her protectively. He hugged her to him quickly before gently pushing her back to run his hands up and down her body, checking for injuries.
“My God, you’re frozen,” he said into her hair, encircling her once more in his arms.
The adrenaline left her body and shock started to set in. She slumped against him, her teeth chattering uncontrollably as shivers racked through her.
William spoke to Adoni above Lillian’s head. “I won’t be able to take Miss Hamilton back to the homestead yet. Find the others and tell them that she’s suffering from shock and exposure. I’ll build a fire and we’ll shelter here until she’s well enough to travel.”
Adoni gave a brief nod of acknowledgment and set off at a gallop to meet up with the others.
“The d-dogs,” she stammered between chattering teeth.
“The commotion and my rifle shot have scared them off for the time being,” William soothed, wrapping her in his oilskin coat. “The fire will ensure they keep their distance. I need to get you warm before you die of hypothermia.”
He unslung his .303 rifle from his shoulder and rummaged through a saddlebag then passed Lillian a blanket. “Here, wrap this around you while I light a fire.”
She draped the rough wool about her shoulders gratefully and watched William set about collecting kindling and branches for a fire. He finally set the wood alight and blew gently until the flames took hold.
He sat, tugged Lillian down into his lap and enfolded her in his arms. She tried to stop shivering but she still felt so cold. She continued to shudder and William pulled her tighter against his body, rubbing her arms briskly.
“Oh, Lillian,” he sighed heavily into her hair. “I was so worried about you. We could tell that you were following the trail but then we saw that you left it and wandered into the bush. What were you thinking?”
“I was following a joey. I just lost track of my surroundings. I know it was silly and stupid of me. I just wasn’t thinking. I’m so sorry for all the trouble I’ve caused you,” she sobbed into his chest.
“Hush now. The only trouble was to my peace of mind. I was going insane with worry. I think the men were quite thrilled with the opportunity to perform a search and rescue. This is the most excitement they’ve had in a while. You definitely know how to shake things up,” he said in a mock stern voice, trying for levity.
“I was so scared,” she whispered. “Well, I wasn’t doing too badly until the dogs came.” She shuddered at the memory. “Until then, it was just the cold and dark, but the thought of what those dogs could do to me frightened me more than anything.”
“It’s over now and you’re safe. Try not to think about it,” he crooned against her ear as he rocked her gently.
Gradually, she started to feel better and the shivers racking her body began to subside.
William deposited her gently beside him and moved to get supplies from the saddlebag. “I’m going to brew some tea. You need to drink something warm and sweet.”
A few minutes later, the water finished boiling. He put tea leaves into a mug then added a few teaspoons of sugar. “Here, drink this. It will make you feel better,” he said handing her the mug of tea before making one of his own.
Lillian took the tea gratefully and wrapped her fingers around the hot cup to inject some warmth into them.
William studied Lillian in the firelight as she sipped her tea and was relieved to see some color returning to her cheeks. The blanket lay draped around her shoulders and she clutched it to her with one hand while she tipped the mug to her lips with the other. Her disheveled hair fell in tangled ringlets around her face and shoulders, the firelight highlighting the brilliant auburn of her tresses. Her green eyes were wide and ringed with dark smudges. His gaze drifted to her full lips, made redder from the warmth of the tea, and he imagined kissing her, imagined taking that pouty mouth
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