A Love for Rebecca (30 page)

Rain was pouring down. He hurried to his truck and started it as he swore to himself, cursing Rebecca’s foolishness. He hoped he would find her on the road and get her out of the cold rain, even if he had to insist. This was no kind of night to be out walking.

“Shit!” he exclaimed, hitting the steering wheel. “Shit, shit, shit!” As he turned onto the highway, the windshield wipers could barely keep up with the wall of water. He strained to catch sight of Rebecca. “Where did you go?” he murmured.

At that moment, Rebecca was leaning against a tree, trying to catch her breath. Running on the gravel road had tired her. She scolded herself for being out of shape, but she was determined that Kenzie wouldn’t find her. She couldn’t take any more of his hostility. If she had thought there was even a slight chance, she would have faced anything. But he’d made his feelings perfectly clear. There was no place for her in his life.

She’d had to act quickly, so when she walked out the door, she took off running. She figured he wouldn’t realize for a moment or two that she was gone, and by then she’d have a head start. The dark night and incessant rain were in her favor, or at least that’s what she told herself. It would limit his visibility.

The wind carried the desperate call of her name to her; he was looking for her. Rebecca kept moving and finally made it to the road. Her legs felt lighter now and her movements quicker, but she had to get off the road or he would find her easily. Over the pounding of the rain, she heard his truck engine start, and when she looked back she saw the truck’s headlights turn on in the darkness.

She didn’t hesitate. She hopped the wooden rail and took off across the field. She hadn’t counted on her own visibility being so bad, and it was too late to swerve when she ran right into a stand of small trees. It could have been a lot worse. She got tangled in some of the low branches and fell.

Please stop raining,
she thought. She’d left her umbrella in the truck, and the force of the raindrops was giving her a headache. She picked herself up and moved more cautiously through the long grass. It slowed her progress but made her feel safer. She’d seen those unending fields by daylight. Kenzie finding her in the darkness in this storm was unlikely. She was sure she could make it to Mrs. Munro’s house; she just had to wait a while until he tired of looking for her or drove away. Then she could go out on the road again and make it back to Mrs. Munro’s in no time. She wished she were there already, with the sweet older woman comforting her as her tears flowed.

Rebecca tired again and stopped to catch her breath. Her legs trembled from the exertion. She sat down. Her clothing was so soaked, the wet ground made no difference. She made her way to a nearby tree and leaned back against it. Her breathing slowed. She no longer heard him calling her name.

It wasn’t long, however, before she was shivering. Running had been keeping her warm, but now she was seated under the tree in the freezing cold, her clothing soaked. She told herself she had to get up and get moving or she’d freeze out here. She attempted to, but her legs, stiff from the cold and exertion, wouldn’t support her weight.
I’ll just rest a little longer,
she told herself.
Then I’ll go.

A scenario of what her mother would say when she got home popped into her head: “I warned you! You should never have gone.” The thought of it didn’t bother her. She felt at peace with her decision. But not with the deteriorating predicament she was in now. Her thoughts weighed on her; she felt lethargic. Her mind was slowing too.
So tired . . .
she thought. The cold seeped into her bones; her body stopped shivering.

He’ll find me if I leave now. I’ve got to hold out a little longer . . .

She was nearly unconscious when she felt a bright, painful light shining on the dark interior of her eyelids. She tried to open her eyes, but her brain wouldn’t cooperate. She mumbled something and fell back into a stupor.

She was vaguely aware that someone was lifting her. She managed to squint her eyes open a little and thought she saw Kenzie’s face.

Kenzie walked quickly, illuminating his steps with the beam of a powerful flashlight. His truck was pulled off to one side of the road with its lights on and the engine running. He wasted no time getting her back to his place and inside. Two hours had elapsed, far too long to be outside in wet clothing in this weather.

He put her down on the sofa. Her face was ashen, her lips purple, her skin cold as marble. She said something he couldn’t understand as he hurried to get her out of her wet clothes. Kenzie’s movements were deft, but he was careful not to move her body abruptly or rub her extremities, which would activate her blood flow. The most important thing was for her body to warm up slowly.

He knew what he was doing. He’d suffered severe hypothermia as a boy, that time the old druid had found him half frozen in his barn. The old man had helped Kenzie recover and taught him what to do if he was ever in that situation again.

In less than a minute Kenzie had removed her clothing and covered her frigid body with a blanket from the sofa. Then he went to get a heavier one that he warmed in front of the fire before wrapping it around her.

