Teton Sunrise (Teton Romance Trilogy) (15 page)

“What the hell were you thinking?”

Evelyn stood, staring up at him in stunned silence. Her mouth fell open.    “I . . . I had to help him,” she said, her lips quivering.

“You can’t face down a grizzly with an unloaded gun, woman,” Alex roared. He held her arms, and shook her for emphasis. “You get yourself to safety. That bear was intent on Yancey. You only made it angrier by waving that stick in its face.”

“What would you have me do, Alex?” Evelyn’s shaky voice from a moment ago matched his in her angry retort. Her eyes narrowed. “I couldn’t just leave him there to be
mauled
to shreds.”

“You’re too important to me to let yourself get hurt. Don’t you understand? What the hell foolish notion got into your damn female head to—”

Evelyn abruptly stepped closer to him, clasped his face between her hands, and stood on her toes. She leaned up and pressed her lips to his mouth. Alex stood stiffly for a moment,
then
his hands spanned her waist, pulling her up against him. She pried her mouth from his, her eyes wide as she stared at the stunned expression on his face.

“I had to silence you somehow,” she said softly, sucking in a deep breath, and stepped back. Alex released her. She’d thrown his words from a week ago right back at him. His fingers grabbed for the shirt at her waist, and he tugged until she had no choice but to step toward him. His other hand reached up, and he brushed the hair from her face, his fingers lingering against her soft cheek.

The muscles along his jaw clenched and unclenched in rapid succession, and his eyes roamed her face, looking for a reason for her unexpected action.

“Don’t ever do that again,” he
said,
his voice a low rumble.

Evelyn’s mouth fell open. She blinked,
then
her eyes narrowed. “So it’s fine for you to kiss me, but I can’t kiss you first?”

Alex’s forehead wrinkled, his brows pulling together. She’d misunderstood.
“Not that, you insufferable woman.
Don’t ever scare the tar out of me like that again.
Ever.”

Chapter 11

With shaking hands, Evelyn rummaged in her pack for the length of muslin Alex had given to her while they were still at rendezvous. She hadn’t had a chance to cut the material and begin sewing a dress. She tore off several wide strips at one end. There was so much of the
material,
she could probably make two dresses from it. She certainly had enough to make bandages for Alex and Yancey. Her heart had finally slowed to its normal pace after that experience with the bear.

Laurent hadn’t allowed her to see Yancey, whom he’d moved under the lean-to, but he had assured her that the impulsive easterner would live. She had no idea how badly he’d been hurt. Soft moans came from under the lean-to as Laurent hovered over his charge.

 The bear had wandered into camp, obviously attracted to the meat from the deer that Alex had brought from his hunt the evening before. Yancey had spent many hours cutting it into large strips, which he had then hung to dry from some nearby tree branches. He had dashed for his rifle when he saw the imposing predator.

Evelyn had begged him not to shoot at the animal, advising him that if they remained quiet, the bear might leave. It wasn’t worth risking their lives over a few pieces of meat, but Yancey hadn’t listened. His shot had merely enraged the massive beast, and it had charged, one swipe of its huge claws sending Yancey to the ground. The bear would have lunged for Yancey if she hadn’t startled the creature momentarily by yelling and waving her hands in the air. She’d darted for Yancey’s rifle, even though she knew it would be useless. Her conscience wouldn’t allow her to simply let the bear kill the man on the ground

Alex’s fight with the bear replayed in her mind. Fearlessly, he had thrown himself at the mighty predator without any thought to his own safety. Evelyn could only watch in silent horror while the man she loved battled the giant monster to the death. She raked her teeth across her lower lip. She loved Alex. It was the one thought that came to her mind as she watched helplessly while he threw himself in harm’s way to shield her. There was no doubt in her mind that she would be dead at this very moment if Alex hadn’t come to the rescue.

