The Marine & the Debutante. Maureen Child

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      “I, uh…” Gratitude came hard, considering that he wasn’t one of her favorite people at the moment.

      “Forget it.” He cut her off, clearly not interested in thanks. “Now, you stay put,” he said. “I’ll be right back.”

      “What?” Panic reared up inside her, and she shot a wild look around her at the surrounding darkness. Anything or anyone could be hiding out there. “You’re leaving me here? Alone?”

      He shot her a grin. “Gonna miss me?”

      Her stomach flip-flopped. Amazing what an effect that smile could have on an exhausted, thirsty, hungry, obviously delusional woman.

      “Don’t worry about it,” he said, before she could come up with a witty reply. “I’m just goin’ back to make sure I’ve covered our tracks well enough.”

      “I didn’t realize you had been covering our tracks,” she said, looking back over her shoulder as if she could actually see into the darkness and the trail he’d been working to erase.

      “That’s my job,” he said, already moving off into the shadows.

      “Who are you, anyway?” she demanded. “Daniel Boone?”

      He glanced back at her and gave her another one of those grins. “Nah, the name’s Travis Hawks, ma’am. But I appreciate the compliment.”

      “Well, my name’s Lisa Chambers,” she retorted as he disappeared into the darkness. Her voice dropped to a whisper as she added, “It’s not ‘ma’am.”’

      What felt like hours but what was probably only a few minutes, passed, and she heard him approaching. At least, she hoped it was Travis Hawks.

      It was.

      She released a breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding as he moved to her side. Then she noted he wasn’t even breathing heavily.

      Tipping her head back, she looked up at him. “Aren’t you even tired?” she asked, disgusted that he showed no signs of the fatigue swamping her.

      He spared her a quick glance, then lifted his gaze back to the wild, arid landscape. “I’ll be tired when we get where we’re goin’.”

      “Well,” she said, “I had no idea I was in the company of a superhero.” Muffling a groan, Lisa pulled her right foot onto her left knee and massaged the tight knot in her calf. “And where is ‘where we’re goin’,’ exactly?” she asked, mocking his drawl.

      “There,” he said, ignoring her gibe as he pointed to a low range of mountains.

      She squinted into the distance and felt her heart drop to the pit of her stomach. “You’re kidding,” she said, “right?”

      “No, ma’am.”

      “Lisa,” she reminded him, “not ‘ma’am.’ And that’s probably another five miles,” she protested, already thinking about the extra aches and pains headed her way.

      He reached into the inside pocket of his shirt and pulled out a fabric-covered map. He studied it for a few minutes, then shifted his gaze back to her. “More like three.”

      “Well, heck,” she said, sarcasm dripping from her words. “That’s different, then. What’re we waiting for?”

      Folding the map and tucking it away again, he dropped to one knee beside her and reached for her leg.

      “Hey!” She stiffened and tried to pull away, but let’s face it, she was so tired a snail could have overtaken her. Let alone Mr. I’ll-Get-Tired-Later.

      “Relax, princess,” he said, his fingers kneading the tight flesh. “I’m just tryin’ to help.”

      She muffled a yelp and told herself to stop him. She shouldn’t be letting him do this. She hated him. She hated what he was forcing her to do. Heck, she’d walked more today than she usually did in a month of treadmill exercising. And it was all his fault. If he hadn’t waved off that helicopter, she’d be winging her way toward an American Embassy somewhere, already anticipating a hot bath and a good meal and some fresh clothes. So, yeah. She hated him and she should be telling him all this while at the same time making him stop massaging her legs. And yet…it felt so good. Pain shimmered inside her, blossomed, then disappeared under the wash of warmth drawn from his fingertips.

      He moved from one calf to the other, his strong fingers easing away the tightness in her muscles until she almost wanted to weep with the pleasure of it all. Okay, she thought. Maybe he’s not so bad. Maybe he’s doing the best he can. Maybe he’s sorry that he’s working her so hard. Maybe…

      “Okay, that’s it,” he announced. “Let’s get movin’.” He dropped her leg as if it were a seashell; picked up, examined, then discarded as useless.

      And just like that she hated him again.

      “That’s your idea of a ‘rest’?” she asked. “Three whole minutes?”

      Standing up, he held one hand out to her and pulled her to her feet. “Sun’ll be up in a few hours,” he said sagely, his gaze drifting across the far horizon. “I want to be tucked away nice and quiet before that happens.”

      She shifted her gaze to the same horizon and realized that the sky did look just a bit brighter. They’d been walking all night. No wonder she was tired, for pity’s sake.

      “And you think I’m going to be able to walk three more miles in under three hours?” If the way she was feeling at the moment was any indication, she’d be lying in a crumpled heap inside of a half hour. Her own fallen image rose up in her brain, and Lisa imagined the headlines—Billionaire’s Daughter Found Dead in Desert. And, of course, there’d be pictures. Of her mummified body wearing her once fashionable, now pitiful, designer dress.

      Now there’s an epitaph.

      “You’ll make it,” he said, his words shattering the thoughts in her mind with the steely ring of determination in his tone.

      She looked up at him. Funny, she hadn’t noticed until just this minute how tall he was. At least six-three. At five-nine, Lisa was no munchkin, but he made her feel tiny in comparison. Maybe she could make it. With his help. He didn’t seem the kind of man to give up easily. If he had, they would have been captured hours ago.

      “Okay, general,” she said, bravely swallowing the knot of fear lodged in her throat. “You lead, I’ll follow.”

      “Ooh-rah,” he said, and gave her a smile that nearly knocked her over.

      “Ya-hoo,” she answered, hoping she’d see that smile again really soon.

      Travis wouldn’t have admitted it under torture, but he was beat, down to the ground. The cold was keeping him awake for now, but if he didn’t get some sleep soon, neither one of them was going to get out of here. Which was why he nearly shouted in joy when he spotted the cave.

      If he hadn’t been looking specifically for just this, he never would have noticed it. A slight overhang of rock jutted out from the side of the mountain, СКАЧАТЬ