She sank down beside him, facing him as he leaned back against the rock wall, his legs stretched before him. This stretch of the path was just wide enough that his feet didn’t dangle into the river.
He met her gaze with an exhausted look that he might have meant as a smile, but his jaw still trembled from the cold. It looked like he was clamping his teeth to keep them from chattering.
She leaned forward to pull the blanket more securely around his shoulders so it covered his front too. “What made you jump into the water?” She was too near to meet his gaze, so she focused on the blanket.
“I didn’t jump. I was pushed.”
She froze, taking in the words. He couldn’t mean ... She drew back and studied his face, met his gaze so close the gold flecks glimmered amidst the green of his eyes. “Pushed?”
Did he mean his horse nudged him from behind? She’d been the only one standing next to him, and she hadn’t touched him.
But his gaze hardened, and his jaw tensed even more. He looked away from her, toward the rushing river. “Someone came from behind and slammed into me with both hands. I only caught a glimpse of black shirt as I went over the cliff.”
Her chest tightened, her breath stalling. But she managed enough air to shout upward, “White Horse!” Her voice came out unsteady, more high-pitched than she intended.
He heard her, for he replied from above, “Yes?”
She swallowed to strengthen her tone. “Grant said someone pushed him into the river.”
White Horse’s expression darkened. He didn’t speak for long moments, just turned slowly as his gaze searched the land around them. At last, he glanced down again. “Stay until I come back.”
Faith nodded. “We’ll stay down here.”
White Horse disappeared from the edge above, and she settled in to wait. This would give Grant time to regain his strength.
It was hard to keep from looking at him. Hard to keep from worrying about what might have happened to him in the water—both the possible outcomes that could have happened in such a quick-flowing rocky river and also the potential long-lasting effects that might still come.
“Does your chest hurt?” She studied his face for signs of pain.
“Nah.” Grant stared out at the river behind her.
“Are you able to breathe fully?”
He cut her a look that said she was being annoying. “Yes.”
His grumpiness made her want to press harder, just to bring a smile to the tight line of his mouth. “Are you getting warm? How about your hands and feet? The extremities can be much harder to heat than the rest of you.”
He let out a noise that rumbled suspiciously like a growl as he turned to fully look at her. Those thick brows pulled down in a scowl. “Sometimes a man doesn’t want to be coddled. Sometimes he’d rather a woman look at him like he’s still capable of taking care of himself. And not just himself. Of her and anyone else around too.”
She sank back, his tone shaking her confidence a little. But as his words drifted back through her mind, she couldn’t help but grin. He’d called her a woman.
Which she was. But Grant hadn’t spoken of her that way since ... well, since he discovered her true identity that second day on the trail.
As though he could read her mind, his eyes darkened, turning emerald with intensity, the air between them thick with ... could it possibly be desire? Grant swallowed hard, the knob at his throat working.
Her insides curled, and longing burned through her. Would he ever want to lean forward and kiss her? She would do the leaning if that made it easier on his exhausted body.
“Faith, I ...” He spoke in a voice so rough, his words were barely understandable. He hesitated, studying her as if unsure whether he should continue.
She should say something to encourage him. “Grant,I...” But the words jumbled in her mind. “I don’t ... I don’t want...”
That wasn’t right. Shedidwant. She gave her head a little shake. “I mean I do. I do wish ... But I—”
Her words seemed to close off something inside him, and he pulled back. Disappointment sluiced through her, nearly stealing the strength from her body. Why had she said that? Should she tell him she’d not meant to stop him?
But his expression turned guarded. “I need to tell you something, Faith. I think it’s better if I speak plain.”
FOURTEEN