Evelyn fingered the cotton material in her hand. Alex Walker was the most perplexing man she had ever met. One minute he behaved in ways that sent her temper soaring, and the next his thoughtful actions left her breathless. Shaking her head to clear her mind, she tried to focus on the task at hand. She had caught a glimpse of the torn flesh on Alex’s arm where the bear had raked him with its claws. Alex had dismissed it as a minor wound when she noticed it while he held her after her impulsive kiss. She could sense he wanted to kiss her again, had seen the longing in his eyes even as he scolded her and called her insufferable.

“I’ll tell you who’s insufferable,” Evelyn had voiced loudly, staring at Alex’s torn and bloodied shirt. “It’s you, Alex Walker, and your damn stubbornness.” She’d pulled away from him, and pointed a finger at his chest. “I may not have the skills and knowledge of a healer, but I do know a wound when I see one, and yours needs to be treated. At the very least, allow me to clean it and wrap
it,
and perhaps it won’t fester.” She hadn’t given him a chance at a rebuttal, and rushed off to find her leather pouch that held her meager belongings. Her most treasured item was the length of muslin.

Evelyn peered over her shoulder. Alex hadn’t argued, and headed for the creek that flowed at the edge of their camp. He unbuckled his belt from around his waist and pulled his shirt up and over his head. Even from a distance, several wide, angry-looking red gashes visibly slashed across his upper left arm where the bear had clawed him Evelyn hoped the wounds weren’t too deep. She didn’t have Aimee Osborne’s skills to treat Alex’s injuries.

With a will of their own, Evelyn’s eyes remained fixed on Alex’s profile. Heat slowly crept up her neck, and into her cheeks. Well-sculpted, chorded arms hung from wide shoulders. He knelt at the creek’s bank, splashing water on his face with his good hand, giving her a pleasing view of his broad and chiseled back. Fascinated, she watched the play of muscles along either side of his spine bunch and
relax
. He clearly favored his injured arm by letting it dangle at his side. Without having to see the front of him, she envisioned an equally solid and firm chest and abdomen. The skin on her back tingled with the memory of pressing up against him during the night, his strong arms shielding her from the cold.

Alex chose that moment to look up and glance in her direction. Evelyn whipped her head around. Her cheeks flamed in embarrassment at having been caught staring. Her pulse pounded at her temples, and the sensation of drowning took hold in her. She drew in a deep breath of air to fuel her deprived lungs. Had she been holding her breath while admiring his physique?

Raising her chin, she swallowed back the lump in her throat. She swiped some hair away from her face that had come loose of the confines of her braid, and gathered the strips of muslin. Evelyn pushed herself up off the ground, and with a determined set of her mouth headed in Alex’s direction. With each step she took, her heart sped up.

Good grief,
Evie
! It’s not like you’ve never seen a man’s nude torso before.

 
Her father and Henry had often removed their shirts in the summer months when coming in from the fields, but neither her father nor her brother looked like Alex. His lean body and sculpted muscles exuded strength. The memory of his strong arms holding her gave testament to that fact. Evelyn shook her head to clear her mind.

“Are you in a lot of pain?” she asked, hoping her voice sounded normal. There was no need to give Alex a glimpse of what she was thinking.

“It stings a little,” he said, his eyes on her. Evelyn hesitated for a moment,
then
sank to her knees beside him. Her nose caught a trace of his distinct male scent of sweat and rawhide, and her heart fluttered again.

She dipped one of the cotton rags in the cold water, resisting the impulse to use the wet muslin to cool her own face and neck. Instead, she wrung out the excess water and dabbed gingerly around Alex’s wounds to clean away the dried blood. She repeated her actions over and over, until finally the area was free of blood. He remained motionless while she worked, and Evelyn raised her head to find him watching her intently. She couldn’t tear her eyes from his at that moment if her life depended on it. An intense gleam shone in the depths of his stare, and she swallowed the lump in her throat. Extreme longing smoldered in his eyes, along with regret and uncertainty.

Give him time
, Laurent had told her.
He is afraid he will become his father.

