why she needed it or berate her for the delay, but instead his fingers tightened viselike around her wrist and he dragged her to where the horse had stood. As he bent to retrieve something she couldn’t see—her stone, she assumed—she realized it made sense he wouldn’t ask.
Someone had brought her worry stone to her at great risk to himself. That same someone who had wrapped her in a coat when she’d been chilled. That someone had to have been Isaiah. Rubbing her hands up and down her arms, she wished she had that coat now.
“Did you find it?”
A grunt was her answer. As he stood, she held out her hand. Without hesitation he put it on her palm.
She closed her fingers around it. “Thank you.”
He didn’t say anything. Maybe she heard an expulsion of breath that could have been another grunt and an answer. She wasn’t sure.
Just as abruptly as he’d dragged her to where the horse stood, he dragged her into the woods. She stumbled along behind him, tripping over every stick, expecting to eat the dirt. But every time she tripped, he was there, as if anticipating her moves, knowing ahead of time what was going to happen. It had to be that, because nobody could move that fast that consistently.
They kept walking long past the time she had expected them to stop. Long past when she expected him to reveal a horse hidden away for the getaway. He had to have a horse somewhere. How else had he kept up with Billings? Fifteen minutes passed before she realized no horse was lurking in the next clearing.
“Where are we going?”
No answer, just that steady pull on her hand. Beyond the trees it was getting lighter, but where they were going it was darker and eerie. He was taking her into the forest instead of out.
The terrain changed, turning from level to steep. They were going up. She looked for their destination, but all she could see was trees. Nothing but trees. After a half hour her muscles were screaming, her lungs were laboring, and she’d had enough.
“Stop.”
A tug on her arm was the only response.
“How much farther?”
Isaiah looked up at the trees. Very little sunlight filtered through. “Half a day.”
Any notion she could hold out collapsed under the weight of that reality. Adelaide stopped arguing and simply sat down.
That at least brought him to an immediate stop.
And that just might have been a growl that escaped his lips. And that growl just might have been directed at her. She was too damn tired to care.
“Get up.” The order was accompanied by a tug.
“No.”
She could see the whiteness of his teeth. If that had been a growl before, he was working up to a snarl now. She wished she had the energy to worry about it.
“If you want me to go any farther, you’re going to have to drag me.” To her horror, Isaiah appeared to be contemplating it.
He let go of her hand. Apparently, a woman who had to be dragged up a mountain was too much of an escape risk.
“You really can’t walk?”
He didn’t have to sound so shocked. A woman didn’t have the stamina of a man. “You’ll be lucky if I don’t die right here on the spot.”
He looked alarmed. At least she thought that flicker in his eyes was alarm.
She waved her hand and lay back among the weeds, not even caring what might be crawling in them, getting in her hair. “Feel free to go on without me.”
She took her worry stone out of her pocket.
He looked at her hand, at her position. “You’re lying in the dirt.”
“I’m dying in the dirt.” He could at least get it right.
“You don’t like to be dirty.”
“I’m not enjoying the death, either.”
“You’re not dying.”
“Fine. I’m not dying. Just wishing I were. Now go away and leave me in peace.”
“You don’t know where you are.”
Did the man not have any sense of humor? “I’m not with those outlaws. So the way I figure it, anywhere I am has got to be better.”
He cocked his eyebrow at her and there was that hint of a smile again. Or
Someone had brought her worry stone to her at great risk to himself. That same someone who had wrapped her in a coat when she’d been chilled. That someone had to have been Isaiah. Rubbing her hands up and down her arms, she wished she had that coat now.
“Did you find it?”
A grunt was her answer. As he stood, she held out her hand. Without hesitation he put it on her palm.
She closed her fingers around it. “Thank you.”
He didn’t say anything. Maybe she heard an expulsion of breath that could have been another grunt and an answer. She wasn’t sure.
Just as abruptly as he’d dragged her to where the horse stood, he dragged her into the woods. She stumbled along behind him, tripping over every stick, expecting to eat the dirt. But every time she tripped, he was there, as if anticipating her moves, knowing ahead of time what was going to happen. It had to be that, because nobody could move that fast that consistently.
They kept walking long past the time she had expected them to stop. Long past when she expected him to reveal a horse hidden away for the getaway. He had to have a horse somewhere. How else had he kept up with Billings? Fifteen minutes passed before she realized no horse was lurking in the next clearing.
“Where are we going?”
No answer, just that steady pull on her hand. Beyond the trees it was getting lighter, but where they were going it was darker and eerie. He was taking her into the forest instead of out.
The terrain changed, turning from level to steep. They were going up. She looked for their destination, but all she could see was trees. Nothing but trees. After a half hour her muscles were screaming, her lungs were laboring, and she’d had enough.
“Stop.”
A tug on her arm was the only response.
“How much farther?”
Isaiah looked up at the trees. Very little sunlight filtered through. “Half a day.”
Any notion she could hold out collapsed under the weight of that reality. Adelaide stopped arguing and simply sat down.
That at least brought him to an immediate stop.
And that just might have been a growl that escaped his lips. And that growl just might have been directed at her. She was too damn tired to care.
“Get up.” The order was accompanied by a tug.
“No.”
She could see the whiteness of his teeth. If that had been a growl before, he was working up to a snarl now. She wished she had the energy to worry about it.
“If you want me to go any farther, you’re going to have to drag me.” To her horror, Isaiah appeared to be contemplating it.
He let go of her hand. Apparently, a woman who had to be dragged up a mountain was too much of an escape risk.
“You really can’t walk?”
He didn’t have to sound so shocked. A woman didn’t have the stamina of a man. “You’ll be lucky if I don’t die right here on the spot.”
He looked alarmed. At least she thought that flicker in his eyes was alarm.
She waved her hand and lay back among the weeds, not even caring what might be crawling in them, getting in her hair. “Feel free to go on without me.”
She took her worry stone out of her pocket.
He looked at her hand, at her position. “You’re lying in the dirt.”
“I’m dying in the dirt.” He could at least get it right.
“You don’t like to be dirty.”
“I’m not enjoying the death, either.”
“You’re not dying.”
“Fine. I’m not dying. Just wishing I were. Now go away and leave me in peace.”
“You don’t know where you are.”
Did the man not have any sense of humor? “I’m not with those outlaws. So the way I figure it, anywhere I am has got to be better.”
He cocked his eyebrow at her and there was that hint of a smile again. Or
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