Page 18 of Training Rain
“Thank you for taking care of me. I heal quickly, but I needed time.”
He moved so that his face was an inch from hers. “You scared the shit out of me, Rain.”
“I saved our lives.” Her defensive instincts kicked in. He could be a little more grateful for saving him since it had nearly killed her.
“Don’t do that again. What if I hadn’t been here? What if you’d been alone in the field?”
She pushed the blankets down so she could use her arms. He’d wrapped her up as if she were a caterpillar in a cocoon. “If I’d been alone and some idiot hunters had caused a stampede, I probably would have done exactly what I did today. Dying from a bison’s hoof crushing my skull doesn’t sound like much fun to me.”
“And then what, you die of dehydration or exposure because you don’t have the energy to get yourself back to safety?” He was furious. She didn’t understand.
“What choice would I have? You’re my teacher, tell me how I could have avoided what happened today.”
He stood up. He was in only his long underwear. They were skintight and left very little to the imagination. The thin material clung to every bulge and muscle. She couldn’t look away though she knew she should.
“We’re getting out of here in the morning. I’m calling Joshua and telling him to get you another instructor.”
She’d started to feel herself again, but his announcement took all the energy right back out of her. He was abandoning her. She had failed, and he was abandoning a sinking ship. Her heart ached. “I’m sorry you feel that way. I thought I was doing the right thing.”
“You don’t understand.”
“I think I do. Thanks for trying. I’m going to take a shower and then I’m going to bed.” Her legs wobbled only slightly as she pushed off the couch. Jess reached out to steady her, but she put out a hand to ward him off.
Finding her balance, she wrapped the blankets tighter around herself and walked to the bathroom. She heard him call her name, but she ignored his request for her to return to the living room.
The hot water eased the rest of her aches and pains, but she knew there was a limited supply, so she showered quickly. Once she was dry, she brushed out her hair and wrapped herself in the blankets again.
She never looked at the living room as she and Yas stepped through to the bedroom.
Once she was in bed, the dog jumped up and spread out across her feet. Tears trickled down her cheeks. Maybe she cried because she let Jess down or maybe it was just the release of built-up tension from the strain of the day. It couldn’t last long, she was too tired to weep indefinitely.
* * *
The howling windand Yas sitting up at the end of the bed brought her awake. There was no light in the bedroom, but the glow of firelight framed Jess in the doorway.
“Are you okay?” She had no idea why she asked. It was an instinct, a habit,check on everyone else before you worry about yourself.
He didn’t move. “I didn’t lie to you.”
Sleep still poked at her brain. “When? What are you talking about?”
Jess stepped closer.
Yas growled.
Rain sat up and patted the dog’s head. The chilly air on her nipples reminded her that she was naked under the blankets. She clutched at the covers.
“In the field today, when I said you’d make a good agent, it was the truth.” His voice hummed with intensity.
“You just don’t want to risk your life to train me. I get it. Don’t worry about it.” She wanted to feel as unaffected by the idea as she sounded, but her chest tightened with loss. It was insane, but she felt the loss of a man who didn’t care about her and he was standing in the same room.
“No.” He moved closer to the bed.
“No? No what?”
“That’s not why I’m asking for a reassignment.”
Yas jumped to the floor and lay down in the doorway.
