A Mail-Order Dawn Page 6

  She offered him a small smile, and he was grateful she’d chosen to bridge the gap. “Good.” There was so much more he wanted to say, but he didn’t want to risk damaging the small olive branch she’d given him. He’d be patient and, hopefully, when all this was over and they were back home, he could show her how much more he wanted with her besides friendship. “Come on. We better hurry up or we’ll turn to icicles before making it back.”

  Chapter 7

  Eureka!

  Rosalie’s hands were completely numb, but the minute she got them working again, she was going to clean the rabbit they’d caught and cook it. Normally, she would have cleaned it before going in the cabin, but she and Tom had both needed to warm up desperately.

  She held her hands close to the fire, occasionally blowing hot air onto them between glances at the dead animal. Heavens, when had she ever gazed so longingly at a carcass? She was going to have meat for dinner tonight, her belly would be full, and she would sleep well.

  Her mood had improved greatly after speaking with Tom. Most of the sting of his rejection had eased, but not all of it. That wasn’t possible, not when she wanted so much more from him than he was able to give. He wanted friendship but she wanted him.

  She sighed. Why were relationships so complicated? Why couldn’t she meet a man who was mad about her, and ask her to marry him once they fell in love? She wasn’t in love with Tom—at least, not yet—but with how much her feelings had grown, it was possible it could happen. Perhaps, once they were back in town, things would be different.

  She scolded herself. She shouldn’t think about that. Right now, she needed to worry about surviving.

  She opened and closed her fingers, wincing slightly at the stiffness. Almost there. "I can't believe we caught something."

  "It does feel like a miracle, doesn't it?"

  She could hear the amusement in his voice, and she smiled at him. "I'll take every miracle we can get at this point."

  "There isn't much meat on it.”

  "It will be enough for now. We'll worry about more food tomorrow. Who knows, maybe there will be something in the traps by morning." The more they talked, the less awkward it became between them. Just keep talking.

  "I sure hope so."

  She blew into her hands one more time before moving from the fire toward the animal. She picked it up, not even flinching. "I'll clean this outside. Would you mind keeping an eye out for me?"

  He looked at the carcass in her hand, then back at her. "I'm happy to clean it for you, if you would like."

  "No need."

  "You sure?"

  He grabbed his gun as he spoke, and she realized he was trying to take the burden from her. Did he think she was incapable? "Do you want to do it?"

  "I wouldn't mind." She raised an eyebrow, and he admitted, "I wouldn’t enjoy it, but I’d do it so you didn’t have to."

  She laughed for real this time and another band around her chest loosened. “Do I really need to mention growing up on a farm again? Anything having to do with animals, I've seen it and done it. This doesn't bother me at all."

  His eyes crinkled with his smile. "I just didn't want you to feel like you had to do something you might be uncomfortable with."

  "At this point," she said as he moved toward the door, cautiously checking outside, before opening it wider for her, "I would’ve done it even if I truly hated it. This meat is going to taste so good." She moved out the door quickly, not worried about the wolf. If it was out there, she knew Tom would protect her.

  He handed her his knife, and she set about her task. It was bitingly cold outside, and besides wanting to eat, she had no desire to linger and risk freezing her hands again.

  Once she finished, and in record time too, Tom whistled. “It’s a good thing you did it. I couldn’t have cleaned it that fast.”

  Her cheeks pinked as they entered the cabin, but she laughed through the embarrassment. “I told you I knew what I was doing. And it was much too cold to waste time.”

  “I’ll never doubt your skills again,” he teased.

  She snorted and they worked together to set up the spit. Soon, fat would sizzle over the fire, and her mouth watered again at just the thought. She hoped she’d have enough patience to savor it...and would be able to wait til the food cooled. A burned mouth would be most unpleasant.

  She arranged the meat on the spit, and when there was nothing more to be done, she turned away from the fire to find Tom sitting at the table watching her. She had assumed he’d gone back to whittling when he’d gone quiet, but apparently not.

  Self-conscious, she brushed at her clothes. “Is there something on me?” She knew she hadn’t been very careful and worried she’d dirtied her dress.

  He shook his head. “No. Sorry, I was just thinking.”

  He had been staring at her, his eyes not moving away. He hadn’t seemed as if he’d been thinking of anything other than her, but she wasn’t going to call him on it. “Yeah? About how we’re stuck in a cabin?” she teased.

  “How could that ever escape my mind?” He snorted. “No, just things that need to happen when we return.”

  She moved to the table and sat in the empty chair across from him. “I guess I should be happy you’re thinking about those things. It means that you believe we’ll make it out of here.”

  “I told you we were going to be fine.”

  “I know, and I believe you. It’s just nice to hear it again. We’ve had some scary moments.”

  He tentatively reached his hand out and covered hers, almost like he thought she might pull away. She might have earlier in the day, but she wouldn’t now.

  “I’ll protect you. You have my word.”

  Her heart melted a little more at his words. Why did she want so much more from him with each passing moment? He would have protected anyone he’d ended up stuck with, and she needed to remember that. “I know you will. That’s what friends do, right?”

