Love by Dawn (21 page)

He ripped off the coat and numbly she cried,
“Oh, Blake!” and went limp against his broad chest. She was
exhausted, but overwhelmed and relieved that he found her. She
sighed and touched his arm discovering it was sticky. Looking at
her hand and seeing more blood, puzzle-ment coupled with dread
reappeared in her mind.

She frowned up at him. “You lied… you’re
hurt.”

“Don’t worry that pretty little head, it’s
only a scratch.” He kissed her warm forehead. Her savior ignored
the small cut and she replied, “Blake, I’m so filthy and my dress
stinks so bad, please help me remove it and wrap me in that
blanket. Maybe if I get rid of the awful stench and sponge off my
body I might feel better.”

“It will be my pleasure, ma’am,” he
drawled.

She smiled weakly at him. Always the tease,
she thought, but she’d welcome his banter happily as long as they
were together. Thankfully, Blake had the foresight to bring along
leggings and a woolen shirt for her, knowing she wore only a
deerskin dress.

Blake warmed up snow and sponged off her
flush body, seeing her face look a mite embarrassed and he believed
the hue was not only from her fever. He could understand her
mortification; no one likes such a personal ritual to be performed
by another, even a lover.

Yes, he loved her but the more he thought
about it the more he believed he had never declared his feelings
for her. Why were the words so hard to form? Well, he wouldn’t
waste time pondering on it now, he had to make sure she recovered
first and there was plenty of time for such talk later.

When she was clean, he wrapped her in his
fur blanket, to keep her warm. She sighed content and declared she
did indeed feel better, but confessed she was starving. He promised
to find them a dinner and true to his word, he returned with the
rabbit Hawk Nose had killed. The delicious smell of the animal
roasting over a small fire filled the cave and he heard Casey
stir.

“Mmmm,” she sighed, “that smells heavenly. I
hope I can keep it down.”

Blake helped her sit up, feeling her cooler
to his touch. “This dinner was caught by that Indian. I was sure
you wouldn’t mind me cooking it.”

She didn’t answer but asked a question of her
own. “Where is he?”

“Outside, but the ground it too frozen to
bury him because it’s snowing again, so I suspect his corpse will
be buried in an ice coffin. Come spring when he thaws, the animals
will feast on his remains.”

She shivered and hugged herself. “As evil as
he was, I believe everyone should have a decent burial but your
right, the conditions are not favorable. The red man was delusional
and deranged.”

“Come eat and let’s not worry over something
we have no control over. You need to get strength. I need to go
down the mountain to gather branches to store here so we have
firewood. It takes many days for them to dry out.” He saw her eyes
grow wide with fear. “Don’t worry, you’ll be safe. I left Checkers
below, but I will try to get him up this far. I don’t want to find
a frozen horse when it warmed up.”

Blake found his horse nibbling on grass the
animal had found under the snow. It wasn’t as deep where he had
left the animal. “Hey, fella, sorry to be gone so long. Come, we
need to get you into the cave, then I need to collect twigs and
branches to warm us. You can keep Casey company and I believe there
might be a few grains of oats left in my saddle bags,” he sweetened
the pot. The horse needed no further prodding and followed his
master up the slope, but it proved treacherous and he nearly lost
his footing several times.

“You’ll have company, there’s a little filly
waiting for you. I hope you don’t mind that she’s an Apache horse.”
Checkers snorted and Blake had to assume his horse didn’t mind in
the least.

No sooner had Casey started to get better,
his arm got infected.

“I thought you said it was just a scratch,”
she had scolded him when she saw his shirt wet with puss.

Blake shrugged, “It wasn’t really deep but it
got infected anyway. I was too concerned about nursing you back to
health that I didn’t pay much attention to it.” He grunted as she
removed his shirt slowly, material had stuck to the wound. “It
looks as if you have to cauterize it for me.”

Casey’s eyes grew large knowing what he
meant. She recalled the day her brother had to burn her father’s
leg when he cut it with an ax. She wiggled her nose with distaste
still remembering the awful smell of burning flesh.

