clenched down on her lips.
“Sim, what happened?” Seth came down beside her.
“My foot. I think I stepped between some roots.” She sucked in a breath as he tried to maneuver her ankle. “Wait! My knee… ow. Don’t move me. I think I twisted my knee.”
Perched on a rock, he tried to push her pants leg up. “I can’t tell if it’s twisted. Does this hurt?”
“A little,” she said, rubbing her hands over her thigh.
“Your foot, twisted?”
“No just stuck. My knee is on fire though.” She groaned, praying the pain would pass soon.
“Rest a minute,” Seth said, angling glances through the downed branches.
She felt exposed sitting out there, and if she got the two of them shot, she wouldn’t be able to live with that hanging over her head. Simone straightened her spine and sucked up the pain radiating across her knee. “We can’t sit out here. The other guy could be right behind us.”
Seth touched a hand to her face. “Think you can make it over that hill tonight?”
“As opposed to what?”
“We could make camp in that cave over there.”
The little indention he called a cave was an eave. She spoke close to his ear when she asked, “How bad did it get in Communist Russia for you to think I want to sleep in a dent in the rock?”
He rubbed her knee. “You have a tub of hot water we can soak in once we freeze in this rain? And I can’t properly tend to your knee out here.” He combed his fingers through her hair and then picked her up.
Up in the dark damp space it wasn’t so bad. She’d been in caves before with her little brother when they had canoed Painted Rock in Northern Michigan. She could picture those pink stripes veining through the rocks lining the water, but this damp little cave wasn’t majestic. Just plain icky, the ceiling was covered in vines and the walls were cold and damp.
“Sim, scoot back here where it’s dry.” His outstretched hand bumped her as she neared him. “Now I bet you snuggle with me.” Rolling her pants leg up, he touched her knee. “It’s not broken, but it is swelling some. You won’t make it over the hill like this.”
Head tilted up, she placed a hand on his chest and leaned into him. “Are we safe here?”
“Safe enough. Rest your knee while I’ll get some snow to help the swelling go down. I’ll get more branches to cover the entrance.”
“Don’t let me freeze to death out here.”
They couldn’t make a fire to keep warm so they removed their jackets, layered on the sweaters from their duffle bags and put the jackets back on. “I won’t let you freeze, Sim.” He folded the bag over, laid it on the floor, and eased her back. “Go to sleep. I’ll run over to that tree and pull some of the boughs off. I’ll keep you warm.”
She watched him leave, and for a split second, she wondered if he would return. Great, the cold made her paranoid. Tucking her arms beneath her to conserve body heat, she waited. Small sounds kept her from closing her eyes. Quiet was the loudest sound in the dark.
She rocked side to side. The notion of someone chasing her anywhere had to be a colossal case of mistaken identity. Heck maybe whoever it was could Seth is his brother and he’s mixed up in something ugly. Now Johnny and his boys are coming after the wrong brother with the stranded tourist. Hearing commotion around the entrance, she stopped rocking. Relief washed over her seeing those linebacker shoulders blocking her view of the woods. “Sim, you okay back there?”
“Waiting on my human blanket.” She propped up on her elbow and watched him protect her from the elements. Why did that feel so right having him with her?
After covering them in the branches, she accepted his warm body huddling around hers. His arms provided a cradle for her, and she snuggled against his chest. The warmth made her moan with pleasure.
“Sim.”
“Hmm…”
“Why did you come back for me when I told you to run?”
Simone folded her hands against his
“Sim, what happened?” Seth came down beside her.
“My foot. I think I stepped between some roots.” She sucked in a breath as he tried to maneuver her ankle. “Wait! My knee… ow. Don’t move me. I think I twisted my knee.”
Perched on a rock, he tried to push her pants leg up. “I can’t tell if it’s twisted. Does this hurt?”
“A little,” she said, rubbing her hands over her thigh.
“Your foot, twisted?”
“No just stuck. My knee is on fire though.” She groaned, praying the pain would pass soon.
“Rest a minute,” Seth said, angling glances through the downed branches.
She felt exposed sitting out there, and if she got the two of them shot, she wouldn’t be able to live with that hanging over her head. Simone straightened her spine and sucked up the pain radiating across her knee. “We can’t sit out here. The other guy could be right behind us.”
Seth touched a hand to her face. “Think you can make it over that hill tonight?”
“As opposed to what?”
“We could make camp in that cave over there.”
The little indention he called a cave was an eave. She spoke close to his ear when she asked, “How bad did it get in Communist Russia for you to think I want to sleep in a dent in the rock?”
He rubbed her knee. “You have a tub of hot water we can soak in once we freeze in this rain? And I can’t properly tend to your knee out here.” He combed his fingers through her hair and then picked her up.
Up in the dark damp space it wasn’t so bad. She’d been in caves before with her little brother when they had canoed Painted Rock in Northern Michigan. She could picture those pink stripes veining through the rocks lining the water, but this damp little cave wasn’t majestic. Just plain icky, the ceiling was covered in vines and the walls were cold and damp.
“Sim, scoot back here where it’s dry.” His outstretched hand bumped her as she neared him. “Now I bet you snuggle with me.” Rolling her pants leg up, he touched her knee. “It’s not broken, but it is swelling some. You won’t make it over the hill like this.”
Head tilted up, she placed a hand on his chest and leaned into him. “Are we safe here?”
“Safe enough. Rest your knee while I’ll get some snow to help the swelling go down. I’ll get more branches to cover the entrance.”
“Don’t let me freeze to death out here.”
They couldn’t make a fire to keep warm so they removed their jackets, layered on the sweaters from their duffle bags and put the jackets back on. “I won’t let you freeze, Sim.” He folded the bag over, laid it on the floor, and eased her back. “Go to sleep. I’ll run over to that tree and pull some of the boughs off. I’ll keep you warm.”
She watched him leave, and for a split second, she wondered if he would return. Great, the cold made her paranoid. Tucking her arms beneath her to conserve body heat, she waited. Small sounds kept her from closing her eyes. Quiet was the loudest sound in the dark.
She rocked side to side. The notion of someone chasing her anywhere had to be a colossal case of mistaken identity. Heck maybe whoever it was could Seth is his brother and he’s mixed up in something ugly. Now Johnny and his boys are coming after the wrong brother with the stranded tourist. Hearing commotion around the entrance, she stopped rocking. Relief washed over her seeing those linebacker shoulders blocking her view of the woods. “Sim, you okay back there?”
“Waiting on my human blanket.” She propped up on her elbow and watched him protect her from the elements. Why did that feel so right having him with her?
After covering them in the branches, she accepted his warm body huddling around hers. His arms provided a cradle for her, and she snuggled against his chest. The warmth made her moan with pleasure.
“Sim.”
“Hmm…”
“Why did you come back for me when I told you to run?”
Simone folded her hands against his
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