Indomitable Spirit (19 page)

“I’m proud of him.”

“I am too.”

“I’ll tell him,” she said tenderly.

Their eyes were locked onto each other’s and the knowledge suddenly washed over him—they were totally alone.

But as her eyes began to drift closed again he knew that they could have a lifetime of tender moments like this if he got her warm and took care of her.

It was then that the cold from his own clothing began to remind him that he too was going to need to get dry and warm or he’d die—or lose anatomy, and he couldn’t think of any he’d like to part with.

“I’ll be right back.”

The temperature must have dropped another fifteen degrees he thought as he opened the door to the barn and stepped out. The snow was now moving in thicker. He could no longer see the Rose house over the crest of the hill and the valley had been absorbed. They were truly alone.

John pulled his phone from his pocket and prayed for at least enough signal to get a call into town. He placed the call to Chris, who he knew would get the message to all the right people.

He could hear Chris’s voice, but it wasn’t something he could make out clearly so he simply repeated the phrase, “I have her. I have her,” until the call was dropped. He’d send a follow up text as well and hopefully it would all be understood.

Pulling down the tailgate he began to gather the supplies his sister-in-law, mother-in-law, and Chris had stocked in his truck.

When he made it to the door with wood, clothes, and more blankets he remembered the thermos of coffee and the bag of food in the cab of the truck.

He moved to the living area and set the pile of items on the floor. Movement caught his eye and he saw Kym sitting up on the couch. That was the best sign so far.

“Can I help you?” she asked.

“One more trip and then I’ll need to warm up.” He noticed his voice wasn’t steady and it was because his body was beginning to shake from being so cold and wet.
One more trip.

The blast of cold air hit John in the face as he opened the door. His teeth were chattering now and that wasn’t good.

He flung open the door to the truck and gathered the thermos and the food. If he didn’t get warm soon, he’d be the one needing to be saved.

The barn was already filling with heat, that fact hit his face the moment he walked back inside. It burned against the frozen contrast of his skin.

His grip on the thermos let go and the metal container fell to the ground. Kym sat up full of the life he was used to. A moment later she was in front of him.

“Dear God, John. You’re wet and frozen. You came to save me and look at you.”

“I—fell on the—pass.” Now his words were harder to form. Kym took the bag in his hand and laid it next to the thermos on the ground.

“C’mon. We have to get you out of those clothes.”

She pulled him across the room toward the fire where she turned to him.

“Do you have more clothes?” she asked as she began to unzip his coat.

He could only shake his head.

“Okay. Then we need to get you out of these and under those blankets.”

There wasn’t much he could do as she went to work stripping him out of his wet clothes. Her hands, now warmer, grazed his chest as she unbuttoned his shirt and slipped it off. Just as quickly she pulled a blanket from the couch and wrapped it around his shoulders.

Kneeling down in front of him, she untied his boots and somehow maneuvered them from his feet while helping him balance. It was then he could feel how cold and wet his socks were. He’d be lucky to not lose a toe or two.

Kym went to work on his belt and unbuttoning his pants. This wasn’t how he’d envisioned this moment—and he
had
envisioned it.

She slid down his pants—and boxers—leaving him completely naked in front of her, but it didn’t seem to faze her at all.

“Lay down.” She pressed her hands against his back to lead him to the couch. His muscles protested as they shook.

She took the blankets and cocooned him in them then moved to the pile he’d brought in with more blankets. She threw them all on top of him, including the extra clothes.

His body shivered under the weight of the blankets. Even with the fire only a few feet away he couldn’t seem to warm.

Kym began unzipping her coat and letting it fall to the ground, then her sweater, her T-shirt, and when she began unbuttoning her pants he realized he must be cold. She was half naked in front of him and part of him wasn’t responding, but his core was warming.

She slid her pants off and stood there in just her socks, underwear, and bra. Every single inch of her was toned and perfect. His mind still worked—that was a good sign.

Walking to the couch she released her bra and it too fell to the floor as her small breasts perked in the cold.

