Authors: Hope Navarre
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
R
OBYN
STARED
IN
disbelief at her would-be rescuer lying in the dirt at her feet. She looked up to see Babe nodding his head in a bow. He stretched his long neck down as if he expected her to toss him a treat. “Oh, Babe, how could you?”
Neal groaned, and she dropped to her knees beside him. “Are you hurt?”
He rolled over and sat up with a dazed expression on his face. “I don't think so.”
He looked to the opening above them. “Did your damn horse just push me in?”
“Yes, it's an old trick I taught him. Are you sure you're all right?”
“A trick?” His tone was incredulous. Grimacing, he rolled to one side and pulled a flattened mass out from under himself. He stared at it for a long moment. “Dang, this was a new hat.”
Her sorely tried temper began to boil. He was worried about his stupid hat? She pounded a fist into his shoulder. “You moron, look what you've done!”
“What I've done?” He pulled away from her and rubbed his arm.
“Once again, your juvenile behavior has landed us in trouble.”
“Oh, no. You can't blame this on me. You got in this hole all by yourself, honey, and your old piece of buzzard bait up there pushed me in.”
She couldn't argue with his logic, much as she wanted to, but she didn't dare let go of her anger. As long as she stayed angry with him, she could ignore how he made her feel when he was near. He made her feel like she needed to be closer still, as if she needed the warmth of him against her heart to thaw it and bring it to life again. And he made her feel guilty.
She stood and wrapped her arms across her chest. “I am not your honey.”
Pushing to his feet, he surveyed the walls. “Believe me, I've noticed.”
He reached out and touched the dry gray stuff on the stones, then glanced at her clothes. She brushed at them quickly, but the effort was futile. He turned back to the wall. All her efforts to climb out were clearly marked where the moss was crushed and smeared.
She was startled when he reached out and brushed lightly at her cheek. “Hold still,” he said softly.
The feel of his hand on her face was almost more than she could bear. Against her will, her eyes closed and she leaned into his touch. His hand stilled and she covered it with her own.
“Holy moly! Look at your hand!”
Her eyes flew open at his outburst. After grabbing her other hand, he held them both in front of him. Her nails were broken, some of her fingers had bled from small cuts and her palms were scraped raw. She curled her fingers closed and tried to pull away from him, but he pulled her resisting body into a tight embrace.
“Oh, baby, I'm so sorry. All I ever seem to do is hurt you.”
Robyn found herself pressed to the hard wall of Neal's chest as his arms tightened around her. The familiar feel of his strong body against her weary one overwhelmed her. She heard the deep regret in his voice, and her hard-won defenses began to crumble.
“You didn't do this. It's not your fault,” she whispered. Slowly, she uncurled her hands and pressed them flat against his shirt. She closed her eyes and relaxed in his embrace. It felt so right to be held like this. It had been a long, long time, and she had missed it more than she cared to admit. If only she could rest a little while longer. She was so very tired.
He drew away and held her at arm's length. She missed his warmth instantly. “It is my fault. If I hadn't badgered you about our past, if I hadn't made you mad, if I had just agreed not to spend time with Chance, we would have finished checking the fences together and you'd be safe at home by now.”
His hands dropped away from her shoulders. He rubbed them up and down on his jeans a moment, and then slipped them into his pockets as he stared at the ground between them. “You were running away from me. I'm pretty dense and a little blind to boot, but even I'm beginning to see you don't need or want anything from me. I'm sorry I've inflicted myself on you these past weeks. I promise I'll get out of your life for good now.”
He looked so much like the repentant little boy she had once known, so much like Chance did when he was trying to apologize, that it was a wonder the whole world couldn't see they were father and son. Her heart turned over with a queer little somersault, and a smile began to tug at the corners of her lips.
She folded her arms across her chest. “You'll get out of my life now. Right now?”
“Yes. Right now. If that's what you want.”
