With a joyous cry, Elizabeth surged forward, kissing his mouth passionately, sobbing without restraint. “I love you, Cutter McKenzie!” She withdrew suddenly, laying her forehead against his chin. “But you frightened me!” She lifted her anguished gaze to his. “Why didn’t you tell me you were hurt?”
“Reckon I thought I was too tough to be brought down by a little-bit scratch,” he told her honestly.
Relief washed over her to hear that it wasn’t a lack of trust in her. “It wasn’t a scratch. Don’t ever do that to me again. Promise me you won’t!”
He nodded.
“Promise!”
“I swear it,” he whispered fervently, urging her back for another silky taste, intending to seal his vow with a kiss.
She sighed breathlessly, whimpering as he kissed her chin and then her lips. “I couldn’t bear to lose you,” she confessed.
Cutter responded with an oblivious groan, covering her mouth with his own and kissing her with all the emotion he’d locked away for so long, giving it all. Lacing his fingers behind her neck so she couldn’t withdraw if she’d wanted to, he thrust his tongue possessively into her mouth, reveling in the sweetness and warmth she offered, his arms going about her...
“Are ya gonna make me look away now?” a little voice interjected with dismay, startling them both. “Granpa always makes me look away!”
Elizabeth jerked away in alarm, and Cutter released her promptly. Somehow they’d managed to forget Katie’s presence.
Cutter cleared his throat suddenly.
Blushing at Katie’s words, Elizabeth stared at Cutter in shock a long moment, not certain she’d understood correctly. And then, as she remembered Miss Mimi’s impromptu speech, and Cutter’s insight, her jaw slipped and her lips parted to speak.
No words came.
Cutter gave her a long look and arched his right eyebrow, as though to say, I told you so, and then suddenly let out a peal of laughter at her expression.
Unable to contain it, Elizabeth burst out laughing as well, holding her arms out for Katie.
Katie flew into them, squeezing Elizabeth with all her might. And then her head popped upright as a dog’s bark reached her ears. “Look!” she shouted suddenly, pointing over Elizabeth’s shoulder. “Look! It’s Shifless and Granpa!” She surged to her feet and began to run toward them.
Cutter lifted his head to watch her, along with Elizabeth. And it dawned on him in that instant, as he watched Katie run through the tall grass toward her yapping dog, that Elizabeth had saved his life, as well as Katie’s and her own. Without Elias, because Elias was obviously just returning. He turned to look at Elizabeth in amazement.
She was watching Katie, too, her profile beautiful from where he lay. Her eyes sparkled with love, and he thought in that instant that he might be the luckiest man who ever lived.
“Cutter?” she asked suddenly, glancing down at him. “What doesnesta vah hosay voomatsmean?”
Cutter straightened his leg, grimacing at the lingering pain. “The hell you say?”
Elizabeth gave him a narrow-eyed glance and tried again. “Nesta,” she began again, “vah hosay voo mats.”
His brows lifted suddenly as he realized she was trying to speak Cheyenne. He chuckled. “Ne-sta-va-hose-voomatse?”
Elizabeth nodded.
“Cheyenne,” he told her. “It’s Cheyenne. It means 'I’ll see you again.'“ He reached for a lock of her hair, turning it lazily about his finger. “Why? Did I say that to you in my sleep?”
Elizabeth shook her head, biting down thoughtfully on her lower lip as she glanced back up in time to see two blurry forms tackle each other and fall to the ground. “No,” she said as she waved at the approaching riders. They were still too far for her to see them clearly, but one waved back excitedly, and she surmised it was Elias. “He came again,” she revealed softly, as she watched the same figure slide off his horse to snatch Katie into his arms. Tears returned to Elizabeth’s eyes. Despite the fact that she couldn’t really see the touching scene, she could imagine it, and it was no less stirring in her mind.
Cutter’s heartbeat quickened. “Who came?” he demanded.
“The Indian. I think he said his name wasEstano-vah,” she repeated as best she could. Silence met her declaration, and she looked down into Cutter’s face. “What does it mean?”
He would have chuckled at her pronunciation except that a bolt of alarm darted down his spine. “Life-Taker.”
“Life-Taker,” Elizabeth repeated solemnly, looking back at the hazy scene in the near distance. “It doesn’t suit him,” she decided with a sad little smile.
There was a sense of peace in her expression that touched Cutter to his soul.