She moved the blankets enough to climb under them and lay her body against John’s.

Wrapping her arms around him she rested her cheek to his chest. “Body heat. You need body heat.”

“Thank you,” he said. His voice was soft as he raised his hand to touch her back and she twitched. From the cold of my touch, he figured.

Her hair was splayed across his skin and he could feel her breath on him.

He’d thought many times of her naked atop him – this wasn’t what he had in mind—but much more intimate than the dreams of him taking her in her office, on a dirt road in his truck, or hiding from the kids in his own room. He realized he’d thought it though quite a bit.

Feeling was returning in his body. Nerve endings were coming alive. He could feel her making circles with her finger in the small tuft of hair on his chest. Soft kisses were being pressed against his skin.

Kym rubbed her hands against his chest and his arms. Body heat, he thought, was an amazing fix to many things.

After what had to have been at least an hour, Kym lifted her head and their eyes met. He raised his hands to cup her face. She didn’t wince and it meant his body had started to warm. Other parts of him were beginning to warm and he worried she’d be mortified, but he couldn’t will them back now.

“I missed you,” his voice growled from his throat.

“I’m sorry for whatever I did.” Her eyes were sad and he shook his head.

“I’m not used to thinking about anyone but myself—and my kids.”

“And I’m used to trying to prove myself.” She inched up. Her breasts now pressed against his chest. “I’ve been thinking about you too much. You have too many people to think about to only think about me.”

“But you are all I’ve been thinking about.” He pulled her closer to him so that their faces were only inches apart. “I’ve only ever told one woman that I loved her.” He could see the flash of disappointment in her eyes. “I want you to be the last one I say it to.”

Kym’s eyes widened and they were deep, emerald green in the firelight. “John…”

“I love you. I couldn’t let you wait out this storm up here. When Chris knocked on the door I’d hoped it was you.” He pulled her down closer until their lips pressed against each other’s. His tongue sought out hers and his hands moved from her face to roam down her bare back.

She quivered beneath his touch—their cold shivers warmed.

There was no way to hide what he was thinking now—his body was doing the communicating for him.

When she pulled back from him the emerald of her eyes had gone even darker. She moved off of him, standing next to the couch in only her panties and socks, but she didn’t let her eyes lose contact with his.

She slipped off her panties and left them on the floor as she climbed back under the blankets, straddling him.

“Tell me again,” she said breathlessly.

“Tell you what?” The blood had long drained from his head.

“That thing I’ll be the last woman to ever hear.”

John grinned up at her. “I love you. Do you love me?”

“I do.”

“I won’t be easy to love…”

“I want to try,” she said easing back onto him and closing her eyes.

Chapter Twenty

John was afraid to move—afraid the moment would end. The fire crackled and gave the dark barn an orange glow.

Kym lay on his chest. Her heart beat heavy with his. The moment they left the barn everything would change. He wondered how he could freeze time.

He lifted his hand and stroked her hair. “Are you warm enough?”

“I’ve never been warmer,” she said on a sigh as she lifted her head to look at him. “I never expected that would happen like that.”

He touched her cheek. “I didn’t plan this. I swear I didn’t.”

The corners of her mouth lifted in a satisfied smile. “No, you’re not the kind of man to take advantage of a situation like this. You came to save me.” The smile grew. “You were mad.”

“You shouldn’t have tried to drive home.”

She pressed a kiss to his chest. “You’re still mad.”

John hoisted her up so that they were eye to eye. “This changes everything.”

“You said that when you kissed me too.”

“I mean it. Not only have I only told one other woman I love her, I haven’t done this with anyone else.” His voice trailed as if perhaps he was embarrassed—and maybe he was, a little.

Kym’s eyes diverted for a moment before she lifted them back to meet his. “Am I just the replacement for your wife?”

John sat up slightly and then maneuvered her on the small couch so that she was lying flat on her back and he was looking down at her. “Oh, I didn’t mean it like that. No. No, you’re not a replacement. Damn. I’m not good at this.”