The smile twitched harder, and she couldn't quite keep it out of her voice. “Right now?” she asked again.
He must have heard her amusement because he looked at her with a puzzled expression. She saw the light dawn as his gaze traveled from her face to the steep sides of the well and up to the opening above them.
He nodded once as a sheepish grin appeared. “Okay. Maybe not right now, but soon.”
“Soon? You know this for sure. We could be trapped in here for days.”
He glanced around the bottom of the well and then settled himself on the dirt floor. Leaning back against the wall, he crossed his long booted legs in front of her. “It won't be more than a few hours.”
“How do you know that? Do you have a crystal ball?”
“No, something better. I have a cell phone.”
“You've got a phone?” Joy leaped in her chest like a startled doe. She couldn't believe their good luck. “Let me have it.”
“Can't. It's in my saddlebag.”
She kicked the sole of his boot as disappointment sent her hopes crashing. “A lot of good it will do us there.”
She plopped down opposite him and battled back a sudden rush of tears. She was so tired of being in this hole. The last thing she wanted was to break down and cry in front of Neal. That wouldn't solve anything. She wiped at her eyes and blinked back the moisture.
“Hey, I called your mom as soon as I found you, and I told her where you were. If we aren't back in a few hours, they'll come straight here looking for us.”
She raised her eyes to meet his. “You really called her? You aren't just saying that to make me feel better?”
“I did. You may have to put up with me for a few more hours, but that's all. Can you do that?”
“I guess I can.” She studied his face in the dim light. That was what she wanted, wasn't it? For him to drift out of her life again and leave her and Chance alone?
Alone.
It was such an ugly word once a person felt the true meaning of it. She had carried her secret alone for years. Her anger against Neal had helped her bear it, made it seem worthwhile, but now her anger was gone. He knew the truth. He respected her decision even if he didn't agree with it. He would keep her secret. She had to trust him.
What choice did she have?
A shudder raced through her body, and she leaned away from the cool stones behind her.
“What's the matter? Are you cold?” Concern filled his eyes.
“A little. Mostly I'm tired.” That was the truth. She was tired of trying to climb out of this stupid hole, tired of always being careful not to let the truth slip out, tired of working long hours and still being unable to save the ranch she loved. And she was tired of being alone.
She was still a young woman with needs and desires, but she had pushed them aside as she cared for everyone else. Neal made her all too aware those feelings still simmered below the surface. She stood and crossed her arms.
“Come here,” he coaxed.
She shot him a wary glance. “What for?”
He pushed one hand into the front pocket of his jeans, and she heard a faint crackle as he pulled something out and extended it toward her. “Have some,” he offered.
She eyed him with suspicion. “What is it?”
“Nectar of the gods.”
“Yeah, right,” she sneered.
“Almost. Butter Rum Life Savers gummies.” He held his hand higher. “Want one?”
“Yes!” Dropping to her knees beside him, she snatched them from his palm before he could change his mind. She tore open one of the individually wrapped pieces and popped it into her mouth. The burst of sweetness was almost indescribable. “Oh, God, that's good. I'm starving.” She sat back on her heels. “I love these things.”
“I know. I remember.” A look of tenderness flashed across his face. “Chance likes them, too. I've taken to keeping a few in my pocket for him.”
She was surprised by his admission. “That's nice of you.”
He shrugged. “My granddad always had a piece of candy in his pocket for me, and I loved that about him. They were lemon drops or those pink mints that looked like Pepto-Bismol tablets. Usually, they had lint or grain stuck to them, but I didn't care. They tasted wonderful because I knew he kept them just for me.”
Robyn tore the wrapper off the second piece with her teeth and popped it in her mouth. “I remember your granddad. He had the most bowed legs I have ever seen.”
Neal laughed. “He did at that. I think the man was born on a horse.”
“A lot like someone else I know.” She shot him a pointed look.
“Hey! My legs aren't bowed.”
