“I don’t want you to wander too far from the firelight. You’re still unsteady, and who’s to say what sort of crawly things might be out there in the darkness.”
He stared down at her. “I canna make water with ye hugging on me like this.”
“I don’t want you to fall over.”
“I willna fall over.” As gently as possible, he unwrapped her arm from around him and set her aside. “Stand here, if ye must, but I’ll be moving forward a bit to relieve myself. Alone. Aye?”
Fists propped on her hips, she granted him a stern nod. “Fine then. I’ll wait right here. But don’t go much farther.”
“Ye’re nay my mother nor my wife, so, I’ll thank ye to mind yer tone, woman.” He nearly groaned his relief as he unleashed the stream.
“Well, if I’m ever fortunate enough to meet either of them, I shall offer my commiserations for their tolerating your stubbornness.”
“My mother crossed over years ago.” His relief complete, he turned back and walked slowly, taking care to avoid any obstacles hidden in the shadows. “As did my wife and child.”
“Forgive me for my poor sense of humor.” She dropped her gaze, then held out a hand. “Come now. Back to your pallet. I’ll get you a fresh cup of water once you’re settled.”
“So, I’ll need another piss?” he teased, striving to lighten the mood and drive the unhappy memories back to the shadows where they belonged.
She smiled. “Yes. So, you’ll need another piss.”
Chapter Three
Evie finally relentedand stretched out beside him on the sleeping bag. More to silence his archaic sense of chivalry than because she needed the rest. He refused to understand or accept that, as long as she scored a few hours of sleep here and there, she did just fine. Peace finally reigned once she spread the bag open and covered them both with the thermal blanket.
With the mild night, they didn’t really need the fire or the blanket, but somehow, both made her feel safer. She also ended up roasting, because the man put out the heat of a furnace and kept snuggling closer. His tendency to throw an arm around her and pull her to him while he slept rattled her at first, but then she decided it wasn’t so bad after all. It had been a long time since she shared a closeness with anyone. At least she could pretend for a little while.
At intervals ingrained by years of medical training, she checked his pulse and breathing without waking him. She wished all her patients possessed the recuperative powers of Chieftain MacTaggart.Quinn, she silently corrected. Since she had insisted he call herEvie,he proclaimed she must call himQuinn.
And now she lay on her side, head pillowed on her arm, unable to shake the eeriness that somehow, something seemed very off as in an apocalyptic kind of way. She tried to put her finger on it as the sky grew lighter. With Quinn doing so well, perhaps they could walk back to the car park once he awoke. The sight of that compact blue rental car would make her feel so much better.
She eased out from under his arm, replaced the blanket he’d thrown off yet again, and strolled closer to the pool’s edge. An eerie mist floated across the water, perpetually rippling and wavering like a spirit come to warn her about pending evil. She blinked away the silly thought, scolding herself to stop buying into Quinn’s delusions.
As the sun rose, the sky turned a lovely shade of pink, then gave way to the clearest blue. The trees came alive with songbirds warbling their morning songs. A gentle breeze rustled the leaves, whispering that it knew what was wrong but refused to tell her.
The mist evaporated so quickly, it made her blink and wonder if she had imagined it. Her gaze followed the rippling waters to where the pond narrowed and turned into a stream flowing to the east. It reminded her of the footbridge she hadn’t taken yesterday. Maybe that’s why no other hikers had found them. The bridge spanned a smaller set of falls. If a tourist kept to the main trail, they wouldn’t discover this waterfall. That realization gave her some comfort, but not much. It was still too bloody quiet.
She returned to the smoldering coals and added enough sticks to get the fire going. Rough camping or not, she insisted on her tea and prided herself on packing her trusty dented pot for boiling water. She always preferred packing supplies instead of extra clothing.
A glance over at Quinn made her smile. He’d kicked away the blanket again and lay sprawled across the pallet as if enjoying the best sleep of his life. A not-so-professional interest in his anatomy begged her to allow her gaze to linger. Genetics had blessed this man with quite the impressive package. His wife had been a lucky woman. Her smile faded. Both his wife and child had died. She wondered how it had happened. A car accident, perhaps?
With the pot filled and nestled in the coals, she added her favorite black tea to a cup and impatiently waited for the water to boil. With the fresh start of a new day and her tea, she could handle anything.
Quinn stirred, groaned out a jaw-cracking yawn, then grabbed his head. “Hell’s fire!”
Poor man. He’d feel like proper shit today. “I’m making tea,” she said, hoping that would lift his spirits.
“What istea?” he forced out through clenched teeth, sagging to hold his head as though he feared it might scatter into pieces.
She dimly recalled him asking that same thing yesterday and wondered how he still couldn’t know. The man definitely needed a full work-up once she got him to the nearest medical facility. Water boiling, she poured some into the cup she had intended for herself. Patients took priority. After it steeped a scant amount of time, she carried it over to him. “Careful now. It’s piping hot.”
He took a sip and made a face. “Thatis tea?”
“I know. I fancy mine with a bit of cream, but it’s better than nothing.” She peered into his face. “Drink it all if you can. Caffeine helps. I’ll fetch water and acetaminophen for you, too.”
“The pebbles,” he repeated, squinting up at her as he forced down another sip.
She smiled, even though his ignorance of something as every day as acetaminophen worried her. “Yes. The pebbles.”
