knew it wasn’t really hot in this part of the pool, for the first few moments the water felt like fire against his chilled skin.
«Are you all right?» Whip asked. «Does this hurt you?»
Sha
For a time there was only the soft hiss of the lantern and the subtle currents of warmth drawing the chill from their bodies. Whip’s arms surrounded Sha
Whip could tell when Sha
«P-Prettyface,» she said.
«Prettyface is fine. Hell, he’s better off than you are. No need to jump out and check on him. You’re still cold enough to shiver icicles. Stay put until you’re warm.»
Sha
But she didn’t rest against Whip’s chest again, either. She was remembering all too clearly how he had pushed her away the last time she had been close. She wasn’t going to put herself in that position again. It had hurt too much.
It still hurt.
Whip’s mouth settled into a tight line that had nothing to do with being cold. He had liked the feeling of Sha
But when he tried to draw her dose again, she stiffened and pushed away.
After a time the hot spring won out against the chill left by the icy meltwater. Sha
Whip could tell the precise instant when Sha
«Let me g-go,» Sha
«You’re still shivering.»
A tremor went through her that had nothing to do with cold.
«I’m f-fine,» she whispered.
«Good,» Whip said coolly. «Then maybe you can tell me what the hell you were doing floundering around the countryside when you should have been snug and warm andsafein your bed?»
«Hunting.»
«I figured that out. What I didn’t figure out was why.»
Sha
No news in that, Sha
«Why do people usually hunt?» Sha
«Do you think I’m such a bastard that I won’t hunt for you?»
Sha
«Of course not,» she said.
«If I hunted for you, would you take what I gave you?»
«Yes.»
«Then why in the name of God were you out hunting?» Whip demanded.
«You won’t always be here to hunt for me, so I have to learn to fend for myself.»
«You would do one hell of a lot better fending for yourself with Cal and Willy.»
«By your estimate, yes.»
«But not by yours,» he retorted.
«Not by mine,» she agreed. «Besides, I can’t just walk out on Cherokee and Prettyface.»
«Prettyface would warm to the ranch.»
«Cherokee wouldn’t.»
«How do you know?»
«I asked first thing after I got back.»
It was Whip’s turn to be surprised. «You did?»
Sha
«I had a long time to think about how sad and angry you looked when you rode off,» Sha
Whip’s eyelids flinched at the pain in Sha
«If — if it didn’t work, the cabin would still be here,» Sha
Relief coursed through Whip. The arms holding Sha
«That tough old boy has been taking care of himself twice as long as you’ve been alive,» Whip said. «He’ll do fine up here alone. You won’t.»
«Wrong,» Sha
«She?»
«She,» said Sha
«Judas H. Priest.» Whip shook his head in disbelief. «You sure?»
Sha
«So stop worrying about me, yondering man,» she said in a low voice. «A woman can make it just fine alone, even all the way up Avalanche Creek.»
«No. You won’t survive the winter alone.»
There was no inflection in Whip’s voice, simply an absolute certainty that said more than any shouted tirade could have.
«I survived last winter,» Sha
Whip tried to speak, couldn’t, and tried again.
«What do you mean?» he asked roughly.
«Silent John disappeared three winters ago.»
For a moment Whip was motionless. Then he shook himself as though he had been hit with a board.
He felt like he had.
«You’ve wintered alone here three times?» Whip asked harshly.
«Yes.»
Whip wanted to believe Sha
«Then Silent John must be dead,» Whip said.
Sha
«How long have you known?» Whip demanded angrily.
«I guessed he was probably dead the second winter. But I wasn’t truly certain until just a bit ago, when Cherokee told me she had backtracked Razorback to a fresh landslide when Silent John didn’t come back from the claims. His tracks went in, but none came out.»
«Then nothing’s holding you here but your own stubbor
«There’s nothing holding anyone to life but sheer stubbor
«You’re pla
Sha
«Damn you!» Whip said roughly. «You’re trying to tie me down!»
«No! I’m just tell —»
«How can I leave you alone and helpless up here?» he asked, his eyes as hard as his voice. «I can’t and you know it! You’re counting on me to —»
«I’m not helpless!» Sha
A turmoil of emotions twisted in Whip, tightening his throat, making it raw. The cold he had felt in the stream was nothing to the freezing emptiness that came to him when he thought of Sha
«The hell you don’t need me,» Whip said in a low, savage voice. «You nearly died out there today.»
For the space of two long breaths, Sha
She would have sold her own soul to be a distant sunrise calling his name…and to hear him answer.
«Yes,» Sha
Sha
Whip looked at the dark water and felt a dull knife sawing through his soul, cutting him in two.