"It's hardly pampering tolet you rest after you spent the last six hours dragging an elephant behindyou."
"I won't argue." Heunfastened his harness and sat down on the ground beside Caleb's stretcher."Pamper me."
Weariness layered the usualmockery in his tone. She turned to look at him, but it was too dark to see hisexpression. He was only a shadow figure hunched beside Caleb's stretcher."Did the pads help to cushion the ropes?"
"Well enough." Hechanged the subject. "We'll have to replace this blanket I stretched overthese poles before long. It's wearing thin."
"I'll give you one ofmine before we start again." She knelt beside the pile of wood andkindling and lit the fire before glancing over her shoulder. "It's awonder it lasted this long, pulled over that rough ground with Caleb on—"
There was blood on Ruel'sshirt.
She jumped to her feet andhurried to his side. His face was pale in the firelight, his lips set withstrain. "I thought you said the pads helped. You lied to me."
He shrugged. "They did asgood a job as could be expected."
She fell to her knees besidehim and started to unbutton his shirt. "We'll have to double themtomorrow." She unbuttoned his shirt. "And I can help. I can take onepole and help pull."
"You're still weak fromthat damn fever. I'll manage alone."
"Don't be foolish. I'mgetting stronger every day, and there's no reason why I can't—" She brokeoff as she pulled the shirt off his shoulders and saw the ugly chafing causedby the ropes. His right shoulder was crisscrossed with angry red marks, theflesh cut and bleeding across the collarbone. She whispered, "Good God,this must have been terribly painful."
"It wasn'tpleasant."
"You should have toldme."
"So that you could weepover me as you did over Caleb?" He smiled. "Doesn't it touch yourheart that I've shed my blood for your sake?"
"Don't joke," she saidhuskily. She fetched a canteen and handkerchief from her saddlebag, knelt againbeside him, and began to wash the lacerated flesh. "Why do you always haveto joke?"
"To show what a brave andstalwart specimen I am. I understand it's considered the thing to do."
Her hand was shaking and shehad to steady it before starting to wrap the cloth around his shoulder."We'll have to think of another way to help Caleb. You can't go on likethis."
"Yes, I can. I can doanything I have to do."
"It was my decision tobring Caleb. I can't let you suffer because—"
"I'm going to do it,Jane."
"Why?"
"Because then you'll knowthat every drop of blood I shed is for your sake." He held her gaze."And every time you care for my wounds, it will bind you closer tome."
"What are you talkingabout?"
"You said it yourself,Jane. You're a caretaker." He looked down at her hands binding the bandageat his shoulder. "And when you take care of someone, they belong to you. Iwant to belong to you."
She stared at him indisbelief.
A sudden smile lit his face ashe glanced at Caleb. "Besides, I like this little fellow. I'd do it evenif I weren't courting you."
"Courting?" Thatword brought a rush of memories of that night on the veranda in Kasanpore."We can't go back," she said stiltedly.
"I don't want to go back.I want a new start."
"We can't do thateither." She finished tying the bandage and glanced at his left shoulder.The halter hadn't damaged it as much as the other, but he should have stoppedlong before this. His shoulders were rope-burned almost as badly as they hadbeen after he had come up the slope from Lanpur Gorge dragging Ian behind him.No, that wasn't true, she recalled. His flesh had been in bloody rags then andshe had—
"What's the matter?"Ruel's gaze was on her face. "What the hell is wrong now?"