  He squeezed her hand one last time, before pulling away. “Yes. Although I’ll admit, I’ve never had a woman as a friend. Plenty as acquaintances or wives of my friends, but never like this.”

  That was something in and of itself, wasn’t it? She wondered if they would have become friends on their own without the storm, and she realized it probably wouldn’t have happened. They would have been, as he’d said, acquaintances, passing each other in the street, calling out greetings after she’d hired him for services. She would have never known he was brave or funny, or that he could make her heart melt just by looking at her.

  “There’s a first time for everything, I guess.” She smiled to ease a bit of the sudden new tension between them. Even with their agreement to be friends only, something more still simmered in the air.

  “True.”

  “So,” she looked around the cabin, wishing there was something more she could do to pass the time, “looks like all we have to entertain ourselves with is conversation.”

  He pursed his lips. “I think I might be able to do better than that.”

  “Yeah?”

  When he pulled out a well-used deck of cards from his pocket, she laughed in surprised delight. “Where did those come from?”

  “I had them in my saddlebag. I thought they might come in handy, but between trying not to freeze to death or starve, there hasn’t been much opportunity to use them. Would you like to play?”

  “Yes!” She scooted her chair closer. “I thought we would have to start counting the planks on the walls soon.” His rich laughter sent warmth through her.

  “Let’s pray we don’t get to that point.” He split the deck and shuffled. “What would you like to play?”

  “Poker?”

  His hands paused. “Poker! You know how to play?”

  Her shoulders crept up, guiltily. “Five brothers, remember?”

  “Of course. Your skills never cease to amaze me.” He shook his head in amusement. “So, what do you want to bet with?”

  She looked around the room fo
r items they could use, but came up empty. After a few moments thought, she looked up and said, “How about the winner gets to ask a question? The other person has to answer it honestly.”

  His eyes brightened. “Are you sure you want to agree to that?”

  “I don’t have anything to hide.”

  “Everyone has something to hide.”

  He’d said it so confidently, and her mind instantly came up with a few things she might not want him to know. It hadn’t seemed like such a big deal, but things could get tricky or awkward, depending on what he asked. Maybe her suggestion was a bad idea. “Is there something else you’d rather do?”

  “Nope. A question works for me.” He finished shuffling and dealt. “Five card?”

  She nodded, turning serious as he dealt the cards. She called on the lessons she’d had with her brothers and wiped all expression from her face, before looking at her cards.

  Pair of kings.

  She glanced up at him to see if she could read his reaction to his hand, and noticed his face appeared completely blank as well. She wanted to grin. She was going to enjoy this.

  She pushed three cards back at him, then took up the three fresh ones he offered her as he went through the same process for himself.

  She added another king to her hand, and she forced herself to move slowly, methodically, to not give him any hints.

  “How do you want to work the bet raising?” he asked.

  She hadn’t thought about that before. “Hmm...should we raise on the types of questions? Low is everyday stuff you don’t care about telling anyone or common knowledge stuff.”

  His head cocked to the side. “So raising the bet would mean we would get to ask more personal questions? Things you wouldn’t normally tell people?”

  “Or things that you’ve never told anyone.”

  He stilled, and she wondered if she’d gone too far. She was intrigued by him, interested in both his present and his past, but she was afraid she may have crossed the line. And, again, did she really want to divulge that much about herself? In this cabin, alone together, it didn’t seem like that big of a deal, but they would be leaving soon, and it would no longer be just the two of them.

  Did she trust him enough to keep her secrets?

  They eyed each other for a moment in silence, and it suddenly felt as if something more than a fun and meaningless game was about to begin.

  His eyes never left hers when he said, “I’m in.”

  “Oh.” She cleared her throat and broke eye contact. “Good.” She squirmed on her chair as she realized this little bit of fun might just turn into a very dangerous game indeed.

  Chapter 8

  It was everything Tom could do not to react. They were playing for information. That had never appealed to him, but being able to ask Rosalie anything he wanted and receiving an honest answer in return, was worth more than gold. The stakes had taken the game from something to pass the time, to something he desperately wanted to win.

  “So…” She closed her cards and laid them on the table, before giving him a small smile. “How good do you think your hand is?”

  He choked on a laugh as he watched her eye the back of his cards as if she could see through them. He was almost tempted to check that she couldn’t, but he didn’t. She was trying to unnerve him.

  This wasn’t his first game of chance, after all. He’d played his fair share, and while she seemed relaxed, the alertness in her gaze spoke otherwise. Her brothers had trained her well. He would have to play to the best of his ability if he wanted answers from her. “Much better than I’d hoped for.”

  He smiled brightly and her eyes narrowed. What do you make of that?

  They didn’t know each other well enough for her to know if he were lying, or if he was telling the truth and hoping she wouldn’t believe him. There really was no way to tell at this point, but they would get a better feel for how the other played as the game continued.

  “What’s it to be?” he asked.

  “I’ll call.”

  His lips twitched. “I’ll raise to a personal question.”

  She arched a brow at him and considered. “So confident, are we?”

