Kathleen pushed through a rickety picket fence and shuffled up the walk toward the half-open doors that hung off their hinges. She stumbled the last two feet to the steps. Adrenaline seeped from her in a steady flow, now that she no longer needed it. Her legs turned to water. She sagged to sit.
Water. Another thought she didn't need. The moist slice from a Joshua tree earlier had left her feeling decidedly green.
"Come on, O'Connell." Tanner crouched in front of her. "You need to get inside out of the wind."
"The wind's blowing?" Her brain must he more muddled than she'd thought. She tipped her face. A strand of hair swiped at her numb lips. "Well, look at that. It sure is."
She tried to move. Survival training told her it would drop to at least twenty degrees by midnight. Not factoring in the windchill. A wind that carried the bay of a lone coyote.
But she couldn't make her legs work.
So why was she floating? And on such a warm cloud that smelled of leather and soap. And Tanner.
Realizing he must have picked her up, she snuggled against his chest. "You shouldn't be doing this. Did you at least keep your chiropractor appointment this week?"
"Yeah, Doc."
His half chuckle vibrated against her ear. It held a darker tone that made her long for his uninhibited laugh. She wanted to smooth a hand over the worry lining his poster-boy face. "Not Doc."
"Definitely Sleepy."
"Yep." That niggled at her. Why? "Oh. Remember. Concussion. Wake me every two hours."
His arms tightened around her. "I won't let anything happen to you."
Her mouth formed the automatic reply, "I can take care of myself."
Since she couldn't squelch the need to assert herself, her brains must not be as rattled as she feared. Reassured, she nestled closer and simply enjoyed inhaling the scent of soap, leather. And Tanner. "Every two hours. Wake … me…"
"Kathleen? Kathleen! Two-hour check. Come on, Doc, wake up or I'm gonna toss you over my shoulder, kick some coyote butt, and hike out of this desert."
Tanner's insistent voice pierced Kathleen's foggy need to sleep. She peeled open her gritty eyes. Tanner loomed over her as she lay on…
A dusty church pew. How long had she been out?
As she tried to sit up, the dust stirred.
"Achoo!" A sneeze ripped through her. Exploded through her head. Brought tears to her eyes.
"A-a-choo! Ow!" The second sneeze almost took her to her knees, but she held up a hand to keep Tanner from launching into some nursemaid scenario. "I'm okay. Honestly. I'm definitely awake now."
"If you're sure," he said, skepticism infiltrating his tone.
Over his shoulder, she looked around the stark mission. A barren altar table listed to one side. Nooks for statues gaped empty. Moldy whitewash peeled from the walls. No doubt it was a decrepit mess, but the chapel echoed with a majestic peace beyond what could he found in a cathedral full of golden icons.
Kathleen elbowed up, and the world stayed blessedly still, no quivering ceiling. Nausea tickled but didn't overwhelm.
A yard away, a small fire crackled from the middle of a circle of stones. Smoke curled up through a jagged hole in the roof.
Crouching in front of her, Tanner palmed her back until she sat up. "How's the stomach?"
"Better."
He peered into her eyes until he apparently saw enough to reassure himself. "Good."
Kathleen pointed to the fire. "Looks like you've been busy."
"I scrounged up a few supplies to get us through the night. If the pickets run out, we can toss on some creosote brush. It'll smoke like a son of a gun, but we won't freeze. I also carved up another cactus. No luck with food, though. We should easily make town tomorrow. As long as we stay hydrated, finding food's not a concern for now."