A whistle brought Trey trotting and Deuce limping up for inspection. Caleb poured out two mounds of grain and worked over his horses while they ate, checking hooves and hide for damage, talking soothingly the whole time, praising his horses’ stamina and gentle temper. Willow watched, fascinated by Caleb’s easy strength and masculine grace. The restraint and precision of his hands also fascinated her. He was so gentle that Deuce didn’t even flinch when his wound was checked, yet Caleb did a thorough job of inspection.
«Still clean,» Caleb said quietly. He stroked the horse’s muscular shoulder, feeling the roughness of hair where lather had run and dried more than once. «I’d groom you, boy, but I suspect you would rather be left alone for a day or two. Don’t blame you a bit. That was one hell of a trail.»
One of the mares caught the scent of grain on the wind and trotted up, nickering softly. Caleb smiled and tugged gently on her forelock.
«Hello, Penny. Feeling better after a night of eating?» he asked.
Penny nudged the grain sack pointedly.
Willow laughed. «Quit torturing her. She knows what’s waiting for her.»
Caleb gave Willow a sideways look and a slow smile.
«Waiting just makes it better, didn’t you know?»
Wisely, Willow kept her mouth shut, but nothing she did could conceal her blush. She shivered as she recalled the passion she had tasted that morning.
Ishmael cantered across the valley toward them. His ears were erect, his stride easy and even, his body supple.
«He looks good,» Caleb said.
«He’s breathing a bit too hard.»
«Altitude. He’ll be fine in a week or two.»
«It’s getting from here to there that bothers me,» Willow admitted, sighing and rubbing her temples.
Caleb began pouring out more mounds of grain as the Arabians closed in, lured by the rich aroma.
«We’ll take it easy until you’re used to the altitude,» he said.
«Only twelve hours a day on the trail instead of eighteen?» Willow muttered beneath her breath.
But Caleb heard. His hearing was as acute as a deer’s. He glanced up and saw Willow standing with her eyes closed, rubbing her temples. He shook out a few more kernels of grain, tied the top with a leather thong, and set the burlap bag aside before he went back to Willow.
«Headache?» he asked quietly.
She lowered her hands almost guiltily. «Just a little. It’s much better than it was in the pass.»
«Here. Let me.»
Whatever objections Willow might have had vanished at the slow, circular motion of Caleb’s thumbs on her temples.
«Relax if you can,» he said. «The tighter your muscles are, the more it hurts.»
Willow made a small sound that was more an expression of enjoyment than a word as Caleb slid his fingers over her head and massaged her scalp, loosening knots she didn’t even know she had. Strong, gentle, skillful, his hands rubbed away pain until she sagged with relief. With small pressures of his fingertips, he urged her closer until she was all but leaning against him. Her forehead dipped farther and farther, finally coming to rest against his breastbone.
Belatedly, Willow realized that Caleb had opened his shirt against the heat of the mountain sun. Her forehead was resting on his bare, warm flesh. The dark thatch of hair on his chest tickled her nose and mouth. When she breathed in, the scent of wool shirt and horse and man filled her senses. She sighed and rubbed her face against him, liking the feel of his masculine textures on her cheek.
«That feels so good,» Willow said, moving her head slowly, increasing the pressure of Caleb’s hands rubbing away pain.
«Good,» he said, enjoying the warmth of her breath against his bare skin.
For a time there was silence. Then Willow sighed again and spoke.
«I’ll never be able to repay you.»
He laughed. «I’ll let you rub my head in return.»
«I meant for my mares. Thank you, Caleb.»
«They were too good to lose over something that wasn’t their fault.»
«I know,» she said simply. «It was mine.»
Caleb smoothed the back of his fingers over Willow’s temples. «You didn’t build these mountains, honey. God did.»
She smiled sadly. «But I hired a mountain guide and then refused to listen to his advice. I came very close to killing my beautiful mares who had done nothing except follow where I led them. They would have died if you hadn’t gone back for them. I couldn’t have done it. I tried, but…» Her voice broke.
«Hush, honey. It’s not your fault.»
She shook her head and whispered, «I wasn’t strong enough. You were. You didn’t have to go after them, but you went anyway, even though you’d had hardly any sleep in days.»
Caleb’s hands hesitated on Willow’s temples, then he resumed slowly stroking her forehead. Her willingness to accept responsibility for the choices she made continued to surprise him. He had known few men and fewer women who didn’t pass the blame when things turned out badly and grab the praise when things went well.
The longer Caleb was around Willow, the more he realized she wasacustomed to taking care of herself and anyone else who was nearby. She was a far cry from the spoiled southern lady he had first thought her to be.
God must have been asleep when He let Willow go to a heel like Reno. She’s too damn good for him. She can’t know what Reno’s like or she never would have given herselftohim. I’ll be doing her a favor when I bury that son of a bitch.
She’ll be my woman before she sees him again. I’m not leaving this valley until Willow is mine in a way that nothing can change, not even the death of her fancy man.
«Thank you for my mares, Caleb,» Willow repeated quietly, resting her head against his chest. «I owe you more than I can ever repay.»
«Willow,» Caleb whispered.
She opened her eyes and tilted her head back until she could see him. The glints of color in her hazel depths had never seemed more beautiful to Caleb than at that moment.
«You saved my life when Deuce was shot,» he said. «You brought me ammunition and fought beside me afterward. You don’t owe me anything at all.»
«And how many times have you saved my life since we left Denver?»
«That’s different.»
«It is?»
«Yes.» Caleb bent and brushed a kiss over Willow’s lips. «That’s what you hired me to do.»
«You’re very good at your work…and at other things as well.»
Willow had been thinking of his care for the horses, but the instant the words were out of her mouth, she thought of other things he was breathtakingly good at. Color flooded her cheeks.
Caleb smiled crookedly and teased her lips with the tip of his tongue. «Really?» he asked. «What things are those?»
«You know very well what they are,» she muttered.
«No, I don’t,» he said, shaking his head. The motion brushed kisses over her mouth. «Tell me.»
Willow looked away and wished she would learn to think before she spoke. She had never been particularly impulsive before she met Caleb. But since she had met him, she was forever admitting to things that made her blush.
«I bet it’s that I’m good at finding riding clothes for you in the middle of nowhere,» Caleb suggested.
Willow’s lips quirked in a small smile. She looked up at Caleb through long, dark amber eyelashes. «That’s one of the things.»
«And finding saddles.»
Her smiled widened. «Yes.»
«And catching trout.»
Color stained her cheekbones.
«Is that it, Willow?» Caleb asked. His hands moved from her temples to just below her ribs. His muscles shifted and flexed as he lifted her slowly until she was at eye level. «Is that one of the things you think I’m good at? Catching trout?»