Blake laid the knife in the burning embers.
They made small fires from twigs for branches were scare. He had
gathered an armful yesterday; but they needed to dry before they
would burn and he had hoped to gather more today. Wood was needed
for warmth and cooking and she was glad he brought a small pot in
his gear. Boiling water from snow and dried meat made hot broth for
them. He even dug deep into the hard grown and found a few wild
turnips and onions before they rotted.

When the knife was red hot, Blake rolled on
his good arm to keep from thrashing about and Casey gave him a twig
to put between his teeth to keep from biting his tongue. She held
the knife in her right hand, then took a firm hold of his wrist
with the other.

Taking a deep breath, she asked, “Are you
ready?”

Blake nodded and she noticed how he clenched
his jaw, causing the veins in his temples to appear. He shut his
eyes when she kissed knife to his flesh and his nostrils flared
when he moaned and sucked in his breath. Casey was amazed that he
didn’t jerk about, but lay still for a long moment as sweat poured
from his body. She swallowed trying not to get sick. The pain must
have been unbearable and her heart went out to the brave cowboy. No
salve or ointment was available to put on the wound, so she put
cold snow on it. It seemed to lessen the pain and she decided the
injury would be better left unwrapped.

When she helped him put the shirt back on
leaving the one arm out, his face was pale and he trembled. She
covered him with the blanket and then helped him to the corner
where he rested his head on the cool wall. His eyes closed to
sleep, but she wasn’t sure if he was sleeping or had passed out,
but it was better that he was unconscious.

Later that day she became concerned about his
flushed face. Placing her hand on his forehead assured her he was
running a slight fever. As he slept the afternoon, she knew they
needed solid food; she had to go out and find something to eat.
Putting on his bloody coat, she shuddered thinking it could have
been Blake killed instead of Hawk Nose. With his gun in her hand,
Casey went to the mouth of the cave only to hear a hissing sound,
stopping her dead in her tracks.

Two diamond back rattlers slithered toward
the cave’s entrance. Her heart raced and she breathed in quickly
trying to control her fear. She could shoot and kill one of the
deadly vipers, but the other could strike her in the act. She dared
not scream, what good would it do? She had the gun. Rooted to the
spot her legs began to quiver.

One of the snakes moved quickly toward her;
she had to shoot. Squeezing the trigger the bullet ripped its head
off. Thank God she was a good shot. The other snake hissed ready to
strike. Before she could cock the gun, something whizzed by and the
reptile lay dead, inches from her feet; a knife was sticking out of
its skull.

Casey’s bones turned to pudding. She wavered
seeing the two dead animals lying at her feet. She would have
fallen if not for the hard body that came up behind her. She turned
and wept into his chest and all the frustrations of the past weeks
welled up inside of her and she cried like a baby.

TWENTY-SEVEN

Blake had the urge to relieve himself and
was concerned when he didn’t see Casey in the cave. He shrugged,
figuring she had left for the same reason. As he neared the
entrance, he heard the hissing sound of rattlers nearby. Going for
his gun only brought his hand in contact with an empty holster; his
heart quickened. He returned swiftly to the fire to grab his knife
praying he wasn’t too late. When he returned to the mouth of the
cave, he spied Casey a few feet in front. She was aiming the
revolver at twin snakes both ready to strike. He didn’t have time
to warn the terrorized girl that he was behind her. She fired at
one and Blake lost no time in throwing the knife; it hit the viper
from that distance. Silently, he thanked Star Gazer for his expert
lessons

He held her tight savoring her warm soft body
against his for a few moments before he led the weeping girl back
into the cave and sat her down by the wall. She cried, taking deep
breaths until she hiccupped and sniffled. Although Blake held her
for a long time before she looked up at him through swollen eyes,
he never said a word even when his injured arm smarted.

“Looks like we’re going to eat good tonight,”
he grinned and she smiled back, revealing the dimples he loved so
much. They both laughed as he wiped golden locks from her damp
cheeks. “You’re so beautiful, even with red eyes,” he teased. “I
missed you and was beside myself with worry. All I could think
about was that night we made love. How I wanted to hold you and
kiss that sweet mouth of yours.”

Bending towards her, Blake took her lips
with a sweet tender kiss. His tongue twisted around hers and the
tender contact soon exploded into a deep passionate kiss.

“I want you so bad,” he whispered.

