He’d not felt it since meeting Miss Durand. And this time there had been guilt interwoven with the desire. He needed to stay alive long enough to help her. Then, when his ownlife was all he had to consider, he could be as reckless as he wanted.
Stepping onto the snow-covered ground, he pulled his focus back to the present. But when he lifted his gaze to the woman and mule, Charlotte was turning the animal upriver.
“Where are you going? Bring him straight down.” The bank wasn’t steep in that spot, so Gulliver would manage it well.
But she marched forward, all signs of exhaustion gone. She also didn’t appear to be planning to answer him.
Frustration swelled, but he tamped it down. “Miss Durand.”
Still, she didn’t answer, but her march had turned into more of a stomp along the bank.
“Charlotte.” His frustration would no longer be restrained, and it turned his voice into a bark.
She spun to face him. “I’ll not risk my life like you did. And I’ll not let you endanger this innocent animal either. We’ll find a narrower stretch to cross.”
Damien strode toward her, forcing in deep breaths of the icy air to rein in his anger. Did her stubbornness know no end? There might be no narrower places safe enough to cross if she walked a long distance upstream. The only one he could remember nearby had saplings growing through the water. The ice wouldn’t be as strong, though he’d been surprised how thick this section had crusted already.
He couldn’t forcibly grab her to make her stop, and he’d already tried to help her see reason. He’d even shown her that his area to cross would work. All he could do now was follow along and try to keep her from doing something truly dangerous.
Onward she marched, Gulliver trudging at her side. Around a curve in the river, past a slightly narrower place where he’d worried she would make an attempt. Beyond a broader open expanse that could have served for decent crossing.
Finally, she halted at a place a bit narrower than anything they’d seen yet. Reeds pushed up through the ice on the opposite side, but they might be scant enough for the crust to still be strong.
He glanced at the woman, took in the strength of her jaw, the determination marking her face. But it was impossible not to also see the beauty of her profile, the way her nose turned up the slightest bit. She was young, maybe a full five years younger than him, but her youth was fortified by maturity. Made him want to learn everything he could about her. To really understand her.
She met his gaze, and her voice jarred him back to the present. “I can lead the mule across, unless you want to.”
That reminder of their situation cleared any wistful thought from his mind. “I will. Let me cross alone first and make sure the ice is thick enough.”
She raised her brows at him as her look turned incredulous. “You already did that once on a far more dangerous stretch.” She moved back to where the packs were tied behind the saddle and began unfastening hers. “He’s your mule, so it’s your choice whether you lead him or not. I’m sufficiently certain the ice will be fine to cross here.”
Pulling her pack over her shoulder, she barely spared him a glance as she turned and marched toward the river.
Troublesome woman.Shemight be sufficiently certain, but he was nothing of the kind.
The surprise in her actions stole his forward motion long enough that she reached the river’s edge two strides before him. He closed that distance just as she took a tentative step onto the snow gathered at the edge of the ice.
“Charlotte, wait.” He grabbed at her to stop her.
As his hand closed around her upper arm, she twisted and wrenched herself away from him. The glare she aimed his way could have melted the ice beneath her. “What?”
“The reeds on the far side of the river might have weakened the ice. Just let me check.”
She glanced to the opposite bank. “It’s no more than what there was where you crossed. The river’s not as wide here, so the ice should be thicker.”
Panic clogged his throat, maybe an unreasonable emotion since he’d only known the woman a short time. But she’d become his responsibility, just like Michelle had been.
He had to do a better job protecting this time.
11
Damien worked hard to settle both his breathing and his voice. “Please. Let me go first. It won’t hurt anything if I cross over before you.”
Charlotte’s brows lowered, gathering into furrows. “If it’s so important, go ahead. I don’t think it’s necessary, though.”
His panic eased out, and he inhaled a deep breath to release the rest of the turmoil inside him. “Thank you.” For once, her stubbornness wasn’t as strong as her ability to see reason.
He motioned to the solid ground. “If you’ll wait with Gulliver, I would appreciate it.” The mule didn’t need a guardian. He was so weary from the day’s travel he stood with his head drooped. But that would give her a task to keep her out of trouble.
