Read Online Now and Forever by Mary Connealy - Free Book Online

flickered open.
    “Are you awake?”
    Gasping for breath, she was a while answering him, but she quit fighting and there was no more screaming.
    “What in the world was that about? ‘Not the saw’? What kind of dream is that? You saw something? Or do you mean a saw, like to saw down a tree? Why would that give you nightmares?”
    He felt her shudder so deep it went to the bone.
    “Not tree limbs, human limbs.” She wrestled herself away from him and sat up, looked around, then crawled to the canteen. Without looking at him, she took a sip of water. When she was done, she brought it to him. “Have some.”
    Tucker took a swallow, careful not to overdo it, wondering how long it might have to last. “Have another drink. Your throat must be sore from all that screaming.”
    Shannon closed her eyes, but took another quick drink. “I do that sometimes. Have nightmares. Doesn’t everyone?”
    She put the cap back on the canteen and set it aside.
    “Come back here.” He pulled her close. “I don’t think I’m quite ready for it to be morning yet, no matter what time of day it is. Can you sleep a little longer?”
    Tucker knew he was still exhausted, and he knew from all the work Shannon had done that she had to have slept hours less than him.
    She gave him a grateful smile. “Aren’t you going to scold me about the coal?”
    “Maybe in the morning. Right now, I think that might make it hard to sleep.”
    Nodding, she relaxed against him. He heard her breathing turn steady, but it was a long time before it deepened enough that he believed she was asleep, and longer still before he could relax.
    Not the saw!
    What in the world?
    Not tree limbs. Human limbs .
    Tucker could only think of one reason a woman might need a saw to deal with human limbs, and when he thought of the sheep-loving Shannon Wilde having to deal with such a thing as amputating a leg or an arm, he shuddered. He wanted to shake her back to wakefulness and demand some answers.
    But they both needed sleep more than he needed answers. Finally his own exhaustion caught up with him, and he dozed off with Shannon in his arms.

7
    S hannon woke up cuddled much too close to a man she didn’t have any business cuddling up to.
    What would Bailey say?
    Shannon eased herself away from Tucker, lifting her head off his broad chest. She looked at him and saw his eyes were wide open. She was instantly aware of the light; the coal was still burning. She had no idea how long she’d slept, but she’d gone back and forth to that cavern several times to make sure she had plenty and had a big stack burning before she’d felt safe enough to sleep.
    And now she felt really rested. Surely she’d slept for hours.
    Tucker had to know what she’d done. She remembered the nightmare, too. She hoped he decided to fuss at her about her sneaking around. She much preferred that to talking about the cause of those awful dreams.
    “So you broke your promise not to leave?”
    Relieved, she slipped away. Quickly. Afraid she might not get away if she gave him time to grab hold.
    Standing, she looked at the fire. It was down mostly to glowing embers, yet still it cast a nice light.
    “I was falling asleep.” Shannon could see her hands were coated in black, her shirt too, probably her face and neck—all of her. She must look a fright.
    “I feared I’d nod off and we’d wake up in the pitch-dark. I just couldn’t risk it. I was careful. I watched for the tunnel to branch off. I got to a cavern that had more than one tunnel branching off it, and I didn’t go any farther for fear I couldn’t find the right tunnel to get back to you. But there was coal there. I carefully marked this tunnel by leaving my boot in the entrance, and then gathered coal and brought it back here for us.”
    “Are you done?” Tucker snapped.
    She drew in a breath. He seemed to be gathering his strength to start snarling.
    She didn’t want to hear it. “What could I have done? I couldn’t stay awake