“I thought you were good.”

He narrowed his eyes. “I meant it when I told you I love you.”

She touched his cheek. “I know you did. I meant it too.”

John wiped his hand across his forehead. “I was so cold, how is it I’m sweating now?”

“Because you’re nervous.” Her tone was calm—peaceful. It quickly crossed his mind that she probably meditated as much as she trained.

“I am nervous.”

“Don’t be. I’m not going to be all strange with you now. In fact,” she lifted to kiss him, “I’d like to do that a few more times.”

His body heat was more than rising. “We certainly aren’t going anywhere. It’s still snowing.” He lowered to her and then shot back up. “Oh, shit!”

“What’s wrong?”

“Kym, I had no idea this would…I didn’t mean to…” He looked down into her confused stare. “We didn’t use anything.”

That controlled look took over in her eyes. “I take care of myself,” she said and he let out a breath.

“I don’t mean to make you do that.”

Kym looked around the dark barn as if she didn’t want to discuss that topic anymore. “What is this place? Are we going to be in trouble for being here?”

John propped himself up on one elbow. “The Rose family was a prominent family in Aspen Creek. This is their barn.”

“The big two story one you can see from town?”

He nodded. “That’s it. Dr. Rose built it near the pass specifically for his ranch hands to stay in when they were out in the cold. Later, rumor has it, that Lillian Rose’s lover lived here.”

Her eyes widened. “Lillian Rose? As in the Lillian Rose, actress, Hollywood legend?”

John laughed. “That’s her. She’s buried in the cemetery even. She grew up in Aspen Creek. I suppose you could say she was the first famous person to bring the elite to the community. But, in time those with more money began to stay in Aspen Hills and Aspen Creek became the quiet spot for them to hide.”

“They don’t hide too well. I’ve seen Jessie Charles at Maggie’s restaurant.”

“Yes you have. Even pop stars move in. Cade used to play professional football and Chris professional hockey.”

“That I knew.”

“And then some of us just got stuck here.” A sadness washed over him. What had he ever done?

“Stuck? You’re lucky. You have a foundation. You have roots. I was born in one country, pulled from there and moved to another. I’ve lived in multiple cities and states. You make a friend only to lose them. You find romance only to leave. You’re giving your children stability and purpose. I wouldn’t sell yourself short.”

He’d never really thought of it that way. Even those who left to do great things came back to where he called home.

“Do you think you can stay in one place? Especially somewhere as small and remote as Aspen Creek?”

Kym looked away and that bothered him. He wasn’t sure that if she had to think about it the answer would be the one he was hoping for.

“My brother offered to take me back to Ireland. It would be a chance to be with my grandfather in his last years. I’d have the comfort of my parents around me.” She looked back at him and fixed her eyes on his. “I didn’t want that. I wanted to make the school work. I wanted to become part of a community on my own terms. I wanted to stay near you.”

John rolled himself atop of her, their bodies molding as if they belonged together. “I’ll do my best to make that decision the right one.”

“I already know it’s right.”

Sun poured through the windows when Kym opened her eyes after a beautiful night of making love to John. She could feel him breathing steadily behind her, his arm draped over her.

The fire was dying down. She should get up and stoke it back to life. The temperature was dropping.

“Give me a moment to appreciate waking up with you in my arms and then I’ll fix the fire,” he said as if he’d read her mind.

A few minutes later, John wrapped two of the blankets around himself and fixed the fire. Quickly, he hurried back to her.

“Body heat.” He laughed as he pressed his now cold flesh against hers. “It’s too bad we even have to leave this spot today.”

“I wonder when we’ll get this kind of opportunity again.”

He didn’t answer and she felt him sigh against her. There was no doubt that was her answer. Once their lives were back to normal there wouldn’t be time for John and Kym. It would be her and her business. His time would belong to his kids.

A small pang of guilt settled in her stomach.
The kids.
She’d been so wrapped up in what her heart was feeling she didn’t think about his kids.