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“Not me,” she said, her voice cracking. “Yancey’s hurt. Please, you have to help him.”
Relief swept over him like a breeze on a hot summer’s day.
“I will take care of the young jeunot,” Laurent said, already kneeling beside Yancey. “Take the mademoiselle away. This is not a sight for her to see.”
“No. Wait!” Evelyn pulled against Alex’s hold when he tugged on her arm with a bloodied hand. The flesh across his upper arm burned as if hot needles had been driven into him. He ignored the pain, knowing that the bear’s claws had hit their target at some point. He could tend to his own wounds later.
“Laurent will take care of him,” Alex said firmly, and held her arm. She shot a frantic look over her shoulder, but didn’t fight him when he pulled her away from the gruesome scene. Only when they stood next to the lean-to did Alex stop. Sudden anger replaced his fear.
“What the hell were you thinking?”
Evelyn stood, staring up at him in stunned silence. Her mouth fell open. “I . . . I had to help him,” she said, her lips quivering.
“You can’t face down a grizzly with an unloaded gun, woman,” Alex roared. He held her arms, and shook her for emphasis. “You get yourself to safety. That bear was intent on Yancey. You only made it angrier by waving that stick in its face.”
“What would you have me do, Alex?” Evelyn’s shaky voice from a moment ago matched his in her angry retort. Her eyes narrowed. “I couldn’t just leave him there to be mauled to shreds.”
“You’re too important to me to let yourself get hurt. Don’t you understand? What the hell foolish notion got into your damn female head to—”
Evelyn abruptly stepped closer to him, clasped his face between her hands, and stood on her toes. She leaned up and pressed her lips to his mouth. Alex stood stiffly for a moment, then his hands spanned her waist, pulling her up against him. She pried her mouth from his, her eyes wide as she stared at the stunned expression on his face.
“I had to silence you somehow,” she said softly, sucking in a deep breath, and stepped back. Alex released her. She’d thrown his words from a week ago right back at him. His fingers grabbed for the shirt at her waist, and he tugged until she had no choice but to step toward him. His other hand reached up, and he brushed the hair from her face, his fingers lingering against her soft cheek.
The muscles along his jaw clenched and unclenched in rapid succession, and his eyes roamed her face, looking for a reason for her unexpected action.
“Don’t ever do that again,” he said, his voice a low rumble.
Evelyn’s mouth fell open. She blinked, then her eyes narrowed. “So it’s fine for you to kiss me, but I can’t kiss you first?”
Alex’s forehead wrinkled, his brows pulling together. She’d misunderstood. “Not that, you insufferable woman. Don’t ever scare the tar out of me like that again. Ever.”
Chapter 11
With shaking hands, Evelyn rummaged in her pack for the length of muslin Alex had given to her while they were still at rendezvous. She hadn’t had a chance to cut the material and begin sewing a dress. She tore off several wide strips at one end. There was so much of the material, she could probably make two dresses from it. She certainly had enough to make bandages for Alex and Yancey. Her heart had finally slowed to its normal pace after that experience with the bear.
Laurent hadn’t allowed her to see Yancey, whom he’d moved under the lean-to, but he had assured her that the impulsive easterner would live. She had no idea how badly he’d been hurt. Soft moans came from under the lean-to as Laurent hovered over his charge.
The bear had wandered into camp, obviously attracted to the meat from the deer that Alex had brought from his hunt the evening before. Yancey had spent many hours cutting it into large strips, which he had then hung to dry from some nearby tree branches. He had dashed for his rifle when he saw the imposing predator.
Evelyn had begged him not to shoot at the animal, advising him that if they remained quiet, the bear might leave. It wasn’t worth risking their lives over a few pieces of meat, but Yancey hadn’t listened. His shot had merely enraged the massive beast, and it had charged, one swipe of its huge claws sending Yancey to the ground. The bear would have lunged for Yancey if she hadn’t startled the creature momentarily by yelling and waving her hands in the air. She’d darted for Yancey’s rifle, even though she knew it would be useless. Her conscience wouldn’t allow her to simply let the bear kill the man on the ground
Alex’s fight with the bear replayed in her mind. Fearlessly, he had thrown himself at the mighty predator without any thought to his own safety. Evelyn could only watch in silent horror while the man she loved battled the giant monster to the death. She raked her teeth across her lower lip. She loved Alex. It was the one thought that came to her mind as she watched helplessly while he threw himself in harm’s way to shield her. There was no doubt in her mind that she would be dead at this very moment if Alex hadn’t come to the rescue.
