queen-of-the-mountain buzz was gone. She felt his gaze on her and hated that her heart beat faster. He took her hand, and even through their gloves, she felt heat. No—she felt the burn. The heat was all in her head.
“Ready to go?” Donovan asked.
She pulled her hand out of his grasp. “Definitely.”
The wave of energy that had carried her up the mountain deserted her on the way down, but she managed to stay on her feet and pull dinner together. His rabbit traps were empty, thank God, so she made chili with the bacon fat, the rest of the onions, some peppers, ground beef, and a surprising array of spices unearthed from the ranger’s station. She supposed it couldn’t technically be called roughing it if there was a spice rack, but she couldn’t care less. Her phone buzzed in her pocket, and she sank down on the log in front of the fire.
Billy has a fever. Doctor?
Her heart stopped.
How high?
100.2
Worry gnawed her insides, but 100.2 wasn’t quite high enough to truly frighten her.
Probably teeth. Infant ibuprofen drops in medicine cabinet. Dosage on side. Want me to come home?
Not for teeth!
Call me if he starts pulling on his ears?
Absolutely.
She served up the chili, but couldn’t eat much with her stomach in knots. She watched the guys devour it while she waited for her phone to buzz with news of Billy.
“Seems like a good time to break out the chocolate, wouldn’t you say?” Donovan held up a bag of marshmallows and a box of graham crackers. She got the chocolate bars from her backpack and handed them over. Chocolate went down easier than chili, and when her phone didn’t ring, she finally started to relax.
The firelight cast intriguing shadows on Donovan’s cheeks and made his blond hair gleam. Inches separated them on the log, but she felt his proximity like a touch and wanted to shift closer. Charity case, remember?
When his leg brushed hers, and she had the wild urge to stroke his thigh and feel the corded muscle beneath her palm, she stood. “I’m going to turn in.”
“Dinner was great. Thanks for cooking.”
“You’re welcome.” She headed for the tent. Once inside, she changed her clothes, figuring it would be easier to do it now when she was warm and had a sugar buzz, than in the morning when she’d be cold and dying for coffee. Plus, after climbing the mountain, she felt grungy. She pulled out the travel pack of baby wipes she’d sneaked into her survival kit and improvised a bath, which made her feel a hundred times better, even though she couldn’t help but think of Donovan when she slid into the leopard-print fleece.
She climbed into her now-dry sleeping bag and zipped it. She grabbed her phone.
Billy?
Sleeping. Cool as a cucumber.
Can’t wait to get home.
Footsteps approaching the tent made her stash her phone and feign sleep. The sound of the tent zipper grated her raw nerves, and she tensed as Donovan entered. She sensed him looming over her. The sound of falling water made her ears prick. Was it raining? Impossible.
She rolled over and opened her eyes. Donovan kneeled beside her sleeping bag with an empty water bottle in his hand. “You should really be more careful, Susie. Looks like your bag is soaked again.”
She wriggled to the top of the bag to avoid the water. “What the hell are you doing?”
“I can’t let you leave this mountain believing you’re bad in bed. It would be criminal. Low self-esteem causes women to make all kinds of bad choices. You need to get over it before you marry another loser.”
Disbelief turned to anger. “Do I look like I’m desperate to be married or something? What’s this obsession with me as part of a couple? Holly said the same thing. I’m not getting married. I’m happy with my son, and I don’t need another man in my life, damn it. If I did, it would be a stable, normal, nine-to-fiver, not a man who climbs mountains, swims with sharks, and thinks I’m a charity case. I don’t need your stupid
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