Her concern warmed him, and he fumbled to unbutton his shirt. Before he’d managed more than the top two, Bethany had stoked the fire and was back at his side, brushing his hands away and accomplishing the task with brisk efficiency. She peeled the frozen fabric off his shoulders, then helped him shed his trousers and boots. When he was naked, she wrapped him in one of the warm, dry blankets and urged him over toward the fire.
He hunkered down next to it, uncontrollable shivers racking his body. His feet were so cold he feared he’d gotten frostbite.
“Let me help you,” she whispered, wrapping her arms around him and giving him her warmth. “Oh, Zach. What were you thinking? You could have died out there.”
“We’d h-have frozen without the w-wood,” he explained. “And I found s-some more food. There’s also a coffee pot, some coffee, and a few cups. And can you get me the bottle of whiskey? That m-might help warm me up.”
“Of course,” she assured him, searching through his bundle until she found the liquor. She handed it to him, then stood up with the coffee pot. “I’ll go fill this with snow and heat it up. We’ll have hot coffee. That should help.”
He silently thanked the driver for his stash. Besides the coffee and whiskey, he’d found a loaf of bread, some more apples, a dozen cans of beans and peaches, and some beef jerky. He’d also found two more blankets and gathered all the wood he could carry. It should get them through a couple more days.
Bethany returned with her coffee pot full of snow, and fussed with the fire for a moment, finding a place to heat it. He watched her, still half wondering if he’d really made it back or if this was just a dream and he was dying in the snow somewhere. If not for the pain streaking through his extremities, he would have thought the latter.
“It’s horrible out there.” He took a swig of the cheap whiskey and let it burn all the way down his gut—a strange sensation since the rest of him was still freezing. “We were lucky to find this cave. Coyotes have been at the bodies. They’re barely recognizable.”
Bethany met his gaze with a look of utter adoration. “If you hadn’t come back for me, I would have died.”
“Anyone else would have done the same.” Her gratitude made him uncomfortable. Christ, he hoped gratitude wasn’t all she felt for him.
She shook her head with utter certainty. “No. Most men in your situation would have left me without a backward glance and worried about saving their own neck. You’re a good man, Zach. A very good man.” As she spoke, she moved back into his arms, holding him for all she was worth.
A good man.It had been so long since anyone had looked at him as anything but a killer and a convict unworthy of respect or even common decency. Eyes burning with tears he’d never allow himself to shed, he pressed his lips against the soft cloud of her hair, shivering from both the cold and the strength of his emotions.
Bethany held him without speaking until the coffee began to percolate. “Let me get you something hot to drink.” Moving away with reluctance, she bustled around, putting their meager supplies against the cave wall and stacking the firewood near the fire. Then she brought him a hot cup of coffee and a few pieces of jerky. “Eat something,” she urged. “You need to rebuild your strength.”
He took the cup, letting the steam warm his face for a moment before he put it to his lips. The tin was hot, easing some of the chill from his fingertips. “Mmm, thank you, darlin’.”
When she continued to hold out the jerky, he took it, even though he had no desire to eat. Perhaps she was right. The trip back to the coach had sapped every bit of his strength.
Resolutely, he gnawed on the tough, peppery shoe-leather tasting piece of meat.
She watched him until she was certain he’d obeyed then turned away to shake the woodchips out of the new blanket and drape it in front of the fire to dry. “The storm is bad, isn’t it?”
“The worst I’ve ever seen,” he admitted grimly. “The snow is worse now than it was yesterday. Who knows how long it will last? I’m afraid you’re stuck here with me for a while.”
“I don’t mind,” she said as she straightened their pallet. “I’m not in a hurry to reach Texas. I’m glad to have a few more days here with you.”
“I’m glad, too. In fact, when I looked outside and saw it was still snowing, I felt like I’d been granted a reprieve from the gallows.”
She gave him a quick, horrified glance. “They’re not going to hang you, are they?”
He gave a rough laugh. “It was a figure of speech, but it’s not impossible. That’s why I have to leave, eventually. I don’t want to involve you any further in the mess I’ve made of my life.”
“What if I want to be involved?” The purity of her earnest green gaze slayed him.
“You don’t even know me. If you did, you’d never say such things. You’d never let me hold you and touch you.”
He’d meant to scare her away, but she didn’t look scared. Instead, she gave him a gentle smile. “I know you, Zach. I know you better than I knew David when we wed.”
He didn’t want to argue, not when he wanted to believe every word she said. And he had to admit what she said made sense. Though he’d known her less than two days, he felt closer to her than he’d ever felt to Hannah. Or perhaps it was just because he’d been alone for so long and their circumstances were so dire.
“I just hope you don’t come to regret being so good to me.” With a sigh, he drank the rest of his coffee and crawled toward the pallet, letting her tuck the covers around him. “I’m going to rest for a while, darlin’. Is that all right?”
“Of course,” she whispered, pressing a tender kiss to his brow. “Rest, sweetheart. I’ll be here when you wake up.”
