Two Alone

She shuddered at the memory of the crude thing he’d said to her. Add uncouth to all his other disagreeable traits. She undressed and slid into bed. Because of her nap, she couldn’t fall asleep right away. Even after she heard Cooper go to bed and his steady breathing indicated that he was fast asleep, she lay there awake, watching the myriad flickering patterns the fire cast on the ceiling.

When the wolves began to howl, she rolled to her side, covered her head with the blanket, and tried not to listen. She clamped her finger between her teeth and bit down hard to keep from crying, to keep from feeling lost and alone, and to keep herself from begging Cooper to hold her while she slept.

Chapter Eight

Cooper sat as perfectly still as a hunter in a deer stand. Motionless, feet planted far apart, elbows propped on widespread knees, fingers cupped around his chin. Above them, his eyes stared at her unblinkingly.

That was the first sight Rusty saw when she woke up the following morning. She registered surprise, but managed to keep from jumping out of her skin. Immediately she noticed that the screen she had so ingeniously devised and hung around her bed the night before had been torn down. The blanket was lying at the foot of her bed.

She levered herself up on one elbow and irritably pushed her hair out of her eyes. “What are you doing?”

“I need to talk to you.”

“About what?”

“It snowed several inches last night.”

She studied his expressionless face for a moment, then said with a great deal of pique, “If you’re wanting to build a snowman, I’m not in the mood.”

His eyes didn’t waver, although she could tell that he was willfully restraining himself when he was sorely tempted to strangle her.

“The snowfall is important,” he said calmly. “Once winter gets here our chances of being rescued are greatly reduced.”

“I understand that,” she replied in a serious tone befitting his observation. “What I don’t understand is why it has such grave implications at this very minute.”

“Because before we spend another day together, we’ve got to get some things straight, lay down some ground rules. If we’re going to be marooned up here together all winter—which looks like a very real possibility—then we must reach an understanding on several points.”

She sat up but kept the blanket raised to her chin. “Such as?”

“Such as no more pouting spells.” His brows were drawn together in a straight, stern line of admonition. “I won’t put up with that kind of brattiness from you.”

“Oh, you won’t?” she asked sweetly.

“No, I won’t. You’re not a child. Don’t act like one.”

“It’s all right for you to insult me, but I’m supposed to turn the other cheek, is that it?”

For the first time, he looked away, apparently chagrined. “I probably shouldn’t have said what I did yesterday.”

“No, you shouldn’t have. I don’t know what evil thoughts you’ve cultivated in your dirty little mind, but don’t blame me for them.”

He gnawed on the corner of his mustache. “I was mad as hell at you.”

“Why?”

“Mainly because I...I don’t like you very much. But I still want to sleep with you. And by ‘sleep’ I don’t mean just sleep.” If he had slapped her, she couldn’t have been more astounded. Her lips parted with a sudden intake of breath, but he didn’t give her a chance to say anything.

“Now isn’t the time to beat around the bush or to mince words, right?”

“Right,” she repeated hoarsely.

“I hope you can appreciate my honesty.”

“I can.”

“Okay, concede this point. We’re physically attracted to each other. Bluntly stated, we want to get off together. It doesn’t make any sense, but it’s a fact.” Rusty’s gaze dropped to her lap. He waited until his patience gave out. “Well?”

“Well, what?”