Only 06 - Winter Fire

murmured. “You’re all right. No one is going to hurt you. I won’t let them.”
    She eased closer to him, talking softly the whole time. What she said was a mixture of sense and nonsense, a soothing flow of sound that reassured him on a deeper level than words alone could.
    When she stroked his hand, he sighed raggedly. His arm closed around her and he pulled her toward him.
    â€œEmily,” he said in a blurred voice. “Thought you were gone. Snuggle in here and go to sleep. Uncle Case will keep the ghosts away.”
    Sarah was too surprised to pull back when he smoothed his hand tenderly over her hair, tucked her head against his chest, and pulled the bedroll covers up over both of them.
    There was nothing sexual in his manner. It was as though she were a child rather than a woman.
    Uncle Case? she thought, stunned. Is his beloved, lost Emily his niece?
    Sarah started to wake him and tell him that she wasn’t Emily. The utter relaxation of his body stopped her. No longer was he restless, mumbling, struggling against something only he could see. His body was relaxed, supple.
    He sighed deep and long, cuddling her to his side. Then the rhythms of his breathing slowed, telling her that he was fully asleep.
    For a time she listened to his heartbeat beneath her cheek and watched the glory of the stars where a corner of the blanket had slipped down. The cold of the night was held at bay by Case’s sheer warmth. It was like curling up next to a fire that never had to be fed.
    A deep breath brought the scent of sage and wool and man into her nostrils. She sighed and snuggled even closer, loving the feeling of his arm around her, his hand cradling her cheek, and his breath warm in her hair.
    The heat of him seeped all the way to her core, relaxing her so completely that she felt almost dizzy. Not since the hurricane destroyed her family had she felt so much at peace with life.
    I should go back to the cabin, she thought sleepily. Case is fine now .
    Reluctantly she began to withdraw from the tranquillity and warmth of the shared nest.
    His arm tightened around her, holding her in place.
    â€œCase?” she whispered. “Are you awake?”
    He didn’t answer. Nor did the rhythm of his heartbeat or breathing change.
    She waited until his arm relaxed. Then she tried again to leave.
    His arm tightened again. He murmured something and moved restlessly.
    â€œHush,” she said soothingly. “It’s all right. I won’t leave.”
    For a while , she amended silently.
    Sighing, Sarah settled in to watch the splendor of the stars wheel slowly through the opening in the blanket.
    She didn’t try to leave a third time. She fell as deeply asleep as Case.

13
    C ase awoke before dawn. It was an odd sort of waking for him, slow and lazy rather than quick and dangerous. A feeling of calm, of rightness, was inside him as deeply as his heartbeat.
    Lord , he thought sleepily. It’s been a long time since I felt Emily’s little body putting my arm to sleep .
    Wonder what she does for nightmares when Uncle Case isn’t around?
    Abruptly he realized that, while his arm was asleep, it wasn’t from a child’s weight.
    There was a woman’s resilient softness pressed against his side. There was a woman’s long, thick hair lying silky against his neck. Each breath he took was infused with a woman’s warmth.
    And roses.
    Sarah .
    His eyes came fully open. The inky outline of sage boughs was overhead. In the openings between branches, stars glittered. The moon had set. Dawn was a faint whisper of pink in the east.
    What the hell is she doing out in the brush with me? he thought.
    The quickest way to find out was to wake her up and ask her. He started to do just that. He got as far as pullingthe blanket down to her shoulders, and then he forgot why he was in such a blazing hurry to disturb her.
    Starlight washed gently over Sarah’s face. Lack of sunlight quenched the gold and red in her hair, but the silkiness of it shone like black water. Her eyelashes were so long they rested against her cheeks. Her mouth was full, relaxed, slightly curved, almost smiling.
    Thoroughly tempting.
    I shouldn’t , he thought as he bent down.
    He stopped.
    At least, he thought he had stopped. Then he found that he could no more resist her than a moth could turn away from the incandescent lure of flames.
    She’s a fire in the middle of winter , Case thought. God,