“There isn’t any more time. The farmer is none too pleased with us right now.”
He waved a hand in the air. “Another minute won’t kill him.”
She shifted from foot to foot, but she couldn’t very well throw him over her shoulder, caveman style, and carry him back to the wagon. “Please, let’s go.”
“I’ll recover faster if you take my mind off my stomach.”
“How?”
“Tell me how much you enjoyed our kiss.”
She swatted his arm. “You’re incorrigible.”
“Ah, but my lady,” he said, flashing that tempting dimple at her. “You didn’t say it wasn’t true.”
Her cheeks heated until she was certain she resembled a summer tomato, but there was no use denying it. “There was a moment.” When his grin widened in triumph, she added, “Abriefmoment. It’s gone now.”
“We’ll have to see if I can bring that feeling back.”
“Not while there’s a chance you’ll lose the contents of your stomach.”
Mack winced. “Fair enough. I’m not at my most convincing. But when I am…prepare yourself.”
How did someone still green about the gills manage to be so cocky? An amused huff escaped her even as she shook her head. “Come on, poky. No more stalling.” She had just slipped an arm through Mack’s when the rattle of wheels in the distance sent a prickle of alarm through her. “What’s that farmer doing?”
“Probably letting the horses stretch their legs.”
But the rattling grew louder, as if the wagon was navigating the limb-strewn path with undue speed.
“That cretin is leaving us behind!” Dropping Mack’s arm, she ran through the trees as fast as her skirts would allow. She staggered onto the road just in time to see the wagon lumbering far down the road. A cramp knifed through her side, and she bent at the waist with a groan. “We have to stop him. He has our baggage!”
Mack’s bellow rang her ears, but a distinctyawand whip of reins was the only answer. The wagon cart careened from side to side, and just as it turned the bend out of sight, a valise tumbled to the ground. Winnie huffed after it, Mack at her side. Halfway there, her boot slipped in the mud and she pitched forward, her arms cartwheeling.
From the corner of her eye, she saw Mack dive forward, his arms reached out to catch her. But rather than make himself useful, his fingers grazed her heaving breasts.
“Oops.”
She jerked away with an enraged grunt, then sprawled onto her backside. “Son of abobcat.”
Mack’s boots squelched in the mud as he squatted beside her. “Here, take my ha—”
A burst of resentment overtook her, and she clasped his hand and yanked. He sprawled half on top of her with a wheeze. She shoved him onto his stomach in the mud. Wasting no time, she rolled to her knees and pushed his shoulders with both hands until his head pressed into the earth.
“What the—” He twisted his neck to look at her. She got one peek at that dimple and indignation swept through her. He wasenjoyingthis! “What are you doing?”
“Trying to drown you.” She forced his ear deeper into the mire. “Your idiotic conversation aboutkissing, of all the damnable topics, made us miss the wagon by seconds.”
Even with his chin a mere inch above the mud, laughter burst from him in choked waves. Was she really going to drown him in half an inch of mud? She gave him one last nudge, adding a little oomph for emphasis, and then sat back on her heels.
Mack pushed himself to a seated position and grinned. “Well, I’m still alive, but my ego and my coat have bitten the dust.”
She plucked at her rumpled, grimy traveling suit. “At least I’m not the only one. Whose valise was that?”
“Mine.”
At his apologetic tone, tears filled her eyes. She had tried to fix everything, but she’d only made it worse. Mack must have the lowest of opinions of her. Not only had she made the mortifying error of disembarking at the wrong dockandhiring a thief, she had also transformed into a homicidal ruffian. Abandoned in the middle of nowhere in disgusting clothing was the perfect ending to this rotten turn of events.
A knot formed in the pit of her stomach. All she’d wanted was a bit of adventure, an outlet for her independence to grow. Instead, she had failed spectacularly. Her valise and all her meager belongings were gone, including a five-dollar bill from the Society.