Rebecca’s limited ability to respond worried Kenzie. He feared she was suffering hypoglycemia. He knew even slight hypothermia could deplete the glucose levels in a body exposed to the cold and wet. So before taking off his own wet clothes, he went to the kitchen and heated some milk with a spoonful of honey. When it was ready, he took it off the stove to cool while he changed into dry clothes. Then he took a cup of the warm milk to Rebecca.

He saw the faint shivering under the blanket—a good sign. Her body was beginning to react. She opened her eyes when she felt a hand on her head.

“I want you to drink this,” he said, bringing the cup to her lips.

She took a sip. The liquid spread through her body, but she was still confused and unable to think clearly. She took small sips of the milk, and her spasms gradually subsided.

“I want to move closer to the fire,” she said.

“You can’t, not yet. Your body needs to warm slowly. Rest now, and in a little while you can have a hot bath.”

“That sounds nice,” she said, and closed her eyes.

Kenzie stirred the fire and sat down to wait. Rebecca’s rashness could have cost her dearly. He felt guilty for being the cause of her impulsive behavior. He knew he’d been harsh, but the truth was that he’d hardly had time to adjust to the fact of her presence in his life again. His emotions had surfaced so suddenly; he hadn’t had adequate time to think things through. He rested his face in his hands, his elbows on his thighs. He remained that way, at a distance, not daring to touch her, not allowing himself to stroke her hair. He hadn’t even been aware of her nakedness while he was undressing her; he was too terrified that something might happen to her.

He saw her shift on the sofa and open her eyes. He got up and went to her side. She looked so shrunken, her body contracted under the blankets.

He sat next to her. “How are you?” he asked, relieved at the color returning to her cheeks.

She didn’t have the nerve to look at him. “Fine,” she murmured.

“Wait here a second.” He disappeared behind a door and turned on the tap.

“Do you think you can walk this far?” he asked, leaning out of the doorway.

She tried, found her legs were working once again, and made her way to the bathroom.

“Call if you need anything,” he said and went out.

Rebecca tested the steamy water and eased herself in.

After a while, as she was picking debris out of her hair, Kenzie knocked and entered. “I brought a towel,” he said, hanging it on a hook. “Your clothes are still wet, so I’ll look for something of Sophie’s.”

“Thank you,” she said, without adding that Sophie’s clothes would probably no longer fit her.

As he turned to leave, Kenzie noticed Rebecca’s efforts to extricate a small leaf from her tangled hair.

“Over here,” he said, pointing at the spot on his own head.

She moved her hand over, feeling for it but not finding it.

“A bit to the left,” he said.

She kept missing it, so he went over, knelt down on one knee, and took the leaf out. There were more bits of debris hiding in her hair, and he took them out, one by one.

Without thinking, Rebecca brought her hand out of the water with a soft splash and caught Kenzie’s. She felt him freeze and his tension grow when she placed his hand on her wet cheek. He held his breath as Rebecca gently turned her head and brought her lips to his palm. She kissed it and then guided it down her body until it made contact with her breast.

Kenzie exhaled a long breath he had been holding. “Don’t do that,” he murmured, but his eyes radiated desire.

Rebecca had never taken the initiative in sex, but she told herself that if she had to play the role of seductress to win him back, she would. She had nothing to lose.

Kenzie’s hand lingered at her breast. Suddenly, she moved it to her belly, and then between her legs.

“Rebecca . . .”

“Shhh . . . I’ve missed you so much.”

He didn’t say anything, and she sensed his desire fighting a losing battle with his resentment. She closed her eyes at the rapturous pleasure of his touch.

She let out a soft gasp and opened her eyes to look at the man she loved. The longing on his face told her he wanted her. But a sliver of self-control prevented it. He reacted swiftly, removing his hand from the place that threatened his resolve.

Rebecca was startled. For a moment she had thought she had won; she had thought Kenzie was yielding.
Stubborn Scot
, she said to herself as she watched him storm out.

She finished washing her hair, sure he wouldn’t be coming back. When she finished, she dried off and then realized he hadn’t brought any clothes.

Even better.
She left the bathroom with the towel wrapped around her and found him seated next to the fireplace, drinking whisky.

“I suppose in Scotland they know that alcohol accelerates the loss of body heat.”

He ignored her comment. “What do you want from me, Rebecca? I’ve already made it clear how I feel.”