Page 67 of Falling for the Cowgirl
“I admit I get worked up seeing you with other men.” That was an understatement. He turned into an enraged grizzly about to charge when she was with anyone else. “But that’s not what’s bothering me with Hance.”
“Hance is a really nice fella and decently handsome.” Her words contained a note of teasing.
“He’s not as nice or as handsome as me.”
“Maybe just a little.”
He glared at her, and she smiled innocently. He wanted to lean over and steal a kiss from her and show her that no other man could compare to him, but he shook his head, trying to shake off the desire.
He slid the stone lid back into place, and she joined his efforts. Then they spread out the ashes and embers, filling in and packing the crevices of the secret hole, disguising it as best they could.
When they finished, he crawled up through the series of caverns. He wanted Ivy to wait in the cave until he had achance to make sure things were safe, but of course, she wasn’t content to stay behind. As he cautiously peered out of the narrow opening, he could see that the smoke was still heavy in the air, but the flames had moved on, leaving a charred landscape in their wake—blackened rocks, skeletal trees, and every spot of green turned to ash.
“Is it okay to leave?” she asked from behind him.
“I think so.”
He didn’t count on their horses being in the area. They’d likely galloped away in a frenzy at the first sight of the flames. Without their mounts, they had a long hike ahead. And before they could start back, they had to seek out Hance and Otis. It was possible the two had already headed down. But the decent thing to do was make sure they’d survived.
He doubted any of them would make it to South Park before nightfall. But it wouldn’t hurt to try, since once they reached a main wagon path, they might be able to find a ride the rest of the way to Fairplay.
As long as the fire didn’t change directions, they’d be fine. The least that could happen was having to camp for the night at a lower elevation. He didn’t want to end up spending the night alone with Ivy. He’d only be asking for trouble if he did so. But he prided himself on being a strong man. And this time, he needed to be extra strong so he could protect the woman he loved from himself.
Chapter
21
“Over here!” Ivy halted and waited for Jericho to catch up. Blackened rocks and embers crunched beneath his boots as he climbed over the rough boulders that made the mountaintop a challenging place to cross. But, of course, Jericho made it seem effortless.
For a second, she let her eyes feast upon him, the surety with each step he took, the proud bearing in his shoulders, and the rounded muscles in his chest and arms that made his suit coat stretch tight. Even coated in dust of ashes and smoke, his handsomeness made her heart patter faster.
Jericho paused on top of a large boulder, his feet spread. He glanced around as though trying to find the object of her fascination. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothin’.” She trailed her gaze over him again. “Just admiring the view. Ain’t I allowed to do that once in a while?”
At the sight of her so blatantly staring, he ducked his head, but not before she caught sight of his crooked grin. “No, Ivy. Admiring the view wasn’t part of the bargain.”
Her chest bubbled up with pleasure. “The only promise I made was that I wouldn’t kiss you. Everything else is fair game.”
“So you intend to make it impossible for me to resist you?”
“Sounds like a real fine idea to me.”
He shook his head, still grinning, and resumed his hiking.
She turned and started forward. She loved being up here with him, hadn’t wanted to leave the cave, would have lingered longer if he hadn’t been pushing to start out. The only thing that had needled her to go was the possibility Hance and Otis had been hurt during the fire, that even now they might be lying unconscious somewhere from the smoke. Or, worse yet, burned.
She blamed herself for bringing them up so high with the danger nearby. Even if she hadn’t known the fire was close and moving so fast, she still should’ve used more caution. Hopefully the fire hadn’t reached them. But if it had, the ravine where she’d left them had been fairly safe, especially with the cave nearby.
The problem was, the mountaintop looked the same from every direction, and she was starting to wonder if she was going in circles.
“This is the second time we’ve passed this location,” Jericho said.
“I left them here somewhere.”
“I’m sure they made it down.”
She fisted her hands onto her hips and tried to see through the heavy smoke to the mountainside below. But as far as she could make out, the area was deserted.