“No, they aren't.” She looked down in confusion. They were long and straight, and she remembered the heavy feel of them as they tangled with hers late in the night. A shiver coursed down her body again, but it had nothing to do with the coolness of the well.
“You are cold.”
She was startled when his hand closed over her wrist and pulled her toward him. “No, I'm fine,” she protested.
“Liar.” He grasped her arms and settled her on his lap with her back to his chest. He folded his arms around her.
His warm breath brushed against her ear. Her own breath began to come in short bursts. She tried to get up, but he held her still.
“I know you're coldâI can feel you trembling. Relax.”
“I don't think this is such a good idea. Please let me up.” She tried to make her quivering voice sound prim.
She felt the rumble of his chuckle start deep in his chest where her back pressed against him. “Tweety, you slay me.”
Instantly, she grew defensive. “What's so funny?”
He settled his arms more tightly around her. “You are, girl. I'll admit I've enjoyed my share of fantasies about us, but not once, in my wildest dreams, did that include making love at the bottom of a dark, dank, smelly, abandoned well. I'm being a gentleman and offering a bit of comfort to a friend, that's all. Now shut up and relax.”
Relax? Oh, right.
Of course he didn't realize how the simple touch of his body stirred her suppressed longings. She would have to pretend it didn't matter that he held her close. She could do it. She was good at hiding the truth, even from herself.
* * *
N
EAL
KNEW
IF
he burned in hell for telling a lie it would be for telling this one. He wanted her so badly he could make love to her on a bed of nails or on a sinking ship. In five minutes, he'd have them both forgetting where they were, but she didn't need sex now. What she needed was warmth and comfort. In spite of what she'd said, he knew he was the reason she'd spent hours trying to climb out of this hellhole. Slowly, her tense body began to relax.
“I'm sorryâyou're right,” she said at last. “I guess I've gotten out of the habit of accepting help.”
She wiggled into a more comfortable position, and he had to grit his teeth. Any more of this and she would be able to tell he was lying. He had to get his mind off the enticing package he held, but it was hard to do with her hair brushing his neck and his arms crossed just below her full breasts.
He began trying to count the rows of stone that circled the well. Twenty-eight rows.
Okay, cowboy, think about something else, anything else. Like the fact she has a date with the good doctor.
“Have you got any more candy?”
“No, that was the last of it.”
“Drat!”
“Sorry.” He had to smile. She wasn't thinking about sex; she was thinking about food. “How long have you been down here?”
She slipped her arm out from under his and peered at the dial of her watch. “About four hours, I think.”
She slid her arm back under his. “I guess I was getting cold. This feels good.”
Yes, it did. In fact, it felt wonderful to hold her again. And it would be the last time. He intended to make good on his promise and get out of her life before he wound up hurting her yet again. He cleared his throat. “The temperature this far in the ground is near fifty-five degrees.”
“How do you know that?”
“I read it somewhere.”
“We're lucky there isn't water in this thing. We'd be suffering from hypothermia in no time.”
“We're lucky it wasn't any deeper. Some of these old wells go down fifty to a hundred feet. A fall like that would kill you.”
“I had no idea it was even here. I thought it was a bored well, just a pipe going into the ground like the one under the windmill at home. I'd have been more cautious before I stepped on that old platform if I'd known it was covering empty space.”
“What were you doing, anyway?”
“Checking to see if the pump was working. The tank is almost empty. Now I know why. We are going to have to fill this in before we sell the place. It's a hazard the way it is. I can't believe we haven't lost a calf or a horse down it before now.”
“I plan to see if Babe will fit as soon as I get out of here,” he said drily.
“Don't say that,” she chided. “He didn't mean any harm.”
She began to giggle, and he tried to peer around at her face. “What's so funny?”
“I was picturing you with your shoulder under his tail trying to push him in.”
He began to laugh, too. “Like the time we tried to get him loaded into that boxcar at the old railroad station.”