“I think a bandage to keep the wound clean should suffice to allow it to heal.” The words barely escaped her dry mouth. If she could make time stand still, this was a moment she wanted to hold on to. To divert her attention away from Alex’s stare, she grabbed for another swath of muslin.  Gently, she wrapped the material around his arm to cover his wound.

Evelyn tied off the end of the bandage in a knot, and pulled her hands back. She adjusted her knees on the hard ground, intent on standing up. Before she could move, Alex reached out, and his calloused fingers grazed against her cheek with a feather light touch. Heat seared through her body at his tender gesture. Wide-eyed, she glanced at his face. His mouth curved upward at the corners. Slowly, he leaned forward.

Evelyn closed her eyes, and she held her breath. Her lips parted and tingled in anticipation of what she knew was to come. Alex’s hand slid behind her head, cupping the back of her neck. He pulled her toward him, and just when she thought he wouldn’t kiss her after all, his lips brushed against hers. Her hands reached out to brace against his chest. The feel of his warm skin against her hand, the strong beating of his heart, and the solid strength beneath her fingers sent ripples of some unknown need racing through her. Just when she thought she would drown in the sensation, Alex pulled away, ending his gentle kiss much too soon. His fingers lingered just a moment longer against her cheek,
then
he broke off all contact with her. Evelyn’s eyes flew open, and she fought for a breath of air.

“I’ll ask Laurent to take you back to St. Louis,” Alex said, and stood. Avoiding her eyes, he reached for his torn shirt lying in the grass, and then turned his back, his gaze fixed across the water at the distant snow-capped mountains. Evelyn stared in stunned disbelief. It was the last thing she expected him to say. The muscles in his shoulders and back tensed.

 “I don’t understand,” Evelyn said quietly. Dumbfounded, she reached up to touch his arm.

“He should have never brought you here,” Alex said firmly. He turned his head, and his mouth was set in a firm line. “You need a husband who will take care of you, not someone like me.”

“Alex, I don’t think—”

“No arguments. I free you of your ties to me. You’re going back.”

“And what if I refuse to go back?” Evelyn moved around him to stand in front of him, and glared at his face. It was time to put her foot down. All her life, someone else had made decisions on her behalf, telling her what was best for her. “What would you have me do in St. Charles, Alex? Marry the man who killed my parents?”

Alex faced her fully. “A week ago you thought you were already married to that man.” He scoffed.

“And I’ve changed my mind,” she said. “I realize I was wrong about you, Alex.” Evelyn stepped closer, inches from him. The heat coming off his body seeped right through the fabric of her shirt. “Perhaps it’s time that you come to the same conclusion,” she whispered. Hesitating for only a second, she placed her palm on his chest over his heart. Alex’s jaw clenched.

“Same conclusion?”
His eyebrows scrunched together. “I know I didn’t kill your folks.”

Evelyn laughed quickly, and shook her head. “You really are as dumb as a warthog, Alex Walker. When will you realize you are wrong about yourself?” She shook her head. What did she have to do or say to prove to him that he wasn’t like his father? “Why I am even in lo—”

“Hello the camp,” someone called loudly from the direction of the woods, and Evelyn spun around before she could complete her thought. A lone trapper rode into view, two mules laden with supplies following closely on the heels of his horse.

****

Alex stepped in front of
Evie
at the sound of a man’s voice calling the customary greeting when riding into someone’s camp. Her soft palm left a searing scorch mark on his chest as if she had branded him. No words could describe the way her tender touch affected him when she cleansed his wounds. Intense desire had rippled through him along with the urge to protect this woman from harm, which meant he had to protect her from himself.  He cursed under his breath. He would have thought
Evie
would be happy to go back to St. Louis. Why was she arguing with him? What had she meant by he was wrong about himself? This wasn’t the time to ponder her words, nor the look in her eyes. Or the kiss they had shared.

Alex forced his focus to the visitor riding into their camp. He recognized the trapper instantly.  He held up his hand in greeting, and stepped away from
Evie
to meet him.