Page 45 of Fool's Gold

He had the fire going and dinner cooking when she made her way back to camp. She plopped on the ground, smiling when he handed her a cup of coffee.

"Thanks," she murmured, and took a sip.

He sat next to her. "It's been a long day. I figured you could use a cup. Dinner will be ready soon."

"I think I'm too tired to eat." She closed her eyes and sighed.

He reached over and began rubbing her knotted shoulder muscles. The tension seeped out of her. "You have to take your antibiotic on a full stomach."

She opened her eyes. "I forgot about those. I didn't bring them."

He pulled the bottle out of his shirt pocket. "I knew you would, so I got them out of the bathroom before we left."

"Figures." She gave a pointed glance at his boots. "I should have warned you about hiking in cowboy boots, sorry."

He chuckled. "That's okay, sweetheart. I'll live."

"Whatever you're cooking smells good enough to eat."

He grinned. "Freeze-dried beef stew, and applesauce for dessert."

"Yummy." She took a deep whiff. "You're going to spoil me. It's nice to have a helper along on a shoot. I'm not used to such luxury."

He rose and stirred the stew. "Sweetheart, if you play your cards right, you could have this kind of help all the time."

She smiled. "I might just take you up on that offer, cowboy."

He could have cheered, but instead, he got out two tin plates and dished their stew. She was moving toward forever, he realized.

After dinner, She started to gather their dishes, but he took them out of her hands. "I'll do that while you wash up. We want to keep that wound clean, remember?"

"I'll take you up on that offer. I think I'll go to the lake for a dip."

He turned away and grinned. She didn't know it, but he planned to join her shortly. This camping trip was serendipity. They were both a heck of a lot safer out here where absolutely nobody knew where they were. And it gave him time to cement their relationship.

He finished the dishes, grabbed a towel, and headed toward the lake.

He stopped at the water's edge. The sunset painted the water with rainbow colors, and highlighted Sarah's beauty. As she turned toward him, droplets of water looked like diamonds sprinkled over her fair skin. Her dark green eyes were fathomless and her full lips curved into a siren's smile.

"I wondered if you would join me."

"No power on Earth would stop me." Rafe peeled off his shirt and kicked off his boots.

"Good."

Her eyes widened when he slipped out of his jeans and briefs. He strode toward the water. "Do you want me, sweetheart?"

She grinned. "More than you could ever know, cowboy."

He looked at his hard flesh. "Oh, I think I've got a pretty good idea." They both laughed at the private joke. He closed the distance between them with a few long strides and bent to kiss her parted lips.

She pulled away. "It seems like the only time we get in sync is after we fight."

He traced a teardrop that trickled down her soft cheek. "Don't cry, sweetheart. We're both going through some tough adjustments now. Things will get better."

"I hope so because sometimes I hurt so bad inside, I want to die. Other times, I get so mad at you I want to kick you."

"Believe me, sweetheart, the feeling is mutual." He scooped her up with a chuckle. He kissed her mouth as her slippery body slid across his. Her breasts were tempting mounds pressing against his chest. Rafe's knees began to shake from excitement as he walked toward the bank. "We better take this on dry land before we both drown."

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