As his eyelids opened and his gaze landed on her, his focussharpened. The corners of his mouth curved in the hint of a smile, springing up memories of their kiss with a heat that wound through every part of her.
This man affected her like no one ever had. Soon, she would have to decide exactly what she planned to do about that.
Levi would never tire of waking up to Audrey Moreau’s beautiful face. If only these perfect days would never have to end. He would gladly do without the pain, but he’d endure a lifetime of it if that meant having Audrey by his side.
She might not think this time in the cave was perfect, with all the extra work she’d had to do for them both. Signs of that toil showed on her face now, with her wind-reddened cheeks and nose. He was becoming a sluggard, sleeping till all hours of the morning while she had clearly been out gathering wood or other supplies.
He worked to sit upright, a task much harder than it should be, but growing easier each day.
“Good morning.” Audrey’s sweet voice drew near as she approached the fire. “I have a surprise for you.”
“Morning.” His voice came out raspy and gruff, weighed down by remnants of sleep. He did his best to clear the slough from his throat, then tried again. “A surprise?”
She lifted the kettle from the fire and turned a smile on him. “I found your horse.” Hesitation checked the pleasure in her grin. “He’s cold and hungry, but hopefully we can nurse him back to health soon enough.”
Pleasure slipped through him, but something about theforced lightness in her tone with those last words brought with it a thread of worry. “Where is he?” Levi pushed the fur coverings off his legs. He needed to see Chaucer, to confirm the animal was fine. And he certainly didn’t need to lay the brunt of the animal’s care on Audrey.
It was high time he got up and accomplished something himself.
He’d barely gotten his legs beneath him when Audrey was by his side. “I’m not sure you should stand yet.”
He didn’t let her words slow him, just turned onto his hands and knees. That position would give his hip a chance to grow accustomed to bearing weight again, and he could use the cave wall to help rise to his feet. “It’s definitely time.” He had to work hard to keep the pain out of his voice. That deep ache was surely only because his muscles had weakened from disuse.
Audrey fluttered around the cave, then returned to his side with the two poles he’d used to haul himself back up to the cave after his fall.
Inhaling a breath for fortification, he planted one hand on the wall and one on the cave floor, using both surfaces to push himself upright. Audrey gripped his upper arm and aided his efforts, though she didn’t let go when he’d worked to standing. He kept the hand braced on the stone wall, and with her so near, his body itched to wrap the other around her. He could pretend it was for support.
But he couldn’t. He’d promised he wouldn’t take advantage of their remoteness in this cave, of her nearness, no matter how much she tempted him.
He had to force away the sensations that thought conjured, and he turned toward the cave entrance. The movementsucceeded in dropping her hand from his arm, and she reached down to pick up the walking sticks.
“Use these to help bear your weight.” She held them both out.
He took one of the poles. “This should be all I need.”
The frustration on her face was clear, but she didn’t push for him to comply. He didn’t allow himself to look at her again. He had to strengthen himself again, take on some of the burden she’d been shouldering for a week now.
Audrey followed him as he rounded the curve in the cave. There, in profile against the white of the snow outside, stood Chaucer.
Levi hobbled forward to greet his old friend, but the horse didn’t even raise his head. “Hello there, fellow.” As he reached the gelding’s side, he stroked a hand over his shoulder. Thick wet hair met his touch, but beneath that, the sharp outline of bone made him suck in a breath.
He moved his hand over Chaucer’s withers, then down his back and side. With Levi’s eyes still adjusting to the light, he had to rely on what his hand told him about the horse’s condition. And that news made his belly churn. Had Chaucer eaten at all in the past week?
Levi moved back to his neck and stroked with a gentle touch. “You hungry, old man? We need to find you some food, don’t we?”
The horse tipped his nose toward Levi, but didn’t lift his head from his position dropped nearly to the cave floor. He didn’t seem to have the strength.
With fresh worry rising up into his throat, Levi turned to Audrey, who’d stood waiting. “Do we have anything to feed him? I don’t know how much longer he’ll last.”
“I’m not sure we can find grass with the storm still blowing, but I’ve heard that the Dinee feed their horses bark through the winter. We can pull some from the firewood here, and I can go back out to strip more from the trees.”
That suggestion only eased a tiny bit of the tension building in his chest. He’d never heard of horses living off bark. Had never attempted to feed the stuff to Chaucer. But if it was their only option, they should try it.
With a nod, he turned back toward the cave. “I’ll start pulling the bark off the firewood.”
Finally, a job he could do himself. And the sooner he accomplished the task, the more chance they had to revive his old friend.
21
