Safe by His Side. Debra Webb

a rather large one drop like a heavy dagger. The ice crashed to the ground a mere three or four feet in front of her. No further explanation required, she thought as she hurried past the overhang.

      Raine had already resumed his trek upward. Kate plodded after him. They passed two more drop-off areas. She held her breath past both—each time seemed worse than the last with nothing more than moonlight to guide them.

      Kate was freezing now. As she peered into the dense black forest, she wondered how long it would take to find a person’s body in this environment. A body out in the middle of nowhere like this probably wouldn’t be found until spring and by then it would have been something’s lunch. She shivered at the thought.

      Bears. She suddenly wondered if there were bears in these woods. She opened her mouth to ask, but then snapped it shut. She wouldn’t give him the pleasure of knowing her concerns.

      Lost in thought, Kate looked up to find that she’d almost run into Raine again. He stood waiting near a particularly steep area. The trail inclined so sharply that log steps had been embedded in the mountainside to assist with the climb. Raine took the steps two at a time. Kate swallowed tightly. If he could do it, she could do it. By the time she reached the top her heart fluttered wildly, but she had done it.

      Before long the trail leveled out somewhat and Kate’s breathing finally returned to normal. She hoped they would get to their destination soon, her feet and ankles were aching. Her head joined in the symphony of pain and her chest felt oddly tight.

      The trees grew dense, almost blocking out the moonlight and making their trek even more precarious. Fraser firs soared high into the sky like giant Christmas trees. The crisp evergreen scent teased Kate’s senses. She smiled and wondered if there were evergreens where she came from.

      Virginia. Raine had said she was from Virginia. Virginia had evergreens, didn’t it?

      Her next step sent her feet in opposite directions. Ice, she realized too late. A shriek escaped her lips at the same time that her feet skated out from under her.

      Raine’s arms encircled her waist, catching her a split second before her bottom slammed against the hard dirt. He steadied her on her feet, but kept his arms wrapped tightly around her.

      “I guess I’m not an ice skater,” Kate whispered hoarsely.

      “Guess not,” he said, his warm breath feathered across her mouth. His ice-blue gaze seemed to capture the sparse moonlight and do strange things with it. Kate found herself mesmerized by his eyes, his nearness. She couldn’t move or take a breath, she could only hold on to that worn-soft bomber jacket and absorb the heat emanating from his powerful body. Her mouth traitorously yearned for the taste of his, her fingers tightened on fistsful of leather.

      “We’re almost there,” he said finally, breaking the charged silence. Raine dropped his arms, turned and strode off into the darkness.

      Kate’s legs moved of their own volition. She was too stunned to do anything but operate on autopilot. She blew out a long, slow puff of air that fogged against the cold night.

      Get a grip, Kate. It was nothing. Just exhaustion, hunger and the play of moonlight.

      A sign welcoming hikers to LeConte Lodge came into view. Kate silently thanked God for some form of civilization. She hoped this was their intended destination. Rustic though it might be, she added when they entered the clearing and the unobstructed light of the moon gave her a better look.

      Several cabins, maybe a dozen or so of varying sizes, dotted the clearing. Not a single light pierced the night. It wasn’t that late, someone should still be up.

      The trail wound to the right of the lodge compound and disappeared into the blackness. A welcome center of sorts stood at the entrance. To Kate’s distress, rather than enter the compound, Raine stayed with the trail.

      “We’re not staying here?” Kate hastened her pace to catch up with him again.

      “The lodge is closed for the winter. There’s no one here except maybe a caretaker, and we can’t chance him seeing us.”

      “So, what are we going to do?” she asked, almost afraid of the answer.

      Without bothering to respond, Raine took a sudden left through the knee-deep weeds and headed in the direction of a small cabin at the very back of the compound.

      Kate followed, relieved to be heading toward shelter. She waded through the thick dead-for-the-winter grass. Sharp, prickling pain brought the sudden awareness that the grass was accompanied by saw briars, which pulled at her jeans and the skin underneath.

      Raine made it to the cabin well before Kate. She watched him survey the door and windows—deciding on the best method of breaking and entering, she realized. By the time she made her way to the cabin, Raine was already inside.

      The single room held one narrow bed, a kerosene lamp sitting on a table, two chairs and a small kerosene heater. The floor and walls were rough, unpainted wood, as best Kate could tell.

      Rustic had been an understatement. Primitive was a much more apt description. But at least it would provide shelter from the cold wind and damp ground. She appraised the narrow bed once more. Anything was better than sleeping on the ice-cold ground.

      But where would Raine sleep? she wondered absently.

      Kate shivered. Shelter or no, it was still cold. She took the few steps that separated her from the bed and sat down with a satisfied sigh.

      Dear God, it felt wonderful just to sit. Kate closed her eyes and succumbed to the exhaustion she’d been holding at bay. She pulled a scratchy wool blanket up around her and relaxed more deeply into the thin mattress. She licked her lips and imagined strawberry lip balm and almond oil hand lotion. That would feel so good about now, she thought with another sigh.

      “Stay put,” Raine ordered.

      Kate opened her heavy lids to look up at him. He stood in front of the door, blocking the dim light the moon provided.

      “If I have to run you down, you’ll be the one doing the regretting.”

      “Where are you going?” Kate asked. He didn’t have to worry, she didn’t plan to move, much less run.

      “If we’re lucky, there’ll be some canned food left in the dining cabin.”

      “Okay,” Kate muttered, but Raine had already vanished from view. He left the door open, for the light, she supposed. The constant sound of the wind rustling through the treetops lulled her toward sleep as the cloak of moonlight and nocturnal silence folded around her.

      WHEN RAINE RETURNED to the cabin with his booty, Kate was fast asleep. He set the cans of beans and franks and the bottled water he had found on the table, along with a couple of spoons.

      He thought about just letting her sleep. She’d been nothing but a pain in the ass the entire trek up the mountain. But he knew she hadn’t eaten anything, at least not since early morning, and he wasn’t comfortable with her sleeping too much in the first twenty-four hours since her accident. Eating was a necessity. She’d need her strength to make the rest of this hellacious trip.

      With a frustrated sound that was more groan than sigh, Raine walked over to the bed and shook Kate. “Kate, you need to eat.” He shook her again. “Wake up.”

      Kate’s eyes popped open, she sat bolt upright, quickly scanned the room and then assessed him. “What?” she eventually asked.

      Raine frowned. Most people didn’t wake and immediately take stock of their surroundings. She peered up at him with those dark, chocolate eyes. Maybe he’d startled her.

      “I found some food. You need to eat,” he told her firmly.

      Kate seemed to consider his words then said, “Okay.” Still shrouded in the blanket she had found on the cot, she struggled to her feet and followed him to the table. After claiming one of the two chairs, she watched as he popped the tops from two cans and passed one to her.

      “What