She snorted. Not that he would be interested. He’d already seen what a crazy woman she was. He now knew more about her than half the men she’d served with. Uncomfortable with that thought, she rose. She didn’t need to waste time thinking about what Garrett Walker thought of her. What she needed to do is figure out how she could help him dig.
Chapter Ten
Garrett strolled out of the “bathroom” his good mood returned despite the additional dirt he’d have to move. Waking up with Riley sleeping on him, her head nestled in the crook of his shoulder, her arm thrown over his chest, and one of her legs entwined with his had been an unexpected surprise.
Everything about the woman screamed stay away, but in this mine, he’d discovered her softness and her weaknesses, even those she didn’t know she had. Her bravery and strength called to him even as her pain and suffering made him want to protect her.
He reached the fork and continued up the rail, his pace quickening with the knowledge he would be with her again. There was something about her that had him wishing more than ever that he wasn’t such a scarred mess. He’d pursue her in a heartbeat if he was more ‘normal.’
He slowed. Pursue Riley? How exactly would a person do that? He didn’t see her as the out-to-dinner and roses kind of woman. More like a night of pool at The Black Mustang, or better yet, a ride into the mountains and camping overnight, making love beneath the stars.
His pace resumed as he grinned. Yes, that’s what he would do…if he could. Despite the knowledge that it would never happen, he still enjoyed the daydream. After all, he had her all to himself in the mine where it was pitch black and—He stopped. She wouldn’t be able to see him in the dark.
He shook his head and resumed his course. He was an idiot. What she couldn’t see, she’d be able to feel, and there was no way he’d make love to her in a dirty old mine, no matter how much he wanted to.
His light finally fell on the end of the tunnel and on Riley’s ass as she pulled dirt back from the new pile with the old mining pan. Damn, the woman was going to open her wounds! “Stop! What are you doing?” He ran forward.
She knelt back and dropped the pan. “Bring the light over here.”
He stopped next to her. “You’re going to open your fingers up again.”
She grinned up at him. “No, I’m not. Look.” She held her hands up for inspection.
Sure enough, there was no dirt on her fingers. “How?”
“If I hold the pan like this and dig down only halfway, I can move the dirt back as you bring it in. So instead of working side by side, we can work in tandem.”
He tried to come up with a reason why it wouldn’t work, but that made no sense. He wanted to get out of the mine as much as she did. No, not as much. She needed release far more than he did, and like him, she needed to feel she did her part. He was figuring her out more and more. He nodded. “You’re right. That will work.”
“Great. Now grab your shovel head and let’s get to work. Oh, would you like a mint?”
“Yes, thanks.” As she dug in her pocket, he noticed Copper sitting farther away than usual. “Did Copper like his mint?”
“I don’t think so. He hasn’t come near me since.”
Her concern showed in her lowered brow, and he gave her an encouraging smile. “Don’t worry. He’ll forgive you. They always do.”
“And you know this how?” She handed him the roll of mints.
Flicking one out, he put it in his mouth. “I had a dog when I was a boy.”
She rolled her eyes. “Of course, you did. I should have known. So, grab your tool and tell me all about him.”
“Her.” He strode over to where he’d left the shovel head last night, thankful he’d thought to keep their tools by their small camp. If they’d left them where they’d been working, they’d be buried right now.
“Her?” Riley’s surprise had him chuckling.
“Yes, her. Her name was Schatzie.”
“Odd name for a dog.”
Though she spoke about Schatzie, her eyes were on his right arm. He quickly turned the light to focus on their day’s work. “She was a unique dog, a German Shepard.” He crawled up onto the fresh earth, waited for her to get situated, and quickly turned the phone off, stuffing it in his back pocket. “She was with me from the time I got home from school until I left in the morning.”
He pulled dirt through as he spoke. “If I was doing homework, she was laying at my feet.” He chuckled, “rather she had a paw on my foot, just to make sure I didn’t move without her. She was my best friend for six years.”
“Is that a long time?” She scraped dirt farther back.
“You really don’t know much about dogs, do you?” He paused in his movements.