  He shrugged. “I guess we’ll see.”

  “I’ll meet your personal question and raise you an additional common question.”

  He laughed. This could get complicated quickly. “I’ll stay.”

  She nodded toward his cards. “Show ’em.”

  He flipped the stack up and fanned them out so she could see his pair of jacks, his eyebrows rising at her three kings. He whistled. “You could have gotten a lot more for that hand.”

  She winked as she gathered the cards to shuffle. “It was only the first round.”

  “I think that’s my cue to be scared.”

  She laughed darkly, expertly manipulating the cards as she shuffled them. Very scared, he amended. “So what would you like to know?”

  She leaned back easily in her chair. “For my easy question, how old are you?”

  He laughed. “Twenty-seven. Next?”

  “I know your father taught you to be a blacksmith, but do you like it? Or do you wish you could do something else?”

  “I do like it. I love it, actually. I like working with my hands, and I like horses as well, when I need to work with them. I like fixing things and making them better. But…”

  “But?”

  He smirked. “I guess you’ll need to use another question to find out what I enjoy most about my job.”

  She shook her head on a laugh. “It’s going to be like that, is it?”

  She dealt, and after looking at his cards, he decided to fold. He knew he would lose anyway.

  When she looked at him expectantly, he told her what she wanted to know. “I like doing everything I’ve mentioned, but I really enjoy making jewelry. I don’t do it often, but I like making something beautiful that brings others pleasure.”

  “Oh, I’d forgotten about that. Olivia bought a gorgeous charm bracelet for Sadie.”

  “The one with the bear.” He remembered it well.

  “Yes. It’s lovely.”

  He shrugged off her praise, feeling a little embarrassed, yet pleased too. He wanted to make her something, just for her. He could already envision the gold braid woven around her delicate neck.

  He gulped, forcing away the sudden images of her wearing his necklace and nothing else. “Another round?” He shuffled and dealt quickly when she gave a nod, and he was determined to win this round. He wanted a chance to ask questions and get some answers too. This hand finally played out in his favor, but before he could ask her anything, she said, “I know I shouldn’t feel nervous about your questions, but I do.”

  “Fair play and all that.”

  She rolled her eyes.

  “I’ve noticed some of the other brides pairing off already. Is there no one in town you’ve had your eye on?”

  She blew out a big breath. “That’s pretty personal.”

  It was, but he had won a personal question. “Don’t bet more than you’re willing to lose,” he teased, hoping to ease her anxiety.

  When she stuck out her tongue, he laughed, happy he’d gotten the desired effect.

  “A few have courted me, but I have to say I never felt anything special with them.”

  “What are you looking for?” He hoped he sounded only mildly curious.

  She fidgeted with the cards he’d dealt her. “Someone who ties me up inside. Someone who makes me want more.” She huffed out a breath. “Adventure, I guess. It always comes back to that. I want someone exciting.”

  “I’d think this experience would have fulfilled your need for an exciting adventure. Snow storm, broken down cabin, survival, wolves… I’d say that’s some pretty exhilarating stuff.”

  “You would think.” She mixed the cards, but didn’t look at him. “I know you aren’t courting anyone, but do you have your eye on someone?”

  “There’s no one else.” There was no one else,
but he hoped there would be soon. After spending time with Rosalie, he didn’t want to let her go. He wanted more of her, wanted to get to know her, to court her. It wasn’t the right moment to ask her for that though. He wanted her to be back in the real world, so she could decide and know for sure she wanted him, and he would know it wasn’t just because they were stuck together, alone, trying to survive.

  But knowing what he wanted filled him with a sense of purpose, of rightness. He’d felt a darkness taking over inside himself, as he worked day in and day out, accomplishing nothing else. Life had merely become something to get through, but Rosalie had changed that. Because of her, Tom wanted sunshine and adventure too.

  “Thank you for telling me.” She finally met his gaze and offered a small smile.

  “You can ask me anything you want, and I’ll always answer honestly, game or not.”

  “All right.” She let out a satisfied sigh and relaxed more. Her gaze wandered to the cooking meat. “I guess we didn’t need to play cards after all. We could have just asked each other questions.”

  “I think this was more fun though.”

  She chuckled and went to turn the meat, making sure their dinner cooked evenly. He enjoyed watching her, just as he had earlier. He’d never had a woman cook for him, and the feelings it evoked intrigued him. It made him feel relaxed and cared for, but watching her lean over the fire, inspecting the food, made him want to nibble on her. Every time he looked at her, he wanted to put his hands on her and kiss her again.

  He knew his thoughts and feelings were getting out of control, but he could see no way to stop it. Any other place and time, he could have distanced himself to get a hold on it, but under their current circumstances, they were forced to stay together. He was grateful she’d agreed to keep a friendly relationship with him, and he hoped they could explore a much deeper relationship once they got back to town.

  His hands opened and closed as he forced away the urge to touch her.

  She turned back toward the table. “The food looks perfect.” She took a huge breath and groaned. “I can’t remember when I ever looked forward to a meal more than this.”