Another Dawn by Deb Stover Page A

Father."
           Before either of them could protest, Dr. Wilson started weaving his way through the building, leading Sofie by the elbow. She had no choice but to follow, though she looked back several times to assure herself that Father Salazar still followed.
           The stench of disease and death permeated the air and Sofie's stomach lurched again. They stopped beside a low cot, where a young man lay dying. Oozing sores covered his body and he thrashed around in obvious agony.
           "Dear God," Sofie whispered. Suddenly, she knew what she had to do. Maybe she didn't remember medical school, but something told her the stifling heat and foul air couldn't possibly be good for anyone. Without a word, she pulled her elbow from Dr. Wilson's grasp and marched to a nearby window. She released the latch and swung open the shutters partway.
           "We must keep them warm," Dr. Wilson argued. "You'll kill them all."
           Sofie put her fist on her hip, feeling stronger than she had all day. Maybe her medical training was surfacing at last, or it could be intuition or simple common sense. Either way, she knew without question that fresh air was better than foul. "No," she said quietly but firmly. "Every living thing needs fresh air to heal."
           Dr. Wilson studied her in silence for a few minutes, then nodded in surrender. "Very well. At this point, I'm willing to try anything. We'll try it your way for a while and see if there's any change, either good or bad."
           Sofie bit the inside of her lower lip and hoped she wasn't making a terrible mistake. Father Salazar's frantic look remained, and he looked toward the partly open window with a hunger that stunned her.
           Still, he seemed to battle his internal demons and recognize her self-doubt. He came to her side, offering her his arm for support. His touch comforted her and she leaned against him, grateful for his continued presence.
           "We'd better get some of that soup," he said quietly. "It looks like we have a lot of work here."
           For the first time since this morning when she'd awakened battered and bruised, Father Salazar actually sounded like a priest. She met his gray gaze and blinked, wondering why that didn't exactly please her. His behavior throughout the day had been so unpriest-like, she'd forgotten for long stretches of time who and what he was.
           Heat flooded her face as she also remembered the feel of his aroused male body pressing against her. Her pulse quickened and she struggled against the urge to throw her arms around him for support and comfort.
           And something more?  

           Luke weighed his options. He could probably walk away while the doctor was busy talking to Sofie, but he couldn't bring himself to do it yet. Why?
           Because he felt like hell? Because no matter what he'd thought earlier, he needed a hot meal and some cold water before he hit the road again? Because he was so exhausted from the longest day of his life he could crawl in a hole and sleep for a year?
           Yes and no.
           Sofie held him here as sure as Warden Graham had held him prisoner. For some stupid reason, he felt responsible for her. Hell, he'd brought her this far, it only made sense to ensure she'd be all right here before he left. Besides, he'd seen no evidence to indicate he was being hunted. Yet. Still, the thought of hanging around here didn't exactly give him a warm fuzzy.
           And Sofie herself... Who was she? The way she'd rallied and thrown open those shutters had caught him by surprise. She had balls, so to speak. Dr. Sofie What's-Her-Name was a woman he would have liked to meet at another time and place.
           In another life.
           Regret slithered through him again, but he forcibly quelled it. No time for that. Of course, there would never be enough time for that in his life. The moment he'd decided