tears in her eyes. Devon stiffened and turned to look at her.
“I’m fine.”
“You’re shutting me out.” He reached out and laid his hand on the side of her face.
The contact set her heart to racing, but she forced herself to overcome the alarm.
“I guess that’s a bit of an insult for someone like you.”
His pupils were dilating as he searched through her feelings. She felt his confusion clearly as he read her own thoughts. But her words sunk in and he seemed to pull out of his trance, blinking his eyes until they returned to normal.
“Possibly.” He withdrew his hand. “I wish I knew.”
He looked around, surveying their location.
“Any further clues as to why you’re walking north?”
“I just remembered that I don’t like nurses trying to minister to me.”
She laughed at his dry tone. “Boy, I’ve never heard that from a tough guy before. Guess you’ll just have to endure since you decided not to head toward civilization. I’m all you’ve got and I still think you need a CAT scan.”
“There’s a reason I didn’t go into a town.” He looked away, trying to concentrate on what he was recalling. “Just a feeling that I need to stay away from people. Maybe I’m on the run like you suspected.”
“You’re on the run, but I don’t think it’s from the law.” She wasn’t sure why she defended him so quickly, only that it seemed very right to do so. “Gold Tooth drove that fact home for me.”
Devon started down a slope. “We need to keep ahead of his teammates.”
“Wouldn’t that be easier among other people? Like the local sheriff?”
He shook his head. “Since I don’t know who I am or have any proof that I’m being hunted, all that would do is place the sheriff in the position for these guys to put a bullet in him because he’d be skeptical about my claim that I need protection. You can bet they won’t be playing by the rules. I’m not in a hurry to see a civilian lawman die because he’s not used to taking things as seriously as I have to.”
Frustration needled her but his reasoning wasn’t without merit. “I guess that makes sense.”
Devon kept going until he found a stream. He waded right into it, but he looked back at her as she hesitated on the shore.
“You were in a hurry to get into the water this morning.”
She gave him a withering look before stepping out into the water. Her boots were only ankle high and water soaked her socks and spilled inside.
“Why are we in the water? I thought you wanted to stay out of the open?”
“We’ll have to find shelter for the night soon. If these guys have any sort of thermal night-vision goggles, we’ll be too easy to spot. We’re in the river to mask our trail.”
Of course. It made sense. In a spine-chilling game of life-versus-death sort of way.
Nightmares were suddenly far less troublesome.
“You’re putting out a lot of negativity, Kalin.”
Devon wiped a forearm across his brow and pegged her with a knowing look when she turned a glare on him.
“Don’t you have any notion of personal space?” she asked.
He shrugged. “It’s not really a matter of deciding to hear you. I just do.”
“Like another sense?”
He nodded. “It’s a little like not being able to decide what you see. I can’t tell myself to see only the trees and not the rocks. It’s there, the information feeding into my brain.”
“That must be a real killjoy at times. No surprises.”
He lifted a branch full of pine needles and laid it on top of the shelter he was building. “True, but it’s mind-blowing to know what your partner is thinking while—”
“I’m a lady, mister.”
She turned her attention back to the small fishing pole in her hands. It was a thin travel one that she’d had in her bedroom. Once the sections were fitted together, it could be used for small trout.
“I realize my memory is gone but I recall our first meeting very well. Is skinny-dipping ladylike where you come from?”
He was
“I’m fine.”
“You’re shutting me out.” He reached out and laid his hand on the side of her face.
The contact set her heart to racing, but she forced herself to overcome the alarm.
“I guess that’s a bit of an insult for someone like you.”
His pupils were dilating as he searched through her feelings. She felt his confusion clearly as he read her own thoughts. But her words sunk in and he seemed to pull out of his trance, blinking his eyes until they returned to normal.
“Possibly.” He withdrew his hand. “I wish I knew.”
He looked around, surveying their location.
“Any further clues as to why you’re walking north?”
“I just remembered that I don’t like nurses trying to minister to me.”
She laughed at his dry tone. “Boy, I’ve never heard that from a tough guy before. Guess you’ll just have to endure since you decided not to head toward civilization. I’m all you’ve got and I still think you need a CAT scan.”
“There’s a reason I didn’t go into a town.” He looked away, trying to concentrate on what he was recalling. “Just a feeling that I need to stay away from people. Maybe I’m on the run like you suspected.”
“You’re on the run, but I don’t think it’s from the law.” She wasn’t sure why she defended him so quickly, only that it seemed very right to do so. “Gold Tooth drove that fact home for me.”
Devon started down a slope. “We need to keep ahead of his teammates.”
“Wouldn’t that be easier among other people? Like the local sheriff?”
He shook his head. “Since I don’t know who I am or have any proof that I’m being hunted, all that would do is place the sheriff in the position for these guys to put a bullet in him because he’d be skeptical about my claim that I need protection. You can bet they won’t be playing by the rules. I’m not in a hurry to see a civilian lawman die because he’s not used to taking things as seriously as I have to.”
Frustration needled her but his reasoning wasn’t without merit. “I guess that makes sense.”
Devon kept going until he found a stream. He waded right into it, but he looked back at her as she hesitated on the shore.
“You were in a hurry to get into the water this morning.”
She gave him a withering look before stepping out into the water. Her boots were only ankle high and water soaked her socks and spilled inside.
“Why are we in the water? I thought you wanted to stay out of the open?”
“We’ll have to find shelter for the night soon. If these guys have any sort of thermal night-vision goggles, we’ll be too easy to spot. We’re in the river to mask our trail.”
Of course. It made sense. In a spine-chilling game of life-versus-death sort of way.
Nightmares were suddenly far less troublesome.
“You’re putting out a lot of negativity, Kalin.”
Devon wiped a forearm across his brow and pegged her with a knowing look when she turned a glare on him.
“Don’t you have any notion of personal space?” she asked.
He shrugged. “It’s not really a matter of deciding to hear you. I just do.”
“Like another sense?”
He nodded. “It’s a little like not being able to decide what you see. I can’t tell myself to see only the trees and not the rocks. It’s there, the information feeding into my brain.”
“That must be a real killjoy at times. No surprises.”
He lifted a branch full of pine needles and laid it on top of the shelter he was building. “True, but it’s mind-blowing to know what your partner is thinking while—”
“I’m a lady, mister.”
She turned her attention back to the small fishing pole in her hands. It was a thin travel one that she’d had in her bedroom. Once the sections were fitted together, it could be used for small trout.
“I realize my memory is gone but I recall our first meeting very well. Is skinny-dipping ladylike where you come from?”
He was
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