“But… Blake…your wound? We can’t,” she chided
sternly.

Blake grinned knowingly. “Your eyes say
differently. Take the blanket and lay it on the

ground over there.” He pointed with his head
and Casey gave him a bemused look.

“But, it’s quite chilly,” she protested
meekly.

He kissed her again. “I’ll soon light such a
fire in your heart and soul; you’ll burn from within as I do.
Believe me it’s not only the infection that makes me feel hot all
over.”

Her body burned while he watched her undress
as he lay on the blanket and his male parts immediately stood
proud. The small fire made tantalizing shadows on the wall and she
sucked in her breath. Casey saw his eyes travel slowly down to the
softness of her curly mound.

He rasped, “I want to know every deep and
private part of you. To touch, taste, and smell your scent; that
womanly nectar that drives me beyond control when we last made
love.”

His words made her heart beat like a tom-tom
and Casey went to her knees, his eyes on her body. His nearness had
already warmed her so that she was sure her flesh would scorch his.
Her insides turned to jelly as she remembered that night of bliss
and how much she loved Blake. He had not said he loved her, but he
must, risking his life for her as he had. She saw the lust forming
in his blue eyes and she knew what he was thinking. Her heart beat
wildly with anticipation, recalling how his touch had sent her
senses reeling. She wondered how they would manage but she trusted
Blake; he knew how to please. Thinking of the many women he had
satisfied, a twinge of jealously hit her, but that was in the past.
She was determined to keep Blake deliriously happy; she would be
only his and he would want no other.

Blake knelt before her, tenderly cupping her
breasts. Although, she was concerned about his arm, she shuddered
with pleasure. Taking his hand, she kissed his palm and placed
butterfly kisses over his chest. Hearing him suck in his breath
made her feel good knowing she was giving as much enjoyment as he
gave her. She took his male nipple between her teeth and flicked
her tongue across it the way he had done to her. Feeling brave, she
let her hand roam down his stomach to touch the part of him she
never thought she had the nerve to do. Her eyes never left his face
as she watched the desire in his orbs and the emotion played across
this handsome face.

“Enough!” Blake croaked. “I pride myself on
my control, but you, woman will soon put me over the limit and I
want to be inside of you when I spill my love.”

Casey pulled her hand away stunned by the
edge in his deep voice but kissed him deeply showing him she
understood. He groaned, or was it her?

“Straddle my hips and ride with me, my love,”
he coaxed.

It took a heartbeat before it dawned on
her.

That night the fire cast their shadows on
the cold stonewall and she and her soul mate rode into a land known
only to lovers. In the afterglow, she whispered in a silky voice,
“Blake, I really hate to leave our little love nest. We’re so alone
here; I feel were the only ones living on the planet. No worries,
no problems. We’re almost like Adam and Eve in our on little garden
of paradise.”

Blake kissed her palm. “Honey, any place with
you would seem like paradise.”

She giggled. “You don’t have to sweet talk
me, you have the job. I’m yours completely.”

“Hmmm'' he snuggled deeper into the coarse
blanket, drawing her body’s heat to his. “Yes, other than almost
starving, poisoned by snakes and freezing my um, you know off, this
has surely been a pleasure.”

She tweaked a male nipple, playfully. “I
didn’t hear any complaints a few minutes ago. Well, unless those
grunts and groans were actually unpleasant.”

“Lady, you’re asking for a tongue lashing.”
Without another word, he preceded to lick her in her most secret
place. Now it was her turn to grunt and groan, but it was
definitely from pleasure.

Casey was happy they spent their winter
months nursing each other in the small, secluded cave on the side
of the mountain. She didn’t mind the cold, or the little food Blake
caught; they kept warm and fed their hunger with love. When the
snow melted and flowers peaked out the earth, she was reluctant to
leave their peaceful home.

Blake held onto Checkers’ reins and she
guided Hawk Nose’s horse down the muddy slops. Everything thawed,
including the Indian’s corpse and Casey hated to leave him to the
buzzards and animals, but although things were melting, the ground
under the mud was still very hard and they had no tools to dig a
grave. She did insist on placing as many branches they could find
over him. It wouldn’t help much but would ease her conscience a
little by doing that small deed.